Pique dismisses Spain critics

Gerard Pique says he will not become distracted by his critics, insisting he has nothing to prove with his performances for Spain.

Ventura ready for Romagnoli gamble

With Giorgio Chiellini banned, Giampiero Ventura is ready to start Alessio Romagnoli when Italy aims for a second win in a row against Spain.

Montagliani: WC sites a 'tipping point'

The new president of CONCACAF, Victor Montagliani, feels Russia and Qatar's successful World Cup bids have helped to stamp out corruption.

SFA: Barton bet 44 times on matches

The Scottish Football Association has charged Rangers' Joey Barton with betting 44 times on football matches.

Agent: No issues between Pep, Toure

Yaya Toure remains on the fringes of the Manchester City team but his agent, Dimitri Seluk, claims Pep Guardiola has no problems with him.

Stones dreams of England captaincy

John Stones says he would be honored to become captain of England in future, though he is happy enough to be part of the squad at present.

Xavi: CR7, not Messi, is Ballon d'Or fav

The midfielder angered Cristiano with some comments last month, but has now admitted his former Clasico adversary is the one to beat.

Kirchhoff out for at least six weeks

Sunderland's season took another turn for the worse on Tuesday as Jan Kirchhoff was ruled out for at least six weeks due to injury.

'Messi doesn't look after himself'

The Barcelona star puts himself in unnecessary danger by being too eager to play every minute of every game, an official has said.

The world when Wenger joined AFC

Omnisport heads back to 1996 to find out what the state of affairs globally was when the Frenchman first set foot at the Gunners.

Klinsmann: No truth to England talk

United States head coach Jurgen Klinsmann says his sole focus is on his side's next World Cup qualifier, not England speculation.

McClaren questions football privacy

Steve McClaren has expressed sympathy for Sam Allardyce in the wake of his England exit.

Lewy, Muller fire Atletico warnings

Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller are keen to avoid another disappointment when Bayern Munich faces Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.

Wenger: Arsenal transfers all clean

Arsenal has nothing to fear from any investigation into corruption surrounding Premier League transfers, Arsene Wenger has said.

Ranieri: I'll drink with Mourinho

Claudio Ranieri has had some history with Jose Mourinho, but the Leicester City boss says any animosity is firmly in the past.

Neymar: Messi could look better!

Lionel Messi might be the world's best player, but his blond hair and bear could be better, according to Barcelona teammate Neymar.

Gignac 'haunted' by Euro final miss

The Tigres striker hit the post before Eder sealed victory, and he expects the miss to dog him for the rest of his life.

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Former Aston Villa striker Dalian Atkinson was killed during a police taser operation, authorities confirmed.

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Pogba has completed his return to Manchester United from Juventus, reportedly making him the world's most expensive soccer player.

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Demba Ba suffered a frightful leg break in Shanghai Shenhua's win over Shanghai SIPG.

Deschamps: No words for final loss

The Bleus coach was devastated to see Euro glory slip through his team's fingers, as Eder's extra-time strike decided the final in the Stade de France

Suspect package at France hotel

A suspect bag was destroyed by bomb disposal experts outside the hosts' team hotel in Paris, as Les Bleus gear up to take on Portugal in Sunday's showpiece

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Messi's father also has been handed the prison sentence, and both men were fined.

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FIFA has punished seven nations – including Chile and Croatia – for discriminatory acts from supporters, including homophobic chants.

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The 96 who were fatally injured at the FA Cup match between Nottingham Forest and Liverpool ranged in age from 10 to 67.

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Following police raids Wednesday on UEFA's headquarters, Gianni Infantino says any investigation into alleged wrongdoing is welcome.

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The president said he could not get an audience with soccer star Lionel Messi, but Messi insists he would be happy to oblige.

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FIFA is looking into Franz Beckenbauer and others in relation to the process that landed the 2006 event in Germany.

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A reform package swept to victory Friday with support from 89 percent of the vote.

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After a disagreement over voting procedures, Prince Ali bin al-Hussein has called for Friday's FIFA elections to be suspended.

12-year ban for Valcke

Following an investigation, FIFA bans the former right-hand man to suspended president Sepp Blatter for misconduct.

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Cole, 35, was a longtime fixture on England's national team.

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After comments made by a FIFA ethics committee spokesman, Michel Platini slams the soccer organization for its "sham procedure."

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Chelsea faces Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus will take on Bayern Munich in other knockout-round matchups.

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The UEFA president is furious that a committee spokesman said corruption allegations against Platini are "well founded."

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Luis Suarez scores twice in the match of Spanish soccer powers.

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The banned FIFA president is recovering at home but has not been hospitalized, an adviser says.

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Juan Carlos Osorio will leave Sao Paulo and take over the Mexico national squad on a permanent basis, the Brazilian club's president says.

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Brazil appealed Neymar's remaining international suspension, but it was upheld, meaning he will not face Chile or Venezuela this month.

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Harry Kane ended his goal drought as Tottenham came from 1-0 down to thrash Manchester City 4-1.

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Switzerland will send the Uruguayan official to the States in the wake of May's sweep of FIFA officials.

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Manchester United's sponsor revenues has reached record levels, but broadcasting income dropped by more than 20 percent in the last year.

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Cristiano Ronaldo moved past another goal record as he scored five in a 6-0 victory for Real Madrid at Espanyol.

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David de Gea has signed a new four-year contract, Manchester United announced.

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Blatter survives a challenge to win re-election but turns his spite on critics.

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Basel is bracing for a flurry of interest from Europe's big guns in January.

Expensive transfers

When it comes to the transfer market, 2014 has already been a remarkable summer.

Brazil's next coach

Brazil will name the successor to former head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari on Tuesday.

World Cup awards

Best Player, Best Game, Best Goal and Biggest Flop are all recognized as Sporting News/Goal runs through the World Cup's most iconic figures, moments and matches of an enthralling four weeks in Brazil.

World Cup XI

Five players from Germany feature as Sporting News selects the standout performers from football's greatest tournament, including Thomas Muller, Argentina's Lionel Messi and the Netherlands' Arjen Robben.

Kaka to MLS

AC Milan attacking midfielder Kaka has revealed he would like to move to Major League Soccer when his career at San Siro comes to and end. It is possible that the Brazilian star could head to North America as soon as this summer.