Wendie Renard and Eugenie Le Sommer were recalled to the France squad on Friday as new coach Herve Renard began his Women s World Cup planning.
Long-serving captain and centre-back Renard indicated in February she would not play on for France under the Corinne Diacre regime, and forwards Kadidiatou Diani and Marie-Antoinette Katoto followed suit.
That public boycott by the trio triggered the end of Diacre s five-and-a-half-year spell in charge.
Diani and Katoto are unavailable for selection due to injury at present, but the change of leadership has led to an immediate recall for Wendie Renard, although it has yet to be decided whether the 32-year-old will skipper the team.
Coach Renard – not related to defender Renard – said the pair would talk about …
Cristiano Ronaldo has a penchant for the spectacular.
The five-time Ballon d Or winner added to his portfolio of phenomenal goals with a stunning overhead kick in Real Madrid s 3-0 victory over Juventus in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
Despite being 33, Ronaldo showed sensational athleticism for his second of the night, earning a standing ovation from the stunned Juve supporters inside the Allianz Stadium.
Following his latest wondergoal, we recount some of the others he has racked up during an illustrious career.
Manchester United v Portsmouth: January 30, 2008
Perhaps the finest free-kick Ronaldo struck in his career.
The Portuguese developed his reputation as a set-piece master at United and he lashe…
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was frustrated with the officials after watching his side draw 1-1 with Brighton and Hove Albion at the Emirates Stadium, having played the majority of the second half with 10 men.
Declan Rice was sent off for a second bookable offence after 49 minutes for delaying the restart from a Brighton free-kick, leaving Arteta to question the consistency of the referee s decision-making.
“If that happens throughout the game in a consistent way that’s fine,” he told TNT Sports in a post-match interview.
“But it didn’t happen. In the first half, there were a number of occasions where they kicked the ball away and nothing happened.
“It’s inconsistency and it s in an area where it’s not critical. You made that call and you ha…
Anyone found guilty of racially abusing Luton’s Carlton Morris must face “the strongest possible consequences”, Kick It Out has said.
The 28-year-old striker complained about a comment made by the home crowd late on in the Hatters’ Premier League match against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.
Luton boss Rob Edwards confirmed after his side’s 3-2 win that the matter had been reported to the police.
We send our full support to Carlton Morris.
It’s shameful that once again a player should be subjected to alleged racism while doing their job.
Morris should be praised for how he handled the situation, and we commend the clubs, police and officials for their swift approach.…
— Kick It Out (@kickitout)
Kick It Out issue…
According to a recent report from Mundo Deportivo, Roma and Napoli are both interested in potentially signing Real Madrid defender Nacho during the upcoming summer transfer window. The 30 year old has been on the books with the Spanish giants in some way, shape or form since the age of 11 when he began his journey in the youth system. During that time he’s been able to pick up one La Liga title, one Copa Del Rey title and four Champions League titles – so we guess that you could say he’s had a good time.
Now, with Real looking to shake things up in the transfer window as Zinedine Zidane goes in search of Spanish and European dominance once again, Nacho could be a name that falls through the cracks.
Whether or not either of the two clubs we’ve mentioned w…
A group of players will add their names to El Clasico s rich history when Barcelona host Real Madrid at Camp Nou on Wednesday.
Alongside seasoned names such as Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos, the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Frenkie De Jong, Ansu Fati, Rodrygo Goes and Ferland Mendy are in line to make their debuts in the fixture.
Shining on the biggest stage at the first time of asking is not always easy, but here are four players who enjoyed notable recent introductions to European football s most captivating rivalry.
DAVID VILLA
The dream scenario for Griezmann or Rodrygo would be to star in the manner Spain great Villa did at Camp Nou in November 2010. In one of the defining victories of the Pep Guardiola era, Barcelona thumped Jose Mourinho s Madrid 5…
Lionel Messi has nothing left to prove in his career and there would be plenty for him to like about playing in Saudi Arabia, according to Steven Nzonzi.
With his time at Paris Saint-Germain seemingly coming to an end after two years, Messi has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, where long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo is already playing with Al-Nassr.
The World Cup winner is also being courted by former club Barcelona in LaLiga, while he has often been connected with the possibility of finishing his career in the United States.
Messi, 35, has a big decision to make and Nzonzi, who has spent two seasons in the Middle East playing with Al-Rayyan in Qatar, knows a move would make a seismic impact on the region, with its reach stretching beyond football.
…
Inter completed the semi-final line-up of the Coppa Italia as Nicolo Barella s stunning strike secured a 2-1 victory over Fiorentina on a night where Christian Eriksen made his Nerazzurri debut at San Siro.
Coming into Wednesday s encounter on the back of three successive 1-1 draws in Serie A, Inter looked to be heading for the same result after Martin Caceres cancelled out Antonio Candreva s 44th-minute opener.
Yet within seconds of Eriksen entering the fray for his Inter bow, the home side retook the lead thanks to a sublime half-volley from Barella.
Napoli now await Inter in the last four next month, with Juventus and Milan meeting in the other semi-final.
Pol Lirola and Alexis Sanchez exchanged efforts early on Fiorentina s wing-back drilling wide b…
Roberto Firmino was at his ruthless best as he scored his first Premier League hat-trick to inspire a 5-1 demolition of Arsenal at Anfield and put Liverpool nine points clear at the summit after Tottenham s defeat to Wolves.
The visit of Unai Emery s men was seen as a potentially troublesome fixture, but the Reds made light work of them, with all of their revered front three finding the net in a devastating performance.
A chaotic five-minute spell in the first half saw Ainsley Maitland-Niles put Arsenal ahead, before a quickfire Firmino brace turned the score around. Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah ensured a rampant Liverpool went into the break 4-1 up.
Liverpool s pressure did not subside after half-time and Firmino completed his treble from the spot 25 minutes f…
A stirring second-half comeback saw Premier League leaders Liverpool restore their four-point advantage at the top and avoid one of the shocks of the season with a 4-1 victory over Luton.
Chiedozie Ogbene’s early header was only the 11th league goal a visiting team had scored at Anfield this season but for a long time it looked like producing another twist in the title race as the depleted hosts struggled to find their best form.
But headers from Virgil van Dijk and Cody Gakpo within the space of two minutes turned things around before Luis Diaz and Harvey Elliott fired home to ease them away from the clutches of second-placed Manchester City.
Any slip up, even at this stage, could have significant implications in what is currently a three-way battle and withou…