Diego Simeone: Atletico Madrid manager questions future

Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone says he will "start thinking" about his future with the club after Saturday's Champions League final defeat.

Atletico lost 5-3 on penalties to Real Madrid after the match at Milan's San Siro finished 1-1 after extra time.

It is the second time in three seasons Simeone's side have lost to their La Liga rivals in the final, following the 4-1 extra-time defeat in 2014.

Olympiakos footballer Alan Pulido kidnapped in Mexico

Mexican footballer Alan Pulido has been kidnapped in the northern border state of Tamaulipas, officials say.
The 25-year-old striker was reportedly kidnapped on Sunday near his home in Ciudad Victoria after leaving a party.
He plays for the Greek team Olympiakos and has made several appearances for Mexico's national team.

Chelsea could derail Mourinho’s Manchester United move

JOSE Mourinho’s move to Manchester United may have hit a snag with new documents revealing Chelsea still has a hold on him.
The European Union’s Intellectual Property Office database confirms that “Jose Mourinho” is registered as a trademark of Chelsea Football Club Limited, according to The Independent.
The application was received in March 2005, during the Portuguese coach’s first season at the club.
It was registered the following year and Chelsea’s ownership of the name is only due to expire in 2025.

Jose Mourinho would be 'fantastic' for Man Utd - Carlo Ancelotti

Jose Mourinho would be a "fantastic signing" as Manchester United manager, says Carlo Ancelotti.

United are in talks with the Portuguese coach, 53, to replace Dutchman Louis van Gaal, who was sacked on Monday.

"In the last year, Manchester United has lost its identity," Ancelotti, 56, told BBC Sport pundit Jermaine Jenas.

However, the Bayern Munich boss said Van Gaal had been faced with the tricky task of rebuilding United and perhaps needed more time to make his mark.

Newcastle United: Transfer funds key to Rafael Benitez decision

Rafael Benitez's decision whether to stay on as Newcastle manager will depend on the amount of funds he is given to strengthen the squad.

Benitez took over in March but could not stop the club being relegated, despite the Magpies winning three of their last six league matches.

Fifa appoints first female secretary general to succeed Jerome Valcke

             

Senegal's Fatma Samba Diouf Samoura has been appointed as Fifa's first female secretary general.

She succeeds former secretary general Jerome Valcke, who was banned from football-related activity for 12 years.

Samoura, 54, spent 21 years working for the United Nations and will start at football's governing body in June.

"It is essential Fifa incorporates fresh perspectives as we continue to restore and rebuild our organisation," said Fifa president Gianni Infantino.

Patrick Ekeng death: Sister claims Cameroon midfielder 'felt tired' before game

   

The sister of Patrick Ekeng, who died after collapsing while playing for Dinamo Bucharest, claims he said he was "feeling very tired" before the game.

Cameroon's Ekeng, 26, fell to the floor in the 70th minute of the televised Romanian league match against Viitorul and was pronounced dead in hospital two hours later.

"He told his best friend he was not able to play," Monique Chantal, Ekeng's elder sister, told BBC Sport.

"He said he was very tired."

Claudio Ranieri: Leicester City manager's inner steel

True to stereotype, the Italians are a superstitious bunch.

We have driven an hour north of Rome to meet Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri's brother Carlo and his son Giorgio. But as we get closer to Formello, suddenly our calls are not being answered.

We arrive in the picturesque hilltop town and wander the narrow cobbled streets. Still no answer.

Arsene Wenger: Emirates Stadium loans came from my commitment

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger claims his commitment to the club helped secure the bank loans required to fund the Emirates Stadium.

Fans are set to protest this weekend after a disappointing season that has seen the Gunners' Premier League title challenge fade.

"When we built the stadium the banks demanded that I signed for five years," said the 66-year-old Frenchman.

"Do you want me to say how many clubs I turned down during that period?"

Liberia ex-footballer George Weah to run for president again

The former international footballer George Weah will run for president of Liberia for a second time.
He said he had the "vision" to transform the country.
Mr Weah, who played for teams including Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and Chelsea, was the highest-ranking African footballer in Fifa's list of greatest players of the 20th century.

Dead referee 'appointed' to officiate Nigerian league match

Nigerian football's crisis has taken a bizarre twist with an attempt to appoint a dead referee for Sunday's match between Warri Wolves and Giwa FC.

It comes as Chris Giwa continues to challenge Nigerian Football Federation president Amaju Pinnick.

Barcelona: What is going wrong for the La Liga giants?

                                                                                                                                                           

On 16 March, goals from Luis Suarez, Neymar and Lionel Messi eased Barcelona to a 3-1 Champions League victory over Arsenal, completing a straightforward 5-1 aggregate win and sending the holders into the last eight.

Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker, a former Camp Nou striker, was moved to tweet: "The football that Barca play is utterly joyous. The best team to watch in the history of the beautiful game."

Barcelona regret proud tweet that insisted they had the easiest run-in!

NO one can be more confused by Barcelona’s La Liga collapse than their social media team.

For only seven days ago they tweeted a proud claim that the club had the easier title run-in despite having just lost El Clasico.
On Sunday Barca crashed to a third consecutive loss and now Atletico Madrid have drawn level with them at the top of the table on 76 points, while Real Madrid are just one point behind.

Cristiano Ronaldo: Real Madrid forward enjoys 'beautiful night'

Cristiano Ronaldo hit back at his critics after his 35th career hat-trick helped Real Madrid reach the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Real overturned a 2-0 first-leg deficit to beat Wolfsburg 3-2 on Tuesday.

In February, the Portuguese forward walked out of a Champions League news conference after being questioned about his record in away matches this season.

Antonio Conte: Chelsea appoint Italy boss as head coach

Chelsea have appointed Italy boss Antonio Conte as their new first-team head coach, starting from this summer.

The 46-year-old ex-Juventus boss will begin a three-year contract after his country's participation in Euro 2016.

Kanu criticises Nigeria Football Federation after Nations Cup failure

Former Super Eagles captain Nwankwo Kanu has criticised the Nigeria Football Federation's (NFF) leadership which he says contributed to the national team failing to qualify for two consecutive Africa Cup of Nations.

Nigeria's loss in Egypt ruled them out of contention for Gabon 2017, leaving Kanu upset with the NFF.

German footballers 'black up' in protest at racist attack

A German football club has responded to what it says was a racist attack on two of its players by digitally altering its team photo to make the players appear black.
Deinster SV, a lower-league club from the Lower Saxony region, posted the image on its Facebook page alongside a message detailing what happened to the men, both Sudanese refugees. "Violence against refugees is pathetic," the post reads. "Emad and Amar, you are one of us just like everyone else and we're happy you are with us."

Five top US women footballers sue for better pay

Five senior members of the World Cup-winning US football team have filed a lawsuit against the national federation for wage discrimination.
Alex Morgan, Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe, Becky Sauerbrunn and Hope Solo say they are paid less than half of what the male USA players receive.

Messi's boots make Egyptians cry foul

The world's most famous footballer donates a pair of his boots to a charity auction, what's not to like? Plenty it seems, depending on the cultural context, as Barcelona star Lionel Messi has been discovering after his generous gesture managed to upset some Egyptians.

Johan Cruyff: Netherlands great dies of cancer aged 68

Netherlands footballing great Johan Cruyff has died of cancer aged 68.

Cruyff, who made his name as a forward with Ajax and Barcelona, was European footballer of the year three times.

He won three consecutive European Cups with Ajax from 1971, coached Barcelona to their first European Cup triumph in 1992 and helped the Dutch reach the 1974 World Cup final, where they lost 2-1 to West Germany.