Lyon s Ligue 1 home match against Marseille was abandoned after Dimitri Payet was hit by a bottle hurled by a spectator, heaping fresh embarrassment on the French game.

Former West Ham playmaker Payet was preparing to take a corner amid a hostile atmosphere when he was struck on the side of the head by a plastic bottle full of liquid.

He immediately went to ground and needed treatment, prompting referee Ruddy Buquet to take the players off the pitch. Payet left the field with an ice pack pressed to the side of his head.

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas later said a spectator had been arrested in connection with the bottle throwing, and offered an apology to Payet.

The Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) said its disciplinary chiefs would meet on Monday…

Scott Parker has signed a new three-year deal with Fulham after guiding the club back to the Premier League.

The 39-year-old, initially appointed on a caretaker basis in February 2019 before being handed the job permanently three months later, was due to be out of contract at the end of this coming season.

Parker earned promotion in his first full campaign in charge thanks to a 2-1 win over local rivals Brentford in last month s Championship play-off final and has now penned fresh terms.

Fulham confirmed the news on their website on Wednesday, and Parker said: I m delighted to have signed a new deal which shows mutual faith and commitment, on both my side and the club s.

Stability to build.

There s work to be done, but he s up for the challenge …

Germany begin their quest for a first international title since 1996 when they travel for an international friendly with Switzerland on Saturday.

Joachim Loew s young players were very impressive at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa before being knocked out by eventual champions Spain in the semi-finals.

The majority of that 2010 squad is still involved and Loew will be preparing them to go a couple of steps further at this year s European Championship in Poland and Ukraine.

But Loew will first have to give his Bayern Munich contingent a boost.

There are eight Bayern players in Loew s provisional 27-man squad and seven of them played in last weekend s Champions League final loss to Chelsea.

Germany s coaching staff know that kind of disappointme…

AC Milan and Inter Milan are ready to battle with West Bromwich Albion in an attempt to secure the services of Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho on loan in January, .

The Baggies failed in an attempt to sign the centre-back in the summer and are set to reignite their interest when the transfer window reopens and are set to face competition from the Serie A rivals.

The France international hasn’t featured for Jurgen Klopp’s side so far this season, with his only match time coming for the Reds’ Under 23 side.

His last senior appearance came in the 4-0 win over Merseyside rivals Everton back in April, a game in which he scored his third and last goal for the club.

In total he has played seventy-nine times for Liverpool and was part of the squad th…

Former Juventus defender Angelo Ogbonna insists the Serie A title holders will cope without Paul Pogba as they eye Champions League glory.

Pogba will undergo a medical at Manchester United as the 23-year-old nears a return to Old Trafford in a record transfer, after leaving the Premier League club in 2012.

Despite the France international s impending departure, Ogbonna now at West Ham after swapping Turin for London in 2015 believes the Italian champions can still push on in Europe.

I think they can [compete for the Champions League], Ogbonna told Gazzetta World following Sunday s 3-2 loss to Juventus at the Olympic Stadium.

They have a really good team and squad.

They ll miss [Paul] Pogba but they ve got [Miralem] Pjanic and [Gonzalo] Higuain,…

Eden Hazard is back in contention for Real Madrid s clash with Granada after coming through his eighth injury absence in 16 months.

The Belgium international suffered a thigh problem at the end of last month in the shock 2-1 home defeat to Deportivo Alaves, lasting only 28 minutes on the pitch.

It was the latest in a string of fitness issues that have plagued Hazard since swapping Chelsea for Los Blancos ahead of the 2019-20 season.

On top of the three injury absences he has had to contend with this term, he was also ruled out for a chunk of November due to coronavirus.

He will hope to finally find some consistency and regular playing time starting with the visit of Diego Martinez s in-form Granada on Wednesday – the Andalusians are unbeaten in five acr…

Julen Lopetegui is reportedly holding crunch talks with Wolves which could see him leave his role as head coach just days before their Premier League opener against Manchester United on Monday.

The Spaniard is said to have headed into conversations with the club’s hierarchy on Tuesday morning following rumours of his ongoing dissatisfaction over their transfer activity this summer.

Former Spain and Real Madrid boss Lopetegui, 56, took over in November with Wolves bottom of the table and he guided them to safety with a 13th-placed finish.

Wolves have sold a number of first-team players including Ruben Neves, Conor Coady, Nathan Collins and Raul Jimenez this summer and have only brought in two on free transfers – Matt Doherty and Tom King.

Lopetegui rev…

Vinicius Junior capped a dazzling display with a goal as Real Madrid claimed a 2-0 win over Real Sociedad to restore their eight-point cushion at the top of LaLiga.

Brazil forward Vinicius opening the scoring two minutes after half-time following a fine piece of individual skill and some neat interplay with Luka Jovic.

It made the 21-year-old the first player born in 2000 or later to reach double figures for goals in a single LaLiga season.

Jovic added a second with his first goal of the season when he bravely headed in from close range. Madrid are comfortably ahead of second-placed Sevilla and have a 10-point advantage over defending champions Atletico Madrid who are down in fourth.

Sociedad began with intent, although Madrid had the best early chance wh…

Swedish midfielder Fredrik Ljungberg has announced his retirement from football at the age of 35.

The former Sweden international has been searching for a new club since leaving Japanese side Shimizu S-Pulse in February 2012, but having failed to find one he has now decided to retire from football altogether.

It s still fun to play the big games, but when you no longer have the motivation for training then it s time to call it quits, he told Swedish broadcaster SVT. This is a decision which has come about during a six-month absence.

During my career I ve had the possibility to play with some of the best players in the world, as well as some of the best teams. I m grateful for everything football has given me and all of the fantastic people I ve met during my c…

Manchester City are to be investigated by UEFA over allegations that fans disrupted the Champions League anthem prior to Wednesday s 2-1 win over Sevilla.

Sections of City fans often boo the anthem by way of protesting against Financial Fair Play rules put in place by UEFA in recent seasons, and European football s governing body has decided to look into this latest incident.

UEFA s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body will deal with the case for the alleged disruption of [the] competition anthem  on November 19.

City fans also remain unhappy with UEFA s decision to ban supporters from last season s clash with CSKA Moscow in Russia when many had already booked travel and accommodation.

The decision comes at a time when UEFA are without suspended preside…