Sports News

LONDON (Reuters) - Striker Andy Carroll has pulled out of England's friendly internationals against Ireland and Brazil through injury, the FA said on its website (www.thefa.com) on Tuesday. The 24-year-old has been struggling with a heel injury after he was named in Roy Hodgson's squad to face Ireland at Wembley on May …

By Timothy Heritage OREKHOVO-ZUYEVO, Russia (Reuters) - As Russia congratulated its forces for foiling an alleged Islamist plot on Moscow, the discovery of the plan also pointed to the growing security threat before the 2014 Winter Olympics. Monday's killing of two suspected militants and arrest of a third in a sleepy town …

By Simon Evans MIAMI (Reuters) - For a brief but dazzling spell in the 1970s, New Yorkers fell in love with soccer as Pele and the Cosmos showcased the world's most popular game in a city long dominated by baseball and American football. Now Major League Soccer hopes that a new team, called the New York City Football Club …

By Liana B. Baker (Reuters) - ESPN, the sports channel that is Walt Disney Co's most profitable unit, is cutting 300 to 400 jobs across the company and closing a small Denver office, a person with knowledge of the cuts said. The job cuts, comprising 4 to 6 percent of ESPN's staff of 7,000, include open positions that will …

LONDON (Reuters) - Stoke City and manager Tony Pulis parted company by mutual agreement on Tuesday after seven years in which he established the Potteries outfit back in the top flight of English soccer. Having steered Stoke to the Premier League in 2008, two years after returning for a second spell at the helm, Pulis has …

By Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) - A divided federal appeals court has revived a lawsuit against Electronic Arts Inc by a former Rutgers University star football quarterback, who accused it of using his image in a video game without permission. By a 2-1 vote, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said on Tuesday that Ryan …

By Alissa de Carbonnel MOSCOW (Reuters) - The right-hand man of Russia's most wanted insurgent was killed by security forces on Tuesday, officials said, as Moscow tries to contain militancy in its Caucasus region before it hosts the Winter Olympics near there next February. Dzhamaleil Mutaliyev, a senior figure in a group …

Audley Harrison has confirmed his return to boxing less than three weeksafter announcing his retirement.

By Simon Evans MIAMI (Reuters) - The New York Yankees and Premier League club Manchester City have formed a Major League Soccer (MLS) team to play in New York City from 2015, aiming to win over America's largest sports market to the global game. City, owned by Sheikh Mansour of Abu Dhabi, will be the majority partner in …

(Reuters) - Ladbrokes said as many as 100 employees at its headquarters in Harrow could lose their jobs as Britain's second-largest bookmaker transfers a number of roles to its operation in Israel, set up as part of its agreement with gaming software developer Playtech. In March, Playtech and Ladbrokes, which has struggled …

By Larry Fine (Reuters) - Golf club makers Ping and Cobra Puma Golf hit back on Tuesday at a rules change that will ban the anchoring of putters. The ban, announced on Tuesday, will take effect on January 1, 2016. It does not apply to equipment and golfers will be able to use belly and broomstick putters. They will not, …

By Tony Jimenez VIRGINIA WATER, England (Reuters) - The golfing world must unite behind the new ban on the anchoring of putters from 2016 and avoid any unseemly legal disputes, according to Royal & Ancient (R&A) chief executive Peter Dawson. The ban was announced by the game's rule makers, the R&A and the United States …

LONDON (Reuters) - West Ham United have signed Romania captain Razvan Rat on a free transfer, the Premier League club said on Tuesday. The left back joins on an extendable one-year deal after his contract at Ukrainian champions Shakhtar Donetsk came to an end. The 31-year-old has 88 caps for Romania and won seven Ukrainian …