Swansea City, Celtic agree on transfer fee for Korean midfielder Ki Sung-yuengEnglish Premier League team Swansea City has agreed on a fee with Scottish champions Celtic for Korean midfielder Ki Sung-yueng. Swansea chairman Hew Jenkins confirmed on Monday that his club has agreed to pay around 6 million British pounds ($9.4 million) to land the 23-year-old, who is being pursued by several clubs.Jenkins told STV: “We have agreed a fee with Celtic for Ki. We are currently holding discussions with

South Korea football player Ki Sung-yueng is poised to join Swansea City in the English Premier League, officials said Tuesday, Korean time, ending weeks of speculation about his future destination.In an interview in Scotland, Swansea City Chairman Huw Jenkins said his club and Celtic FC, Ki’s current team, have agreed on a transfer fee for the South Korean midfielder.“We are currently holding discussions with player and agent over personal terms,” Jenkins was quoted as saying on STV in Scotland

English Premier League side Swansea City is reportedly in talks with Celtic over the transfer of Korean player Ki Sung-yueng. According to the Daily Mail and other news media Monday, Swansea City has placed a 5 million pound ($7.84 million) offer with the Scottish champion for their midfielder. However, Celtic sources say further offers for Ki are expected this week and have placed the offer from the Welsh club on ice in anticipation of a transfer bidding war. A number of Premier League clubs ar

Lionel Messi scores twice as Barca routs Real Sociedad 5-1LONDON (AP) ― Manchester City fought back after a second-half collapse against Southampton and opened its title defense Sunday with a 3-2 victory against the Premier League newcomers.Carlos Tevez put City ahead in the 40th minute, but Southampton built a 2-1 lead on goals by second-half substitutes Rickie Lambert in the 59th and Steven Davis in the 68th. Edin Dzeko, who entered in the 14th minute after Sergio Aguero injured his right knee

Ki Sung-yueng (SBS "Healing Camp")Football player Ki Sung-yueng gave behind the scenes stories for his team’s quest for the nation’s first-ever Olympic medal on SBS television talk show “Healing Camp” to be aired Monday.Ki, well known for his confident demeanor and candid comments, offered his point of view on what happened in the locker room, anecdotes about stoic head coach Hong Myung-bo, and ho

LONDON (AP) ― Liverpool lost its first Premier League game since Brendan Rodgers took over as coach, falling 3-0 at West Bromwich Albion after defender Daniel Agger was sent off early in the second half on Saturday.Arsenal began life without Robin van Persie with a frustrating 0-0 draw against Sunderland, but Fulham and Swansea both enjoyed 5-0 routs.Fulham did not miss American midfielder Clint Dempsey during its Premier League opener, cruising past Norwich at Craven Cottage.Coach Martin Jol sa

Swansea City pummels QPR 5-0Korean football star Park Ji-sung started with his new team Queens Park Rangers, wearing the captain’s armband on Saturday, but his debut was tarnished by a crushing defeat. Park played the full 90 minutes against Swansea City, which romped to a 5-0 win over the Rangers in their first match of the English Premier League 2012-2013 season.The 31-year-old midfielder worked very hard and held on to the ball fairly well as he shuttled between defense and offense, but came

South Korean soccer player Park Jong-woo carries a sign given by a fan that reads “Dokdo Is Our Territory,” after winning the bronze medal match against Japan at the 2012 London Olympics on Friday. ( Ahn Hoon/The Korea Herald)The head of South Korea's football governing body on Friday apologized for his agency's handling of the aftermath of a football player's politically-charged celebration at th

Manchester United said Wednesday they had agreed a deal to sign Dutch striker from Premier League rivals Arsenal.“Manchester United is pleased to announce it has reached agreement with Arsenal Football Club for the transfer of Robin Van Persie,” said a club statement.“The deal is subject to a medical and the agreement of personal terms. A further announcement will be made in due course.”Van Persie stunned Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger when he declared immediately after Euro 2012 that he wanted t

Korea’s World Cup soccer team beat Zambia 2-1 in a friendly match at Anyang Stadium in Seoul on Wednesday.Zambia, currently placed 44th in the world, went behind after midfielder Lee Keun-ho’s 16th-minute shot. Zambia’s Emmanuel Mayuka scored at the 28-minute mark. Korea again took the lead when Lee Keun-ho scored his second goal on 54 minutes, securing the win. By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldm.com)　　

Korea will go up against gold-medal favorite Brazil on Wednesday morning in the football semifinals of the London 2012 Olympic Games.Although taking out Great Britain was an enormous task for Olympic team coach Hong Myung-bo, the team’s next task is even greater.Most predictions point in favor of Brazil, some ending with a conservative 2-1 win. But Korea has a chance at causing an upset, as Brazil’s defense has left open almost as many opportunities as its offense has taken.It is no secret that

Brazil is not expecting an easier path to its first Olympic gold in football just because it avoided having to face host Britain in the semifinals. It will still have to go through what it calls an extremely fit South Korean team.Brazil became a bigger favorite than ever to win the men’s football tournament after the British were eliminated in the quarterfinals, following in the footsteps of other top contenders such as Spain and Uruguay.Even the Brazilians admit they are in good position, but t

Team faces Brazil Wednesday; Women’s epee team wins silverSouth Korea made its Olympic soccer history by advancing to the semifinals Saturday.Its men’s football team defeated Britain in the quarterfinals to clinch a place in the last four for the first time in the country’s 64-year Olympic history. The victory over the hosts was one of the highlights for Koreans on a rare day of no golds for the country.Both sides failed to affect the 1-1 score line during extra time at the Millennium Stadium in