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Atletico Madrid leads after Copa semi 1st leg (Feb 1, 2013 00:36 GMT)
Atletico Madrid claimed a 2-1 victory over Sevilla in an incident-packed Copa del Rey semifinal first leg that produced three penalties and three red cards in the second half.

KNVB Beker: Ajax breeze into final four (Jan 31, 2013 22:21 GMT)
Ajax cruised into the semi-finals of the KNVB Beker this evening with a 4-0 win at Vitesse Arnhem.

Napoli signs Porto's Rolando to bolster defense (Jan 31, 2013 17:10 GMT)
Napoli has signed Porto defender Rolando on loan until the end of the season, the Serie A club confirmed Thursday.

Neuer praises Bayern's defensive efforts (Jan 31, 2013 15:51 GMT)
Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer says his team-mates deserve huge credit for the club's defensive record this season, that leaves them on the verge of breaking a Bundesliga record.

Barca's Alves: Racism fight a 'lost war' (Jan 31, 2013 15:05 GMT)
The fight to eliminate racism from football stadiums is "a lost war," Barcelona defender Dani Alves said Thursday, a day after he was the target of racist chants at Real Madrid.

Kuba: I could end my career at Dortmund (Jan 31, 2013 13:47 GMT)
Poland international Jakub "Kuba" Blaszczykowski believes the best is yet to come from him at Borussia Dortmund, and says he would consider retiring at the club.

New 'financial fair play' rules for Spanish football (Jan 31, 2013 13:15 GMT)
The Spanish government and the Liga de Futbol Profesional (LFP) have agreed new 'financial fair play' rules for Spanish football, which they say mean that from next season no team will be permitted to sign a new player unless they have their accounts

Dani Alves wants action over racist abuse (Jan 31, 2013 10:40 GMT)
Barcelona defender Dani Alves says the racist abuse he suffered in Wednesday's night's Copa del Rey clash with Real Madrid at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu happens everywhere he plays in Spain, and has called on Spain's footballing authorities to get

Hernanes head-strong for Genoa (Jan 31, 2013 08:00 GMT)
Lazio midfielder Hernanes is talking up his chances of facing Serie A rival Genoa on Sunday despite suffering a nasty head-clash in his side's mid-week Coppa Italia victory over Juventus.

Karanka: We can still compete with Barca (Jan 31, 2013 08:00 GMT)
Real Madrid assistant coach Aitor Karanka believes his side's 1-1 draw with Barcelona in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final proved they are still able to compete with the La Liga leaders.

First XI: January 2013 transfer moves (Jan 31, 2013 08:00 GMT)
Jon Carter rounds up a First XI of the best transfer moves in the January window across Europe.

Altidore played through chants to 'send message' (Jan 31, 2013 06:18 GMT)
United States striker Jozy Altidore refuses to hold a grudge against fans who showered him with racist abuse during a match this week, saying: "We all make mistakes."

Bayern stars clash on training pitch (Jan 31, 2013 02:48 GMT)
Bayern Munich stars Frank Ribery and Bastian Schweinsteiger have been involved in a training ground mishap which left the French winger hobbling off for treatment.

KNVB Beker: PSV edge out Feyenoord (Jan 30, 2013 22:46 GMT)
Mark van Bommel grabbed a late winner as PSV Eindhoven beat Feyenoord 2-1 to reach the semi-finals of the KNVB Cup.

Coupe de France: Marseille set up PSG showdown (Jan 30, 2013 22:39 GMT)
Marseille set up a mouthwatering showdown with arch rivals Paris St Germain in the last 16 of the Coupe de France after a 2-1 win at third tier Rouen 2-1 on Wednesday.

Barca, Madrid draw in tense 1st leg (Jan 30, 2013 22:33 GMT)
Barcelona and Real Madrid played out a thrilling 1-1 draw in their Copa del Rey semifinal at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Wednesday.

Altidore plays on in AZ win despite abuse (Jan 30, 2013 22:21 GMT)
AZ Alkmaar cruised into the semi-finals of the KNVB Cup with a 5-0 win at nine-man FC Den Bosch on Tuesday.

Bayern boss expects football calendar revolution (Jan 30, 2013 20:56 GMT)
A scheduling change away from winter soccer could be coming to Europe, according to Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.

UEFA fines Lazio, Tottenham and Maribor (Jan 30, 2013 18:56 GMT)
UEFA has fined Lazio, Tottenham and Maribor over crowd problems at Europa League group games played towards the end of last year.

Klopp voices sympathy for Lance Armstrong (Jan 30, 2013 16:25 GMT)
Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp has voiced sympathy for disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong, saying: "There are worse crimes than what Armstrong has done."

Zlatan would welcome Mourinho and Ronaldo to PSG (Jan 30, 2013 16:00 GMT)
Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic says it would be "great news" and a "dream" if Jose Mourinho and Cristiano Ronaldo were to join him at the club next summer.

Doping trial doctor 'could name patients' (Jan 30, 2013 15:23 GMT)
Eufemiano Fuentes, the Spanish doctor currently on trial for doping offences in sport, says he can identify the patients he treated, who include cyclists, footballers and other sportspeople.

Den Bosch sorry to Altidore for racist abuse (Jan 30, 2013 13:45 GMT)
Den Bosch have issued an apology to AZ Alkmaar's Jozy Altidore after a section of their supporters hurled racist abuse at the striker during Tuesday's KNVB Beker clash, while insisting they will punish those responsible.

Dortmund and Leverkusen concede Bundesliga title (Jan 30, 2013 13:22 GMT)
Ahead of Sunday's Bundesliga showdown between Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund both sides have claimed the German title race is all but over.

Den Bosch apologizes to Altidore for chants (Jan 30, 2013 12:55 GMT)
Den Bosch apologized to Jozy Altidore after a section of the fans racially abused the AZ Alkmaar striker in Tuesday's KNVB Beker match, and promised to catch and punish those responsible.

Bayern chief: UEFA, FIFA ponder schedule shift (Jan 30, 2013 11:57 GMT)
A scheduling change away from winter soccer could be coming to Europe, according to Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.

Ozil: Real Madrid will play to win against Barca (Jan 30, 2013 11:39 GMT)
Mesut Ozil says the whole world will be watching Wednesday evening's Copa del Rey semi-final first leg clash between Real Madrid and Barcelona at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

Stuttgart hand Labbadia new deal (Jan 30, 2013 11:22 GMT)
VfB Stuttgart manager Bruno Labbadia has extended his stay at the club for a further two years.

Schweinsteiger: We must have patience (Jan 30, 2013 10:38 GMT)
Bastian Schweinsteiger has told his Bayern Munich team-mates who are struggling to get into the side to wait for their opportunity.

Zdenek Zeman fired up after Roma backing (Jan 30, 2013 10:37 GMT)
Zdenek Zeman held intense talks with Roma over his future on Tuesday and pledged to give the club his best.

Conte: We deserved victory (Jan 30, 2013 08:00 GMT)
Vanquished Juventus coach Antonio Conte believes his side deserved a better outcome than a 3-2 aggregate defeat to Lazio in the Coppa Italia.

Lazio outlasts Juve to reach Italian Cup final (Jan 30, 2013 01:07 GMT)
Lazio beat Juventus 2-1 following a dramatic finale on Tuesday to reach the Italian Cup final with a 3-2 victory on aggregate.

Coppa Italia: Last-gasp Lazio clinch final berth (Jan 29, 2013 22:39 GMT)
Sergio Floccari's 93rd minute goal sent Lazio into the Coppa Italia final at the expense of Juventus, who looked to have sent the tie into extra-time when Arturo Vidal netted an equaliser one minute earlier.

Altidore target of racist chants in Dutch game (Jan 29, 2013 22:31 GMT)
U.S. striker Jozy Altidore was the target of racist chants Tuesday during a Dutch Cup game.

Thief nabs Scholes' car from driveway (Jan 29, 2013 17:57 GMT)

Benzema relishing upcoming Copa Clasicos (Jan 29, 2013 15:40 GMT)
Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema says he expects another "great spectacle" when Barcelona travel to the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu for Wednesday's Copa del Rey semi-final first leg clash.

Barthez: French goalkeeping has declined (Jan 29, 2013 12:39 GMT)
World Cup-winner Fabien Barthez has told L'Equipe that the standard of goalkeeping in France has declined since he hung up his gloves in 2007.

Diego Lopez looking forward to Real debut (Jan 29, 2013 12:00 GMT)
New Real Madrid goalkeeper Diego Lopez says he is delighted to have returned to the club and is looking forward to making his second debut - most likely to be in Wednesday's Copa del Rey semi-final first leg against Barcelona at the Bernabeu.

Breno to remain in jail (Jan 29, 2013 11:23 GMT)
Former Bayern Munich defender Breno is to remain in prison after the German Federal Court confirmed his sentence and turned down an application for it to be revised.

Makelele consider Under-21 role with France (Jan 29, 2013 10:10 GMT)
Former French international midfielder Claude Makelele is mulling over whether to put his name forward to take over his country's Under-21 side.

Galatasaray, Drogba agree to 18-month deal (Jan 28, 2013 19:18 GMT)
Galatasaray says it has reached a deal to sign former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba.

Juve's Conte gets 2-match ban for ref protests (Jan 28, 2013 18:49 GMT)
Juventus head coach Antonio Conte received a two-match touchline ban Monday as a result of his angry outburst in the wake of Saturday's Serie A draw with Genoa.

Juve punished after Genoa controversy (Jan 28, 2013 18:25 GMT)
Juventus coach Antionio Conte and director general Giuseppe Marotta have been banned by Lega Seria A for their furious reactions to Saturday's controversial draw with Genoa.

Xavi, Barca agree to 2-year contract extension (Jan 28, 2013 16:06 GMT)
Barcelona midfielder Xavi has signed his two-year contact extension with the Catalan giants.

New deal for Xavi (Jan 28, 2013 15:46 GMT)
Barcelona midfielder Xavi has committed himself to the club for the rest of his career, signing a new contract with the Catalan giants until 2016.

Pressure increasing on Roma's Zdenek Zeman (Jan 28, 2013 15:18 GMT)
Roma are seriously considering the future of Zdenek Zeman with Walter Sabatini admitting "it's time to start asking ourselves some questions".

Eggimann suffers ankle break (Jan 28, 2013 14:15 GMT)
Hannover 96 centre-back Mario Eggimann could have made his final appearance for the club after suffered an ankle fracture during the 2-1 victory against Wolfsburg at the weekend.

Busquets: Barcelona to attack at the Bernabeu (Jan 28, 2013 13:53 GMT)
Sergio Busquets says Barcelona will hold nothing back and set out to win in Wednesday's Copa del Rey semi-final first leg against rivals Real Madrid at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

Sammer: Robben, Gomez must quash egos (Jan 28, 2013 12:43 GMT)
As Bayern Munich went 11 points clear at the top of the table this weekend, the club's general manager Matthias Sammer urged benched stars Mario Gomez and Arjen Robben not to let their egos cause a problem in the squad.

