Didier Drogba: Chelsea hold talks with Montreal Impact over striker

Chelsea are in talks with Major League Soccer franchise Montreal Impact over the future of striker Didier Drogba. Montreal say Drogba has expressed a "desire to help" his old club.

"We understand his attachment, but our objective is to have him back for another season," Montreal tweeted. Drogba, 37, who joined Montreal in July, watched Chelsea's win over Sunderland on Saturday with interim manager Guus Hiddink and owner Roman Abramovich.

Don Howe: Former Arsenal and England coach dies aged 80

Former England international and coach Don Howe has died at the age of 80.

The full-back played for West Brom and Arsenal, earning 23 England caps, before establishing himself as a renowned coach for club and country.

Arsenal trump Manchester City 2-1

Arsenal moved to within two points of surprise Premier League leaders Leicester City with victory over Manchester City at Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners - without a title triumph since 2004 - showed the sort of impressive drive, cutting edge and resilience that will lead manager Arsene Wenger to believe Arsenal can finally end that barren spell.

FIFA: Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini get 8 year bans

Fifa president Sepp Blatter and Uefa boss Michel Platini have been suspended for eight years from all football-related activities following an ethics investigation.

They were found guilty of breaches surrounding a £1.3m ($2m) "disloyal payment" made to Platini in 2011.

Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale hits four in 10-2 rout of nine-man Rayo Vallecano

Real Madrid closed to within two points of the La Liga pacesetters Barcelona and Atlético Madrid after Gareth Bale helped himself to his first four-goal haul in a 10-2 demolition of nine-man Rayo Vallecano.

Real bounced back in some style from last weekend’s defeat at Villareal, with Karim Benzema netting a hat-trick and Cristiano Ronaldo scoring twice.

Barcelona beat River Plate 3-0 to win FIFA Club World Cup

Barcelona won their fifth trophy of 2015 after clinching the Fifa Club World Cup for a third time with a comprehensive victory over River Plate. 

River could not cope with Barca's Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Neymar. 

Nigerian Ighalo stars as Watford beat Liverpool 3-0 at Vicarage Road

Odion Ighalo scored a brace to help earn Watford an impressive 3-0 victory over Liverpool as the visitors' stand-in goalkeeper Adam Bogdan suffered a nightmare display at Vicarage Road on Sunday.

See more after the cut;

Jose Mourinho latest: Manager rejects Roma but wants instant return with Manchester United in the frame

Jose Mourinho has already turned down an offer from Roma, it has emerged, despite taking the extraordinary step of announcing his immediate availability to go back into management just two days after being sacked by Chelsea.

Manchester United may sack Louis van Gaal in the next 24-48 hours - Matt Critchley

Manchester United may sack Louis van Gaal in the next 24-48 hours, believes beIN SPORTS reporter Matt Critchley.

The Red Devils lost 2-1 at home to Norwich on Saturday and many United fans immediately started calling for the Dutch boss to get fired.....

Leicester consolidate top spot, beat Everton 3-2

Say what you will, but Leicester has proved they are indeed title contenders and today ensured they will be top of the Premier League at Christmas by beating Everton 3-2 at Goodison Park.

Riyad Mahrez scored the first of two penalties after Ramiro Funes Mori held back Shinji Okazaki.

United suffer shock defeat at home to Norwich City

Manchester United were booed off the pitch as Norwich earned a shock 2-1 victory at Old Trafford, increasing the pressure on manager Louis van Gaal. This was Manchester United's first defeat at home this campaign and Norwich's first win at Old Trafford since 1989.

Guus Hiddink appointed Chelsea interim coach

Former Netherlands boss Guus Hiddink has been appointed interim Chelsea manager until the end of the season following the sacking of Jose Mourinho.

The 69-year-old also managed the Blues on a temporary basis for the final three months of the 2008-09 campaign.

Pep Guardiola and Bayern Munich prepare for parting of the ways

Pep Guardiola has confirmed he will make a decision over his future at Bayern Munich in the next week although it appears to have already been decided, with the German magazine Kicker saying he is definitely on his way amid increasing speculation that he may be set to replace Manuel Pellegrini at Manchester City.

Jose Mourinho sacked as Chelsea manager

Chelsea have sacked manager Jose Mourinho seven months after he led them to the Premier League title.The 52-year-old Portuguese had been in his second spell at the club, taking charge in June 2013. 

