Raheem Sterling has become embroiled in a fresh controversy after images of the Liverpool forward holding a shisha pipe alongside Reds team-mate and another rising star Jordon Ibe emerged yesterday.

Sterling has already earned the ire of club boss Brendan Rodgers after footage was released of the 20-year-old appearing to inhale the legal high nitrous oxide and then pass out.

The latest pictures, show both Sterling and 19-year-old winger Ibe holding shisha pipes and, according to the national newspaper, were taken at a London bar earlier this season.

£34m war-chest

Newcastle had more than £34 million sitting in the bank at the end of the last financial year, the club’s full accounts have revealed.

The club announced record profits last month of £18.7m for the 2013/14 season, but the full accounts show that £38.6m was transferred into Newcastle’s bank account as a cash-flow sum – paying off a £4.5m overdraft and leaving £34.1m available.

The revelation has infuriated Newcastle fans who claim owner Mike Ashley has little ambition beyond benefiting from the lucrative TV deals.

A protest is planned for Sunday before the home match against Tottenham Hotspur.

Stoke City linked with El Ouriachi

Stoke City are set to complete their third signing from Barcelona in less than two years, according to the agent of Moroccan winger Moha El Ouriachi.

Potters manager Mark Hughes, the former Barcelona striker, has already snapped up Bojan Krkic and Marc Muniesa from the Nou Camp and teenager El Ouriachi now looks to be on his way to the Britannia Stadium this summer.

The 19-year-old Barca B player is apparently keen to seek first-team action rather than extend his contract with the Catalans.

Mandzukic: No bite

Atletico Madrid striker Mario Mandzukic has denied claims that Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal bit him during Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final match.

Mandzukic and Carvajal were engaged in a physical battle throughout the goalless first leg of the quarter-final tie at the Vicente Calderon stadium.

After the contest, Carvajal was asked by the Spanish media if he had bitten Mandzukic after pictures showed Carvajal’s mouth close to the forearm of Mandzukic. The Real player denied the claims.

Mandzukic has moved to play down the controversy, tweeting: “Yesterday’s game was very tough and the two teams gave everything.

“But for me there is no controversy, no bite, no nothing.”

Buffon rules out retiring soon

Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has no immediate plans to retire.

“A player stops when he feels that he is no longer what he was before on the pitch,” Buffon, 37, told reporters yesterday.

“Looking at it objectively, that is not my case. I will continue to keep playing as long as I am doing well, otherwise it would be a waste. Why bid farewell to football if you are playing well?”

Buffon joined Juventus from Parma in 2001, and stayed with them even after they were demoted to Serie B following the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal in 2006.

Coach Labbadia returns to Hamburg

Struggling Hamburg yesterday appointed Bruno Labbadia as their new coach with immediate effect in a surprise decision with the former European champions anchored in last place with six matches left.

Despite widespread speculation about a pending deal with former Mainz 05 coach Thomas Tuchel, Hamburg said they had agreed on a 15-month contract with Labbadia, who had coached them in 2009-10.

The coach’s contract is also valid for the second division should Hamburg be relegated.

He takes over from interim coach Peter Knaebel who replaced sacked Joe Zinnbauer in March and will now return to his post as sports director.

US women’s squad

The United States head coach Jill Ellis announced her 23-woman squad for the Women’s World Cup featuring 14 members of the 2012 Olympic gold medal winning team.

The US open their campaign in Winnipeg against Australia on June 8 and official final squad lists do not have to be provided to FIFA until May 25 but Ellis chose to make her selection public before a series of warm-up games.

Defender Christie Rampone, who will turn 40 during the tournament, will feature in her fifth World Cup having been part of the last US squad to win the World Cup back in 1999.

The Americans finished runners-up in Germany in 2011 after they were surprisingly beaten by Japan in the final.

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