Ronaldo: We have no excuse against Barca (Jan 28, 2013 10:40 GMT)
Cristiano Ronaldo says Real Madrid's Copa del Rey semi-final clash with Barcelona on Wednesday evening will not be easy, but missing players cannot be used as an excuse for not getting a good result.

Ball: Elche return (Jan 28, 2013 09:25 GMT)
Phil Ball glosses over Ronaldo and Messi's tit-for-tat weekend to review Elche's Segunda success and spark of the King's Cup.

Juventus dominate Italian awards (Jan 28, 2013 09:00 GMT)
The unbeaten league season enjoyed by Serie A champions Juventus last term was rewarded on Sunday night at the Italian Player of the Year ceremony in Milan.

'Limitless' Messi hits four past Osasuna (Jan 28, 2013 08:00 GMT)
Barcelona assistant coach Jordi Roura has hailed Lionel Messi after the Argentine's four-goal haul in the 5-1 rout of Osasuna on Sunday.

Mourinho questions Guardiola move (Jan 28, 2013 08:00 GMT)
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho believes ex-Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola could have deliberately avoided renewing their bitter rivalry by agreeing to become Bayern Munich boss next summer.

PSG returns to Ligue 1 top with win against Lille (Jan 27, 2013 23:51 GMT)
Paris St Germain returned to the top of Ligue 1 with a fortunate 1-0 win over Lille at the Parc des Princes Sunday.

Ligue 1: PSG's luck in as they return to summit (Jan 27, 2013 23:02 GMT)
Paris St Germain went back to the top of Ligue 1 with a fortuitous 1-0 win over Lille at the Parc des Princes.

La Liga: Messi, Ronaldo shine ahead of Copa Clasico (Jan 27, 2013 22:23 GMT)
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick as Real Madrid destroyed Getafe 4-0, while Lionel Messi went one better by bagging four in Barcelona's 5-1 win against ten-man Osasuna.

Agent: Galatasaray makes offer to sign Drogba (Jan 27, 2013 21:35 GMT)
Didier Drogba's management company says Turkish side Galatasaray has made a contract offer to sign superstar striker Didier Drogba.

Messi scores 4, passes 200 in La Liga (Jan 27, 2013 20:17 GMT)
Lionel Messi scored four goals to pass the 200-mark in the Spanish league, leading Barcelona to a 5-1 rout of Osasuna on Sunday night.

Eredivisie: FC Twente and Ajax fail to win (Jan 27, 2013 17:51 GMT)
PSV Eindhoven continue to lead the way in the Eredivisie after both of their nearest rivals failed to pick up wins.

Cavani's late winner puts Napoli within 3 of Juve (Jan 27, 2013 17:19 GMT)
Edinson Cavani scored the winner in the 85th minute to give surging Napoli a 2-1 win at Parma

Serie A: Milan see off Atalanta, Napoli win (Jan 27, 2013 16:35 GMT)
Stephan El Shaarawy scored his first goal in five games to down 10-man Atalanta and fire AC Milan up to fifth in the Serie A table.

Ronaldo nets hat trick in rout of Getafe (Jan 27, 2013 15:18 GMT)
Cristiano Ronaldo hit a hat trick as Real Madrid warmed up for its Copa del Rey clash with Barcelona by rolling to a 4-0 home victory over Getafe in the Spanish league on Sunday.

La Liga: Valencia snatch last-gasp winner (Jan 27, 2013 08:00 GMT)
Ricardo Costa's stoppage-time header earned Valencia a 3-2 victory in a topsy-turvy Primera Division encounter this evening as bottom team Deportivo La Coruna surrendered a 2-1 lead at the Riazor and finished the game with nine men.

Eredivisie: PSV return top in style (Jan 27, 2013 08:00 GMT)
PSV Eindhoven returned to the top of the Eredivisie with a 5-1 mauling of Heracles.

Valencia rallies, uses late winner to beat Depor (Jan 27, 2013 00:07 GMT)
Ricardo Costa's stoppage-time header earned Valencia a 3-2 victory in a topsy-turvy Primera Division encounter Saturday evening as bottom team Deportivo La Coruna surrendered a 2-1 lead at the Riazor and finished the game with nine men.

Bundesliga: Leverkusen miss opportunity (Jan 26, 2013 22:57 GMT)
Bayer Leverkusen missed the opportunity to put pressure on Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich after being held to a goalless draw by Freiburg.

Ligue 1: Rennes leave it late to deny Marseille (Jan 26, 2013 22:33 GMT)
A late goal by Romain Alessandrini ensured Rennes picked up a point from their Ligue 1 1-1 draw with Marseille to move up into fourth - a result that denied their opponents the chance to move up to second.

Juventus settles for draw as Lazio falls to Chievo (Jan 26, 2013 22:20 GMT)
Lazio was beaten at home by Chievo on Saturday but Serie A leader Juventus failed to take full advantage of the slip.

Marseille settles for draw as Rennes ties it late (Jan 26, 2013 22:04 GMT)
Marseille missed the chance to move a point behind Ligue 1 leader Lyon as Romain Alessandrini's late equalizer for Rennes meant it had to settle for a 2-2 draw Saturday.

Bayer Leverkusen held to draw (Jan 26, 2013 20:32 GMT)
Bayer Leverkusen missed the opportunity to put pressure on Bundesliga leader Bayern Munich after being held to a goalless draw by Freiburg on Saturday afternoon.

Giggs nets penalty for United in win (Jan 26, 2013 19:53 GMT)
Wayne Rooney was stripped of penalty-taking duties by Manchester United but found the net anyway as United sauntered past Fulham to book an FA Cup fifth round place.

Ivory Coast cruises to routine win over Tunisia (Jan 26, 2013 18:19 GMT)
Ivory Coast took a giant stride toward the knockout stage of the African Nations Cup with a routine 3-0 victory over Tunisia in Rustenburg on Saturday.

FA Cup roundup: Norwich falls to nonleague Luton (Jan 26, 2013 17:40 GMT)
Theo Walcott came off the bench to net a late winner and fire Arsenal into the fifth round of the FA Cup with a thrilling victory at Brighton.

Arsenal fights off resilient Brighton (Jan 26, 2013 17:15 GMT)
Theo Walcott came off the bench to net a late winner and fire Arsenal into the fifth round of the FA Cup with a thrilling victory at Brighton.

Zabaleta's winner gets City by Stoke (Jan 26, 2013 16:11 GMT)
Pablo Zabaleta struck a late winner as Manchester City battled through to a place in the FA Cup fifth round at the expense of Stoke, 1-0 on Saturday.

Xavi: Casillas is the soul of Madrid (Jan 26, 2013 12:09 GMT)
Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez believes Real Madrid will be badly affected by the loss of goalkeeper Iker Casillas to injury.

Juventus set to sign Nicolas Anelka - report (Jan 26, 2013 08:00 GMT)
Shanghai Shenhua striker Nicolas Anelka has agreed to join Italian giants Juventus for the remainder of the season, according to reports.

Mourinho backs Milan move for Kaka (Jan 26, 2013 06:05 GMT)
Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho believes Kaka has not lived up to his billing since moving to the Bernabeu in 2009, suggesting a return to AC Milan may allow the Brazilian to rediscover his best form.

AC Milan signs defender Zaccardo in Parma trade (Jan 25, 2013 21:42 GMT)
Real Madrid says goalkeeper Iker Casillas has broken a bone in his left hand.

Lopez to replace Casillas (Jan 25, 2013 21:22 GMT)
Real Madrid has agreed to a deal to sign goalkeeper Diego Lopez from Sevilla on a four-and-a-half year contract.

Eredivisie: Alkmaar continue good run with win (Jan 25, 2013 21:19 GMT)
AZ Alkmaar earned their third win in four Eredivisie matches after downing struggling VVV-Venlo 4-1 away from home.

Casillas out for three months after operation (Jan 25, 2013 20:19 GMT)
Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas could be sidelined for up to three months after successfully undergoing surgery on a broken bone in his left hand caused during Real Madrid's 1-1 Copa del Rey quarter-final second legat Valencia on Wednesday nigh

UEFA to choose 13 cities as Euro 2020 hosts (Jan 25, 2013 16:18 GMT)
UEFA announced the 2020 European Championship will be played in 13 countries, with each host providing a single stadium.

'Keeper calm despite Depor financial crisis (Jan 25, 2013 15:24 GMT)
Deportivo La Coruna goalkeeper Dani Aranzubia says he is not worried about the club's perilous financial situation despite being one of many people owed six or seven-figure sums.

Lazio handed suspended punishment by UEFA (Jan 25, 2013 14:58 GMT)
Lazio have been found guilty of racist chanting after their fans abused Tottenham players during a Europa League match in November, but they will only be given a suspended punishment of playing a game behind closed doors.

Barca plays down Messi rest, reports of injury (Jan 25, 2013 14:09 GMT)
Barcelona has played down concerns over Lionel Messi's fitness after the Argentinian was substituted due to injury in the Copa del Rey win over Malaga.

Sahin was not happy at Real, Liverpool (Jan 25, 2013 14:06 GMT)
Nuri Sahin said he was delighted to be back at Borussia Dortmund as he looked ahead to what could be his first appearance at the Westfalenstadion since April 2011.

Roura: Messi substitution just a precaution (Jan 25, 2013 12:42 GMT)
Lionel Messi's substitution late in Thursday's 4-2 Copa del Rey quarter-final second leg win at Malaga was just a "precaution" and the Barcelona talisman should be fine to start Sunday's La Liga game against Osasuna at the Camp Nou.

Pique: Barca have advantage in Copa Clasico (Jan 25, 2013 11:38 GMT)
Gerard Pique believes that Real Madrid's missing players could give Barcelona an edge in next Wednesday's Copa del Rey semi-final at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

Marca 'did not lie' over Real Madrid rift reports (Jan 25, 2013 10:56 GMT)
The row between Real Madrid and Spanish newspaper Marca took another twist, with the daily claiming 'Marca does not lie' on its cover, and revealing text messages confirming its story that the club's senior players want to leave if Jose

Change rules, says cleared Cannavaro (Jan 25, 2013 10:54 GMT)
Paolo Cannavaro has claimed the Italian FA "ought to reconsider the rules" as he prepares to resume playing for Napoli after winning his appeal against a six-month ban for match-fixing.

ESPN FC Quiniela - Week 21 - Rumours unravel Real (Jan 25, 2013 08:00 GMT)
In the latest Quiniela, Eduardo Alvarez predicts Atletico to crumble under pressure and Barca to extend their lead.

UEFA impose airport restrictions for Euro 2020 hosts (Jan 25, 2013 08:00 GMT)
UEFA is hoping to improve the travel efficiency throughout the Euro 2020 tournament by imposing minimum standards on airport facilities for host venues.

Copa Del Rey: Barca set up semi-final Clasico (Jan 25, 2013 08:00 GMT)
Barcelona have set up a Copa del Rey semi-final showdown with Real Madrid after defeating Malaga 4-2 in the second leg of their thrilling quarter-final tie.

