FIFA has banned former CONMEBOL president Eugenio Figueredo from all football activities for life after finding him guilty of bribery.
The 87-year-old Uruguayan headed his nation s football association for nine years from 1997, doubling up as a CONMEBOL vice-president for part of that spell, a post he held for two decades until 2013.
It was at that point he replaced Nicolas Leoz as president of the South American confederation, but he was arrested two years later.
Figueredo was accused of accepting millions of dollars in bribes relating to awarding contracts to companies for the media and marketing rights to CONMEBOL competitions between 2004 and 2015, FIFA said.
United States and Uruguay requested his extradition from Switzerland in 2015, and it was hi…
Zinedine Zidane described Marcelo and Dani Carvajal as two of the world s best full-backs after they helped Real Madrid to a 2-1 victory over Valencia.
Marcelo struck the winning goal in the 86th minute after Dani Parejo had cancelled out a Cristiano Ronaldo header, set up by a sublime Carvajal cross.
Speaking afterwards, Zidane was full of praise for his side s unlikely heroes as Madrid snatched yet another late result to move three points clear of Barcelona at the top of LaLiga.
I d like to secure the result earlier but we know we can score at any time and with any player, he said.
Marcelo and Dani s performances were very good. They attacked a lot. They are among the top three or four full-backs in the world.
When you don t get the second go…
Newcastle United defender DeAndre Yedlin has revealed he received a disheartening text message from his grandfather stating he would be worried for the full-back s life if he lived in the United States.
Protests and riots have erupted within cities across the country following the death of George Floyd, who died while in police custody after an officer knelt on his neck.
USA international Yedlin, who moved to England to join Spurs in 2015, says the systemic racism within his home country makes a mockery of the promise of liberty and justice for all a phrase contained within the national Pledge of Allegiance.
Writing on Twitter, Yedlin said: A couple days after George Floyd s death, my grandfather texted me and told me he s glad that I am not living in the U.S. ri…
Rumours linking Neymar to Barcelona refuse to subside.
Neymar left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain in a world-record €222million transfer in 2017, but the Brazilian star wants to move back to Camp Nou.
Barca are desperate to make it happen by any means necessary.
TOP STORY – BARCA TO INVOKE CLAUSE IN NEYMAR PURSUIT
Barcelona are plotting an audacious plan to re-sign Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain, according to ESPN.
The report says LaLiga champions could invoke a little-known FIFA clause – Article 17 – in order to lure Neymar back to Camp Nou.
Article 17 states that players can leave their contracts without just cause once the three-year protection period ends.
ROUND-UP
Marc-Andre ter …
Watford s Gerard Deulofeu has revealed his desire to play for one of top European clubs, according to the Guardian. He has, however, also said that he has full respect for the role he currently plays at the Vicarage Road.
The winger started his professional career with Barcelona s B side back in 2010/11 and made his first-team debut the following season. But with the Catalans boasting players that they did at the time, he was never going to break through and establish himself as a regular member of the team. He spent 2013/14 at Everton and 2014/15 at Sevilla on loan, before signing for the Toffees permanently in 2015. The second part of 2016/17 he spent in Italy playing for AC Milan, and the following summer Barcelona exercised their buy-back clause and brought him back to Camp…
Oakland Athletics executive vice-president Billy Beane has acquired a five-per-cent stake in Eredivise side AZ.
Beane has acted in an advisory role for AZ since 2015 and has now further strengthened his ties with the club.
He is also part of a consortium that purchased EFL side Barnsley in 2017 but is better known for his Moneyball philosophy that helped the A s unearth undervalued talent and overcome higher-spending rivals in MLB.
I am honored to formalise my role with AZ and take this next step in being part of the future of the club, he told the Dutch outfit s official website.
Working alongside [general manager] Robert Eenhoorn and the rest of the group here over the last five years has been an incredible experience for me and this agreement ensur…
Naby Keita scored on his first Premier League start of the season as Liverpool consolidated their position at the top of table with a comfortable 3-0 win at Bournemouth on Saturday.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had given Jurgen Klopp s side the lead with his first league goal since January 2018 before Keita added a second just before half-time.
Mohamed Salah made it three shortly after the break, and the Reds kept a rare clean sheet, ending a run of 13 matches in all competitions without one.
Liverpool moved 11 points ahead of second-placed Leicester City, who play on Sunday, and 14 clear of champions Manchester City ahead of their derby clash with Manchester United later in the day.
A commanding victory
Next up,
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) …
Rewind to June 2018 and Atletico Madrid s future looked secure. Antoine Griezmann and Lucas Hernandez had just signed new contracts.
The landscape has drastically changed since then. Star full-back Lucas will join German giants Bayern Munich, while talisman Griezmann – reportedly a target for Barcelona – has announced his intention to leave the Wanda Metropolitano.
News of Griezmann s imminent departure comes after captain Diego Godin revealed he will call time on his Atletico career amid links to Serie A side Inter.
With Griezmann, Godin and Lucas leaving, and doubts over Rodri, Saul Niguez, Diego Costa, Filipe Luis and Juanfran in Madrid, are Diego Simeone s Atletico – who are set to finish second in LaLiga after a run to the Champions League last 16 and …
With the Premier League making its return from an enforced break, we have a stacked schedule from across the footballing globe. So, for those of you looking to stick on a Saturday acca, we have found a handful of helpful tips that are worth keeping an eye out for.
Saturday September 17th
BST 17:30 Tottenham vs Leicester
After getting hit with a last-gasp 2-0 defeat away at Sporting Lisbon while on Champions League duties earlier in the week, Tottenham will be seeking an immediate response here. However, while Antonio Conte s men might have seen their 13-match unbeaten run come to an abrupt end out in Portugal a few days ago, Saturday s hosts are enjoying an early-season domestic purple patch. Last seen on Premier League action picking up a 2-1 victory against top-fli…
Jack Grealish was delighted to finally get off the mark in an England shirt after adding the final goal in Saturday s 5-0 win at Andorra.
A reshuffled England side were comfortable throughout as they closed on World Cup qualification, recording their sixth win in seven matches in this campaign.
The Three Lions were two up by half-time through Ben Chilwell and Bukayo Saka, the latter assisted by the outstanding Phil Foden. It was the first time two England players aged 21 or under had combined for a World Cup qualifying goal since Steven Gerrard s assist for Michael Owen against Germany in 2001.
Tammy Abraham got in on the act after half-time, before Grealish made a significant impact from the bench.
In 17 minutes, the £100million man won a penalty, which…