#SSU #SPORTSUPDATE England forward Raheem Sterling on Monday defended his decision not to start his sides Euro 2016 qualifying win over Estonia on Sunday, saying: Excuse me for being human. Sterling, 19, came on as a second-half substitute in Englands 1-0 victory in Tallinn, after which manager Roy Hodgson explained that the Liverpool winger had complained of fatigue on the eve of the match. The matter was discussed on the sports pages of several British newspapers on Monday, while Sterling also received critical messages on Twitter. He responded by tweeting: Now listening too.. Excuse me for being human?? omw (on my way) home. ------------- Mercedes are almost ready to let Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg off the leash now that the title-chasing pair have secured the teams first Formula One constructors world championship. Almost, but not quite. Wolff said that for the time being, until it was mathematically certain that the Mercedes drivers could not be overtaken, there remained an invisible little leash restraining them. While there is no question in anyones mind that Hamilton or Rosberg will be crowned champion at the end of the season, there is still the slimmest of chances that Red Bulls Daniel Ricciardo could do it. The Australian is 92 points behind Hamilton and 75 adrift of Rosberg with 100 remaining to be won from the last three races. No other driver is in contention. --------- South African track star Oscar Pistorius should serve three years of partial house arrest and community service for the negligent killing of his girlfriend, a witness said on Monday at the first day of the athletes sentencing. The 27-year-old Paralympic and Olympic star, whose lower legs were amputated as a baby, was convicted of culpable homicide last month for the shooting of 29-year-old law graduate and model Reeva Steenkamp on Valentines Day 2013. The case has riveted South Africans and gripped millions around the world, shocked by the fall of a man widely admired as an inspiration for disabled people and a symbol of triumph over adversity. Arguing against a prison term, correctional services social worker Joel Maringa said Pistorius was a co-operative person who should be sentenced to three years of correctional supervision, which would mean the athlete would have to spend a portion of the day at home. --------- Michael Garcia, the lead investigator into alleged corruption surrounding the 2018 and 2022 World Cups bidding process, has criticized soccers global governing body FIFA for not conducting its ethics investigations in an open manner. Garcia submitted his long-awaited report to German judge Hans-Joachim Eckert last month and called for it to be made public in line with the goals of the reform process. A number of FIFA executive committee members have backed its publication, but President Sepp Blatter has sidestepped the issue and the governing bodys legal director linked the reports confidentiality with the protection of witnesses. Garcia, a former United States attorney, is investigating whether there was any corruption in the turbulent bidding process four years ago which ended in the 2018 World Cup being awarded to Russia and the 2022 tournament to Qatar.
Posted on: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 06:33:40 +0000