Spicy Joe Vibes Blog

Tennis star Maria Sharapova again tops the list of highest earning female athletes over the past year, according to Forbes. For the 11th consecutive year, the Russian heads a list dominated by tennis players, who occupy seven of the top 10 spots. The 28-year-old Sharapova, who won the French Open last year, collected $6.7 million in prize money, but her total estimated earnings were $29.7 million, according to Forbes. The Forbes list also includes earnings from appearances, licensing and endorsements, personal business interests and, in some cases, salary. World number one tennis player Serena Williams is second at $24.6 million, while motor racing driver Danica Patrick is the top non-tennis player, in fourth place with $13.9 million. The only other non-tennis players in the top 10 are number eight Ronda Rousey (mixed martial arts) and number nine Stacy Lewis (golf). Tennis is one of the few big-money sports where t...

After only one weekend of the English Premier League season, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is in familiar territory: Embroiled in an irrational dispute and his conduct being denounced. The unexpected target of Mourinho's is the club doctor, whose misdeed appears to be her eagerness to race onto the field to treat an apparently injured Chelsea player. . Eva Carneiro is set to lose her match-day role on the Chelsea bench after Mourinho publicly criticized the actions of his medical staff following the opening-day draw with Swansea. In stoppage time, with Chelsea already down to 10 men after goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was sent off, Eden Hazard was brought down at Stamford Bridge. The immediate reaction from Carneiro and physiotherapist Jon Fearn was to leave the bench to treat Hazard. The protocol, designed to limit time-...

Barcelona's Uruguay forward Luis Suarez was on Wednesday named on a three-man shortlist for UEFA's Best Player in Europe award for 2014/15. The 28-year-old joins perennial top player nominees Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. . Suarez's Barca teammate Messi won the inaugural UEFA Best Player in Europe award in 2011 while Real Madrid's Ronaldo is the current holder. Messi is the big favourite as Barcelona won the treble of Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey last season, while he helped Argentina reach the Copa America final. The award will be handed out in Monaco on August 27 during the draw for the group stages of the Champions League. Behind the top three, Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon was fourth, Barca's Brazil forward Neymar fifth and Eden Hazard of Chelsea sixth.

Former Trinidad and Tobago international midfielder David Nakhid is the latest to say he. will stand in February's election to replace the outgoing Sepp Blatter as president of FIFA. Nakhid, who is based in Lebanon where he runs a football academy, has returned to the Caribbean seeking support from local officials. . "I have put my hat in the ring and we are looking forward to the challenge," he said on Wednesday by telephone from Grenada, adding that he was "optimistic" of getting the five nominations he needs to press ahead.

Roma have signed Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko on a one-year loan from Manchester City, the Premier League club's official website reported on Tuesday. Dzeko, who joined City in January 2011, has been loaned with a view to a permament transfer to the Serie A club "if certain conditions are met". . Dzeko joined City in January 2011 and scored plenty of important goals for them during his four-and-a-half year stay. "I came here to win titles with Roma. Hopefully, we will win many, many trophies but first we have to work hard on the pitch and at the end, hopefully we will get where we want to be," the 29-year-old told Roma TV after completing his medical in the Italian capital. Dzeko made a particularly huge contribution to City's history-making 2011/12 Premier League campaign, scoring 19 goals in 42 games, including the injury-time equaliser against QPR that set up the incredible climax which saw them s...

Barcelona forward Pedro was unclear over whether he wants to leave the club after reacting angrily to comments by technical secretary Robert Fernandez that he was seeking a move away. Pedro came off the bench to score an extra-time winner in a 5-4 thriller over Sevilla in the European Super Cup final on Tuesday and afterwards was ambiguous over his future. "Robert made some unfortunate comments. We spoke only a few words and he doesn't know what I have lived here in this club to speak that way about me," Pedro told reporters. "I know that I am and will always be for Barca, people should not doubt that. "The response is no (I don't want to go) but it is a complicated situation for a lot of reasons. "It is not down to money as has been said and that is disrespectful. "It is down to consistency, minutes and I am an ambitious player. Whether I stay or go, I will always follow this team." Pedro has had limited chances at Barca due to the presence o...

Barcelona substitute Pedro scored deep into extra time to secure the European Super Cup with a 5-4 win over Sevilla in a thriller on Tuesday after they surrendered a three-goal lead in Tbilisi. Barca said before the game that Pedro wanted to leave the club but the 28-year-old came on to win the trophy, just as he did in 2009, pouncing on a rebound from a Lionel Messi shot. Messi had himself scored a double with two stunning early free kicks while Rafinha and Luis Suarez also netted for the Catalans, who led 4-1 with just over half an hour left. Barca's fifth triumph in the competition, which means they have now won four trophies this year, moved them level with AC Milan on the all-time UEFA Super Cup winners list. "I got the goal but it was down to the work of the team and I am happy with the win," said Pedro. "When you know you may leave it is difficult. I was angry about not starting the game but as always I tried to be professional and go out and help." Ever ...

World number one Novak Djokovic kicked off his bid for a fourth Canadian crown with a 6-3 7-6(4) second round win over a stubborn Thomaz Bellucci at the Rogers Cup on Tuesday. Bellucci, with just one win in five visits to Canada and coming off a first-round loss at Washington, appeared to be the perfect opponent for Djokovic to launch his buildup to the U.S. Open but provided a stiff test for the Serb. "Match could have gone either way, honestly, especially in the second set," Djokovic told reporters after battling Bellucci for an hour and 50 minutes. "But we both had our chances to break. We got to the tiebreak, which I thought was fair, then it was anybody's game. "It's the first hard-court match for me from Miami earlier this year in March. It takes a little bit of time to get into the rhythm, get into the groove." The top seed in Canada for the fifth straight year, Djokovic saved all three break points he faced in a tight opening set. The Serb, who ...

Serena Williams shook off some hard-court rust before rolling to a 2-6 6-3 6-0 win over Italy's Flavia Pennetta at the Rogers Cup on Tuesday, but the home crowd failed to fire up local favourite Eugenie Bouchard, who slumped to another first round exit. Williams, playing her first match of the North American hard-court swing after pulling out at Stanford last week with a sore right elbow, endured a ragged opening set in which she was broken four times and fired four double faults. But the 33-year-old American, a three-time champion on the Toronto hardcourts, eventually found her rhythm in the second round match. While Pennetta would break on her next opportunity to lead 2-1 in the second set, Williams shifted into another gear and stormed through the next four games on her way to levelling the match at one set each. Fans were treated to the sight of Williams in full flow in the third as the 21-times grand slam champion finished off Pennetta with a thundering backhand winner. "...

South Korea's Chung Mong-joon will formally launch his bid to become president of world football's scandal-hit governing body FIFA on Aug. 17 in France, the home of rival Michel Platini. Chung, a former FIFA vice president and fierce critic of outgoing president Sepp Blatter, told Reuters last month that he would enter the race and that he would make the announcement in Europe, what he called "the centre of world football". "Paris has been chosen as the venue for the announcement as it is the birthplace of FIFA and the campaign is focussed on reviving the original spirit of football's governing body," Chung's office told Reuters on Wednesday. The 63-year-old billionaire scion of South Korea's Hyundai industrial conglomerate is viewed as one of the favourites for the job but faces stiff competition from Frenchman Platini, the head of Europe's governing body UEFA. "On Monday, Aug. 17 at 10:00am (local time) at the Shangri-La Hotel in Paris...

All-rounder Marcus Stoinis, spinner Ashton Agar and batsman Joe Burns are set to make their one-day international debuts for Australia in Britain as the world champions seek to regenerate following their fifth World Cup triumph. Steven Smith will lead a youthful 15-man squad shorn of fast bowlers Mitchell Johnson and Josh Hazlewood for a one-dayer against Ireland in Belfast on Aug. 27, followed by five ODIs and a Twenty20 match against England. Johnson and Hazlewood will be rested following the conclusion of the Ashes, which Australia have lost 3-1 with a match in hand, Cricket Australia said in a media release on Wednesday. All-rounder James Faulkner was not considered as he serves a team suspension for being convicted last month in England of driving under the influence of alcohol. Western Australian Stoinis, a medium pace bowler, is the chief beneficiary of Faulkner's omission and has recently played on Australia A's tour of India. "Marcus has performed very well in Ind...

France midfielder Mathieu Valbuena has joined Olympique Lyonnais from Russian club Dynamo Moscow, the Ligue 1 side said on Tuesday. "Presentation press conference at 17:00! #MV," Lyon wrote on their official Twitter account above a picture of the 30-year-old on a exercise bike machine. According to French media reports, Lyon will pay five million euros ($5.54 million) for the play-maker who is expected to sign a three-year deal. Valbuena, who has 48 international caps, moved to Dynamo Moscow last year following an eight-year spell at Olympique de Marseille, with whom he won the French title in 2010. French media said he had asked to leave the Russian side after they were banned from this season's Europa League for failing to comply with the Financial Fair Play rules. Valbuena is the fourth signing for last season's runners-up Lyon after Brazil full-back Rafael and Frenchmen Claudio Beauvue and Jeremy Morel. Lyon drew 0-0 at home to Lorient in their opening Ligue 1 m...

Bayern Munich's Germany centre-back Jerome Boateng believes the Bundesliga giants have the ability to win the Champions League this season. The 26-year-old was part of the last Bayern side to lift Europe's premier club crown in 2013 when they completed a treble after winning the Bundesliga and German Cup as well. "We have the potential to win the Champions League as well as the other competitions," he told the Sport1 television station's website. "Obviously we should and we want to win every match but there are other very good teams in England, France and Italy, and it's always a close battle," he added, seemingly forgetting the power of La Liga and the last two European champions: Real Madrid and Barcelona. Bayern have won the Champions League five times but were knocked out in the semi-finals the last two years by the eventual champions.

Paraguayan club Olimpia have been ordered to pay compensation to a player whose contract was suspended while he was being treated for cancer, the world players' union FIFPro said Tuesday. FIFPro described the ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in favour of Sebastian Ariosa as a "major legal victory" after the Uruguayan was awarded "moral damage" in the case. FIFPro said that Ariosa was diagnosed with a mediastinal tumour in May 2013 and Olimpia suspended his contract the following December until he was fit to play again. In January 2014, Ariosa cancelled his contract with Olimpia, which still had nearly two years to run, for non-compliance. However, according to FIFPro, Olimpia ordered him to resume training immediately, even though he was undergoing chemeotherapy. In its decision, CAS ordered Olimpia to pay Ariosa his overdue salary as well as a so-called 13th month for every year of his contract and the remainder of his contract which ran un...

Former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson once said he would not sell Real Madrid "a virus" let alone Cristiano Ronaldo but, as even he found out, when the Spanish giants come knocking they usually get what they want. Ever since the end of last season United's Spanish goalkeeper David De Gea has been targetted as the replacement for long-serving Iker Casillas who has joined Porto after 16 years of service at the Bernabeu. Yet with the Premier League season already under way, De Gea remains a United player, although he was not deemed in the right state of mind to play against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. United are not used to selling prime assets, simple as that, so the idea of Europe's most highly-regarded shot-stopper packing his gloves to play for a club they like to think they rival as the biggest in the world hurts. Louis van Gaal has been busy revamping United's line-up during the summer, spending heavily on the likes of PSV Eindhoven striker Memphi...

The English Football Association says on Tuesday that it has rejected Chelsea's appeal against the red card shown to goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois during the 2-2 draw with Swansea. Courtois was sent off in the 52nd minute of Chelsea's season opener on Saturday after bringing down Bafetimbi Gomis in the penalty area. The Swansea striker scored the resulting spot kick against substitute goalkeeper Asmir Begovic. Begovic, who joined Chelsea from Stoke in the offseason, is expected to start against Manchester City on Sunday. Manchester City got its Premier League campaign off to a winning start with an impressive 3-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion.

Bayern Munich have set their sights on a record fourth consecutive Bundesliga title when the league gets under way this week, with VfL Wolfsburg ready to resume last season's hunt. Few doubt the Bavarians, already considered by most Bundesliga coaches as the overwhelming title favourites, can do it. Coach Pep Guardiola, in his third season in charge, will be looking to set more records after two dominant Bundesliga campaigns. "No team has ever won the Bundesliga four times in a row," he said. "It is going to be tough but that is our goal." The Spaniard may still be missing the Champions League title with Bayern but he is the undisputed king of the Bundesliga, having led his team to the title virtually unopposed in the two previous seasons. He will be fielding a somewhat changed team with fans missing their talismanic midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, who joined Manchester United and winger Franck Ribery still nursing a months-long injury. The Frenchman will mis...

Midfielder Michael Carrick thinks Manchester United's summer signings have quickly settled at Old Trafford and will do their bit in helping the club challenge for major honours this season. "The new boys that have come in have settled very quickly," the 34-year-old told the club's website (www.manutd.com), adding that key additions in the right areas of the pitch had given United the chance to have a good season. Manager Louis Van Gaal has signed five new players during the summer, including Germany captain Bastian Schweinsteiger from Bayern Munich, Morgan Schneiderlin from Southampton and Memphis Depay from Dutch side PSV Eindhoven. Although Carrick says the new players have "all done really well", he especially effusive in his praise for Schweinsteiger, despite potentially having to compete with the 31-year-old for a starting berth. "Basti is slightly different," Carrick said. "He is new to England, but at the same time we all know exactly w...

The percentage of English players in top-flight starting line-ups fell below one third during the opening weekend of the Premier League, fuelling the FA's concerns about a lack of opportunities for home-grown youngsters, the Times reported. Of the 220 players who started for Premier League clubs at the weekend, only 73, or 33.2 per cent, were eligible to play for England, the Times said (http://thetim.es/1J8B3f5). The numbers represent a dip from last season's 35 per cent and a steep fall from 69 per cent in 1992-93, when the Premier League was launched. The English top-flight already has the lowest proportion of players among Europe's leading leagues. This season's opening day figures were inflated by newly promoted Bournemouth, who started eight English players against Aston Villa, the Times said. But fellow new boys Watford, along with Arsenal and Newcastle United, started with just one Englishman. Champions Chelsea started with two, but one of those was John Terry, ...

Former International Olympic Committee (IOC) director general Francois Carrard has been appointed as chairman of the new FIFA reform task force, the governing body for world football said on Tuesday. The 77-year-old Swiss, who guided the IOC through its own corruption scandal following the vote for 2002 Winter Olympics, won by Salt Lake City, will head the group charged with reforming the scandal-plagued FIFA. FIFA said that each of the six continental football confederations would have two representatives on the task force, while there would also be two members appointed by FIFA's commercial partners, to be announced. Those named included Gianni Infantino, secretary general of European soccer's governing body UEFA, and Alasdair Bell, UEFA's legal director. Asia's representatives were Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah from Kuwait, a member of FIFA's executive committee, and Australia's Kevan Gospar, former vice-president of the IOC. FIFA said: "Over t...