Puel proving Nice guys don't finish last (Jan 25, 2013 08:00 GMT)
Claude Puel has masterminded Nice's ascent on the equivalent of Zlatan Ibrahimovic's monthly tattoo budget, writes Ian Holyman.

Barca battles past Malaga in Copa; Madrid next (Jan 24, 2013 23:33 GMT)
Lionel Messi scored on his 15th straight start to seal a thrilling 4-2 win for Barcelona at Malaga on Thursday

Berlusconi pessimistic over Kaka, Balotelli deals (Jan 24, 2013 17:10 GMT)
AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi says it will not be signing Kaka or Mario Balotelli.

Kebe mocks Newcastle's French obsession (Jan 24, 2013 16:00 GMT)
Reading winger Jimmy Kebe has lampooned Newcastle United's recent spate of French signings by jokingly claiming he was also on his way to St James' Park.

Philosopher: Pep has feminised football (Jan 24, 2013 15:13 GMT)
German philosopher Wolfgang Eilenberger has argued that incoming Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola is responsible for a feminisation of football.

Lugano: I suffered during my time at PSG (Jan 24, 2013 14:29 GMT)
Diego Lugano has admitted he "suffered a lot" during his ill-fated spell at Paris Saint-Germain, and revealed he has not spoken to coach Carlo Ancelotti for eight months.

Ex-FIFA chief: Financial Fair Play not enough (Jan 24, 2013 13:43 GMT)
A former high-ranking FIFA official has told French parliamentarians that European football needs more than financial fair play to get its house in order.

Madrid prez denies Mourinho ultimatum (Jan 24, 2013 13:16 GMT)
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez on Thursday denied claims that the team's players asked for Jose Mourinho to be sacked.

Ribery: I'm among best (Jan 24, 2013 13:03 GMT)
Bayer Munich midfielder Franck Ribery says he is not worried about being snubbed for the Ballon d'Or nominations as he knows he is one of the world's top players.

Perez rubbishes Mourinho ultimatum report (Jan 24, 2013 12:14 GMT)
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has rubbished claims in Marca that captain Iker Casillas and vice-captain Sergio Ramos have demanded that head coach Jose Mourinho be removed at the end of the season.

Real Madrid goalkeeper Casillas breaks left hand (Jan 24, 2013 11:41 GMT)
Real Madrid says goalkeeper Iker Casillas has broken a bone in his left hand.

Casillas facing lengthy spell on sidelines (Jan 24, 2013 10:58 GMT)
Iker Casillas faces a long spell on the sidelines with a fractured bone in his hand, caused by an accidental kick from his team-mate Alvaro Arbeloa during Real Madrid's 1-1 Copa del Rey quarter final second leg at Valencia on Wednesday night.

Doctor: Pato's injuries not helped by Milan (Jan 24, 2013 10:16 GMT)
Alexandre Pato's injury problems may have been made worse by doctors at former club AC Milan, according to the Brazilian national team's chief medic.

Real Madrid still richest club; Barcelona second (Jan 24, 2013 04:10 GMT)
Real Madrid has remained soccer's biggest money maker for the eighth straight year as many of Europe's leading clubs boosted their revenue despite economic hardship on the continent.

9-man Madrid ties Valencia to gain Copa semis (Jan 24, 2013 00:02 GMT)
Real Madrid progressed to the semifinals of the Copa del Rey despite having two men red-carded and goalkeeper Iker Casillas forced off by injury in a 1-1 draw against Valencia Wednesday.

Copa Del Rey: Nine-man Real Madrid progress (Jan 23, 2013 23:22 GMT)
Real Madrid progressed to the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey despite having two men red-carded and goalkeeper Iker Casillas forced off by injury in a 1-1 draw against Valencia on Wednesday evening.

French Cup: PSG ease through to last 16 (Jan 23, 2013 22:44 GMT)
Ligue 1 leaders Paris St Germain eased through to the last 16 of the Coupe de France with a 3-1 win over Toulouse.

Roma 2-1 Inter Milan: Destro nets advantage (Jan 23, 2013 22:26 GMT)
The Coppa Italia semi-final between Roma and Inter Milan is delicately poised after Roma edged a close first leg at the Stadio Olympico.

Mourinho concedes La Liga, eyes 10th CL title (Jan 23, 2013 18:04 GMT)
Jose Mourinho conceded Wednesday that Real Madrid has no chance of catching La Liga leader Barcelona and said he's turned his attention to helping the club win the Champions League for the 10th time, according to a report.

UEFA proposes tougher sanctions for Serbia (Jan 23, 2013 15:33 GMT)
UEFA disciplinary inspector Jean-Samuel Leuba has proposed harsher penalties for the Serbian Football Association (FSS) in respect of events during the Under-21 side's play-off with England in October.

Barcelona's Abidal to undergo hospital checks (Jan 23, 2013 15:31 GMT)
Barcelona defender Eric Abidal is to spend at least three days in hospital to undergo checks on the progress which has been made since he underwent a liver transplant operation in April 2012.

Mourinho: I'm not bound for PSG (Jan 23, 2013 14:38 GMT)
Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho does not anticipate that he will become the manager of Paris Saint-Germain in the near future.

Mourinho: Real Madrid focused on cup competition (Jan 23, 2013 14:27 GMT)
Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho accepts that his side's La Liga challenge is already over, and says the team must now focus on the trophies it can still win - the Copa del Rey and the Champions League.

Cesc confident ahead of 'final' with Malaga (Jan 23, 2013 11:20 GMT)
Cesc Fabregas says Barcelona's Copa del Rey quarter-final second leg at Malaga on Thursday is his side's "first final" of the year and is positive about their chances of progressing.

Kroos eyes fond farewell for Heynckes (Jan 23, 2013 11:12 GMT)
Bayern Munich midfielder Toni Kroos believes Jupp Heynckes deserves at least one title in his last season as boss of the Bavarians.

Valencia 'need to step up' against Real (Jan 23, 2013 11:02 GMT)
Valencia manager Ernesto Valverde says his side can regain their pride in Wednesday's Copa Del Rey second leg against Real Madrid at the Mestalla.

Buffon signs Juventus contract extension (Jan 23, 2013 09:17 GMT)
Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon inked a new three-year contract with the club at a high-profile public signing in Turin on Wednesday.

Coupe de France: Third-tier Epinal into last 16 (Jan 23, 2013 08:00 GMT)
Epinal continued their brilliant run in this season's Coupe de France on Tuesday evening, beating Ligue 2 side Nantes on penalties to reach the last 16.

Barca's Pique welcomes baby boy named Milan (Jan 23, 2013 01:08 GMT)
Colombian singer Shakira Mebarak and star defender Gerard Pique of FC Barcelona welcomed son Milan Pique Mebarak on Tuesday at 9:36 p.m. in Barcelona, Spain.

La Liga: Betis hold on for draw with Bilbao (Jan 22, 2013 23:43 GMT)
Real Sociedad came from two goals down to beat Barcelona 3-2 and condemn the runaway league leaders to their first defeat of the La Liga season.

Coppa Italia: Lazio take upper hand in semi (Jan 22, 2013 22:34 GMT)
Stefano Mauri's late goal handed Lazio the advantage as the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final ended in a 1-1 draw away to Juventus.

Puyol signs new Barcelona deal until 2016 (Jan 22, 2013 17:17 GMT)
Carles Puyol has signed a new Barcelona contract which ties him to the club until June 30, 2016.

Rafa Benitez hits back at 'liar' Marco Materazzi (Jan 22, 2013 15:25 GMT)
Rafa Benitez has labelled Marco Materazzi "a liar" after the former Inter Milan defender again slammed the Spaniard in an interview.

Sneijder completes transfer to Galatasaray (Jan 22, 2013 15:24 GMT)
Wesley Sneijder has passed his medical with Galatasaray as he finalizes his move to the Turkish giants.

Khedira: Madrid have turned a corner (Jan 22, 2013 14:47 GMT)
Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira says the team have turned a difficult situation around after discussing internally where things had been going wrong.

De Rossi out of Coppa Italia semi (Jan 22, 2013 14:35 GMT)
Daniele De Rossi will miss two weeks through injury after straining a thigh muscle during Roma's goalless draw with Inter Milan on Sunday night.

Platini: Match-fixing is greatest threat to game (Jan 22, 2013 13:46 GMT)
UEFA president Michel Platini believes match-fixing poses the greatest threat to the future of football.

Ibra told: Stop playing blame game (Jan 22, 2013 12:13 GMT)
Marco Materazzi has said Zlatan Ibrahimovic must stop blaming team-mates during difficult times if he wants to be recognised as one of the game's true greats.

Laporta: Barca missed out on Ronaldo (Jan 22, 2013 11:53 GMT)
Barcelona could have signed Cristiano Ronaldo in 2003, but the club could not afford him at the time, according to its former president Joan Laporta.

Four German cities bid to host Euro 2020 games (Jan 22, 2013 11:17 GMT)
German Football Association [DFB] president Wolfgang Nierbach has revealed that Berlin, Munich, Dortmund and Stuttgart will bid to be host cities for the 2020 European Championship.

Mancienne injury scuppers Bruma move (Jan 22, 2013 10:25 GMT)
Hamburg centre back Michael Mancienne will be out for at least six weeks with torn ankle ligaments.

Van Buyten: I'll end my career with Bayern (Jan 22, 2013 09:44 GMT)
Bayern Munich centre-back Daniel van Buyten has said he wants to end his career with the Bavarian club.

Sampdoria president Riccardo Garrone dies (Jan 22, 2013 09:20 GMT)
Sampdoria have paid tribute to president Riccardo Garrone, who died on Monday after a long illness.

Heynckes questions Guardiola timing (Jan 22, 2013 08:00 GMT)
Bayern Munich manager Jupp Heynckes has hit out at the club's decision to appoint Pep Guardiola as his successor at an important part in the Bundesliga season.

U.S.'s Goodson staying in Denmark, snubs Turkey (Jan 22, 2013 02:55 GMT)
United States defender Clarence Goodson rejected a move to Turkey's Orduspor and will return Brondby in Denmark, according to reports.

Falcao hamstring injury not as bad as first thought (Jan 22, 2013 00:15 GMT)
Atletico Madrid have received a boost after it was revealed star striker Radamel Falcao's injury is not as bad as initially feared.

Frankfurt facing sanctions over crowd trouble (Jan 21, 2013 16:01 GMT)
Eintracht Frankfurt could face possible sanctions from the German football tribunal after their supporters caused a seven-minute interruption during Saturday's 3-1 defeat against Bayer Leverkusen.

Ballardini takes over as Genoa coach (Jan 21, 2013 15:37 GMT)
Davide Ballardini has been named as the new Genoa coach, returning to the club for a second spell after Gigi Delneri was dismissed on Sunday.

Pogba keeping his feet on the ground despite impressing (Jan 21, 2013 14:32 GMT)
Juventus youngster Paul Pogba believes he still has plenty to work on despite a superb two-goal performance in Saturday's 4-0 victory over Udinese, while his agent says Sir Alex Ferguson may have previously underestimated his client's "mental strengt

Lille fans express their anger at the club's president (Jan 21, 2013 13:48 GMT)
Disgruntled Lille fans barracked club president Michel Seydoux on Sunday, demanding to know where more than €100 million recouped from the sales of the team's stars has gone.