Roy Keane says Manchester United players are robotic and not good enough

United legend, Roy Keane delivered another withering verdict of Louis van Gaal 's Manchester United squad by claiming the players are 'robotic' and not good enough to play for the club.

U23 Cup of Nations: Nigeria and Algeria qualify for Rio 2016 Olympics

Nigeria and Algeria have clinched two of Africa's three places in the men's football tournament for next year's Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Champions League Reaction

Arsenal's hat-trick hero Olivier Giroud reacts on BT Sport: "It's fantastic for me and for the team. We are really pleased. It's nice to go through because we were not in a good position and finally we have done it. We feel relieved tonight."

UEFA Champions League: Round of 16 draws next Monday

The group stage of the UEFA Champions League is finally over with the final matches played on Wednesday. Notable names not making it to the round of 16 include 3-time champions Manchester United, Sevilla FC, Bayer Leverkusen and Valencia (now coached by Gary Neville). The teams who have qualified and will participate in the draws are listed after the cut;

UCL: Chelsea shake off domestic blues, qualify for Round of 16

Chelsea forgot their domestic woes by easing into the Champions League knockout stage with a routine victory which eliminated opponents Porto.

The Blues enjoyed some luck for the opener as Diego Costa's low shot was saved by Porto keeper Iker Casillas and rebounded in off Ivan Marcano.

UEFA Champions League: Giroud hat-trick send dominant Arsenal through

Olivier Giroud scored his first hat-trick for Arsenal to ensure the Gunners qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League by beating Olympiakos.

Needing to win by two clear goals, the Gunners produced a performance of nerve and nous to finish second in Group F. More pictures after the cut

BREAKING: Swansea City "part company" with manager Garry Monk

Swansea City have announced that the club has parted company with manager Garry Monk after one win in 11 Premier League games.

36-year-old had been with the club for over 11 years, first as a defender and then manager since February 2014, when he replaced Michael Laudrup.

Saturday's 3-0 home defeat by league leaders Leicester City proved to be his final game in charge. Monk had guided the Swans to a highest-ever top-flight finish of eighth in his first full season.

Daily Mail doesn't hold back in calling van Gaal a loser as he speaks post-game....

English sports paper, Daily Mail has described Manchester United coach as a failure following United's exit from the Champions' League even as the Dutch complaining about certain referee decisions.

Louis van Gaal in his post-match news conference: "The result is difficult to understand. I am happy we have scored and not happy we have two times in two minutes given the goal away. I have to analyse why that is happening. Normally we are very good in that aspect.

UEFA Champions League: City top group as Real wallop Malmo

Today's results;
Group A: Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 Shakhtar Donetsk, Real Madrid 8-0 Malmo FF
Real Madrid and PSG go through

Group B: PSV Eindhoven 2-1 CSKA Moscow,
VFL Wolfsburg 3-2 Manchester United 
Wolfsburg and PSV qualify

Group C: Benfica 1-2 Atletico Madrid, Galatasaray 1-1 FC Astana
Atletico and Benfica qualify

Group D: Manchester City 4-2 Borussia Monchengladbach,
Sevilla 1-0 Juventus
Manchester City and Juventus through to Round of 16

Manchester United are out of the Champions League!

English football giants have been sent out of the Champions League by Wolfsburg wno beat them 3-2. Looking on the bright side, at least they’ll have something to do on Thursday nights now.

FIFA releases men's final ranking for 2015

FIFA has released the latest World Ranking for Men National Football teams, which would be the last for the year.

World Cup holders Germany have dropped from second to fourth place in the latest FIFA world rankings, while Belgium end the year in top spot. 

Even FIFA makes mistakes: U17 World Cup bronze boot error, Chukwueze not Nwakali winner

The world football governing body has expressed regret in naming Nwakali as bronze boot winner instead of Chukwueze. 

The Federation of International Football Association (Fifa) has admitted they made a mistake giving Kelechi Nwakali the 2015 U17 World Cup bronze boot instead of Samuel Chukwueze. Chukwueze (535 minutes) and Nwakali (630 minutes) were tied on three goals and three assists but the later was awarded as third highest goal scorer prize despite having more playing time than his teammate.

Gary Neville unveiled as Valencia head coach

Former Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville has been unveiled today as Valencia's head coach until the end of the season.

The 40-year-old, who will take charge officially on Sunday, will remain part of the England coaching set-up. Peter Lim, Valencia's Singaporean owner, has a stake in Salford City, the non-league club co-owned by Neville.

