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News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
English football star Wayne Rooney was arrested in December at Dulles Airport outside Washington, DC for public intoxication, local police said on Sunday.
Rooney, who has played for US soccer team DC United since last year, was booked into the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center on December 16, on a charge of public intoxication stemming from an arrest by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police, the local sheriff's office said.
The 33-year-old footballer was arrested at an international arrivals gate at Dulles after he triggered a door alarm but did not breach airport security, a Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority spokesman said in a statement.
He received a $25 fine, according to court documents.
Rooney was released later the same day on a personal recognizance bond, said Kraig Troxell, a spokesman for the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office.
It was not immediately clear why authorities had delayed releasing details of Rooney's arrest for more than two weeks.
Rooney's agent did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A spokesman for the player was quoted by British media as saying he was "disorientated" after mixing sleeping pills with alcohol during a flight from Saudi Arabia.
DC United said it was aware of the reports of Rooney's arrest.
"We understand the media's interest in this matter but believe this is a private matter for Wayne that DC United will handle internally," the club said in a statement obtained by the Washington Post.
DC United did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Rooney, England's former captain and all-time top scorer, joined the Major League Soccer club in mid-2018 in a deal that was reportedly worth more than $12 million and made him the highest paid player in DC United's history.
Liverpool-born Rooney was the latest addition to an elite list of former England captains to cross the Atlantic, following David Beckham and Steven Gerrard.
Rooney burst into the consciousness of English soccer when he made his Premier League debut for Everton at age 16.
He joined Manchester United for $35 million in 2004 and stayed there for 13 seasons - winning five English titles, one Champions League, one FA Cup, three League Cups and becoming the club's all-time leading scorer with 253 goals.
He earned 119 caps for England - a national record for an outfield player - and in 2015 he surpassed Manchester United great Bobby Charlton's England goalscoring record, ending his international career with 53 goals for his country.
PSG advance in French Cup, Marseille knocked out
Paris St Germain reached the last 32 of the French Cup with a 4-0 rout of fourth tier Pontivy on Sunday but other big clubs had their hopes dashed by lower league opponents on a weekend of shocks.
Champions PSG, bidding to win the competition for the fifth year in a row, went ahead against Pontivy with a first-half own goal and Brazilian forward Neymar made it two 20 minutes from time. Kylian Mbappe added the third from the penalty spot before Julian Draxler completed the scoring.
The biggest shock came when Olympique de Marseille were knocked out 2-0 by fourth division amateur side Andrezieux.
Their ground was so small that they moved the game to nearby St Etienne but even without home advantage Andrezieux were too good for Marseille and won with a goal in each half.
The defeat extended Marseille’s winless run to seven matches in all competitions and they were not the only Ligue 1 side who failed to advance.
Girondins Bordeaux lost 1-0 at home to second division Le Havre, Ebenezer Assifuah getting the winner. Montpellier, fourth in Ligue 1, conceded a goal in stoppage time to lose 1-0 at third-tier Entente SSG.
Angers also lost to an amateur side, beaten 1-0 by Viry-Chatillon, while Nimes Olympique were hammered 3-0 by Lyon Duchere.
Among the Ligue 1 clubs who did reach the next round were Olympique Lyonnais, who beat lower league Bourges 2-0, and Stade de Reims, who overcame Lens by the same scoreline.
Basement club Guingamp won 4-2 at Stade Pontivyen and second-bottom AS Monaco also enjoyed a rare win, knocking out Canet Roussillon 1-0.
Bournemouth’s Defoe joins Rangers on 18-month loan deal
Bournemouth striker Jermain Defoe has completed an 18-month loan switch to Scottish club Rangers in a move that reunites him with former England team mate Steven Gerrard who is the manager of the team, the Premier League side said https://www.afcb.co.uk/news/club-news/defoe-rangers-move-confirmed on Sunday.
Bournemouth added that Defoe, who has struggled for playing time this season making only four substitute appearances in the league, will remain at Rangers until 2020 but the south-coast club have the option of recalling the 36-year-old in July.
"I'm delighted to be able to welcome Jermain to Rangers," Gerrard told the Rangers website https://rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/rangers-sign-jermain-defoe "He is an exceptionally talented striker and vastly experienced footballer who has scored goals at every club he has played for.
"He'll be a great addition to our dressing room and we look forward to integrating him into the squad whilst we work in Tenerife over the next week."
Former West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland veteran Defoe has made 34 appearances in his second spell at Bournemouth scoring four goals.
He has scored 162 Premier League goals in 496 appearances throughout his 24-year professional career and has 57 caps for the national team to date.
Bournemouth signed Dominic Solanke from Liverpool on Friday with the striker expected to fill in for Defoe but the 21-year-old will be unavailable throughout January due to a hamstring injury.
Rangers are second in the Scottish Premiership, level on 42 points with great rivals Celtic, as they seek a first top flight title in eight years.
