English Premier League referee Mark Halsey has offered to share his experience of battling leukaemia with Aston Villa s Stiliyan Petrov.
Bulgarian Petrov was diagnosed with acute leukaemia this week, a disease 50-year-old Halsey successfully overcame in 2009.
Halsey returned to refereeing in 2010, and has promised to support Petrov in any way he can.
I ve refereed Stiliyan a lot and he is a lovely guy, Halsey told The Daily Mail.
It needs Stiliyan to get his friends and family, and the whole of football, round him. People will rally round and that is a major help.
He has got to go about his life as normally as possible. There will be bad days, but you get them in life anyway.
I have offered Villa my support. You don t know what it is …
Germany coach Joachim Loew claims Mario Gomez is more than worthy of his starting place ahead of their Euro 2012 clash with Netherlands.
Going into the Group B match against Bert van Marwijk s side on Wednesday, the 52-year old Loew answered questions on Gomez, as doubts were raised over the striker s work ethic by former Bayern Munich man Mehmet Scholl.
Loew backed his decision to select Gomez, despite differing opinions from outside the German camp.
It really doesn t bother me what somebody somewhere else thinks, Loew told reporters.
I, as head coach, may very often have a different view to the media or the public or a few fans.
So we judge the players on how they play regardless of what everyone else says.
Perhaps such opinions mi…
Reports in Italy claim Steven Nzonzi may be set for a change of scenery this summer. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, AS Roma are contemplating the possibility of selling him in the upcoming transfer window, with head coach Claudio Ranieri not counting on him too much in the future.
Arsenal were heavily linked with a move for Nzonzi last summer, and the links recently resurfaced, claiming that manager Unai Emery is still keen on a reunion with the player he coached for a while at Sevilla, and who helped his team with their third consecutive Europa League trophy by beating Liverpool in the final in 2016. Emery tried to work out a cut-price deal for Nzonzi to follow him to the Emirates, but Roma decisively stepped in and took him for themselves.
Apart from the Gunners, …
Inter kept Juventus at bay to retain top spot in Serie A as the 169th Derby d Italia finished in stalemate at the Allianz Stadium on Saturday.
The Nerazzurri barely tested stand-in goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny who was once again filling in for the injured Gianluigi Buffon but showed their resilient side to shut out the reigning champions in Turin.
While third-placed Napoli could take over at the summit with a win over Fiorentina on Sunday, Luciano Spalletti s side demonstrated why it looks set to be a three-way race for the title.
Mario Mandzukic hit the woodwork in the first half as Juve huffed and puffed in the hope of finding a way past Samir Handanovic in the away goal.
Massimiliano Allegri caused a stir by leaving Paulo Dybala out of his startin…
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has only been deemed fit enough to start on Arsenal s bench for Saturday s Premier League clash with Chelsea, while Emile Smith Rowe was handed a shock start.
Aubameyang has been struggling with a calf injury and missed Arsenal s two previous games, though he is an option for the under-fire Mikel Arteta as a substitute.
Arsenal s squad is depleted, with the club confirming Gabriel Magalhaes is out for three games after coming into close contact with someone infected by coronavirus, while Willian and David Luiz are ill – though both have tested negative for COVID-19.
As such, Pablo Mari comes into the defence for his first Premier League appearance of the season, while Smith Rowe starts in midfield.
The 20-year-old featured as a…
Igor Stimac has been appointed as the new coach of the India national team, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has confirmed.
The former Croatia international succeeds Stephen Constantine in the role after signing a two-year contract.
The 51-year-old, who had spells at Hajduk Split, Derby County and West Ham during his playing career, was last coaching in Qatar at Al-Shahania, a role he left in April 2017.
Stimac posted a message on Twitter in which he wrote: The journey begins finally. Thanks everyone at All India Football Federation for the trust. I am excited and let s accomplish the mission together.
It is possible only with the support of everyone in this beautiful country. Teamwork both on and off pitch.
The journey begins finally T…
Cristiano Ronaldo s exit from Manchester United is like a divorce, according to former captain Roy Keane.
United announced on Tuesday that they had reached a mutual agreement with Ronaldo to terminate his contract with immediate effect, in the aftermath of a seismic interview conducted prior to the World Cup.
Ronaldo did not hold back with his array of criticisms, including ones directed towards manager Erik ten Hag, and it became apparent he was on borrowed time at Old Trafford.
A departure has now been confirmed, with Keane believing the outcome is one that suits all parties.
I think it has been on the cards for the last few months. Obviously, the interview was the tipping point, he told ITV Sport.
Life goes on. United are a great club, Ronald…
Germany enjoyed a comfortable start to life under Hansi Flick as they ran out 2-0 winners over minnows Liechtenstein in World Cup qualifying Group J.
Following a trophy laden 18-month stint at Bayern Munich, Flick replaced long-serving Germany coach Joachim Low after Euro 2020.
Liechtenstein s goal lived a charmed life throughout on Thursday, with it taking until the 41st minute for Timo Werner to break the deadlock.
The scoreline would have reflected Germany s dominance if not for Liechtenstein s goalkeeper Benjamin Buchel, yet Leroy Sane capped a fine individual display with a terrific strike to ensure there was no chance of a shock comeback.
Two of Flick s former Bayern players combined in the fourth minute, Sane teeing up Joshua …
Real Madrid s Vinicius Junior scored twice, including an 83rd-minute penalty, to snatch a 2-2 draw at Bayern Munich in an entertaining Champions League semi-final first leg on Tuesday.
The Brazilian struck against the run of play when he slotted in to give the visitors the lead from Toni Kroos defence-splitting pass after 24 minutes at Allianz Arena.
Bayern struck twice in four second-half minutes to turn the game around, with Leroy Sane threading home a powerful shot in the 53rd minute and Harry Kane edging his side ahead with a penalty soon after.
Madrid, however, earned a spot-kick of their own when Rodrygo was brought down and Vinicius coolly converted it to equalise, leaving this tie wide open ahead of next week s return leg.
Bayern Munich 2-2 Real M…
Fulham could lose star striker Aleksandar Mitrovic to Al-Hilal in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal are determined to sign Serbia international striker Mitrovic from Premier League outfit Fulham and are closing in on a deal for him.
Al-Hilal have signed Brazil international forward Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer transfer window and are optimistic about getting a deal done for Mitrovic. The Saudi Arabian club had earlier been rejected in their attempt to sign the former Newcastle United striker, but they have now reopened talks and believe that they could be able to secure his services.
Mitrovic has established himself as a key figure at Fulham and is one of the better strikers in the Prem…