Dubai government-owned Emirates airline is to sponsor AC Milan from next season in a four-year shirt deal worth around 50 million euros ($68.31 million), a source close to the Italian club said on Monday.
PARIS, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Fourth division Colmar knocked Ligue 1 side Lille out of the French Cup 10-9 on penalties after Salim Mezriche scored the winner following a goalless draw after extra time in their round of 64 game on Saturday.
The president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) insists his organisation were forced to sack coach Shaibu Amodu because of public pressure for a more high-profile appointment.
Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack has hit out at Arsene Wenger's criticism of the Premier League leaders, after the Arsenal boss accused the Blues of tactically fouling his players during the 2-0 defeat that has left the Gunners nine points adrift in the title race.
David Beckham has paid tribute to Man Utd's supporters ahead of his forthcoming return to Old Trafford.
David Beckham has promised he will not celebrate if he scores against Manchester United for AC Milan when he meets his former club in the Champions League last-16
Benin coach Michel Dussuyer has been sacked along with his technical and playing staff following their failure at the recently-concluded African Nations Cup.
WARSAW, Feb 7 (Reuters) - European champions Spain were handed an easy-looking path to the Euro 2012 finals in Poland and Ukraine in Sunday's qualifying draw, although coach Vicente Del Bosque said afterwards he was taking nothing for granted.
Bordeaux coach Laurent Blanc has rvealed he is prepared to send his B team to play a delayed League Cup semi-final next week after the French League turned down his request to ease the crowded calendar.
A hugely inexperienced Everton side were narrowly beaten 1-0 by BATE Borisov at Goodison Park in their final Europa League group clash.
SOFIA, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Cash-strapped Botev Plovdiv could be thrown out of the top division after 16 players asked the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) for free transfers over unpaid wages and bonuses. Bottom club Botev, the country's oldest team, said they had breached contracts by failing to pay players for several months. "It's very possible Botev will disappear from the footballing map," BFU president Borislav Mihaylov told Darik radio.
Bolton defender Gary Cahill has been ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering a blood clot in his arm.
Jamie Carragher has set his heart on walking out for Liverpool at Wembley before his career is over.
Newcastle United striker Andy Carroll was charged with assault on Monday following an incident at a city centre nightclub.
Roberto Mancini insists he is more confident than ever that Manchester City can finish fourth in the Premier League this season, despite suffering two defeats in his first six league games in charge.
Owen Coyle is adamant that Gary Cahill could have made England's World Cup squad this summer, before picking up a serious blood clot.
Peter Crouch has conceded Tottenham squandered the chance to pull away from Liverpool.
Kenny Dalglish insists Liverpool will not be under-estimating Unirea Urziceni after being pitted against them in the Europa League.
Gianni Infantino says Europe's debt-ridden top clubs could be thrown out of the Champions League.
LISBON, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Portugal midfielder Deco has decided to retire from international soccer after the World Cup finals in South Africa.
Veteran striker Paul Dickov is training with Leeds United following his departure from Leicester City.
LONDON, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Tottenham Hotspur's Mexican midfielder Giovani Dos Santos has joined Turkish side Galatasaray on loan until the end of the season, the Premier League club said on its website (www.tottenhamhotspur.com).
Wigan have confirmed that left-back Erik Edman has left the club ahead of an expected move to Helsingborg.
WARSAW, Feb 5 (Reuters) - The coaches of England, Russia and Germany could all be forgiven for having other things on their minds when they come to the Polish capital for the qualifying round draw of Euro 2012 on Sunday.
Liverpool have drawn Unirea Urziceni, Everton tackle Sporting Lisbon and Fulham will face Shakhtar Donetsk in the Europa League.
WARSAW, Feb 7 (Reuters) - European champions Spain will face Czech Republic, Scotland, Lithuania and Liechtenstein in the qualifying competition for the Euro 2012 championship after being the last team pulled out of the bowl at Sunday's draw.
Everton manager David Moyes has pledged to give his youngsters a chance to impress against BATE Borisov.
