WORLD OF SPORT
▷▷▷ Valencia apologises for ‘liking’ Instagram post Manchester United captain Antonio Valencia insisted he is “fully supportive” of Jose Mourinho after appearing to back calls for the under-fire manager to leave. A 0-0 draw in the Uefa Champions League on Tuesday stretched United’s winless run to four matches. Struggles on the field are compounded by issues away from it, with reports that Valencia is not seeing eye-to-eye with his manager. Valencia “liked” an Instagram post from a fan account which said that “recently Mourinho has made watching us a punishment” and “it’s time for Mourinho to go”. Wary of the media scrutiny it had caused, Valencia attempted to explain and apologise. “Yesterday, I liked a post on Instagram without reading the text that accompanied the picture,” the right-back wrote on Twitter. “These are not my views and I apologise for this. I am fully supportive of the manager and my teammates.”
▷▷▷ Koepka denies Johnson rift: I love the kid to death Brooks Koepka dismissed reports that he fought with teammate Dustin Johnson following the United States’ dismal Ryder Cup loss to Europe, saying that Johnson was still one of his best friends. The Telegraph newspaper reported that Koepka and Johnson clashed after they were invited to Europe’s team room on Sunday following the 10.5-17.5 defeat in France. The report said Johnson’s partner Paulina Gretzky had fuelled rumours of the rift when she deleted images of Koepka from her Instagram account. French newspaper l’Equipe reported that the two men had argued on their flight to Europe ahead of the event. “This Dustin thing I don’t get. There was no fight, no argument,” Koepka told reporters yesterday. “He’s one of my best friends; I love the kid to death. We talked on the phone Monday and yesterday so you tell me how we fought.”
▷▷▷ Japan’s 2015 World Cup upset to be made into film Japan’s stunning 2015 World Cup victory over South Africa is to be turned into a film with the working name of “The Brighton Miracle”. New Zealand actor Temuera Morrison is to play Eddie Jones, England’s current coach who masterminded the 34-32 triumph at The Amex that was secured when Karne Hesketh crossed in the final minute. The result is considered the greatest upset in rugby history. Filming is expected to begin in January on the Australia’s Gold Coast with award-winning Australian director Max Mannix overseeing the project. “What Eddie Jones and his team did in 2015 was truly magnificent and worthy of being remembered,” Mannix said.