UEFA Too Strict Over " racism"

UEFA  has begun disciplinary proceedings against the Spanish football federation and the Russian football union over the behaviour of supporters during group matches.The European governing body said the cases related to racist chanting and racist behaviour during Spain’s game against Italy and Russia’s match with Czech Republic.A UEFA statement said: “UEFA has opened disciplinary proceedings against the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) for the improper conduct of their supporters (racist behaviour, racist chanting) at the Group C match against Italy in Gdansk on Sunday 10 June.“Disciplinary proceedings have also been opened against the Russian Football Union (RFS) for the improper conduct of their supporters (racist behaviour, racist chanting) at the Group A match against the Czech Republic in Wroclaw on Friday 8 June.”The cases will be dealt with on Thursday, UEFA said. The news comes three days after UEFA fined the RFS €35,000 after Russia fans set off and threw fireworks and displayed “illicit banners” during the Group A game against Greece in Warsaw last week.Russia went out of the tournament after losing the game 1-0, and all their games in Poland and Ukraine were marred by the throwing of fireworks and the displaying of “illicit banners,” UEFA said.Last Tuesday, the RFS appealed against punishments imposed in the aftermath of their opening group game against Czech Republic in Wroclaw.It was hit with a suspended six-point deduction for the Euro 2016 campaign, as well as a €120,000 fine, after UEFA took action against “the violent, offensive and unsafe conduct” of supporters at the June 8 match.The RFS was fined €30,000 after action was brought over fireworks and banners at Russia's second game, against Poland, and UEFA said it had launched a separate investigation into monkey chants towards Czech defender Theodor Gebre Selassie.Observers at the game between Spain and Italy said they had heard monkey chants being directed at the Italy forward Mario Balotelli.Meanwhile, UEFA said it had fined the Croatian and Portuguese football federations for the improper conduct of supporters.The Croatian federation – fined €80,000 last week after fans were found guilty of racially abusing Balotelli – has been fined a further €30,000 for incidents including the display of racist banners during Croatia's match with Spain.Observers said Balotelli was subjected to monkey chants from between 300 and 500 Croatia supporters. There were also reports that a banana was thrown onto the pitch.The Portuguese federation was fined €7,000 for an attempted pitch invasion by a fan during the quarter-final against Czech Republic.A UEFA statement said: “The sanction [against Croatia] has been imposed for the setting off and throwing of fireworks and the improper conduct of supporters (display of inappropriate and racist banners) at the Group C fixture against Spain in Gdansk.”

The both Ashley's Abused on Twitter

Ashley Cole and Ashley Young missed penalties in the quarter-final shootout against Italy.

England Stars Attacked on social networking site The Football Association has labelled Twitter attacks on England stars Ashley Young and Ashley Cole as "appalling and unacceptable''.Cole and Young both missed penalties in Sunday night's quarter-final shootout against Italy as the Three Lions exited the tournament, and were subsequently subjected to abuse on Twitter."We are concerned at the reports regarding allegations of abuse aimed at England players Ashley Cole and Ashley Young on Twitter,'' an FA statement read."They have just given everything for the national team at Euro 2012 and it is appalling and unacceptable that messages of an abusive type are being posted. We support any police investigation in identifying who is behind this.''A Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) spokesman said: "We are aware of alleged racist comments on Twitter following last night's England game and have launched an investigation."The allegation was made to MPS on 25 June by a member of the public relating to comments on a Twitter account supposedly based in London.No arrests at this early stage. The MPS is examining possible offences under Section 18/19 Public Order Act 1986.''The Twitter user in question made derogatory comments towards Young and Cole, but later wrote: "All I got to say is this was just a joke, you guys need to relax, police know i was kiddin around and they won't bother me hopefully, cheers.''A Welsh student, Liam Stacey, was jailed for 56 days earlier this year for racially abusing Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba after he collapsed on the pitch against Tottenham Hotspur.

No Problem For Serena Williams, Bertens, Wickmayer

Serena Williams

Serena Williams Progresses To The 2ND Round Of Wimbledon 2012 As She Defeats Barbora Zahlavova Strycova By 6-2 6-4 and Now Join Petra Kvitova In The Second Round.Williams, meanwhile, will take on Hungarian qualifier Melinda Czink for a place in the last 32.Playing on the same Court Two where Venus perished on Monday, Serena broke her Czech opponent three times in the first set.Breaks were traded in the second before Williams converted her second match point in the 10th game of the set."It always has some sort of an effect," said Serena of her sister's loss. "I always want to play even better if she's out of the tournament."She [Zahlavova Strycova] was being real aggressive and hitting lots of dropshots and coming to the net."It was good. If I ever play anyone like that in the tournament, it was a great opportunity for me to play her like this."

Victoria Azarenka 

 world number two Victoria Azarenka breezed past Irina Falconi and joined fellow seeds Vera Zvonareva and Marion Bartoli in round two.

Kiki Bertens

 19th seed Lucie Safarova was beaten in straight sets by Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands

Svetlana Kuznetsova

 two-time Grand Slam winner Svetlana Kuznetsova lost to Yanina Wickmayer.

Schiavone,Baltacha, Ward , Keothavong and McHale progress Into 2ND Round

Gutsy Robson out of Wimbledon

The 26Th Rank Female Francesca Schiavone Came Back From Set Down To Defeat Laura Robson By 2-6,6-4,6-4.Robson was leading by a set as the experienced 24th seed Schiavone had a medical time-out, and the 18-year-old Briton also had break points in the second set."I thought I was in control of it, and then just made a few mistakes and let her get back into the match," said the British number four."I definitely believed that I could win. I think I was just trying to go for too much because she was getting more balls back and I was just trying to stay the aggressive player in the point, keep the rallies short."