England head coach Fabio Capello has confirmed John Terry will continue to be important despite being stripped of the captaincy.
Barry Ferguson has revealed he has held talks with Craig Levein about returning to the Scotland fold.
EINDHOVEN, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Karim El Ahmadi struck twice as Feyenoord ended PSV Eindhoven's 39-match unbeaten run in all competitions with a 3-0 win in the quarter-finals of the Dutch Cup on Wednesday.
Former England star Paul Gascoigne was released on police bail today after he was questioned on suspicion of being drunk in charge of a vehicle.
Burnley new boy Danny Fox has admitted his debut against West Ham was his best day in football.
Former England star Paul Gascoigne was being quizzed by police on Monday after he was arrested on suspicion of being drunk in charge of a vehicle.
Steven Gerrard has urged Liverpool to build on the victory over Everton and secure a top-four finish.
Bordeaux midfielder Alou Diarra will undergo tests on Monday to determine the severity of the thigh injury he sustained at Rennes on Saturday.
Real Madrid midfielder Esteban Granero feels both he and the team are improving all the time as they look to make up the ground on league-leaders Barcelona.
Anderlecht qualified for the last 32 of the Europa League with an impressive 3-1 win at Ajax, who finish in second spot.
Valencia and Lille booked their places in the knockout phase of the Europa League with victories on Thursday.
Villarreal go through to the knockout stages of the Europa League despite going down 1-0 at home to Red Bull Salzburg.
Steve McClaren's FC Twente joined Fenerbahce in progressing to the last 32 of the Europa League.
Benfica rubber-stamped their dominance of Group I with a 2-1 win over AEK Athens in their final group game.
WARSAW, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Russia coach Guus Hiddink said he was saddened that UEFA had been forced to keep apart former Soviet states in the draw for the 2012 European championship qualifiers on Sunday.
Fulham manager Roy Hodgson is optimistic he will receive the required funds to improve the quality of his squad.
Celtic avoided finishing bottom in Europa League Group C after a miraculous comeback against Rapid Vienna.
Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic insists he is not concerned by his recent barren spell in front of goal.
LONDON, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Serie A leaders Inter Milan dented AC Milan's title ambitions with a 2-0 win over their city rivals even though they finished the match with nine men.
ROME, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Marcello Lippi says he hopes his Italy side meet England in this year's World Cup final so he can see how fellow Italian Fabio Capello would cope with the conflicting emotions.
MILAN, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Italy coach Marcello Lippi contradicted his own boss over his future on Monday, saying whether he stayed in the job could depend on results at the World Cup.
Juventus midfielder Tiago has revealed he would like to make his loan move to Atletico Madrid permanent.
Fulham midfielder Kagisho Dikgacoi has been ruled out for up to six weeks because of ankle ligament damage.
Kaka has rejected reports that he is still being troubled by a sporting hernia and is ready to return to his best.
Real Madrid playmaker Kaka believes he has shaken off a lingering groin injury and his form is improving after an unspectacular start to life in the Spanish capital.
New-look Celtic are ready to begin salvaging their Scottish Premier League title hopes, according to new loan signing Diomansy Kamara.
Under-fire Paris St Germain coach Antoine Kombouare has vowed to fight on despite their poor run of form.
Roberto Mancini is more confident than ever that Manchester City can finish in the top four.
Javier Mascherano is aware that Liverpool must make Anfield a fortress for the remainder of the season.
Bradford manager Stuart McCall has resigned following a meeting with the club's joint chairman Julian Rhodes.
MONACO, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Monaco fought back from a goal down to beat visiting Olympique Lyon 2-1 in the French Cup round of 32 on Sunday.
Tony Mowbray has praised Celtic's spirit after they came back from three goals down to draw with Rapid Vienna.
Everton manager David Moyes is looking forward to facing Sporting Lisbon in the next round of the Europa League.
BERLIN, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Germany coach Joachim Loew has denied that there was ever a verbal agreement to extend his contract beyond the 2010 World Cup finals.
Dan Petrescu has quit Romanian champions Unirea Urziceni, the club have announced.