Capital One: Daniel Sturridge strikes twice, Divock Origi nets hat-trick as Liverpool hammer Southampton 6-1

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said he now understands the expectation surrounding Daniel Sturridge after he scored twice in the League Cup win over Southampton.

The striker, 26, was given his first start by Klopp after injury problems.

Divock Origi netted a hat-trick and Jordon Ibe got the other as the Reds came from behind to win 6-1 and set up a semi-final against Stoke City.

"I said to Sturridge after the game 'now I know what everybody is talking about so thank you'," said Klopp.

El Clasico - Iniesta, Suarez and Neymar crush pathetic Madrid, with Messi coming on to join the fun

FT: Real Madrid 0 v 4 Barcelona

                                                                      (Suarez, Neymar, Iniesta, Suarez)

Iniesta summed it up this way: "We only wanted to be ourselves and we have done that. We neutralised Madrid".

It proved to be one of the great Clasico pastings of recent times, Madrid were as flat and lumpen as Barca were smart and snappy. Some great goals, and wonderful movement from Suarez and Neymar. The great Iniesta also getting in on the act - and all this with Messi watching most of it from the bench! This is Barcelona's biggest Clasico win at the Bernabeu since beating Real Madrid 6-2 in May 2009. 

The  victory gave Barcelona a six-point lead in the Spanish league standings, and halted Madrid’s 22-game unbeaten streak at home in the league. More pixs after the cut.

English Premier League round-up: Leicester, United lead pack as Arsenal and City both lose..

The beneficiaries of the weekend's matches were obviously Leicester City and Manchester United as Manchester City and Arsenal both came crashing to spirited West Brom and Liverpool sides. Leicester and United now occupy the top two spots.

The day's proceedings began at Vicarage road, a difficult place to come by, with Watford hosting Manchester United who were missing Anthony Martial and Wayne Rooney, leaving Memphis Depay to deliver up front, and the Netherlands international did so with aplomb, volleying home United's opener from Ander Herrera's cross.

Sepp Blatter & Michel Platini appeals against bans rejected

Fifa president Sepp Blatter and vice-president Michel Platini have had their appeals against 90-day bans rejected by world football governing body's appeal committee.

Hugo Lloris: France captain thanks England fans for support

France captain Hugo Lloris has thanked England supporters for a "very moving" reception during Tuesday night's friendly at Wembley.

Both sets of fans sang French national anthem La Marseillaise and there was a perfectly observed minute's silence, with the players standing together.

David Beckham is the sexiest man alive?

People magazine has selected Beckham, who's a retired footballer, a father, model and husband, as the 2015 recipient. The announcement was made Tuesday on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" along with the unveiling of the magazine's cover heralding the honor.

Germany v Netherlands friendly called off after bomb threat

Germany's friendly with the Netherlands on Tuesday was called off because of an "intention to ignite explosives" at the Hannover stadium.

Evacuation began less than two hours before kick-off after a "concrete security threat", said the city's president of police Volker Kluwe. German Chancellor Angela Merkel was set to attend the match at the 49,000-capacity HDI Arena. 

Oliseh's Eagles triumph in Port-Harcourt: Nigeria 2 v 0 Swaziland

The Super Eagles of Nigeria cruised to a 2-0 win over the the Sihlangu Semnikati of Swaziland in an all-important second-leg of the first round of the FIFA 2018 World Cup African Qualifier.

The first half was barren despite  several attempts by the Eagles to breach the well marshalled Swazi defence.

International Friendly: France 2 v 0 Germany

France earned a momentum-building 2-0 win in a friendly match against Germany on Friday at Stade de France in Saint Denis. 

The scoring started just before the halftime whistle. Manchester United's Anthony Martial dazzled the German defense along the end line and then found Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud, who was surprisingly left unmarked just inside the six-yard box. The 29-year-old simply tapped a left-footed shot to put France on the scoreboard.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger models the latest fashions, declaring: I am a facilitator of beauty in men

Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger has said he brings out “the beauty in man” as he donned the best autumn and winter wear for an interview with a French magazine.

The L'equipe Sport and Style cover saw the Arsenal manager ditch his traditional padded coat for blazers, scarves and even a necklace as he discussed more than the usual post-match analysis.

Describing his influence over his Arsenal players Wenger said: “I am only a guide. I allow the others to express what they have. “I have not created anything. I am a facilitator of beauty in man.”

