Former Samsung chief handed suspended jail term

A South Korean court on Friday found the former chairman of the Samsung Group guilty of a breach of trust in illicit bond transactions and sentenced him to a suspended 3-year jail term and a fine of 110 billion Korean won ($89 million), South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported.

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Italian giants Juventus sack coach Ranieri

Serie A giants Juventus have sacked coach Claudio Ranieri following a weekend that saw Inter Milan clinch a fourth successive Scudetto in Italy. Former Chelsea chief Ranieri took charge of the Turin club in 2007 and Sunday’s 2-2 home draw with Atalanta left Juventus three points behind second-placed AC Milan with two games left. The club have now gone seven league matches without a win and Ranieri’s departure came in a Web site statement.

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Rooney and Carrick put United three clear

Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick scored in each half as Manchester United beat Portsmouth 2-0 at Old Trafford to go three points clear of Liverpool at the top of the English Premier League table, with a game in hand. With midfielder Paul Scholes becoming only the fourth United player to reach 600 appearances for the club, the defending champions moved closer to an 18th league title — and their third in succession — with a dominant if unspectacular performance against a Portsmouth side still battling to avoid relegation. United took the lead in the ninth minute when Brazilian midfielder Anderson sent Ryan Giggs flying down the left flank with a brilliant reverse pass — and the Welsh veteran calmly rolled his cross along the six-yard box, where Rooney was waiting to tap home.

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Chelsea in semis with 7-5 agg win over Reds

Chelsea will face favorites Barcelona in the Champions League semifinals after sharing eight goals with Liverpool on one of the most dramatic night’s in the history of the tournament for a 7-5 aggregate win. Last season’s beaten finalists Chelsea could finally relax when Frank Lampard’s second goal of the game a minute from time saw them grab a stunning succes over their Premier League rivals after a 4-4 Stamford Bridge draw. Dutch coach Guus Hiddink’s Chelsea had looked to have done the hard work with a 3-1 first leg victory at Anfield last week, but they suffered the shattering blow of conceding twice in the opening half hour of the return

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Super-sub Macheda keeps United on top

Teenager Federico Macheda scored his second match winning goal in the space of a week as Manchester United stayed top of the English Premier League while Liverpool and Chelsea kept pace with home wins. Liverpool’s 4-0 thrashing of Blackburn in the early kickoff with Fernando Torres scoring twice left them temporarily at the head of affairs, but United responded with a vital victory at Sunderland which leaves the home side still deep in relegation trouble. Paul Scholes headed home Wayne Rooney’s 19th minute cross to put United ahead, but Sunderland hit back as Kenwyne Jones equalized early in the second half.

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Anelka blow for French World Cup hopes

Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka dealt French World Cup ambitions a blow on Monday when he withdrew from a critical qualifying double against Lithuania with a toe problem. France coach Raymond Domenech has now called up Paris St Germain marksman Guillaume Hoarau for Saturday’s Group Seven clash at Kaunas and the return in Paris on April 1. The French currently trail leaders Serbia and Lithuania by five points, but have a game in hand as they bid to qualify for next year’s finals in South Africa

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Legend Scolari sacked as Chelsea manager

Brazilian legend Luiz Felipe Scolari has been sacked as manager by Chelsea after "deteriorating" results and performances, the Premier League club announced on their Web site on Monday. The decision follows Saturday’s goalless home draw against Hull City that has left the west London club fourth in the table — seven points behind defending champions and league leaders Manchester United

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