FIFA president Gianni Infantino hopes the World Cup can provide an opportunity for a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Russia were excluded from all FIFA and UEFA competitions following the country s invasion of Ukraine in February, preventing their side from competing in March s qualification play-offs for a place in Qatar.
While Russia hosted the last edition of the World Cup in 2018, the tournament could head to Ukraine in 2030 after the war-ravaged nation was invited to join a bid from Spain and Portugal.
Addressing world leaders at a Group of 20 (G20) summit in Indonesia, Infantino called for a temporary ceasefire to be implemented during the tournament, which begins on Sunday.
Football is a force for good. We are not naive to believe t…
Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri has ordered his players to put all festive cheer on hold until after Saturday’s Serie A match at Frosinone.
Allegri’s side, who will be without the injured Federico Chiesa, are bidding to extend their unbeaten league run to 12 games and ramp up the pressure on their title rivals.
Victory for Juve in the lunchtime kick-off will lift them to within a point of leaders Inter Milan, who host Lecce later on Saturday.
Allegri told a press conference: “Frosinone will be a tricky away match for various reasons. It is the last match before Christmas and in the festive season week, there is always a different atmosphere on and off the pitch.
“The thing we have to do (on Saturday) is play a match with great attention and con…
Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo would like to see Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo face off in LaLiga before both players retire.
Messi has been repeatedly linked with a return to Barcelona, with whom he spent 21 years prior to leaving for Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent in August 2021.
Ronaldo enjoyed nine trophy-laden seasons with Real Madrid, meanwhile, prior to playing for Juventus, Manchester United and now Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr.
While there has been little talk of Ronaldo heading back to the Spanish top flight, Cerezo believes it would benefit the league for the two superstar forwards to return one day.
It would seem fantastic to me if Messi returned to the league, the same as Cristiano Ronaldo, he said while attending the Barc…
Marco Silva said he will seek assurance that Fulham share his ambition before entering into talks over a new contract, with his current deal set to expire at the end of next season.
The Cottagers remain on track for a highest-ever top-flight points tally this campaign, with two wins needed from their final three games to make it a record-breaking year.
Silva’s stock has risen greatly since taking over at Craven Cottage following the team’s relegation to the Sky Bet Championship in 2021, returning them to the Premier League at the first attempt and ensuring a comfortable mid-table finish.
They had briefly looked like challenging for Europe after a 1-0 win at Brighton in February took them sixth, but have dipped after winning only three times in the league sinc…
Neymar returned for Paris Saint-Germain as a comfortable 2-0 home win over Lille moved the Ligue 1 champions 11 points clear at the top of the table.
The Brazil star had been out of action for a month due to injury but was fit enough to start at Parc des Princes on Friday, though fellow forward Kylian Mbappe, who has been ill, was only deemed ready for the bench.
Mbappe s initial absence did not hurt PSG as on-loan striker Mauro Icardi hit his ninth goal in his past eight appearances to put his side in front.
Angel Di Maria struck the second before half-time and Mbappe came off the bench to make it a good day for coach Thomas Tuchel ahead of Tuesday s Champions League trip to Real Madrid.
Icardi continued his hot streak with the opening goal for PSG in th…
Xavi s overall title haul is plentiful and includes eight LaLiga triumphs and four Champions Leagues, while he played a pivotal role in Spain s 2010 World Cup win – a moment of glory that came in between their successes at Euro 2008 and Euro 2012.
If more trophies are to follow in his coaching career, they will do so with Xavi following a familiar model.
You will see that my coaching philosophy reflects the style that we were able to develop over many years through the influence of Johan Cruyff, La Masia and the Barcelona way of playing football, he said.
I love to see teams taking the initiative on the pitch, playing attacking football and going back to the essence of what we all love about this game since our childhood days; having possession of the f…
With what promises to be a stacked weekend from across England s footballing tiers, we have a string of interesting affairs that are worth keeping an eye out for. So, for those of you looking to place a Saturday acca, we have found a handful of fixtures that offer great value.
Saturday January 14th
BST 15:00 Sunderland vs Swansea
While Sunderland might have only made their Championship return this season, Saturday s hosts are enjoying a stellar second-tier flurry. Last seen extending on their FA Cup adventure thanks to a 2-1 victory away at Shrewsbury, Tony Mowbray s men should find the mood in their camp at a real high. Signing off 2022 with a stellar display as they cruised their way to a 4-1 romp away at Wigan, the former Blackburn boss now finds his squad just a …
Sinisa Mihajlovic has signed a new three-year deal to commit his future to Bologna, ending speculation he could leave the Serie A club.
Mihajlovic agreed a deal until the end of the campaign – with the option of another year – when he replaced Filippo Inzaghi at the end of January.
Bologna recorded a vital 1-0 win at Inter in his first match in charge and they ended the campaign strongly, finishing 10th in the table after a run of two defeats in 12 games.
That upturn in form led to reports Mihajlovic could be a target for managerless Roma, Lazio and even champions Juventus, while he was also linked with a return to AC Milan.
But Mihajlovic is staying put at Stadio Renato Dall Ara after signing a new contract, with the news announced on Saturday.�…
Market: Northampton double chance
Odds: 19/20 @
Looking to spring an upset on Tuesday night, Northampton will travel to the Valley when they meet a struggling Charlton.
Starting with the hosts, while some in Charlton’s camp might have opened up the 2023/24 campaign with their sights set on mounting a genuine play-off charge, the Addicks find themselves at the heart of a major League One nightmare. Last seen over the weekend putting in another worrying display as they slumped to a deserved 2-0 loss away at Burton, Michael Appleton has a real job on his hands at the Valley. Now looking over their shoulder at the drop zone and coming under a huge amount of scrutiny, the former Portsmouth boss finds his side in the midst of an 11-match winless run across all compe…
Ansu Fati can follow Marcus Rashford s example and turn a promising start into a flourishing career, according to Barcelona head coach Xavi.
Teenage Barcelona forward Fati has had a stop-start beginning to his time in the spotlight, with injuries and a dip in form seeing him struggle to establish himself as a starter.
He has featured in 47 first-team games for Barcelona over last season and the current campaign but has started just 13 times, netting 12 goals and adding three assists.
This season he has six goals in 32 appearances, having managed the same number in 15 games during the 2021-22 campaign, and his shot conversion rate has plummeted from 24 per cent last term to just 9.38 per cent this time around.
Fati turned 20 in November and Barcelona see t…