Allegri: Milan may miss out on Champions League (Jan 21, 2013 13:30 GMT)
Massimiliano Allegri has said it "could be Milan's turn" to miss out on Champions League qualification as the club looks to rebuild for the future.

Nuri Sahin thrilled by Dortmund welcome (Jan 21, 2013 13:15 GMT)
Nuri Sahin has said the welcome he received from Borussia Dortmund fans gave him "the shivers".

Ball: Bang the drums (Jan 21, 2013 11:15 GMT)
Phil Ball reflects on an eventful week for Barcelona , which started with Guardiola announcing a future in Germany and ended with defeat.

Di Maria slams critics after impressive display (Jan 21, 2013 10:47 GMT)
Real Madrid winger Angel Di Maria appeared to hit back at recent criticism from his manager Jose Mourinho after returning to form with two goals in the club's 5-0 La Liga mauling of Valencia at the Mestalla on Sunday.

Falcao out for up to three weeks with injury (Jan 21, 2013 08:00 GMT)
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has confirmed striker Radamel Falcao will be sidelined for "around 20 days" after suffering a hamstring injury during his side's 2-

Former cyclist: 'Idolised' footballers used drugs (Jan 21, 2013 08:00 GMT)
Retired cyclist Oscar Pereiro has sensationally claimed that some high profile footballers have used performance enhancing drugs throughout their careers.

Ibrahimovic strike powers PSG to top of table (Jan 20, 2013 23:38 GMT)
Paris St Germain returned to the summit of Ligue 1.

Atletico loses striker Falcao to injury for 3 weeks (Jan 20, 2013 23:17 GMT)
Atletico Madrid's Radamel Falcao sustained a leg injury that will sideline the team's top scorer for around three weeks.

Ronaldo nets two as Real clocks Valencia (Jan 20, 2013 22:10 GMT)
Cristiano Ronaldo netted two goals and set up another to power Real Madrid's blistering attack to a 5-0 demolition of Valencia in the Spanish league on Sunday

Gala officially adds Sneijder from Inter (Jan 20, 2013 21:28 GMT)
Galatasaray has agreed to a deal to sign Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder from Inter Milan, the Turkish club announced on Sunday.

Eredivisie: Ten-man Ajax close on leaders (Jan 20, 2013 19:15 GMT)
Ajax closed to within a point of Eredivisie leaders FC Twente with a 3-0 win over Feyenoord, despite playing the last 26 minutes with 10 men.

Coach Gigi Delneri sacked by Genoa after defeat (Jan 20, 2013 18:51 GMT)
Gigi Delneri has been sacked as coach of Genoa following the club's 2-0 defeat at home to fellow strugglers Cagliari on Sunday.

Napoli forced to settle for draw at Fiorentina (Jan 20, 2013 17:41 GMT)
Napoli missed the chance to close the gap on Serie A leader Juventus as it drew 1-1 at Fiorentina on Sunday.

Ligue 1: PSG back on top, Nice leapfrog Rennes (Jan 20, 2013 16:07 GMT)
Paris St Germain returned to the summit of Ligue 1 as Zlatan Ibrahimovic's 18th goal of the season provided the Parisians with only their second victory in Bordeaux's Stade Chaban-Delmas since 1988.

La Liga: Real hit five, Atletico stretch record (Jan 20, 2013 15:20 GMT)
Real Madrid destroyed Valencia 5-0, scoring all the goals in the first-half, to take advantage of Barcelona's slip against Real Sociedad on Saturday and close the gap to the top.

Pro Patria at centre of fresh racism controversy (Jan 20, 2013 15:07 GMT)
Pro Patria, the Italian club at the centre of the racism incident that led Kevin-Prince Boateng and his AC Milan team-mates to walk off the pitch in a friendly earlier this month, have become engulfed in a similar controversy.

Serie A: Pazzini fires for Milan (Jan 20, 2013 14:41 GMT)
Giampaolo Pazzini picked up where he left off against Bologna to fire AC Milan into sixth place in the Serie A table with a well-taken brace in a 2-1 win.

Salgado: Jose has problems with squad (Jan 20, 2013 12:16 GMT)
Former Real Madrid star Michel Salgado believes Jose Mourinho has problems with the whole dressing room and must act quickly to get the club's season back on track.

Messi: Barcelona defeat was inevitable (Jan 20, 2013 08:00 GMT)
Barcelona striker Lionel Messi has played down his side's 3-2 loss at Real Sociedad - their first defeat of the La Liga season - insisting it will provide added motivation for Thursday's Copa del Rey trip to Malaga.

Pogba scores twice as Juventus routs Udinese (Jan 20, 2013 02:53 GMT)
Paul Pogba struck a brilliant brace as Juventus extended their lead at the top of Serie A to five points over Lazio and six over Napoli with a 4-0 home win over Udinese.

Eredivisie: Twente stumble but go top (Jan 19, 2013 22:26 GMT)
FC Twente failed to take full advantage of PSV Eindhoven's shock defeat to PEC Zwolle as they were held 0-0 at home to RKC Waalwijk in the Eredivisie.

Emery facing uphill task with Sevilla (Jan 19, 2013 22:20 GMT)
Dermot Corrigan was at Getafe to watch Unai Emery learn the task ahead of him with Sevilla.

Sociedad hands Barca 1st La Liga defeat (Jan 19, 2013 20:19 GMT)
Real Sociedad hit back from two goals down to end Barcelona's unbeaten Primera Division record in stunning fashion at the Anoeta this evening.

La Liga: Sociedad inflict Barca's first defeat (Jan 19, 2013 18:53 GMT)
Real Sociedad came from two goals down to beat Barcelona 3-2 and condemn the runaway league leaders to their first defeat of the La Liga season.

Ligue 1: Marseille up to second with late win (Jan 19, 2013 17:53 GMT)
Marseille came from behind to close the gap on leaders Lyon in Ligue 1 as they won a thrilling game against last year's champions Montpellier 3-2 after a late goal from Andre Pierre Gignac.

Bundesliga: Mandzukic secures Bayern win (Jan 19, 2013 16:39 GMT)
Bayern Munich made a winning start to 2013 to maintain a nine-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga with victory over Bavarian rivals Greuther Furth.

Albiol plays down Ronaldo-Mourinho spat (Jan 19, 2013 14:01 GMT)
Reports of a dressing room bust-up between Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho and his star player Cristiano Ronaldo are wide of the mark, according to Raul Abiol.

Hesse: Brunswick - remember the name (Jan 19, 2013 09:32 GMT)
Uli Hesse explains why the potential return of Brunswick to the Bundesliga is a noteworthy event.

Hesse: Exploring the great indoors (Jan 19, 2013 09:20 GMT)
Uli Hesse reflects on the absence of indoor football tournaments during Germany's winter break.

Copa del Rey: Atletico grab advantage over Betis (Jan 18, 2013 23:50 GMT)
Atletico Madrid are in control of their Copa del Rey quarter-final tie with Real Betis after claiming a 2-0 win in the first-leg at the Vicente Calderon on Thursday.

Cannavaro relief as match-fixing ban rescinded (Jan 18, 2013 23:11 GMT)
Napoli defender Paolo Cannavaro has discussed the "month in hell" he suffered while suspended over match-fixing allegations.

PSV Eindhoven 1-3 PEC Zwolle: Dismal return (Jan 18, 2013 21:36 GMT)
PSV Eindhoven ended their winter break in dismal fashion as they were upset 3-1 at home by lowly PEC Zwolle, finishing the match with ten men.

Sven-Goran Eriksson turns down 1860 Munich (Jan 18, 2013 20:39 GMT)
Sven-Goran Eriksson has turned down an approach from 1860 Munich to become part of the club's coaching staff.

Vilanova to stick with want-away Valdes (Jan 18, 2013 17:43 GMT)
Tito Vilanova says Victor Valdes can remain Barcelona's first choice goalkeeper, despite his decision to leave the club within the next 18 months.

Huntelaar: I snubbed Premier League for Schalke (Jan 18, 2013 16:32 GMT)
Schalke striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar has revealed he chose signing a new contract at the club over a move to the Premier League.

Heynckes applauds Bayern's appointment of Pep (Jan 18, 2013 15:14 GMT)
At his first press conference after the appointment of Pep Guardiola, Jupp Heynckes insisted that his career was all but over.

Chiellini refuses to point the finger at his replacements (Jan 18, 2013 13:05 GMT)
Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini says he will be out injured for another month, but believes that the recent difficulties endured by the side have nothing to do with his absence.

Wiese set for Hoffenheim return (Jan 18, 2013 13:04 GMT)
Hoffenheim will welcome back Tim Wiese in goal for Saturday's clash against Borussia Monchengladbach, with the keeper managing to overcome a string of injuries.

Bayern chief: Let's win title for Heynckes (Jan 18, 2013 11:50 GMT)
Bayern Munich chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has said the club must win the Bundesliga title this season to ensure manger Jupp Heynckes has the perfect ending to his managerial career.

Boateng honoured by UN invite to anti-racism event (Jan 18, 2013 10:22 GMT)
AC Milan midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng says "it is an honour" to have been invited to a United Nations anti-racism event.

Adan plays down talk of Ronaldo-Mourinho bust-up (Jan 18, 2013 10:20 GMT)
Real Madrid goalkeeper Antonio Adan says that media stories of an angry row between Cristiano Ronaldo and Jose Mourinho after Tuesday's Copa del Rey win over Valencia were overblown.

Ancelotti: PSG have to be champions this season (Jan 18, 2013 08:28 GMT)
Paris Saint-Germain manager Carlo Ancelotti has admitted he will only have himself to blame if the club do not win the Ligue 1 title this season.

ESPN FC Quiniela - Week 20 - At ease, Herr Pep (Jan 18, 2013 08:00 GMT)
In the latest Quiniela, Eduardo Alvarez predicts Barcelona will stumble in a week when Pep Guardiola officially moved on.

Valdes says he won't renew Barcelona contract (Jan 17, 2013 22:43 GMT)
Victor Valdes' Barcelona career is nearing an end after the Spanish goalkeeper's agents informed the club Thursday he will not be extending his contract with the Spanish giants.

Ligue 1: Big three escape cup pain (Jan 17, 2013 21:51 GMT)

La Liga: Vilanova sticks up for Sanchez (Jan 17, 2013 21:49 GMT)

Bundesliga: Battle set to resume (Jan 17, 2013 21:48 GMT)

Serie A: Roma prepare for Inter Milan test (Jan 17, 2013 21:44 GMT)
Roma head coach Zdenek Zeman is eager to avoid resorting to emergency measures against Inter Milan as Serie A resumes, even if a makeshift defence did yield surprising results this week.

Victor Valdes rules out new Barcelona deal (Jan 17, 2013 21:26 GMT)
Victor Valdes' representatives have told Barcelona he will not consider renewing his contract with the club.

