FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke has dismissed allegations of gender discrimination over the decision to play the women's World Cup on artificial turf, saying the surface could also be used for the men's tournament in the future.
Images from the football matches played across Europe on Wednesday.
Lionel Messi notched up his 35th league goal of the season as an understrength Barcelona strolled to a crushing 6-1 home win against Getafe that put them 12 points clear at the top of La Liga on Sunday.
Arsenal will not sell striker Olivier Giroud, midfielder Jack Wilshere and winger Theo Walcott in the January transfer window despite their lack of playing time at the Premier League club, manager Arsene Wenger has said.
Manchester United were forced to dig deep to reach the Europa League semi-finals as Portuguese midfielder Bruno Fernandes converted a 95th-minute penalty to secure a 1-0 win over a stubborn FC Copenhagen side after extra time on Monday.
Asserting that US companies face strong barriers in the services sector in India, a top Obama Administration trade official on Thursday expressed concern over the trend toward compulsory local production in its 17th largest trading partner.
Jose Mourinho dismissed speculation linking him with a return to Real Madrid, on Monday, saying he wants to stay on as Manchester United manager beyond his current contract.
Chile beat Ecuador 2-1 in their closing South American qualifier in Santiago on Tuesday as both went through automatically to the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil.
superb diving header from Cesc Fabregas earned Barcelona a 3-1 win at Real Madrid on Saturday that lifted the champions above their bitter rivals to the top of La Liga.
Giroud scored with an improvised volley in the Premier League match on Jan. 1, producing an acrobatic flick with his left heel to convert Alexis Sanchez's cross into the net off the crossbar while tumbling forward.
Tottenham Hotspur brutally exposed Liverpool's defensive frailties as Harry Kane plundered two more goals in his side's 4-1 romp at Wembley on Sunday.
Concerned over the escalating competition from India and China, a top US official has asked the American companies to "flex muscles" and tap the expanding middle class in these countries.
Sevilla's La Liga match at home to Levante was briefly suspended on Saturday when fans threw scores of tennis balls onto the pitch in protest over the kick-off time.
Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas sustained a hamstring injury during training on Saturday and will be out of action for around three weeks, the European champions said.
Images from the English Premier League matches played on Sunday
Neymar played 'cat-and-mouse' with Barcelona during the close-season before his move to Paris St Germain, Barcelona vice-president Jordi Mestre has said.
Sania Mirza and Elena Vesnina recovered from a second-set lapse against Timea Bacsinszky and Alberta Brianti to advance to the doubles quarter-finals of the Indian Wells WTA Premier event.
Liverpool produce an irresistible performance to dismantle a toothless Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 and Arsenal were held 1-1 by Leicester City in the Premier League on Sunday.
Colombia striker Teofilo Gutierrez has been voted South America's footballer of the year and their Argentine coach Jose Pekerman the best coach for the third time in a row.
India's Sania Mirza and her Russian partner Elena Vesnina on Thursday advanced to the women's doubles semifinals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships with a hard-fought victory over Maria-Jose Matrinez Sanchez and Shahar Peer in Dubai.
Lionel Messi and Alexis Sanchez, club mates at Barcelona, sparkled as Argentina and Chile put behind them a weekend to forget with victories in the South American 2014 World Cup qualifiers on Tuesday.
Fellow Serie A sides Atalanta and Lazio also won while Portugal's Vitoria Guimaraes began their match against Salzburg with not a single European player in the team.
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.
Joaquin, 37, became the oldest scorer in a Seville top-flight derby when he rose to head home at the near post in the 79th minute, shortly after the visitors had had midfielder Roque Mesa sent off for two bookings.
A second-string Barcelona set up a King's Cup quarter-final clash against holders and great rivals Real Madrid when they came back from a goal down to beat Osasuna 2-1 on Thursday for a 6-1 aggregate victory.
A Sergio Aguero hat-trick helped Manchester City get back to winning ways in the Premier League with a 3-1 victory over Newcastle United, as they stayed 12 points ahead of Manchester United who had to dig deep to secure a 1-0 win at Burnley.
Danny Rose scored a second-half equaliser to cancel out James Milner's penalty as Tottenham Hotspur came from behind to draw 1-1 with Liverpool at White Hart Lane on Saturday.
The United States on Monday said infrastructure development in India is its top business priority and allayed concerns about protectionism in the American economy.
Jose Mourinho attributed a large part of Barcelona's 3-1 'Clasico' victory at the Bernabeu on Saturday to luck and dismissed the idea that it would damage his side's morale in the La Liga title race.
Arsene Wenger's final match at Old Trafford as Arsenal manager ended in defeat with a stoppage time header from substitute Marouane Fellaini earning the points for second-placed Manchester United.
Cesc Fabregas and Alexis Sanchez marked their home debuts for Barcelona in La Liga with goals as the champions crushed Villarreal 5-0 in their opening match of the campaign on Monday.
Images from the English Premier League London derby played between Arsenal and Chelsea at the Emirates on Wednesday
Switzerland's Belinda Bencic became the first teenager in seven years to reach the top 10 of the WTA rankings after she climbed to ninth in the world on Monday.
'When you are outside the top four I don't think you should speak about the title'
A round-up of Saturday's action in the Premier League.
The long-running feud between Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho shows no sign of healing after another high-profile falling out on Sunday, this time the result of a dispute over territory.
Liverpool boss Juergen Klopp has beaten Manchester United only twice in his career and never at Old Trafford -- his worst record against any Premier League side.
AC midfielder Franck Kessie scored from a penalty to give AC Milan a 2-2 draw away to Napoli in Serie A on Sunday, sparing the blushes of his goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma whose mistakes provided the hosts with both their goals. Sevilla closed in on Champions League qualification by beating struggling Real Mallorca 2-0 at home to open up a nine-point gap in the race for fourth spot in La Liga.
Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante was named Player of the Year by the Premier League on Sunday, adding a third individual accolade to a list of achievements this season that includes winning a second consecutive Premier League title.
Sevilla stayed firmly on course for a second consecutive Europa League crown when an Aleix Vidal double and a Kevin Gameiro strike secured a thumping 3-0 win at home to Fiorentina in their semi-final first leg on Thursday.
