The 'Elephants Graveyard' has played host to a string of major upsets through the years and Argentina are determined not to become the next giant to fall there when they face Colombia in the Copa America on Wednesday.
FIFA is investigating six match officials over possible match-fixing in two friendly internationals in Turkey that produced a total of seven penalties last month.
Argentina, bidding to end a trophy drought, kicked off the 43rd Copa America with a disappointing 1-1 draw with minnows Bolivia at La Plata outside Buenos Aires.
Argentina moved top as South America dominated the monthly FIFA rankings on Thursday with five teams, half of the continent's total, in the top 10.
Rediff.com features the best sports images from the last 24 hours.
Lionel Messi marked his retirement about face with a goal to give 10-man Argentina a 1-0 win over Uruguay on Thursday that lifted them to the top of the South American qualifying group for the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia.
Here are eight images that prove we live in a mad, mad world.
Beyond Holi: Spring celebrations around the world in pictures.
Opening up India's market to neighbouring countries can be as strategic as access denial to others. The game should be played both ways, even if it upsets domestic business lobbies, observes T N Ninan.
Wednesday's impressive, albeit unexciting 1-0 friendly win away to Germany showed Argentina coach Diego Maradona's team is at last taking shape.
Argentina and Germany set off for the World Cup with huge doubts about their prospects but they meet in Saturday's quarter-final in hot form with a great chance for the winners to go all the way to the final.
Dunga's Brazil have often looked at a loss when trying to break down packed defences and facing the mystery men from North Korea in their opening Group G game at Ellis Park on Tuesday could be their worst nightmare.
An AeroMexico aircraft carrying 104 passengers was hijacked in Cancun and flown to Mexico City on Wednesday, said officials.The three hijackers, suspected to be from Bolivia, demanded to speak to President Felipe Calderon. The President was on his way to the airport to negotiate with the hostages, said officials. Military forces had been deployed at the airport, according to reports.According to the police, the three hijackers had explosives strapped to their bodies.
Argentina's hopes of reaching the 2010 finals in South Africa could be severely limited this weekend, should the results of the South American World Cup qualifiers go to form. Diego Maradona's Argentina face Dunga's South American group leaders Brazil (27 points), who added the Confederations Cup in late June to their 2007 Copa America title.
Former World Player of the Year Ronaldinho will learn on Tuesday whether or not his impressive season with AC Milan will be enough to earn him a place at his third World Cup.
Aseem Chhabra watched some great films and some huge disappointments in 2021.
According to Associated Press, Messi was banned for "having directed insulting words at an assistant referee" during a home qualifier against Chile on Thursday, FIFA said hours before kickoff in La Paz.
Israel, Andorra, Argentina, Bolivia and Ukraine were also found non-compliant of the WADA Code and can no longer conduct anti-doping programs
Photos from the 2018 World Cup qualifiers played on Tuesday
A player from Chilean top flight side Audax Italiano has apologised after being arrested for climbing onto a fence and kicking a spectator following a match at the weekend.
Carlos Tevez missed a first-half penalty as Argentina slumped to a 2-0 defeat away to Ecuador in their World Cup qualifier on Wednesday.
Quinoa is said to play a role in the treatment of as many as 20-odd ailments, including liver problems, angina, notes Surinder Sud.
Bolivia ended Argentina's 100 percent record under Diego Maradona in style by thrashing them 6-1 at high altitude in a World Cup qualifier on Wednesday.
Quaison fires Sweden to extra-time World Cup playoff win over Czechs
Five-times world champions Brazil have returned to what they will consider their rightful place at the top of the FIFA rankings for the first time in seven years.
A group of envoys including those from several Europe Union countries and a few Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) member states began a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday to take a first-hand account of the situation in newly-carved union territory, especially after the recently-concluded local body elections.
Choking back tears, midfielder Arturo Vidal made a public apology for crashing his Ferrari.
Brazil's goalless draw to Colombia in their World Cup qualifier brought a predictably angry reaction from the media on Thursday, although they stopped short of calling for the head of coach Dunga. The match was almost a replica of the previous month's stalemate with Bolivia, with Brazil lacking the ideas to break down defensive but unambitious opponents.
Brazil were jeered off the field after being held to their second successive home goalless draw in the World Cup qualifiers.
Robinho will make his debut for Manchester City against fellow big spenders Chelsea in their Premier League match on Saturday, City manager Mark Hughes said on Thursday. Robinho is yet to train with City since joining the club from Real Madrid for 32.5 million pounds at the end of August because of international commitments with Brazil.
The data, released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), shows that 65 out of 75 countries studied significantly reduced their multidimensional poverty levels between 2000 and 2019.
Argentina and Brazil both lost their opening World Cup qualifiers on Thursday as the South American campaign for Russia 2018 started in unexpected fashion.
Brazil gave beleaguered coach Dunga some respite on Wednesday by thumping Portugal 6-2 in a friendly, helped by a hat-trick from striker Luis Fabiano. The five-times world champions had been held to 0-0 draws in their last three home games, against Argentina, Bolivia and Colombia, and had not scored in front of their own fans since last November.
Belgian motorcycle rider Eric Palante has died during the Dakar Rally in Argentina, race organisers said in a statement on Friday.
Argentina, helped by a majestic Juan Roman Riquelme performance, maintained their perfect record in the World Cup qualifiers on Saturday while Ecuador coach Luis Fernando Suarez quit after a 5-1 loss to Paraguay. Riquelme scored two second half goals, including an exquisite free kick, in a 3-0 win over Bolivia which left Argentina with nine points from three games in the South American group.
South American champions Chile have been handed a stadium ban for the third time in the 2018 World Cup qualifying competition because of homophobic chanting by their fans, FIFA said on Monday.
The result shook up League A Group 4, giving Ukraine an outside chance of finishing top of the group with two games remaining.
Arch-rivals Brazil and Argentina drew 0-0 in a World Cup qualifier on Wednesday but moved closer to leaders Paraguay who lost 4-2 in Bolivia. The top four teams qualify directly for South Africa in 2010 and the fifth plays off against the fourth team from the CONCACAF region.
Argentina got their World Cup qualifying campaign off to the perfect start on Thursday when Lionel Messi's early penalty gave them a 1-0 win over Ecuador in a lacklustre match in Buenos Aires.
Centre could ban wheat import from Bangladesh, apart from restricting cultivation in West Bengal and Assam
