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Bromell strikes gold on day of drama Page 18

LONDON: Crystal Palace’s Damien Delaney, left, Martin Kelly, right, and Leicester’s Jamie Vardy challenge for the ball during the English soccer match between Crystal Palace and Leicester City at Selhurst Park stadium in London, yesterday. — AP Leicester take another step to league title

urge the visiting supporters to leave the south have to stay calm and concentrated,” Leicester Only City is in the top four, 15 points behind ately after the break, striking over and heading , but they responded in an instant: manager Claudio Ranieri said. “I remember at the Leicester, while Chelsea is a mammoth 25 points wide. But Leicester’s defensive doggedness “We shall not be moved.” start of the season, I haven’t forgotten: The goal behind in 10th place as it meekly surrenders the throughout the second half was the hallmark of Crystal Palace 0 Just like their team will surely not be shifted was to save the team. title to its former manager, Ranieri. Thirteen of champions. from the Premier League summit. Not when it is “Now everybody is speaking about us. Not only Leicester’s 31 league games have now been secured Goalkeeper preserved the provisionally eight points clear with seven matches in England but around the world.” It will be an even by one-goal margins. lead by punching Bakary Sako’s shot over and the to go. The lethal double act of Riyad Mahrez and better weekend for Leicester if Tottenham fails to And like so often during this improbable bid for crossbar saved Leicester in the stoppage time fol- Leicester City 1 Jamie Vardy combined again to see off Palace, close the eight-point gap when it hosts a first-ever league title, Leicester’s opponent lowing Damien Delaney’s volley. clinching a slender win emblematic of this astonish- Bournemouth today. enjoyed most of the possession in London but the For Palace, it marked the continuation of a mis- ing pursuit of the trophy. Mahrez arrived unmarked visitors clung on for the victory. erable run since December when the club was sixth LONDON: More than 15 minutes after the final in the penalty area to meet Vardy’s low cross across FIRST TIME “I think they showed in the first half why they as it celebrated receiving investment from whistle, Leicester fans were still singing, finally the face of goal in the 34th minute before sweeping At the very least, what seems certain for are top of the league,” Palace manager Alan American sports tycoons David Blitzer and Josh ready to believe their team will become the unlikeli- in his 16th goal of the campaign. Leicester is a place in the lucrative Champions Pardew said. “We couldn’t really make any impact Harris, who co-own the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers est of champions. “The game was very difficult, it was a very good League for the first time next season. on them. They are very strong, disciplined-wise in and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils. “We’re going to win the league,” they chanted win,” Mahrez said. “We have to keep going like this. “There’s seven matches to go until the end - it’s terms of their defensive duties. It’s very hard to get In three months, Palace has gone from being continuously in unison after Leicester grabbed a It’s getting close.” Exactly a year ago, Leicester sat not easy for us,” Ranieri said. “We are Leicester. We through them. nine points behind Leicester to 33 after winning third successive 1-0 victory yesterday at Crystal bottom of the league before winning a late battle aren’t a team like (Manchester) United, only once in 17 games and going close to the rele- Palace. “And now you’re going to believe us.” That against relegation. Now the central England team, (Manchester) City, Chelsea ... we have to fight every MISERABLE RUN gation zone. “It was always going to be a difficult includes even those skeptical pundits who predict- which is owned by a Thai retail tycoon, is poised to match.” The scale of Leicester’s achievement has “We couldn’t really create anything and they task today,” Pardew said as the delirious Leicester ed a Leicester collapse which has yet to happen. win the world’s richest league for the first time. been magnified by the struggles experienced by deserved the lead at halftime.” Shinji Okazaki came fans inside his stadium were still celebrating being The Selhurst Park announcer eventually tried to “Our fans are singing - that is fantastic, but we United, City and Chelsea. close to extending Leicester’s advantage immedi- another step closer to the title. — AP FIFA announces new Fabregas curbs West Ham’s top-4 ambitions sponsorship deal Chelsea 2 ZURICH: FIFA president Gianni Infantino said a lions of dollars”. Wanda, who also bought Swiss wind of change was blowing through soccer’s sports marketing company Infront Sports & scandal-plagued world governing body after Media AG last year, said it will hold a press confer- announcing a sponsorship deal with China’s ence on Monday to give more details on the deal. West Ham 2 Wanda Group on Friday. “I’m very aware of the potential situations that FIFA has been battered by a series of scandals can exist when you have partners who may have and