Nice. See more pictures after the cut.

Mario Gasper and Cazorla score stunners as Spain beat England 2-0 in friendly

Villareal right-back Mario Gaspar's stunning goal helped Spain secure a 2-0 win over England in their international friendly in Alicante.

Mario Gasper's stunning goal

Mario netted with 18 minutes remaining before Santi Cazorla wrapped up the victory for the European champions.

2018 World Cup qualifier: Swaziland hold Super Eagles to goalless draw

Nigeria kicked off their 2018 World Cup qualifying run, with an uninspiring 0-0 draw against Swaziland in Lombamba on Friday evening.

Sunday Oliseh’s men came close to breaking the deadlock several times, but failed to find the back of the net.

EPL Sunday results: League leaders draw, Klopp suffers first defeat

Sunday's Premier League 2015 results didn't provide any major performers, with the six teams involved scoring just five goals between them. Aston Villa held Manchester City to a scoreless draw, the north London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur finished 1-1 and Crystal Palace handed Jurgen Klopp his first loss as Liverpool manager, winning 2-1 at Anfield.

Nigeria's Golden Eaglets win World Cup!!!!

Full Time: Nigeria 2 vs 0 Mali

Nigeria today won their fifth U17 World Cup and became only the second side to retain the FIFA U-17 World Cup with a 2-0 win against Mali in Vina Del Mar. Victor Osimhen stole the show once again thanks to his record-breaking tenth goal of the tournament, with Funsho Bamgboye adding a second moments later. Samuel Diarra had saved an early Osinachi Ebere penalty as the Malians played their part in an entertaining finale to Chile 2015.

More after the cut,,,

Youngster Lingard lead United to win over West Brom but van Gaal wants more

FT: Manchester United 2 v West Brom 0

One criticism that can never be levelled at Louis van Gaal is complacency. Jesse Lingard scored his first goal for Manchester United in the club's 2-0 win over West Brom, his side are title contenders and they lead their Champions League group – but the manager still wants more.

Chelsea misery continues at Stoke

FT: Stoke 1 v Chelsea 0

Jose Mourinho's troubles increased in his absence with Chelsea's manager powerless as his Premier League champions slumped to another damaging defeat at Stoke City. 

FIFA U17 World Cup: Holders Nigeria and African Champions Mali in all-African decider

                            Mali   vs   Nigeria

Estadio SausalitoVina Del Mar (CHI) 08 Nov 2015 

Three weeks ago, 24 teams from six confederations arrived in Chile to contest the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2015. Fifty-two matches later, the FIFA U-17 World Cup winner's trophy is guaranteed to be on its way to Africa, but it remains to be seen whether it will fly back to the continent in the hands of Mali or Nigeria. Prior to their game, Belgium and Mexico will seek to end their campaign on a high note by winning the bronze.

This is not the first time two African teams will be playing in the finals of the U17 World Cup; in 1993 Nigeria edged out Ghana to win the youth championship.

Mali romp to first FIFA U17 Finals with 3-1 win over Belgium

Earlier in the day, Mali reached their first ever FIFA U-17 World Cup final courtesy of a resounding come-from-behind 3-1 victory against Belgium. The two sides were familiar contenders having being in Group D together and played a very tightly contested goalless tie in their first match.

FIFA U17 World Cup: Nigeria through to all-African finals!

Nigeria 4 - 2 Mexico Full Time

Holders Nigeria have reached their second consecutive final thanks to a thrilling 4-2 victory against Mexico in Concepcion. Mexico opened the scoring through Kevin Magana, but stunning efforts from Kelechi Nwakali and Orji Okwonkwo took Nigeria ahead. Diego Cortes's remarkable solo effort levelled matters, before Osinachi Ebere and Victor Osimhen's late record-equalling penalty saw the Golden Eaglets into an all-African final against Mali.

More reports and pictures after the cut;

UEFA Champions League: Manchester clubs win, go top of tables

Manchester United 1 - 0 CSKA Moscow

Sevilla 1-3 Manchester City

By the time Manchester United came out blinking from a stressful, wearying and occasionally mutinous night Wayne Rooney had moved alongside Denis Law as the second highest scorer in the club’s history. 

He is now a dozen short of Sir Bobby Charlton’s record of 249 goals and, briefly, Old Trafford felt like a happy place to be, once again.