#football

#football

Lionel Messi received a hero's welcome when he touched down in India overnight to embark on a special, weekend-long tour of the country. As part of the so-called "GOAT" tour, the 38-year-old is visiting Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi over the course of three days, accompanied by two old friends in the shape of former Barcelona teammate Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, who played alongside Messi in Argentina's World Cup winning side of 2022.

"Hopefully this is coming to the end. What we care about are the players and we massively care about Marie and the situation she is going through," "It's not nice, particularly the fact she's been named also. I don't think that's great. But we deal with it. "Nobody wants to see these things happening in any walk of life, so hopefully it's drawn to a conclusion really soon.

"There's Emile Heskey," says the man on the gate. "Jaysus, he looks much older, doesn't he? He must be nearly, what, 60 by now?"

An international footballer has been arrested in central London on suspicion of assault and affray after an incident in the early hours of Saturday in the West End. Police said they were called at 00:47 GMT following reports of an assault. Officers arrested a 29-year-old player at the scene on suspicion of two counts of assault and one count of affray. He cannot be named for legal reasons.

Image source, Getty Images Fiorentina say they have taken security measures to protect players, staff and their families after they received "unacceptable and shameful" threats. The threats were received following the club's 3-1 loss at Sassuolo on Saturday, which left winless Fiorentina bottom of Serie A after 14 matches. The club condemned the threats in a statement and said it "expresses its full solidarity and support for the players and their families".

The Royal Courts of Justice are a warren. They were built piecemeal over 125 years of intermittent construction, wings were added, blocks were expanded and then joined by a web of twisting staircases and long corridors. You navigate your way to whichever corner of it you have business in by checking the tiny print on the long daily case lists that are posted in the lobby early each morning, when the building always seems to be full of people hurrying in the other direction.

President Donald Trump on Friday weighed in on the longstanding name debate involving soccer and football and he sided with the international community. Moments after Trump received FIFA's inaugural FIFA Peace Prize from federation President Gianni Infantino, he was joined onstage by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. There, the three leaders conducted the World Cup draw to determine the groups in which the participating countries would be placed.

David Wycherley, from Everton Fans' Forum, said "his story teaches us a lesson that we can't ignore". "Hopefully [the bench] will remind people to slow down, to check in with each other and to talk and just ask that extra question about how people are getting on in life. "But also to listen as well. Sometimes it's just as important to be that listening ear for the people around you."

No light at the end of the tunnel for Liverpool right now

Hello, good morning and welcome to our Friday football blog. Think of it as the guy behind the guy, the other guy being the actual football that takes place over the weekend. And the football that was played last night, to which we'll have reaction and comment. So maybe it's the guy between the guys. Enough of the confused metaphors. Here's a full list of this weekend's Premier League fixtures

You've got your one leg, two legs, three legs, four legs, five legs, six legs of turkey. You've got your green bean casserole, your mac and cheese, your mashed potatoes, and your cranberry sauce that plops from the can. You've got pies you've ready to die fighting to get an extra slice of. You're ready for Thanksgiving, and you're ready for football.

Most people would agree that the perfect Thanksgiving combination is cornbread and gravy. Add a little turkey and sausage stuffing to the mix and it's one of the best holiday meals on the culinary calendar. (Apologies to Christmas, but I don't believe Scrooge when he talks up a perfectly cooked goose). For me? The perfect holiday combo is a good movie and family. Hell, put it all together and nothing beats a food-coma snooze halfway through Remember the Titans.

Former Scotland international Pat Nevin and ex-Scotland captain Rachel Corsie join Steve Crossman and commentator Eilidh Barbour from Hampden as Scotland secure a first World Cup spot for 28 years. The team react to an epic night of football in Glasgow that finished 4-2 and had it all: 6 goals, a red card, a penalty, a stoppage time winner and a final-kick-of-the-game goal.

Hundreds of Turkish footballers and referees have been found to hold illegal betting accounts. The sport betting scandal that took hold of the Turkish Football Federation this week has put a spotlight on an endemic issue. Hundreds of players and referees have been accused of illegally placing bets. list of 3 itemsend of list Authorities are trying to understand the scale and impact of a situation they're calling a moral crisis.