Vilanova backs Sanchez despite missed chances (Jan 17, 2013 19:22 GMT)
Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova leapt to the defense of Alexis Sanchez after the Chilean came in for criticism for a string of misses in Wednesday night's surprise Copa del Rey draw with Malaga.

Napoli win appeal over match-fixing charge (Jan 17, 2013 18:38 GMT)
Napoli's appeal against the two-point penalty imposed on them last month has been successful, putting the club back into the Serie A title chase.

Milan in talks with Real over loan deal for Kaka (Jan 17, 2013 16:57 GMT)
AC Milan is in discussions with Kaka's agents and Real Madrid to try to bring the Brazilian back to San Siro.

Bayern: Guardiola didn't go to top bidder (Jan 17, 2013 15:22 GMT)
Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said money was not the deciding factor in the race to secure Pep Guardiola as coach.

Pep appointment 'a knighthood' for Bundesliga (Jan 17, 2013 13:17 GMT)
German media and football officials are rejoicing about the signing of Pep Guardiola, calling it a "knighthood" for the Bundesliga.

Lazio, Genoa and Lecce face points deductions (Jan 17, 2013 10:58 GMT)
Genoa, Lazio and Lega Pro side Lecce are all facing potential points penalties for their involvement in alleged match-fixing during the 2010-11 season.

Barca stars back Pep's Bayern move (Jan 17, 2013 10:58 GMT)
Barcelona coaches and players have unanimously backed to their former coach Pep Guardiola's move to Bayern Munich.

Vilanova defends Sanchez after costly misses (Jan 17, 2013 10:43 GMT)
Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova has offered his support to Alexis Sanchez after the Chilean attacker was whistled by the Camp Nou crowd after missing two excellent chances during Wednesday evening's 2-2 Copa del Rey quarter-final first leg.

Marseille deny wrongdoing following police raid (Jan 17, 2013 10:14 GMT)
Marseille have denied a police raid on their training centre on Wednesday is connected to any wrongdoing by the Ligue 1 club.

Montella calms talk on Roma fight during Coppa Italia defeat (Jan 17, 2013 10:01 GMT)
Fiorentina manager Vincenzo Montella played down the ugly scenes which marred Roma 's 1-0 defeat of Fiorentina in Wednesday's Coppa Italia quarter-final.

Former Bayern man Lizarazu backs Guardiola appointment (Jan 17, 2013 09:17 GMT)
Former Bayern Munich defender Bixente Lizarazu is not surprised Pep Guardiola has decided to return to the dug-out with the Bavarian giants, believing it to be "quite logical".

Barton sorry for Hamann row (Jan 17, 2013 08:00 GMT)
Joey Barton has issued an apology for a tirade of abuse he aimed at former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann, admitting his comments were "offensive" and "untrue".

Coppa Italia: Roma advance after extra time (Jan 16, 2013 23:40 GMT)
A goal in extra time from Mattia Destro saw Roma edge out hosts Fiorentina 1-0 and advance to the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia.

Copa del Rey: 10-man Malaga hold Barca (Jan 16, 2013 23:37 GMT)
Lionel Messi was on target again tonight but Barcelona had to settle for a 2-2 draw at home to 10-man Malaga in the first leg of their Copa del Rey quarter-final.

Ten-man Malaga's late equalizer stuns Barca (Jan 16, 2013 22:56 GMT)

Coupe de la Ligue: Rennes face St Etienne (Jan 16, 2013 22:43 GMT)
Rennes reached their first ever Coupe de la Ligue final with an impressive 2-0 win over Montpellier.

Bayern 'potential' lured Guardiola (Jan 16, 2013 18:53 GMT)
Pep Guardiola's agent has revealed the former Barcelona boss decided in December that Bayern Munich would be his next project and also claimed that more lucrative deals were rejected in favour of a move to the Bavarians.

Milan's Boateng invited to UN anti-racism event (Jan 16, 2013 17:43 GMT)
AC Milan midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng has been invited by the United Nations to attend its International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

Boateng invite to United Nations anti-racism event (Jan 16, 2013 16:03 GMT)
AC Milan midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng has been invited to appear at an annual anti-racism event held by the United Nations.

Bayern, Guardiola sign 3-year deal (Jan 16, 2013 16:00 GMT)
Bayern Munich on Wednesday officially announced it had hired Pep Guardiola to coach next season.

Guardiola to take over at Bayern Munich (Jan 16, 2013 15:54 GMT)
Bayern Munich have confirmed Pep Guardiola will become the club's new manager in the summer.

Ibrahimovic denies insulting Ronaldo and Messi (Jan 16, 2013 15:41 GMT)
PSG striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has issued a statement denying that he criticised Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Zaragoza to discipline Aranda following outburst (Jan 16, 2013 15:31 GMT)
Real Zaragoza are to punish striker Carlos Aranda after he reportedly told manager Manuel Jimenez following training on Tuesday that he was not in the right frame of mind to play for the club and wished to leave.

No Premier League stars in UEFA team of the year (Jan 16, 2013 14:03 GMT)
For the first time, no players from the Premier League have been named in UEFA.com's team of year.

Genoa players fined for breaking curfew (Jan 16, 2013 13:01 GMT)
A number of Genoa players have been fined after breaking club rules during a birthday celebration last week.

Ben Yedder appeal heard (Jan 16, 2013 12:34 GMT)
Wissam Ben Yedder said he had tried to be "as honest as possible" as he attempted to get his ban from representing France until 2014 overturned.

Valencia rue refereeing decisions at the Santiago Bernabeu (Jan 16, 2013 11:01 GMT)
Valencia striker Roberto Soldado and club president Manuel Llorente both slammed the performance of referee Cesar Muniz Fernandez and his assistants after their side's 2-0 Copa del Rey quarter-final first-leg loss to Real Madrid at the Estadio Santia

French to quiz Platini over Financial Fair Play (Jan 16, 2013 10:44 GMT)
UEFA President Michel Platini is to appear before France's National Assembly on Wednesday to explain his plan to get European football's finances into order.

Van der Vaart fit for Nurnberg clash after muscle pull (Jan 16, 2013 10:30 GMT)
Hamburg midfielder Rafael van der Vaart will be fit to play against Nurnberg this weekend after recovering from a muscle pull.

Barton grateful to Marseille for showing faith (Jan 16, 2013 09:31 GMT)
Joey Barton has revealed he feels he has a debt to repay to Marseille after the club showed faith in him during a difficult time, with the Ligue 1 club having expressed their interest in retaining the on-loan Queens Park Rangers midfielder beyond the

Casillas: Copa win eases league woes (Jan 16, 2013 08:00 GMT)
Iker Casillas believes success in the Copa Del Rey can help Real Madrid redeem their disappointing start to the La Liga season, after they defeated Valencia 2-0 in the first leg of their quarter-final tie.

Given to make Republic of Ireland comeback (Jan 16, 2013 08:00 GMT)
Shay Given has performed a backflip on his decision to retire from international football, making himself available again for the Republic of Ireland.

Manager profile: Josep Guardiola (Jan 16, 2013 08:00 GMT)
Jon Carter profiles one of the hottest young managers in the game: Bayern's Pep Guardiola.

Corrigan: Mourinho's midfield experiment (Jan 15, 2013 23:45 GMT)
Dermot Corrigan was at the Santiago Bernabeu to watch Jose Mourinho planning for an uncertain future with Real Madrid .

Coupe de la Ligue: St Etienne reach final on pens (Jan 15, 2013 23:42 GMT)
St Etienne beat Lille 7-6 on penalties to deservedly reach the Coupe de la Ligue final.

Coppa Italia: Ranocchia settles thriller for Inter (Jan 15, 2013 23:07 GMT)
Andrea Ranocchia headed the winning goal in the last minute of extra time as Inter Milan edged out Bologna 3-2 in a thrilling Coppa Italia quarter-final at the San Siro.

Copa del Rey: Real take intiative against Valencia (Jan 15, 2013 22:22 GMT)
Real Madrid earned a 2-0 lead over Valencia in the first leg of their Copa del Rey quarter-final at the Bernabeu.

Real seizes upper hand on Valencia in Copa (Jan 15, 2013 22:22 GMT)
Real Madrid earned a 2-0 lead over Valencia in the first leg of their Copa del Rey quarterfinal at the Bernabeu on Tuesday.

Serie A judge excuses Milan for racism incident (Jan 15, 2013 19:08 GMT)
Italy's top soccer league has decided not to punish AC Milan for walking off the field after being subjected to racist chants during an exhibition game with fourth-division club Pro Patria.

Boateng avoids punishment for walk off (Jan 15, 2013 18:17 GMT)
Milan and Kevin-Prince Boateng will not be punished for leaving the field and abandoning their friendly with Pro Patria following racist abuse directed at the midfielder.

Vilanova: I would be axed over 18 point gap (Jan 15, 2013 17:12 GMT)
Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova says he would have been sacked had his side slipped as badly as Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid have over the first half of the Primera Division season.

Malaga to appeal to CAS over ban (Jan 15, 2013 16:32 GMT)
Malaga have announced that they will lodge an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after UEFA banned the club from its competitions for one season as a result of financial irregularities.

New Sevilla coach Emery hopes to bring unity (Jan 15, 2013 16:02 GMT)
New Sevilla coach Unai Emery says his primary concern is getting everyone to pull together on and off the pitch, with predecessor Michel having left blaming deep structural problems at the club for its current problems.

Bayern denies Guardiola talks for coaching job (Jan 15, 2013 15:01 GMT)
Bayern Munich on Tuesday dismissed reports the club is in conversations with Pep Guardiola to take over as coach for next season.

Spanish league chief hints at ongoing match-fixing (Jan 15, 2013 13:36 GMT)
Spanish league vice-president Javier Tebas has admitted that La Liga games have been fixed in the past and says the authorities are currently working hard to find the proof to punish those involved.

Bayern deny Pep Guardiola rumours (Jan 15, 2013 12:06 GMT)
Bayern Munich have rejected rumours about a done deal with Pep Guardiola to take over as manager in the summer as "nonsense".

Barcelona's Rosell annoyed by 'privileged' City (Jan 15, 2013 12:01 GMT)
Barcelona president Sandro Rosell has said he is annoyed that Manchester City have tried to use "privileged information" to tempt current Barcelona players and staff to Eastlands.

Thiago Silva out for three weeks (Jan 15, 2013 11:48 GMT)
Paris Saint-Germain will be without captain Thiago Silva for at least three weeks after the Brazilian international sustained a thigh injury.

Abete re-elected as Italian FA president (Jan 15, 2013 11:12 GMT)
Giancarlo Abete has been re-elected to his position as the president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC).

Fiorentina agree deal for new stadium (Jan 15, 2013 10:43 GMT)
Fiorentina have finally agreed a deal with the city council to build a new stadium for the club in the Mercafir area of Florence.