the deal, which runs until 2030 and includes subsidiaries, who have other commercial relation- the next four World Cups, came one day after the ships as well,” said Infantino. LONDON: Late equalisers in each half from Chelsea’s Swiss-based federation announced a $122 million “In these circumstances, it’s even more impor- Cesc Fabregas kept West Ham United out of the Premier League top four following a 2-2 draw at loss for 2015, its first deficit since 2002. tant to do the right thing and to make sure that Stamford Bridge yesterday. West Ham had the better of The deal could help Infantino, elected last the contracts that you sign are really checked and the first half and took a deserved lead through Manuel month to replace the disgraced Sepp Blatter, fulfil we make sure that they are compliant with the Lanzini, only for an error by in injury time ambitious promises of greater funding for FIFA’s highest standard.” to give Chelsea a free-kick that Fabregas curled home. 209 member associations which he made during On Tuesday, FIFA applied to United States restored West Ham’s lead a minute his campaign. FIFA has been thrown into turmoil authorities for tens of millions of dollars in com- after taking the field as a substitute, but Fabregas lev- in the last year with criminal investigations under- pensation from ex-officials indicted there, a move elled again from a penalty after Chelsea substitute way into the sport in the United States, where Infantino said marked a change in attitude. “FIFA Ruben Loftus-Cheek was tripped by Michael Antonio. several dozen former soccer officials have been is moving from the defence to the attack and it Chelsea have not won for four matches, but remain indicted, and Switzerland. Blatter has been must be clear to everyone who abuses FIFA and unbeaten in the Premier League under interim manag- LONDON: West Ham United’s Andy Carroll, second left, is congratulated on scoring his side’s second banned by the federation’s own ethics committee abuses football to enrich themselves that they er Guus Hiddink. West Ham are now unbeaten in eight goal of the game by teammate during their English Premier League soccer match for six years after being engulfed by the scandal. will not only be excluded from football but you games in all competitions, but will be kicking them- against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, London, yesterday. — AP “I cannot change the past but I can influence will have to give the money back,” said Infantino. selves for missing a good chance to move into the Courtois and into the net. Payet then tried an extrava- defender to bring the Chelsea man down 25 yards out, the future and make sure we will face all the chal- FIFA has struggled to find new sponsors since the Champions League places. gant volley from a cross by that had it was Fabregas rather than Willian who took the free- lenges,” said Infantino after chairing his first exec- current crisis erupted in May and has failed to The positive for Chelsea was that they showed Courtois scrambling across his goal, and Cheikhou kick. This time the ball flew past Adrian’s right hand and utive committee meeting. Wanda Group, China’s replace top-tier partners Sony and Emirates after plenty of spirit in the first match since their season was Kouyate, awarded a new five-year contract this week, into the top-left corner. As West Ham sought to restore largest commercial property company, last year their deals expired at the end of 2014. Despite its effectively ended by successive losses to Everton and could only glance a header past the post. Chelsea their lead, Payet sent the ball past Courtois early in the bought a 20 percent stake in Spanish club recent troubles, FIFA on Thursday revised its fore- Paris Saint-Germain in the FA Cup and Champions looked flat and even their main source of inspiration second half, but was there to clear. League.West Ham, looking full of confidence, attacked Atletico Madrid and Blatter’s nephew Philippe cast revenue for the 2015-18 cycle upwards from $5 this season, Willian, could not be relied upon when a Chelsea took the ball straight upfield, where Oscar from the kick-off and took the lead in the 17th minute. foul by Kouyate on Kenedy game him a chance from a could only put Branislav Ivanovic’s diagonal cross past Blatter is chief executive of its subsidiary Wanda billion to $5.65 billion. FIFA sources have said the John Mikel Obi was at full stretch to knock the ball Sports Holding. federation faces a shortfall of about $500 million in free-kick 22 yards out. His shot beat the defensive wall, the far post when scoring looked easier. out of ’s stride, but it only travelled as far but dropped a yard wide of the post. West Ham responded again. Payet sent Aaron A source close to the deal said the sponsor- its predictions if it fails to reach the targets set for as Lanzini, 25 yards out. The Argentine got the ball on When Reid’s poor control in first-half injury time Cresswell in and the left-back’s shot thundered against ship amount by Wanda will be “hundreds of mil- sponsorship revenue. — REuters his right foot, looked up and curled it over Thibault gifted the ball to Oscar and forced the New Zealand the underside of the crossbar. —AFP