What's interesting is that today, crypto has become an integral part of many industries - including sports. While at first glance, it may not seem like crypto and sports have much in common, in reality, they do: both are community-driven. The philosophy of cryptocurrencies is built on democratisation and decentralisation, much like the global fan bases of football. This intersection demonstrates that crypto naturally fits into the football landscape, offering new opportunities for fans and clubs to engage.

Fancy a football crossword? Every weekend, FourFourTwo delivers a spectacular when it comes to cryptic clues, as we present the Weekend Crossword: all we want you to do is fill in the grid as quickly as possible, with teasers on all levels and eras of the beautiful game for you to guess. It's just the same as a regular crossword just football-focused so sit back, grab a beverage and see if you can conquer the crossword ahead of this afternoon's action

This man is a true Oakland legend and GREAT man. Gave me my first Job at Laney Football games...Hundreds of kids all over Oakland became the type of men they are today because of this dude and for someone from that exact world to randomly come and take his life just ain't right...

As Portugal prepare to take on the Republic of Ireland this evening (Thursday), five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo has promised to behave in the hopes of avoiding boos at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

The Pompey supporting pair arrived at St Mary's Stadium in Southampton for the match - the first league meeting between the rivals for 13 years - wearing hi-vis vests and carrying radio equipment to blend in with staff. The men, who live in Portsmouth, admitted fraud by false representation and going on to a playing area of a football match. They were ordered to pay fines and costs totalling just over 1,000 each.

I'm relaxed and easygoing. A guy who's always up for a laugh,

Former England, Forest and Man Utd defender will be at Aviva Stadium today, cheering on Cork City and his son in big decider When Audley Anderson arrived in Nottingham from Jamaica as one of the Windrush generation in 1954, his primary sporting passion was cricket, not football. Garfield Sobers had made his debut that year in a series win against the country he would soon call home.

This is without doubt my proudest moment, Beckham, 50, said. I've been very obviously lucky in my career to have won what I've won and done what I've done, but to receive an honor like this, of a knight, is beyond anything that I ever thought that I would receive. He wore a gray suit made by his wife, Lady Victoria Posh Spice Beckham, who accompanied him Tuesday. Beckham, who was a star midfielder for Manchester United where he won the Premier League six times

Officers will be keeping the public safe and to tackle any crime and disorder on Thursday, West Midlands Police said. Police horses, dogs, the force's drone unit, and road policing officers will be out in the city and people not attending the game at Villa Park are urged to avoid the area. Last month, a decision to ban Tel Aviv fans from the event became the focus of parliamentary-level debate. The Israeli club later said supporters would not travel to Birmingham for safety reasons.

The guidelines for dealing with possible concussion operate under the tagline of 'if in doubt sit them out'. It means that if a player has suspected concussion at any level of football "they must be immediately removed from the pitch, whether in training or match play". The FA states that the reason for immediate action in removing players from the pitch is because treatment delays "could risk incomplete recovery of the brain".

Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

PA Media Former West Ham footballer Said Benrahma has been fined 12,000 after he pleaded guilty to two counts of owning dangerously out of control dogs.

"It seems like life owed me a World Cup, and fortunately, today I got it," Lopetegui, 59, said. "It's a reward that I'm grateful for."

"I feel very proud," said Raymond James, as he prepared to walk on to the pitch at Wembley as a footballer's mascot. Mr James, from Fulham, is one of 22 people living with dementia who will walk out with the England and Wales team. Mr James said he was looking forward to the occasion, adding: "I've never done anything like that. I know what it's like. I've seen the children (mascots) go, so I know what to do."

"Since coming out as gay in 2021, footballer Josh Cavallo has received daily death threats and abusive messages on social media. "When I first saw these messages it broke my heart," Cavallo tells BBC Sport. "No-one wants to read things like that. "I'm trying to get better as a player and be the best I can be on the pitch, and then get put down because of who I am as a person."

"did not get this right"