Lovren: Ibra's 'superstar' status saved him (Jan 15, 2013 10:26 GMT)
Dejan Lovren has suggested Zlatan Ibrahimovic's "superstar" status was the reason for the Paris Saint-Germain striker escaping a ban for an ugly clash with the Lyon defender.

Sven-Goran Eriksson lands 1860 Munich role (Jan 15, 2013 09:42 GMT)
Bundesliga second division side TSV 1860 Munich have announced that Sven-Goran Eriksson has joined the club's coaching staff.

Prandelli urges Balotelli to repay Mancini (Jan 15, 2013 08:00 GMT)
Italy boss Cesare Prandelli has urged Mario Balotelli to take advantage of Roberto Mancini's faith in him by focusing on returning to form.

Del Bosque: Prem League has helped Spain (Jan 15, 2013 08:00 GMT)
Spain boss Vicente del Bosque believes the Premier League has been a driving factor behind the success of the national team in recent years.

Mourinho: I will return to England one day (Jan 15, 2013 08:00 GMT)
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho insists he will return to coaching in the Premier League "one day" after praising the influence his time at Chelsea has had on his career.

Mourinho: I will return to England one day (Jan 15, 2013 08:00 GMT)
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho insists he will return to coaching in the Premier League "one day" after praising the influence his time at Chelsea has had on his career.

Brassell: Classico yields more questions than answers (Jan 15, 2013 08:00 GMT)
Andy Brassell on the Classico between Porto and Benfica that gave the Portuguese Liga a much-needed boost.

American Holden ready to return from knee injury (Jan 15, 2013 01:54 GMT)
Frank Lampard says he is concerned about a potential drop in standards at Chelsea.

Michel sacked by Sevilla, Unai Emery appointed (Jan 14, 2013 18:31 GMT)
Sevilla have sacked coach Michel following Sunday's 2-0 Liga defeat to Valencia and a run of just six wins in 19 league matches this season.

Coach Heynckes and Bayern to hold talks on future (Jan 14, 2013 15:59 GMT)
Bayern Munich will make a decision about the future of coach Jupp Heynckes this month, kicker has reported

Pique: Jose 'allowed do anything' when winning (Jan 14, 2013 15:24 GMT)
Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has questioned the recent widespread criticism of Jose Mourinho in Spain, reminding fans and journalists that they were happy to ignore his behaviour when Real Madrid were winning.

Abete re-elected to Italian federation top post (Jan 14, 2013 15:01 GMT)
Giancarlo Abete was re-elected as president of the Italian Football Federation on Monday.

Ronaldo to see out Madrid deal to 2015 (Jan 14, 2013 12:44 GMT)
Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo reiterated that he has no immediate plans to leave Real Madrid, but didn't rule out changing clubs beginning in 2015.

Wolfsburg's huge wage bill revealed in report (Jan 14, 2013 12:15 GMT)
Wolfsburg playmaker Diego is on a salary of €8.2 million a year, according a report which exposes the huge wage bill of the Bundesliga strugglers.

Allegri credits Sampdoria after draw (Jan 14, 2013 10:23 GMT)
Massimiliano Allegri insisted he was not disappointed after his AC Milan side drew 0-0 at home with struggling Sampdoria in Sunday.

Ball: Half-term report (Jan 14, 2013 08:00 GMT)
Phil Ball sorts the over-achievers from the predictable at the halfway stage in Spain's La Liga.

Corrigan: Zaragoza's silver lining (Jan 13, 2013 23:40 GMT)
Dermot Corrigan was at the Vicente Calderon to see Atletico Madrid overcome a plucky Real Zaragoza.

La Liga: Barca ease at Malaga, Atleti win (Jan 13, 2013 23:06 GMT)
Barcelona maintained their 11-point lead atop the Primera Division after Lionel Messi celebrated winning the Ballon d'Or by inspiring his side to a 3-1 victory at Malaga.

Ligue 1: Marseille suffer shock loss to Sochaux (Jan 13, 2013 22:54 GMT)
Marseille made a horror start to 2013 as their Ligue 1 title bid suffered a shock blow with a 3-1 defeat at ten-man Sochaux.

Messi's big night keeps Barca rolling (Jan 13, 2013 22:41 GMT)
Lionel Messi celebrated his fourth successive Ballon d'Or award by once again inspiring Barcelona to a 3-1 win at Malaga.

Brazil's Nene moves from PSG to Qatari club (Jan 13, 2013 19:06 GMT)
Paris St Germain winger Nene confirmed on Sunday he will sign for Qatari club Al-Gharafa.

Serie A: Lazio close in on Juve (Jan 13, 2013 16:43 GMT)
Juventus saw their lead at the top of Serie A cut to just three points as a fine individual goal from Nicola Sansone kept Parma's lengthy unbeaten home run intact.

Mourinho coy on Casillas after stalemate (Jan 13, 2013 08:00 GMT)
Jose Mourinho acknowledged the performance of goalkeeper Iker Casillas following Real Madrid's 0-0 draw with Osasuna, but could not guarantee the club captain will be in the starting side next week.

La Liga: Pressure mounts on Mourinho (Jan 12, 2013 23:22 GMT)
The pressure on Jose Mourinho is set to increase after a poor performance by Real Madrid saw them come away from bottom side Osasuna with just a point.

Ligue 1: Lyon return to the summit with win (Jan 12, 2013 22:31 GMT)
Lyon took full advantage of their opportunity to return to the top of Ligue 1 with a 2-1 win over Troyes at the Stade de L'Aube this evening.

Lyon returns to top of Ligue 1 table with victory (Jan 12, 2013 22:23 GMT)
Lyon took full advantage of its opportunity to return to the top of Ligue 1 with a 2-1 win over Troyes at the Stade de L'Aube on Saturday.

Villa (hamstring) won't play for Barca on Sunday (Jan 12, 2013 22:12 GMT)
Barcelona's David Villa has been ruled out of Sunday's La Liga encounter at Malaga because of an injury.

Inter Milan controls Pescara to win comfortably (Jan 12, 2013 22:05 GMT)
Inter Milan edged closer to the top of Serie A with a comfortable 2-0 win Saturday against struggling Pescara, which can count itself lucky to have gotten away with such a modest scoreline at the San Siro.

Real Madrid held at last-place Osasuna (Jan 12, 2013 21:22 GMT)
The pressure on Jose Mourinho is set to increase after a poor performance by Real Madrid saw it come away from bottom side Osasuna with just a point in a scoreless draw Saturday.

Friendly round-up: Bayern sound warning (Jan 12, 2013 20:39 GMT)
Bayern Munich kept up their impressive form in preparation for the second half of the Bundesliga season by defeating Swiss champions Basle 3-0 in a friendly on Saturday.

Barcelona's David Villa out of Malaga clash (Jan 12, 2013 20:20 GMT)
Barcelona's David Villa has been ruled out of Sunday's Primera Division encounter at Malaga through injury.

Galatasaray, Inter agree on Sneijder deal (Jan 12, 2013 16:32 GMT)
Galatasaray has reached an agreement with Inter Milan over the transfer of Wesley Sneijder, and the Turkish club says talks with the player are ongoing.

Conte: Napoli are now one of Italy's big clubs (Jan 12, 2013 13:21 GMT)
Antonio Conte says Napoli should be proud to be disliked, believing such feelings "means they have joined the group of big clubs."

Ligue 1: Motta off as PSG are held by Ajaccio (Jan 11, 2013 23:34 GMT)
Paris Saint-Germain used their day's head start to edge one point clear at the top of Ligue 1 but will not expect to stay there after being held to a goalless draw by lowly AC Ajaccio.

Ligue 1's Bastia to play 3 games to empty stands (Jan 11, 2013 18:59 GMT)
Ligue 1 side Bastia have been hit with a three-game stadium ban by the French league in response to a series of incidents involving their fans during recent matches.

Real Madrid missing trio to suspension (Jan 11, 2013 15:44 GMT)
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho must travel to Osasuna in La Liga on Saturday without the suspended Sergio Ramos, Cristiano Ronaldo and Antonio Adan, although Xabi Alonso is expected to be available despite a neck problem.

Ibra cleared of stepping on Lovren (Jan 11, 2013 15:35 GMT)
Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been cleared by the French league's disciplinary committee of deliberately treading on the face of Lyon defender Dejan Lovren and has avoided a second suspension of the season.

Ancelotti hails Lucas ahead of PSG debut (Jan 11, 2013 13:34 GMT)
Carlo Ancelotti has praised €40 million new signing Lucas Moura's efforts in adapting to life in Ligue 1, with the Brazilian poised to make his Paris Saint-Germain debut on Friday.

Benitez tops poll to succeed Mourinho at Real (Jan 11, 2013 13:32 GMT)
Chelsea interim manager Rafa Benitez is the favoured successor to Jose Mourinho as Real Madrid boss among the La Liga club's membership, according to a survey carried out on behalf of Marca.

Depor president 'ashamed' of financial move (Jan 11, 2013 12:56 GMT)
Deportivo La Coruna president Augusto Lendoiro has said he is "ashamed" that the club has sought protection from its creditors using Spain's Ley Concursal measure and has pledged to repair Depor's perilous finances.

Bastia to play three games behind closed doors (Jan 11, 2013 12:13 GMT)
Bastia have been ordered to play three home games behind closed doors following further violent incidents involving the Corsican club's fans.

Casillas: Omissions may be 'jolt' I need (Jan 11, 2013 11:20 GMT)
Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas says being dropped recently could be the "jolt" that inspires him to bounce back and improve his performances.

Striker Lopez steps down as Lyon captain (Jan 11, 2013 11:02 GMT)
Lyon striker Lisandro Lopez has asked to be relieved of the club's captaincy so he can focus more on his own game.

Roura praises Villa after Barca cup win (Jan 11, 2013 10:43 GMT)
Barcelona assistant coach Jordi Roura praised David Villa's contribution in scoring twice in Thursday's 5-0 Copa del Rey stroll past Cordoba, adding that the striker was still working his way back to fitness after his long injury lay-off.

Napoli infuriated by Marchisio comments (Jan 11, 2013 10:08 GMT)
Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio has stoked up his club's feud with Napoli, saying: "When I am faced with Napoli, something goes off in me."

Ibra escapes 'stamp' ban (Jan 11, 2013 10:02 GMT)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has escaped punishment over an alleged stamping incident that could have seen the Paris Saint-Germain star handed a lengthy ban.

ESPN FC Quiniela - Week 19 - The Ballon d'Or fallacy (Jan 11, 2013 08:19 GMT)
In the latest Quiniela, Eduardo Alvarez predicts Lionel Messi will continue his winning ways while Real Madrid will struggle on the road.

Copa del Rey: Barca into quarter-finals (Jan 10, 2013 22:57 GMT)
Barcelona romped into the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey as they put five goals past Cordoba at the Nou Camp, but striker David Villa suffered another injury.

Bayern fined $19,800 by DFB for crowd trouble (Jan 10, 2013 21:51 GMT)
Bayern Munich has been fined $19,800 by the German Football Association (DFB) following a series of crowd incidents during recent Bundesliga matches.