WARSAW, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Swedish referee Martin Hansson, who was at the centre of the Thierry Henry handball controversy in France's World Cup qualification, deserved to be picked for the finals, UEFA president Michel Platini said on Saturday.
WARSAW, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Poland and Ukraine still have minor problems to solve but are otherwise making good progress as they prepare to host Euro 2012, UEFA president Michel Platini said on Saturday.
VALLETTA, Jan 26 (Reuters) - UEFA president Michel Platini has repeated his belief that the addition of two match officials represents the best way to minimise refereeing mistakes.
LISBON, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Holders Porto thrashed Sporting 5-2 to reach the semi-finals of the Portuguese Cup on Tuesday.
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has paid tribute to Dirk Kuyt for reaching the 50-goal mark for the club.
Rafa Benitez has set his sights on Europa League glory after Liverpool were drawn against Unirea Urziceni.
ROME, Feb 4 (Reuters) - AS Roma maintained their formidable form on Thursday with a 2-0 home win over Udinese in the first leg of their Italian Cup semi-final.
Celtic will field several fringe players as their European campaign comes to an end in Austria.
ROME, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Daniele De Rossi scored with a blistering shot to send in-form AS Roma into the Italian Cup semi-finals with a 1-0 win over a brave Catania side that finished the tie with nine men on Tuesday.
Franck Ribery has cast doubt on his future at Bayern Munich by questioning whether they can compete with Europe's top clubs.
MOSCOW, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Former Zenit St Petersburg president Sergei Fursenko was elected head of the Russian FA (RFU) on Wednesday and his first major task will be to decide whether to extend the contract of national coach Guus Hiddink.
Jose Mourinho is lying in wait for Arsenal, Chelsea and Man Utd in the UEFA Champions League draw.
Stoke City striker Ricardo Fuller has been arrested following an incident at a nightclub, the Premier League side confirmed on Monday morning.
Soccernet can reveal that lawyers representing Portsmouth were locked in crisis talks with the lawyers of HM Revenue & Customs on Monday in a last-ditch bit to ward off Wednesday's winding-up order.
Sunderland manager Steve Bruce has confirmed Jordan Henderson is to have a scan on his injured ankle and expects the midfielder to be out for at least a month.
John Terry has offered his thanks to Chelsea fans after admitting the supporters have been 'quite incredible' over the past two weeks.
Tiago has stated that he would like to make his loan to Atletico Madrid permanent at the end of the season
LONDON, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Half of Europe's leading clubs are losing money with more than 20 percent facing huge deficits, UEFA's general secretary Gianni Infantino has told Reuters in an interview.
Everton have confirmed they are considering a £750,000 bid from Galatasaray for Lucas Neill.
WARSAW, Feb 6 (Reuters) - The former Soviet Union states of Russia, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan will be kept apart in Sunday's qualifying round draw for the 2012 European Championship.
Embattled Chelsea captain John Terry has thanked the club's fans for their support in the wake of allegations about his private life. Terry was stripped of the England captaincy by Fabio Capello as a result of his alleged affair with Vanessa Perroncel, the ex-girlfriend of former Chelsea team-mate Wayne Bridge.
Dundee United have snapped up former Inverness defender Pavels Mihadjuks on a short-term deal.
WARSAW, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Azerbaijan coach Berti Vogts is looking forward to a windfall after his team were drawn against his native Germany in the qualifying tournament for the 2012 European championship.
Arsenal star Theo Walcott believes his side need to find a killer instinct if they are to stay in the title race.
Arsene Wenger reacted in a positive manner following Marouane Chamakh's confirmation he wants to join Arsenal.
Wolfsburg general director Dieter Hoeness has confirmed that caretaker manager Lorenz-Gunther Kostner will remain in charge until the end of the season.
Anthony Wordsworth scored in either half to give Colchester a 2-0 victory over Southend in the Essex derby.
WARSAW, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Russia and Croatia, who have failed to make this year's World Cup finals in South Africa, will be among the top seeds when the draw for the qualifying round of Euro 2012 is made on Sunday.
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