FIFA has hit back at reports claiming its president Gianni Infantino worked to weaken the code of ethics, accusing the media of trying to undermine the governing body s leadership.
German publication Der Spiegel alleged Infantino was in August personally involved in amendments to the FIFA regulations, based on documents it claims to have attained from whistleblowers Football Leaks . Infantino did not address the accusations directly in a statement issued on Friday.
FIFA was criticised for removing the word corruption from its code of ethics, while also introducing a statute of limitation and defamation clause.
The defence for replacing bribery and corruption with just bribery in Article 27 was for reasons of language clarity in the English, Spanish and German ver…
Bayern Munich chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has accepted Jupp Heynckes assertion that he will not remain as head coach beyond the end of the season.
The 72-year-old replaced Carlo Ancelotti until the end of the 2017-18 campaign in October, and president Uli Hoeness recently suggested his fourth spell in charge of the club could be extended.
Heynckes in response to Hoeness said Bayern would have no trouble finding an adequate permanent coach to replace him before next season, and Rummenigge is prepared to lose the veteran coach.
Jupp declared it, then that s the case, Rummenigge told reporters.
Uli Hoeness did not fuel the discussions about the coach. The mood was very good and harmonic on Friday. He only showed his appreciation for Jupp Heynckes…
Kevin De Bruyne showed he is unstoppable when playing with this fire inside in Manchester City s 3-2 EFL Cup win over Liverpool, Pep Guardiola said.
De Bruyne was well below his brilliant best as Belgium were eliminated from the World Cup in the group stage earlier this month.
But his first match back in City colours on Thursday provided a reminder of the midfielder s remarkable talents.
De Bruyne supplied assists for Erling Haaland and Nathan Ake in a gripping cup tie, creating a game-high five chances in all as he ran the show at the Etihad Stadium.
As well as excelling with the ball, De Bruyne led the City press out of possession, winning four turnovers in the final third. Rico Lewis (two) was the only other player on the pitch to manage more than one.…
Tottenham have confirmed the appointment of Fabio Paratici as their new managing director following his departure from Juventus.
Paratici spent 11 years with the Serie A giants and took up a number of boardroom positions before exiting the Allianz Stadium earlier this month.
The 48-year-old, who has also previously worked behind the scenes at Sampdoria, arrives at Tottenham ahead of the expected appointment of new head coach Paulo Fonseca.
I am thrilled by this fantastic opportunity and I thank the club and the chairman for the trust in me, Paratici told Tottenham s official website on Saturday.
Tottenham are one of the top clubs in the UK and in Europe with an ambitious long-term plan.
I will dedicate all myself to this new venture and look…
Belgium and reigning champions France head Europe s list of top-seeded teams for World Cup qualifying and they may have to face a Sweden side featuring Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
World governing body FIFA confirmed the six pots of teams on Friday, based on its new list of world rankings, ahead of the December 7 draw in Zurich.
Belgium are the world s number one team while France sit second in FIFA s rankings, having triumphed at the 2018 World Cup.
The European qualifiers begin with three match days in March, meaning World Cup preliminaries begin before the delayed Euro 2020 finals.
Dangerous teams in Pot Two include the likes of Poland, who boast Bayern Munich s Robert Lewandowski, and Sweden, who could by then have Ibrahimovic back in their ranks.
Ibr…
Best Odds: 1/2
Bookmaker:
In what is a real derby showdown on Saturday night, Real Sociedad will welcome Athletic Bilbao to the Anoeta Stadium.
Real Sociedad
Starting with the hosts, while Real Sociedad might have marked their return from September’s international break with a 2-1 loss at the hands of Real Madrid, Imanol Alguacil’s side have come roaring back. Last seen earlier in the week putting in an eye-catching performance as they landed a 1-0 win away at Valencia, the Royal have their sights firmly set on mounting another top-four charge this time around. Opening their Champions League adventure with a 1-1 draw against Italian giants Inter Milan on September 20th, Sociedad have lost just one of their first eight appearances across all formats. Laying …
Bruno Fernandes has signed a new long-term contract with Manchester United that will keep the midfielder at Old Trafford until at least 2026.
Portugal international Fernandes has been a transformative figure since arriving at United from Sporting CP in January 2020 for an initial fee of £47million (€55m).
The 27-year-old still had three and a half years to run on his deal, with the option to add a further year, but United have moved to extend those terms.
While his new deal sees Fernandes commit to United four another four and a half years, the club has once again retained the right to increase that by an additional 12 months.
Fernandes has played 117 times for United since making his debut in February 2020, scoring 49 goals and assisting 39 more in al…
Prediction: Bayern Munich to win 2-0
Best Odds:
Bookmaker:
Borussia Monchengladbach and Bayern Munich will face each other in the Bundesliga this week. The match will be held at Borussia-Park and is scheduled to kick off at 7:30pm UK time on Friday.
Borussia Monchengladbach
Borussia Monchengladbach finished eighth in the Bundesliga table last season. They missed out on a potential place in the Europa Conference League and have a new manager in charge, Adi Hutter.
Monchengladbach did well in the 2019-20 season and actually finished in the Champions League places. The German club will at least hope to challenge for the Bundesliga this time around.
Team News:
Mamadou Doucoure, Breel Embolo, Kouadio Kone, Marcus Thuram and Ramy Benseba…
Bayern join chase for Verratti
Bayern Munich are set to challenge Real Madrid for the signature of PSG midfielder Marco Verratti, reports L Equipe.
The Bavarians see the Italy international as a perfect replacement for Toni Kroos, who is almost certain to leave Alianz Arena this summer.
As a result, Bayern plan to step up their interest in the player in the coming weeks with a view to luring him to Munich in the summer transfer window.
Los Blancos boss Carlo Ancelotti is eager to get reunited with Verratti at Santiago Bernabeu, although the interest could cool off if Real manage to recruit Toni Kroos.
Paris Saint-Germain chiefs were initially reluctant to cash in on their prized asset, but the latest reports suggest they would consider offers in …
Fiorentina full-back Micah Richards feels he cannot return to parent club Manchester City as a player.
On-loan Fiorentina full-back Micah Richards still loves parent club Manchester City, and believes he would be captain of the Premier League champions if not for the takeover.
Richards, 26, returns to England on Thursday when his Serie A side face Tottenham in their UEFA Europa League last-32 first leg.
The defender is on a season-long loan at Fiorentina, having lost his place at right-back at City.
Richards believes it is near impossible for him to return to City as a player, but left the door open to one day being back in a different capacity.
I do feel it is closed now at City for me unless Roberto Mancini got the job and wanted to bring me ba…