Bayern fined by DFB for repeat offences (Jan 10, 2013 21:25 GMT)
Bayern Munich have been fined €15,000 by the German Football Association (DFB) following a series of incidents during recent Bundesliga matches.

Real's Ramos gets 5-match ban for comments (Jan 10, 2013 18:22 GMT)
Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos was handed a five-match ban Thursday for his sending off and subsequent reaction in Wednesday's Copa del Rey victory over Celta Vigo.

Barca's Adriano (ankle) to miss Cordoba game (Jan 10, 2013 18:17 GMT)
Barcelona defender Adriano will miss the Copa del Rey game on Thursday against Cordoba because of a leg injury.

Deportivo la Coruna seek financial protection (Jan 10, 2013 17:43 GMT)
Deportivo la Coruna have become the latest La Liga club to seek protection from its creditors using Spain's 'Ley Concursal'.

Ronaldo on PSG rumors: 'All is possible' (Jan 10, 2013 16:58 GMT)
Following his hat-trick performance Wednesday in Real Madrid's 4-0 Copa del Rey quarterfinals victory over Celta Vigo, Cristiano Ronaldo was evasive about this week's rumors he'll go to Paris St. Germain.

Galatasaray gives Sneijder 1 day to accept offer (Jan 10, 2013 16:18 GMT)
Galatasaray has given Inter Milan midfielder Wesley Sneijder a deadline of 24 hours to decide if he wants to accept or reject the Turkish club's transfer offer.

A word to the wise (Jan 10, 2013 15:04 GMT)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic's Paris Saint-Germain are at the forefront of the Ligue 1 title race, Ian Holyman writes.

Jean Fernandez leaves rock-bottom Nancy (Jan 10, 2013 13:33 GMT)
Nancy have parted ways with coach Jean Fernandez as the Lorraine club head into the second half of the Ligue 1 season bottom of the table.

Real's Ramos handed five-match ban (Jan 10, 2013 11:46 GMT)
Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos has been banned for five games for verbally abusing referee Miguel Angel Ayza Gomez during Madrid's 4-0 Copa del Rey win over Celta Vigo at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night.

Ronaldo recovers from Ballon d'Or snub with hat-trick (Jan 10, 2013 08:00 GMT)
Cristiano Ronaldo put the disappointment of missing out on the Ballon D'Or for a fourth consecutive year behind him, scoring a hat-trick in Real Madrid's 4-0 rout of Celta Vigo in the Copa Del Rey on Wednesday.

Italian FA takes stand on racist abuse (Jan 10, 2013 08:00 GMT)
The Italian football association [FIGC] has continued its crackdown on racist abuse by handing a pitchside 'director' the ability to suspend a match in the event of unruly crowd behaviour.

Fergie: Ron the 'complete player' (Jan 10, 2013 08:00 GMT)
Sir Alex Ferguson believes Cristiano Ronaldo has become the 'complete player' since joining Real Madrid from Manchester United in 2009.

Juventus beats Milan for extra-time Cup win (Jan 10, 2013 00:47 GMT)
Mirko Vucinic's extra-time goal ensured Juventus ended AC Milan's hopes in the Coppa Italia for the second year in a row after edging out their Serie A rivals 2-1 in their quarterfinal clash.

Ronaldo's Copa hat trick shreds Celta (Jan 9, 2013 22:49 GMT)
Cristiano Ronaldo steered Real Madrid into the Copa de Rey quarterfinals on Wednesday by completing his hat trick in a 4-0 win against Celta Vigo after Sergio Ramos had been sent off.

Copa del Rey: Ronaldo sees Real Madrid through (Jan 9, 2013 22:45 GMT)

Coppa Italia: Hernanes fires Lazio into semis (Jan 9, 2013 22:43 GMT)
A brace from Brazilian striker Hernanes has fired Lazio into the Coppa Italia semi-finals after a 3-0 win over Catania at the Stadio Olimpico.

Coppa Italia: Milan knocked out by Juve (Jan 9, 2013 22:36 GMT)
Juventus knocked AC Milan out of the Coppa Italia, after a goal from Mirko Vucinic sealed a 2-1 win in extra-time.

Laudrup: Swansea still have mountain to climb (Jan 9, 2013 22:20 GMT)

Ferguson hails Ronaldo as 'the complete player' (Jan 9, 2013 20:21 GMT)
Sir Alex Ferguson said Wednesday he believes Cristiano Ronaldo has turned into "the complete player" since his departure from Manchester United in 2009.

Real Madrid fans split on Jose Mourinho future (Jan 9, 2013 15:41 GMT)
Just over half of Real Madrid members want Jose Mourinho to continue as the club's coach no matter what happens this season, according to research published in Marca on Wednesday.

Messi likely to face Cordoba (Jan 9, 2013 13:32 GMT)
Four-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi should feature in Barcelona's Copa del Rey last 16 second-leg tie at home to Cordoba on Thursday, although coach Tito Vilanova will miss the game as he travels to New York for medical tests.

Bayern thrash Schalke in friendly (Jan 9, 2013 13:23 GMT)
Bayern Munich hammered Schalke 5-0 in friendly in Qatar on Tuesday, piling pressure on the injury-plagued Gelsenkirchen side ahead of the Bundesliga campaign's resumption next week.

Berlusconi coy on Allegri future (Jan 9, 2013 12:00 GMT)
Silvio Berlusconi has once again failed to offer his support for AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri in the wake of his comments regarding former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola.

Italian federation chief backs Balotelli (Jan 9, 2013 10:06 GMT)
The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president has backed Mario Balotelli after Silvio Berlusconi described the player as "a bad apple".

Subotic ruled out (Jan 9, 2013 10:00 GMT)
Borussia Dortmund star Neven Subotic is set to miss up to six weeks with a calf injury, the club announced on Tuesday evening.

Leonardo: Ibrahimovic does not call shots at PSG (Jan 9, 2013 09:37 GMT)
Leonardo has laughed off suggestions Zlatan Ibrahimovic rules the roost at Paris Saint-Germain as "ridiculous", insisting the imposing forward "gets no favours".

Italy police: Refs, players can't halt matches (Jan 9, 2013 08:00 GMT)
Italy's watchdog body for sports events says only a special public order officer will have the power to suspend matches in cases of racism, intolerance or anti-Semitism.

Pro Patria gets 1-game fan ban over racism (Jan 9, 2013 02:45 GMT)
Pro Patria has been ordered to play one home match behind closed doors after racist chants prompted AC Milan to walk off the pitch during a friendly last week.

Copa del Rey: Malaga late show seals progress (Jan 8, 2013 23:05 GMT)
Malaga left it late to overcome Segunda Division side Eibar 4-1 and reach the Copa del Rey quarter-finals after a drawn first leg.

Pro Patria punished for Boateng abuse (Jan 8, 2013 18:45 GMT)
Pro Patria will be forced to play one match behind closed doors as punishment for the racist abuse directed at Kevin-Prince Boateng during last week's friendly against AC Milan.

Sporting Lisbon sack manager Vercauteren (Jan 8, 2013 16:31 GMT)
Sporting Lisbon have parted company with their Belgian manager Franky Vercauteren following a poor run of form.

Juve boss Conte to avoid second charge - reports (Jan 8, 2013 15:35 GMT)
Antonio Conte has reportedly been cleared of a second match-fixing charge by the latest investigation into the widespread Calcioscommesse scandal.

Reports: Conte cleared of match-fixing in Bari (Jan 8, 2013 13:54 GMT)
Juventus coach Antonio Conte reportedly has been cleared of more match-fixing, this time stemming from when he coached Bari from 2008 to 2009.

Alonso has faith in 'keepers (Jan 8, 2013 13:42 GMT)
Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso has said he has full faith in whichever goalkeeper Jose Mourinho chooses for Wednesday's Copa del Rey home match against Celta Vigo.

Van der Vaart injury fears played down (Jan 8, 2013 11:03 GMT)
Hamburg are relaxed about the fitness prospects of Rafael van der Vaart and Tolgay Arslan after the midfield duo picked up injuries in a friendly against Lok Tashkent on Monday.

Juve board member Nedved banned (Jan 8, 2013 10:28 GMT)
Juventus board member Pavel Nedved has been banned from attending Serie A games until January 31 after confronting officials following Sunday's 2-1 home defeat to Sampdoria.

Bayern duo fined for wearing wrong socks (Jan 8, 2013 09:48 GMT)
Bayern Munich stars Bastian Schweinsteiger and Toni Kroos have both been fined by the club for wearing the wrong socks, according to reports.

AC Milan eye Guardiola approach (Jan 8, 2013 08:00 GMT)
AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi says he remains interested in bringing Pep Guardiola to the San Siro, but admits the chances of the club securing the former Barcelona manager's services are "very low".

Coupe de France: Istres knock Valenciennes out (Jan 7, 2013 22:42 GMT)

Rossi aims for return to Fiorentina this spring (Jan 7, 2013 19:42 GMT)
Giuseppe Rossi hopes to make his debut for Fiorentina this spring after a layoff of 1½ years caused by a knee injury that needed three operations.

Messi: 4th straight Ballon d'Or (Jan 7, 2013 19:04 GMT)
Lionel Messi has won the FIFA Ballon d'Or award for his astonishing 91-goal year for Barcelona and Argentina in 2012.

Ajax confirm Jaap Stam will join coaching staff (Jan 7, 2013 18:13 GMT)

Jaap Stam will join the coaching staff at Ajax in the summer, the club has confirmed.

Rossi: Fiorentina playing best football in Italy (Jan 7, 2013 17:00 GMT)
Giuseppe Rossi has been officially unveiled as a Fiorentina player following his transfer from Villarreal, saying his new club "are playing the best football in Italy".

Cristiano Ronaldo questions Boateng walk-off (Jan 7, 2013 16:27 GMT)
Cristiano Ronaldo said it is not necessarily right to walk off the field in response to racist chants from the stands.

Guardiola says he'll look to coach again in '13 (Jan 7, 2013 16:07 GMT)
Former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola said Monday he plans to return to coaching next year, although he would not confirm that he has found a team.

Lazio chief: We are not a racist club (Jan 7, 2013 12:33 GMT)
Claudio Lotito has defended Lazio after the club were once again accused of being racist just days after Kevin-Prince Boateng led Milan off the pitch following continued taunting of the midfielder.

Ancelotti criticises PSG's underperforming stars (Jan 7, 2013 11:13 GMT)
Carlo Ancelotti blasted Marco Verratti for being "too slow" and criticised internationals Javier Pastore and Christophe Jallet after seeing his star-studded Paris Saint-Germain side almost suffer a Coupe de France giant-killing.

Pedro dedicates win to Barca's Vilanova (Jan 7, 2013 11:13 GMT)
Barcelona's Pedro Rodriguez dedicated Sunday evening's 4-0 Primera Division win over Espanyol to returning coach Tito Vilanova, while saying he was also happy to finally be back on the scoresheet for his club.

Marchisio injury fears allayed after scan (Jan 7, 2013 10:53 GMT)
Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio has escaped any serious injury as a result of the knock suffered during Sampdoria's shock win over the Italian champions on Sunday.

