Sepp Blatter has not ruled out trying to stay on as FIFA's president beyond February's scheduled election, despite facing a criminal investigation and a possible internal ethics probe.
Former France soccer great Raymond Kopa, who won three European Cups with Real Madrid in the 1950s, died at the age of 85 on Friday.
Goal-line technology would be used in the Champions League from the final qualifying round but not in the first three preliminary rounds. It could also be introduced in the Europa League from 2017-18.
Frozen balls containing team names have been used to rig European soccer's club competition draws although the ruse was never used at FIFA, the former chief of the game's world governing body, Sepp Blatter, has said.
World soccer's governing body FIFA will proceed with an election to pick a new president on Friday to replace the disgraced Sepp Blatter and vote on a set of reforms aimed at restoring its credibility after the worst graft scandal in its history.
Euro 2012 moves a huge step closer on Friday when the draw for the finals is held at Kiev's Palace of the Arts with Ukraine tournament director Markiyan Lubkivskyi promising his country is ready to surprise the world.
The top four European leagues will each have four guaranteed places in the Champions League group stage from 2018/19 under changes announced by European soccer body UEFA on Friday.
Griezmann finished on the losing side in the Euro final but the France forward won the Golden Boot after finishing top scorer with six goals.
France right back Bacary Sagna said teammate Antoine Griezmann now belonged to the same elite club as the Portugal forward.
The news comes as little surprise as Sepp Blatter had dropped strong hints he would stand again and if he sees out his potential four-year term he will be 83 by the time of the next planned election in 2019.
When UEFA decided eight years ago to expand the European Championship from 16 to 24 teams, its then president Michel Platini promised the standard of the tournament would not drop.
Selected quotes from Swiss Gianni Infantino's first news conference after the former UEFA general secretary was elected president of scandal-hit world soccer's governing body FIFA on Friday:
The expanded European soccer Championship format with 24 teams in the finals instead of 16 contributed to fairytale runs by so-called minnows at Euro 2016 but also helped Portugal lift their first major trophy. The new formula introduces an extra knockout stage, the round of 16, with the top two teams in each of the six groups going through as well as the four best third-placed sides. Portugal did just that, finishing third in their group and going on to win the tournament with a 1-0 victory in extra time over hosts France in Sunday's final.
Trying to rebuild its tattered image after a spate of controversies, the BCCI is waiting anxiously for the Justice Lodha Committee's report which is set to recommend a host of reforms for the cricket body on Monday. While the three-member committee comprising Justice (Retd) RM Lodha, Justice (Retd) Ashok Bhan and Justice (Retd)RV Raveendran is set to submit their report to the Supreme Court, the BCCI will be keenly watching the proceedings as to whether the Apex Court makes the recommendations binding or not.
Inter Milan's 2-0 win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League final will be remembered more for Diego Milito's two brilliant goals and the sub-plots and intrigues surrounding the game rather than the football.
Soccer's experiment with two extra linesman behind the goals is to continue for another two years and will be extended beyond Europe, the sport's rule-making body said on Tuesday.
As Spain celebrates it maiden World Cup title, rediff.com too celebrates by presenting its maiden football awards.
With the teams having played their second matches in the league stage in Euro 2020, at the conclusion of the Spain-Poland match in Group E on Saturday, here's a look at the best goals from those matches.
Cristiano Ronaldo is a colossal figure in club football having completed a hat-trick of Champions League (1 Manchester United, 2 Real Madrid) victories. The three-time Ballon d'Or winner, Ronaldo has won several league titles. But the Portuguese magician tasted success for the first time with the national team as Portugal defeated hosts France to lift the 2016 Euro title.
Antoine Griezmann had plenty of painful memories to erase in Thursday's European Championship semi-final against Germany and he did that in style, scoring twice to lead the host nation to an historic 2-0 victory over the world champions.
Disgraced former FIFA president Sepp Blatter says successor Gianni Infantino has showed him no respect by failing to return his phone calls.
France forward Antoine Griezmann was named player of the tournament on Monday after leading the Euro 2016 hosts to Sunday's final where they lost to Portugal in extra time.
The Juventus player was left out of France's Euro 2008 squad and had an uneasy relationship with coach Raymond Domenech, who was told last week he could stay in the job.
Leading sponsors of football's world governing body have demanded independent oversight of FIFA's reform process in an open letter published on Tuesday ahead of a key meeting to finalise proposed reforms at the scandal-plagued organisation.
"A clean break from the past is essential for FIFA to climb out of the toxic pit which continues to produce serious accusations of corrupt behaviour on almost a daily basis," FIFPro said in a statement.
'I know he wants to quit, and he will do it'
Football legend Pele described the FIFA corruption scandal as a "shame", but made it clear that the reputation of the game was not tarnished.
Real Madrid great Alfredo Di Stefano was honoured by world football's governing bodies, his former club and fellow players in an emotive celebration of his life in Madrid on Sunday.
Liverpool supporters have been identified as the worst behaved at European matches in a report.
Brazilian soccer great Zico formally declared his candidacy for the FIFA presidency on Wednesday but admitted there would probably need to be a change of rules in order to make his run viable.
The football fever reaches sky-high with all eyes on Euro 2016. Tournament host France will play the opener against Romania, which will be aired in India post mid-night on June 11. As the UEFA braces for the 15th edition of the European continental championship, the tournament organisers have revealed the all time XI to play in Euro's history.
- 'FIFA should have a leader with a lot of experience' -'Prince Ali is a good man, I work with him, I was a main supporter in the past, he is like my brother. He has a good future but I think he was in a little bit of a hurry. I think he needed to take the trust of Asia first before he earned the trust of the international community'
A look at the last 16 team as Euro 2020 enters the knockout phase.
UEFA elects a new president on Wednesday whose main task will be to stop what European officials say is an inexorable slide towards a breakaway football Super League open only to wealthy clubs such as Real Madrid and Manchester City.
The Euro 2020 soccer Championship, trumpeted as a continent-wide feast of football from Dublin to Baku to mark UEFA's 60th anniversary, was postponed for a year on Tuesday as the coronavirus pandemic claimed its biggest sporting casualty yet. Europe's flagship tournament, staged every four years and second only to FIFA's World Cup in terms of prestige in soccer, will now be staged from June 11 to July 12, 2021.
Although he did not put up a scintillating display in midfield, Pogba powered into the box after a couple of one-twos and scored with a slightly deflected lob to earn Les Bleus all three points.
Discovery channel will show a six-part series chronicling the emergence of great teams and players.
The election to replace outgoing Sepp Blatter will take place at an extraordinary congress on February 26 in Zurich.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances