English Premier League football embarked on its traditional pinball-style frenzy through the Christmas period but did so without José Mourinho, displaced as Chelsea manager by Guus Hiddink following the champions’ dismal title defence. Manchester United’s Louis van Gaal looked set to be next for the axe after they failed to win in December and both clubs gazed towards Pep Guardiola, who confirmed he will leave Bayern Munich at the end of the season. Manchester City seems his most likely destination. The game also bade farewell to Jimmy Hill, the former Match of the Day television presenter also known for leading the drive to abolish the players’ maximum wage, who died aged 87.
Athletics takes a knock
Sebastian Coe’s aide, Nick Davies, stood down from his role as deputy general secretary of the IAAF after he was accused of covering up Russian doping allegations. Davies, who ran Coe’s office in Monaco, has referred himself to scrutiny from the International Association of Athletics Federations’ ethics committee after an email in which he discussed a secret plan to delay naming Russian dopers before the 2013 world championships in Moscow was leaked. Elsewhere, Fifa president Sepp Blatter and his one-time heir apparent Michel Platini were both banned from football for eight years by the governing body’s ethics committee, a sanction relating to discrepancies over a €1.8m ($1.97m) payment from Blatter to Platini in 2011.
Blow for Pakistan
Pakistan cricket, seemingly on the up after years of turmoil, suffered a blow after its promising spin bowler Yasir Shah was provisionally suspended by the International Cricket Council for testing positive for a banned diuretic during the recent series against England. Meanwhile, New Zealand’s inspirational captain Brendon McCullum, who led his side to a 2-0 Test series win over Sri Lanka, is to retire from the international game after the upcoming series against Australia; Kane Williamson will succeed him as the Kiwis’ skipper. Australia captain Steve Smith ended 2015 on a high after being named ICC Cricketer of the Year for a season in which he scored 1,734 runs from 13 Test matches at an average of 82.57.
Advantage Murray
Three cheers for tennis’s Andy Murray, once lampooned for his supposed lack of charisma but now winner of the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year award for the second time in three years. In doing so the Scot also spared the blushes of British sport’s flagship awards ceremony after it had included controversial world heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury on its shortlist. “I have dedicated my life to this sport,” said Murray, who in 2015 led Britain to its first Davis Cup tennis victory in 79 years. “I work as hard as I can every day to try to make you proud. And I appreciate all the votes.”
