An ambitious project to awaken a sleeping giant of Asian soccer looks like confirming Nobel laureate Amartya Sen's famous remark that India pricks up its ears only when comparisons with China are made. With China embarked on a multi-billion dollar mission to become a soccer superpower by 2050, India looks set to follow suit with its own plan to raise its status in the game to match its burgeoning economic power. Come October, India, most famously described as soccer's sleeping giant by former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, will launch a programme to engage more than 11 million children in soccer-related activities.
Chinese retail giant Suning Commerce Group Co Ltd has agreed to buy nearly 70 percent of famed Italian soccer club Inter Milan for 270 million euros ($307 million), the highest-profile takeover of a European team so far by a Chinese firm.
German soccer teams started the week in isolation on Monday after going into seven-day quarantine ahead of the Bundesliga season restart on Saturday, with club bosses saying completing the campaign amid the coronavirus outbreak will not be easy. The German Football League (DFL) decided last week to resume the first and second division from May 16 after a two-month suspension, making it the first major sports league to attempt a restart.
Wearing a T-shirt that read "This is Paris," Messi beamed and waved at scores of fans who had come to greet him at Le Bourget airport on the outskirts of the French capital after his flight from Barcelona.
Soccer in Germany has been suspended for almost a month and the German Football League (DFL) has said the ban will remain in place for the top divisions at least until April 30. Clubs, however, were given the all clear to resume training this week, with champions Bayern Munich deciding to train players in small groups to minimise the risk of infection.
Infantino warns against re-starting football too early.
Jose Mourinho maintained his hold over Arsene Wenger with leaders Chelsea enjoying a routine 2-0 win over Arsenal on Sunday after the two old adversaries became involved in an ugly touchline spat.
Luis Suarez returned for Uruguay for the first time since his infamous World Cup biting incident and scored in a 1-1 friendly draw against Saudi Arabia.
While their nearest chasers lost, Olympique Lyonnais succumbing 2-1 at home to struggling Lille and Monaco falling 1-0 at Nantes after a last-gasp Lucas Lima thunderbolt, PSG marched on without ever hitting top gear.
India qualified automatically for the event as hosts. They have prepared well with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) sending the players for training tours in Europe and a tournament in Mexico but the home side are the clear underdogs.
Jose Mourinho believes an expanded World Cup tournament would develop the sport in areas lacking strong soccer foundations without proving to be a burden for both clubs or players in major leagues.
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New Zealand are placed in Group B along with Turkey, Paraguay and Mali.
The Nike swoosh decorates the outfits of Brazil, France and England, the sides in the quarter-finals most favoured by betting websites to win the World Cup, plus Croatia.
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Atletico Madrid have taken the decision to cut the wages of their staff, including the players, to ease the financial burden on the club as they struggle with the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the La Liga club said
'I am very proud of these Indian players. They have shown that India can compete against the best in the world. They have a fantastic future'
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In separate statements, the clubs announced that the matches would take place at each of their stadiums and would raise money for boosting healthcare resources in Italy and Spain, but not in Germany.
England have lost to Germany in their last three knockout meetings at major tournaments
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The rapid outbreak of coronavirus pandemic across Italy has been linked to the UEFA Champions League match between Italian club Atalanta and Spain's Valencia at the San Siro stadium in Milan on Feburary 19. The first cases of the virus were reported in northern Italy in the week that Atalanta enjoyed one of the finest nights in their history, beating visitors Valencia 4-1 in the Champions League last-16, first-leg match.
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Barcelona forward Lionel Messi equalled the Champions League scoring record of 71 goals when he struck for the second time in the 76th minute of Wednesday's Group F match at Ajax Amsterdam.
The FIFA task force looking into dates for the Qatar World Cup has recommended a shorter tournament to be staged in November and December 2022, the head of the Asian Football Confederation told reporters on Tuesday.
Sergio Busquets has recovered from COVID-19 and is to rejoin the squad immediately
A round-up of Friday's Euro 2020 qualifying matches.
Neymar overtook Ronaldo and moved into second place behind Pele on Brazil's all-time goalscoring list after notching a hat-trick in a 4-2 victory over Peru on Tuesday in a World Cup qualifier.
Eintracht Frankfurt changed their team shirt to display "#blacklivesmatter" on the front for their German Cup semi-final at Bayern Munich on Wednesday to take a stand against racism, the club said. Athletes across the world have joined in support of protests triggered by the death of unarmed black man George Floyd in US police custody last month.
All eyes will be on Manchester City as the window opens, with Roberto Mancini expected to add more firepower to a squad who have emerged as genuine contenders for the Premier League title.
Cycling teams are gearing up for the Tour de France to be held in August rather than the usual July, after French President Emmanuel Macron said big public events would be halted until mid-July as the country fights the COVID-19 pandemic. Marc Madiot, president of the French cycling league and director of the Groupama-FDJ cycling team, said Macron's comments, which included extending measures to slow the coronavirus outbreak, paved the way for the Tour to be held in August.
IMAGES from all the Bundesliga action on Saturday.
The proposals outline what would effectively be a mini-World Cup, featuring eight international teams, every two years in addition to the traditional event.
Steven Gerrard made a quiet start to his new career with the Los Angeles Galaxy in a friendly on Saturday.
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Liquor and airline baron Vijay Mallya, auto major Hero Honda and leading telecom company Reliance Communications have started negotiations with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to buy the rights of teams that will play in the Twenty20 tourney, which was announced to counter Subhash Chandra's Indian Cricket League (ICL).
German publication Der Spiegel reported in March that the club's Abu Dhabi owners inflated sponsorship agreements to comply with FFP requirements.
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Many female footballers are at risk of losing their livelihoods due to the global soccer shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Otherwise, it said, the women's game could be facing an existential threat.
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