Sportsday - rolling news and gossip

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Huddersfield boss David Wagner has now confirmed he is staying with the club after interest from Wolfsburg.

“It is correct that there has been interest from a few Bundesliga clubs. It’s important for me to clarify that my focus is on moving forward at Huddersfield Town. We want to develop what has been a good season so far into a great one."

Chairman Dean Hoyle said: “Huddersfield Town may not be a Bundesliga club or one that plays in European competition, but make no mistake - we are a serious, proud, ambitious club with a rich history. 

"Perhaps this isn’t clear to some of our colleagues in the media in Germany considering the tone of some articles that were published over the last 48 hours. 

“We are not to be toyed with or dismissed out of hand. We have values and always conduct ourselves in the right manner; something that cannot be said for other clubs."

Former Irish motocross champion Wayne Garrett says he will make every possible effort to walk again after suffering serious spinal injuries in a crash at meeting near Athlone last July.

Comber man Garrett, 31, who suffered the injuries while competing at Doon Motocross Park, told BBC Sport Northern Ireland that feeling "a little sensation in one of my legs" is giving him hope that he can walk again. 

"It may happen. It may not. If it doesn't, we'll I'm prepared for the Paralympics maybe," said Garrett, who spent seven weeks in Dublin's Mater Hospital immediately after the accident.

National League club Torquay United have been taken over by Swindon-based Gaming International (GI).

The deal ends months of speculation about the future of the Gulls, who were facing financial difficulties.

"There is relief that the club is saved. We were looking at a serous financial situation," outgoing chairman David Phillips told BBC Sport.

The deal is subject to ratification by the National League and supporters have raised concerns about GI.

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Joey Barton is set to re-sign for Burnley until the end of the season according to the club.

The 34-year-old midfielder's contract with Scottish side Rangers was terminated in November

Barton was banned for six weeks by Rangers following a training ground altercation in September before being signed off with stress.

Barton was named in the Championship team of the year after he helped the Clarets to promotion in 2015-16 and returned to training with the club earlier this month.

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Ferrari say they are "looking around" at their driver options beyond 2017 and want Sebastian Vettel to be "more calm" next season.

The four-time world champion's contract with Ferrari runs out at the end of next season and the German endured a difficult, winless season this year.

President Sergio Marchionne said: "With Vettel it doesn't make sense to talk about renewal now.

"We must first understand if he feels comfortable with us in 2017."

Carolina Panthers quarterback Kirk Cousins accidentally takes out a Washington Redskins cheerleader who just happens to be in Cousins' flight path. 

The cheerleader was unhurt and got up OK.

Mbirontono Kolodziejcak Yakeen: Uganda Cranes qualifying into the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time since 1978, when they featured against Ghana in the finals.

Matt Parry: Not a fan of Rosberg, but has to be him throwing one down the inside of "Crazy Max" at Abu Dhabi. Gutsy move with everything at stake.  

Mark Patrick Scoley: Leicester City winning the Premier League, closely followed By Mo Farah At the Olympics.  

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George North is reportedly ready to make his Northampton comeback against Sale on Friday night.

The Sun's Jonny Fordham says that the 24-year-old Wales international wing, who has not played since suffering a head injury in the defeat by Leicester on 3 December, will feature in the match after getting the all-clear from a specialist.

A final report regarding Northampton's handling of North's head injury and how he was allowed to play on is expected to be published tomorrow.

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Leicester striker Jamie Vardy's appeal against his red card in Saturday's 2-2 draw with Stoke City has been rejected.

The 29-year-old will serve a three-match ban covering fixtures against Everton, West Ham and Middlesbrough.

It generally takes a bit of time for the January transfer window to start clicking into gear, mainly due to it being launched at the end of the Christmas holiday period.

But one player who will be available immediately and is keen to continue his career is former England defender Joleon Lescott.

Lescott, 34, left AEK Athens in November after making just four appearances in three months but expects to be fit enough to step into a role immediately.

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Departing Palmeiras forward Gabriel Jesus says that it was the chance to work under Pep Guardiola, rather than Manchester City's financial strength, that convinced him to move the Etihad.