Baltacha

Baltacha Win Over Karin Knapp of Italy 

By 4-6 6-4 6-0.she had been awarded a wildcard to represent Britain at London 2012 in the women's singles, admitted it had been an emotional day."I didn't know [about the Olympic wildcard] until Judy [Murray] told me at the end," said the 28-year-old, who was hampered by a hip problem during her first-round win."If I had have known, I would have been all over the place and crying my eyes out."The world number 101 will next play defending champion Petra Kvitova and said she was a "very happy girl"."I will always remember the moment I found out I was going to be an Olympian. You're talking about the elite people in sport in the whole world," she added.

James Ward

Ward set up a meeting with America's 

Mardy Fish after a 4-6 6-0 3-6 6-3 6-3 victory over Spain's Pablo Andujar.They will be joined by Andy Murray who comfortably beat Nikolay Davydenko.The British number one needed just over one hour and 30 minutes to beat the Russian 6-1 6-1 6-4 to set up a meeting with either Israel's Dudi Sela or Ivo Karlovic of Croatia.The quartet's victories, along with Heather Waton's opening-day straight-sets win over Iveta Benesova, made it the best showing for British players at Wimbledon since 2004, when seven players progressed to the second round.

Keothavong

 Keothavong eased past Spain's Laura Pous-Tio 6-3 6-3.Keothavong, who next plays Sara Errani of Italy: "I made it a little difficult for myself at times but I felt like I settled into the match well, and I never felt I was going to lose - it was just a case of getting the job done."I've played against Errani before and she'll be a tough opponent. I'll have to do things better if I'm going to have a shot. Everyone is beatable on any given day."

 Christina McHale

British wildcard Johanna Konta , 21, could not cause an upset on her Wimbledon debut as she lost to 30th seed Christina McHale in a marathon encounter.The match had resumed at 7-7 in the third set after bad light had forced them to stop on Monday.Konta, who switched nationalities from Australia to Britain in May, eventually lost to the American 6-7 (4-7) 6-2 10-8.Konta's citizenship has been the source of debate but the 21-year-old received huge support on Court 17 during her defeat, which spanned two days and lasted three hours and 10 minutes."I had good support, it was good to hear them and from what I heard I think they embraced me," Konta said."I feel British and I am happy to finally have GBR next to my name. People who are in touch with tennis will have seen my name around for the last few years. I very much hope that I have been accepted now."There was good news, too, for Jamie Murray in the men's doubles as the Scot and his partner Eric Butorac beat Andre Begemann and Igor Zelenay 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-3) 4-6 7-6 (7-4).

OTHER NEWS:

James Baker will resume his first-round tie with Andy Roddick on Wednesday after play was suspended because of rain with the Briton trailing 7-6 (7-1) 4-2.

Tsonga in 2nd round of Wimbledon

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Fifth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga ousted former champion Lleyton Hewitt in straight sets Tuesday in the first round of Wimbledon.Hewitt was playing as a wild card for the first time at Wimbledon and couldn't stop the sixth-ranked Frenchman, who broke once in each set to win 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. Tsonga finished with 61 winners to the Australian's 12.Tsonga reached the semifinals at the All England Club last year after rallying from two sets down against Roger Federer in the quarterfinals, before losing to eventual champion Novak Djokovic. Tsonga lost to Djokovic again at the French Open this year after holding four match points in their quarterfinal.Hewitt was playing in his 14th straight Wimbledon. He had not lost in the first round since 2003, when he was the defending champion.

Andy Murray in the 2nd round of Wimbledon

Andy Murray.

Andy Murray had the last laugh as he silenced Nikolay Davydenko's taunts with a straight sets 6-1, 6-1, 6-4 win on Tuesday to kick off his Wimbledon campaign.The Russian had claimed players laughed at the British fourth seed, believing he regularly makes a song and dance out of his injuries.But Murray left Davydenko licking his wounds after dominating him on Wimbledon Centre Court.Davydenko, 31, a former world No 3, who won the 2009 World Tour Finals, has seen his ranking drop to 47 and he was outclassed by his Scottish opponent."I'm desperate to get the tournament going because there's a lot of talk from a lot of people," Murray said afterwards."It's never easy playing at Wimbledon in the first round but that was a good start. The first two sets were very good. I got off to a great start and then relaxed."Since Queen's I've been itching to get going. I was hitting the ball very clean from the beginning of the match."He faces either Croatia's Ivo Karlovic or Israel's Dudi Sela in the second round.Murray, making his seventh Wimbledon appearance, has never lost his opening match at the All England Club and has made the semi-finals on the last three occasions.He is bidding to become the first British man since Fred Perry in 1936 to win the men's singles crown.Murray has come under fire in recent weeks from the likes of Virginia Wade, the last British singles winner at Wimbledon, who won the ladies' title in 1977.She called him a "drama queen", claiming the 25-year-old exaggerated any bumps and bruises he may be feeling."We just laugh sometimes," Davydenko told  on Tuesday. "Sometimes he walks on court, he looks tired, like he doesn't want to run anymore and then he runs like an animal. He has done that all his career."He may have a pain somewhere but if you ask any player they will all say they have pains here and there. Nobody says they are perfect. It's just not possible."Murray showed no bitterness at the end of the match, shaking hands with Davydenko at the net.