Real goalkeeper Adan rues 'unfair' red card (Jan 7, 2013 10:37 GMT)
Real Madrid goalkeeper Antonio Adan says his sending off early in Sunday's dramatic 4-3 win over Real Sociedad at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu was unjust, as has been the media comment fired his way after Madrid coach Jose Mourinho chose him ahead o

Ball: A tale of two keepers (and Xabis) (Jan 7, 2013 08:39 GMT)
Saint Iker was centre of attention again as Real Madrid edged a seven-goal thriller, writes Phil Ball.

FIFA president Blatter: Milan walk-off was wrong (Jan 7, 2013 08:25 GMT)
FIFA president Sepp Blatter has urged footballers not to leave the pitch if they are subjected to racial abuse.

Villa injured in Barcelona's Copa del Rey victory (Jan 6, 2013 22:58 GMT)
Barcelona romped into the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey as they put five goals past Cordoba at the Nou Camp, but striker David Villa suffered another injury.

Jose happy to wear the boos (Jan 6, 2013 21:47 GMT)
Dermot Corrigan was at the Bernabeu as Jose Mourinho got the chance to see Antonio Adan and Iker Casillas in action.

Mourinho not fazed by chorus of boos (Jan 6, 2013 21:01 GMT)
Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho shrugged off jeers aimed at him from his side's fans prior to Sunday's 4-3 win over Real Sociedad following his decision to again omit Iker Casillas in favour of Antonio Adan.

Vilanova's return inspires Barca to derby romp (Jan 6, 2013 20:24 GMT)
Tito Vilanova returned to the Barcelona bench with the minimum of fuss Sunday as his side got all of its work done early to trounce Espanyol 4-0 in the Catalan derby.

Cup champion Lyon shocked by 3rd-tier Epinal (Jan 6, 2013 19:31 GMT)
Lowly Epinal stunned Ligue 1 leader Lyon to dump the visitors out of the French Cup on penalties in the ninth round.

Italy striker Rossi leaves Villarreal for Fiorentina (Jan 6, 2013 18:54 GMT)
New Jersey-born forward Giuseppe Rossi, sidelined by a knee injury for more than 14 months, has transferred from Spain's Villarreal to Fiorentina.

La Liga: Real win seven-goal thriller, Barca hit four (Jan 6, 2013 18:24 GMT)
Real Madrid got the better of Real Sociedad, winning a pulsating game 4-3, despite playing for 84 minutes with 10 men.

Ronaldo double helps Real escape Sociedad (Jan 6, 2013 18:22 GMT)
Cristiano Ronaldo scored two goals in a three-minute span to give 10-man Real Madrid a 4-3 win over Real Sociedad on Sunday

Casillas starts for Real on bench again (Jan 6, 2013 17:57 GMT)
Iker Casillas was again omitted from the Real Madrid starting lineup for Sunday's Primera Division clash against Real Sociedad, with coach Jose Mourinho opting to retain Antonio Adan in goal.

Juventus held by Parma; lead cut to 3 (Jan 6, 2013 17:55 GMT)
Defending champion Juventus struggled again as it was held to a 1-1 draw at Parma in Serie A on Sunday.

French Cup: Lyon crash out at struggling Epinal (Jan 6, 2013 17:17 GMT)
Lowly Epinal stunned joint Ligue 1 leaders Lyon to dump them out of the Coupe de France on penalties in the ninth round.

Subotic suffers injury, set to pen new deal (Jan 6, 2013 17:08 GMT)
Borussia Dortmund centre-back Neven Subotic is set to miss three weeks of action after tearing his calf muscle during mid-season training.

Juve, Inter slide to surprise losses in Serie A (Jan 6, 2013 17:02 GMT)
Serie A leader Juventus was beaten 2-1 at home by 10-man Sampdoria and two other title contenders also lost Sunday, as the big Italian clubs struggled to get back into full gear after the holiday break.

Serie A: Icardi earns Samp shock win at Juve (Jan 6, 2013 16:20 GMT)
aJuventus missed the chance to reclaim an eight-point lead at the top of Serie A after suffering a shock 2-1 home loss to 10-man Sampdoria, while Inter Milan suffered a defeat at Udinese.

Mourinho warns players not to get comfortable (Jan 6, 2013 08:00 GMT)
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has thrown down the gauntlet to his players, warning them that no one should feel their place in the side is assured.

French Cup: Rouen cause shock against Ajaccio (Jan 5, 2013 22:29 GMT)
Ajaccio were dumped out of the Coupe de France on penalties by third-tier Rouen.

Serie A: Lazio leave it late with win against Cagliari (Jan 5, 2013 22:06 GMT)
Lazio cut Serie A leaders Juventus' lead to five points on Saturday with a 2-1 home win over struggling Cagliari.

La Liga: Malaga suffer shock defeat at Depor (Jan 5, 2013 21:38 GMT)
Deportivo La Coruqa secured their first victory since early November in Domingos Paciencia's first game in charge as a wonderful individual goal by Pizzi was enough to see off Malaga 1-0.

Barca coach Vilanova to return to bench Sunday (Jan 5, 2013 16:30 GMT)
Tito Vilanova is set to be on the bench when Barcelona resumes its pursuit of the La Liga title Sunday against Espanyol, assistant coach Jordi Roura said Saturday.

Japan wing-back Nagatomo extends Inter deal (Jan 5, 2013 14:58 GMT)
Japan wing-back Yuto Nagatomo has signed a contract extension with Inter Milan.

Vilanova back in dugout for Espanyol clash (Jan 5, 2013 13:23 GMT)
Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova is to return to the dugout for Sunday's derby with Espanyol.

Boateng to consider Serie A future (Jan 5, 2013 11:25 GMT)
AC Milan midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng is to decide in the coming days whether he is prepared to continue in Serie A following the racist abuse he faced during a friendly with Pro Patria during the week.

Boateng: I'd walk off in Champions League game (Jan 4, 2013 20:23 GMT)
AC Milan's Kevin-Prince Boateng says he would walk off during any match in which he was subjected to racist abuse, no matter what the stakes were.

Coupe de France: Garde eyeing Cup repeat (Jan 4, 2013 17:14 GMT)
Lyon boss Remi Garde has challenged his team to retain the Coupe de France as they start their defence of the trophy at third division Epinal on Sunday.

Ballon d'Or: Messi flirts with record fourth win (Jan 4, 2013 17:09 GMT)
Lionel Messi can break another soccer record on Monday by being selected the world's best player for an unprecedented fourth time.

Italian chants prompt criminal probe (Jan 4, 2013 15:30 GMT)
A public prosecutor is set to open a criminal inquiry after an exhibition match between AC Milan and lower division club Pro Patria was abandoned after racist chanting by fans.

Juve striker Vucinic may miss Sampdoria clash (Jan 4, 2013 13:46 GMT)
Mirko Vucinic is an injury concern for Juventus as they prepare to face Sampdoria when Serie A resumes this weekend.

Gattuso, Seedorf question Boateng protest (Jan 4, 2013 12:56 GMT)
Former AC Milan stars Gennaro Gattuso and Clarence Seedorf have questioned the club's decision to abandon their friendly with Pro Patria due to apparent racist abuse.

PSG eye Euro glory, new ground by 2016 (Jan 4, 2013 09:58 GMT)
Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al Khelaifi has given the club three more years to win the Champions League as part of his vision to make the French capital the home of a European football superpower.

ESPN FC Quiniela - Week 18 - The demise of Atletico (Jan 4, 2013 08:00 GMT)
In the latest Quiniela, Eduardo Alvarez predicts a loss at Mallorca to be the beginning of Atletico Madrid's downfall.

Italian FA to probe racist abuse of Boateng (Jan 3, 2013 16:43 GMT)
Milan walked off the pitch after Kevin-Prince Boateng became the target of racist abuse during a friendly match on Thursday and the Italian FA (FIGC) later announced an immediate inquiry into the incident.

Racist chants halt AC Milan friendly (Jan 3, 2013 16:16 GMT)
An exhibition soccer match between AC Milan and lower division club Pro Patria was suspended because of racist chants.

Ramos: Real refreshed after winter break (Jan 3, 2013 15:20 GMT)
Sergio Ramos believes La Liga's winter break came at a good time for Real Madrid to refocus their minds, and is targeting two quick wins in order to help foster a more positive outlook for the rest of the season.

Barcelona stars and boss set for derby (Jan 3, 2013 14:44 GMT)
Barcelona keeper Victor Valdes says he is confident of overcoming a foot injury to play in Sunday's city derby against Espanyol at the Camp Nou.

Cruyff to call time on coaching career (Jan 3, 2013 10:23 GMT)
Johan Cruyff believes Wednesday night's 1-1 draw between Catalonia and Nigeria will be his last game as a coach.

Real's Pepe to miss month after ankle surgery (Jan 2, 2013 14:48 GMT)
Real Madrid defender Pepe will miss one month after having arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle Wednesday, the club announced.

Ronaldo: 'Winning is most important right now' (Jan 2, 2013 14:32 GMT)
Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo on Wednesday downplayed the importance of his current contract renewal, instead focusing on his desire for "a perfect start to the year.

Ibrahimovic: Lucas will need time to adapt (Jan 2, 2013 14:02 GMT)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has told new Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Lucas Moura to be patient as he settles into life in Europe but said he is not worried about the Brazilian.

Pepe sidelined after ankle surgery (Jan 2, 2013 13:03 GMT)
Real Madrid defender Pepe could face a month out of action after undergoing an operation on his ankle on Wednesday morning.

Vilanova attends Barca practice, meets players (Jan 2, 2013 12:51 GMT)
Just 13 days post-surgery, Tito Vilanova reappeared at the Barcelona training facility on Wednesday and addressed his players.

Casillas determined to regain starting spot (Jan 2, 2013 12:36 GMT)
Real Madrid captain Iker Casillas says he has returned to training after the winter break intent on winning his place back in the team and helping his side put their recent problems behind them.

Head coach Francis Gillot commits to Bordeaux (Jan 2, 2013 11:53 GMT)
Francis Gillot has ended speculation over his future by signing a two-year contract extension at Bordeaux.

Malaga expect UEFA ban to be overturned (Jan 2, 2013 09:26 GMT)
Malaga director general Vicente Casado insists the club are now operating under a sustainable business model and he anticipates that their ban from UEFA competition for not adhering to the new Financial Fair Play rules will soon be quashed.

Casillas' 2013 resolution: Regain his Real place (Jan 1, 2013 22:50 GMT)
Iker Casillas said he is fighting to give Jose Mourinho no choice but to reinstate him in goal after he was dropped for the La Liga clash with Malaga last month.

Roma eye new stadium in four years (Jan 1, 2013 20:29 GMT)
Roma say they hope to move into a new stadium in the south-west of Rome within the next four years.

Domingos believes Deportivo can beat drop (Jan 1, 2013 16:37 GMT)
Deportivo la Coruna have hired Domingos Paciencia as their new coach after Jose Luis Oltra was fired at the weekend.