“There was a lot of interest in my signature," the 19-year-old told FourFourTwo, "but I don’t want to name any club.

“The decision to join City was taken by me, with my family and my agent - and it wasn’t the best financial offer.

“I can’t deny that working with Guardiola helped with my decision. He’s an excellent manager - one of the best in the world - I need to show that he was right about me."

Jesus, who scored 12 goals in 27 appearances to help Palmeiras to the title, will join City in January in a deal reported to be worth in excess of £27m.

Olympic taekwondo silver medallist Lutalo Muhammad vlogs from BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2016, featuring 16 sporting heroes, the greatest Olympian ever, and the new Strictly Come Dancing champion. This time nobody cries!

Petra Kvitova is currently undergoing potentially career-saving surgery for injuries sustained in a knife attack at her apartment this morning.

The 26-year-old was at her property in the eastern Czech town of Prostejov, where she does not spend a lot of time.

It is understood she took a call from a man via an intercom requesting routine access to the apartment, posing as a gas man.

When Kvitova let him in, she is said to have immediately known something was wrong.

It is thought the man did not know she was Petra Kvitova but realised once she opened the door.

A struggle is understood to have ensued in the bathroom and the intruder is said to have held a knife to her throat.

In defending herself, Kvitova suffered severe lacerations to all four fingers on her left hand, her tennis-playing hand.

The intruder is said to have been alarmed by Kvitova’s strength and ran away.

She called the police and has been taken to a surgeon in the north of the country for an operation.

While serious, the full extent of the damage will not be clear until Kvitova emerges from surgery. 

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Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann has said that he is happy at the club and is not considering a move to the Premier League.

"I’m feeling good at Atletico Madrid. Frankly, I don’t see myself leaving," he told France Football in comments reported by the Manchester Evening News.

"People often talk about England, but I’m here."

However the 25-year-old, who has scored nine goals in 21 games for Atletico this season, said that he wanted to end his career in the United States, saying that playing for David Beckham's proposed franchise in Miami would be "the best".

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Barnsley striker Tom Bradshaw says every footballer can learn from the examples set by Wales stars Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey.

Then playing for Walsall, the 24-year-old won his first senior cap for Wales in their defeat by Ukraine in March, giving him the chance to rub shoulders with the duo.

Injury dashed his hopes of joining them at Euro 2016, however.

"They constantly want to improve and get better so that's something every footballer should apply to their game," Bradshaw told BBC Radio Wales.

"You watch them train and you watch them play and you try to pick their brains about how they managed to get to that level.

"A lot of it is natural ability and natural talent, but the thing that strikes me is their hunger; their hunger to want to improve even though Gareth's playing for Real Madrid and he's a massive part of his country's team."

Team Sky are "confident" no wrongdoing will be found when UK Anti-Doping produces a report into a mystery package given to Sir Bradley Wiggins.

Team boss Sir Dave Brailsford told the Culture, Media and Sport Committee on Monday the package contained an over-the-counter decongestant, Fluimucil.

Ukad launched the investigation following a Daily Mail allegation.

"We are continuing to co-operate fully with Ukad and we look forward to their report," a Team Sky statement said.

Read more here.

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Richard Newlove: Hull FC finally winning the Challenge Cup at Wembley for the first time in their history

Andrew R Miles: Brechin City winning their last game of the season to stay up after winning eight out of their last 10 matches. #WeDidALeicester  

Mason Bah: Guinea Bissau into the African Nations cup for the first time in the history of the tiny West Africa nation.  

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Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has indicated he could draft in some of his under-20 squad tonight, with a number of the club's academy players "doing very well" training with the first team.

Their game with Partick Thistle is the first of four games in 12 days before the winter break.

"My job fundamentally coming here was to win trophies, to play attacking football the Celtic way and to bring young players through.

"So we will look to see if there are any young players we can maybe look at over the next few games.

"This is what building a club is about, creating the hope for the youth players otherwise if they don't think they can play, then why should you have an academy?"