News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Barcelona will remain in the Copa del Rey after the Spanish football federation (RFEF) said on Friday it had rejected Levante's complaint that the Catalan side fielded an ineligible player.
Levante said that Barca had played defender Juan ‘Chumi’ Brandariz in last week's Copa del Rey last-16, first-leg game, which Levante won 2-1, when he was supposed to be serving a suspension.
A statement from the federation said the head of the competition, Carmen Perez, had rejected Levante's complaint because it arrived after the 48-hour deadline.
"After studying the complaint and the corresponding allegations, the head of the competition has decided to maintain the result of the tie and keep Barcelona in the quarter-final draw," the federation said.
Levante said in a statement that they will appeal the decision.
Barca, who have won the last four editions of the Copa del Rey and have lifted the trophy a record 30 times, won Thursday's second leg 3-0 at the Nou Camp for a 4-2 aggregate win.
Ernesto Valverde's side will face Sevilla, who they thrashed 5-0 in last year's final, in the quarter-finals following the draw, which was made shortly after the federation announced it had rejected Levante's complaint.
The federation's decision means Barca escape the fate of Real Madrid, who were thrown out of the 2015-16 Copa del Rey for playing Denis Cheryshev in a last-32 game against Cadiz when he was supposed to be serving a suspension from the previous season when he played for Villarreal.
Bayern win again to cut Dortmund's lead
Leon Goretzka scored twice to give champions Bayern Munich a 3-1 victory at Hoffenheim on Friday and cut Borussia Dortmund's lead to three points as the Bundesliga resumed after the winter break,
The Germany midfielder scored both his goals in the first half and Robert Lewandowski added another in the 87th minute to earn the three points that lifted Bayern to 39, three behind Dortmund, who travel to RB Leipzig on Saturday.
"We did not play to rattle Dortmund. We wanted to make a good start to the year and play a good game," Goretzka told reporters.
"Obviously, we want to be champions. We are six points behind and have to catch up. We are the hunters now and we need to win our games."
It was the first time since 2011 that Bayern started the new year not as Bundesliga leaders and they have won the title for the last six years. Hoffenheim suffered their first loss in 11 league games to remain in seventh place.
Bayern, who have now won their last six league games, were eager to lay a marker down at the start of the year, with Dortmund in command of the league and Liverpool awaiting in the Champions League round of 16 next month.
They twice went close early in the game through Lewandowski and Thomas Mueller but both fired narrowly wide of Oliver Baumann's goal.
Hoffenheim coach Julian Nagelsmann had won the previous two home matches in the league against Bayern but his team were under pressure from the start and Baumann made a desperate stop on the line after a goal-mouth scramble.
He made another sensational save on Lewandowski's 35th minute header but was beaten on the rebound by Goretzka.
The 23-year-old got his second in first-half stoppage time to complete a textbook Bayern counter-attack over 80 metres.
But the visitors' superiority was reduced after the interval and it was Hoffenheim who were more dangerous, threatening on the break and cutting the deficit with Nico Schulz's fine finish on the hour.
Bayern keeper Manuel Neuer denied an 83rd-minute equaliser for the hosts, blocking Adam Szalai's header, and Poland striker Lewandowski grabbed Bayern's third goal three minutes from time to seal victory and move them within striking distance of Dortmund.
Premier League to take legal action over pirate channel
England's Premier League has appointed legal counsel to take action in Saudi Arabia against illegal pirate channel "beoutQ".
The channel has been accused by world soccer's governing body FIFA, tennis ruling bodies and other sports organisations of illegally airing content, whose exclusive TV rights in the Middle East belong to Qatar-based broadcaster beIN Sport.
BeIn Sports has the rights to broadcast the Premier League and other sports competitions in the Middle East and North Africa.
"The League has already appointed legal counsel in Saudi Arabia to begin the process of bringing action against the parties involved in this piracy," the Premier League said in a statement on Friday.
"We have also made representations through the Sports Rights Owners Coalition to the European Commission and made the UK government aware of the issue," it said, describing the broadcasts as "highly organised and sophisticated illegal broadcast piracy".
BeoutQ emerged in 2017 after Saudi Arabia and its allies launched a diplomatic and trade boycott of Qatar, accusing the tiny Gulf state of supporting terrorism, which Doha denies.
BeoutQ is widely available in Saudi Arabia. But Riyadh says it is not based there and that the authorities are committed to fighting piracy, including announcing the confiscation of 12,000 pirating devices last June.
It is unclear who owns or operates the channel.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) also said last week it was taking legal action regarding beoutQ's illegal broadcasts of the continent-wide Asian Cup.
BeInSport this week published a dossier of what it called "industrial scale piracy of global sports and entertainment content".
Saudi authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The World Trade Organisation said last month it would investigate Qatari allegations of intellectual property breaches by Saudi Arabia, including the piracy of beIN content, despite Riyadh's objections on national security grounds.
FIFA said last July it would pursue legal action against beoutQ after the illegal broadcast of last year's World Cup, but details of the case have not yet been made public.
Saudi Arabia said at the time that the football governing body's decision would supplement its "relentless efforts" to combat beoutQ's activities.
Qatar is hosting the 2022 World Cup.
