Lionel Messi began the second phase of recovery from the injury that has sidelined the Barcelona forward until next month with a physiotherapy session at Argentina's training complex on Monday.
Brazil's teenage striker Neymar denied on Friday he had had unauthorised contact with Chelsea and said he would stay at his club Santos.
Santos plan to report Chelsea to soccer's world governing body FIFA for what they claim has been an illegal approach to their teenage striker Neymar, the Brazilian club said on Thursday.
'Brazil has always been the favourite team for Indians for decades. 43 per cent of Indians regard Brazil as their favourite,' says B S Prakash.
Defender Roberto Cereceda was dropped from Chile's World Cup squad on Tuesday as coach Marcelo Bielsa finalised his 23-man party for South Africa.
German champions Bayern Munich are close to signing former World and European champion Xabi Alonso from Champions League winners Real Madrid.
Cristiano Ronaldo's son Cris junior is a Lionel Messi fan the boy's father said after they met up with the Argentina captain at the Ballon D'Or ceremony in Zurich on Monday.
In Mumbai to launch a business venture, Portuguese football legend Luis Figo, winner of the Ballon d'Or in 2000 and the FIFA World Player of 2001, discusses Barcelona, Real Madrid...
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
A Malaysian betting syndicate approached Indian clubs to fix I-League matches last season, a top official said on Tuesday, prompting the country's football federation to take the first step towards setting up an anti-corruption unit.
Brazil continued their dominance over England with a 1-0 friendly win on Saturday but 2010 World Cup hosts South Africa's troubles persisted with a 0-0 draw at home to Japan on coach Carlos Alberto Parreira's second debut. Spain added to Diego Maradona's worries by beating his Argentina side 2-1 thanks to two Xabi Alonso goals, including a late penalty, as the teams already qualified for South Africa began their preparations.
Here's what you must know about the youngest scorer, youngest hat-trick scorer, youngest final player and youngest final scorer in football World Cup history.
Some Croatians wept with sadness while others felt pride that their tiny nation had gone so far in the tournament.
Despite widespread speculation that FIFA will vote to switch the dates of the 2022 World Cup on Friday, soccer's world governing body will probably delay making a decision and instead set up a task force to analyse the huge implications of moving the tournament from the searing heat of the Middle East summer.
As another eventful year draws to a close, Rediff.com gives you a pictorial look back at the best and worst moments that shaped the sports stories this year.
World soccer great Diego Armando Maradona, who died on Wednesday less than a month after his 60th birthday, was worshipped like a god for his genius with the ball, but his demons almost destroyed him.
Peru fans take $800 taxi to get to World Cup game
PM Modi, who was addressing the nation in the 18th edition of his Mann Ki Baat programme, said Team India has recently registered two brilliant wins in the World T-20.
Far from his native Uzbekistan, labour migrant Rustam Mustafakulov has found a second home in the World Cup host city of St Petersburg
Two German broadcasters have reportedly alleged that they were detained and imprisoned by Qatari Police while they tried to investigate the plight of migrant labourers working in the preparations for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
There's always been a degree of friendly tension between the two, with France regarding Belgium, and its French-speaking Wallonia region, as something of a poor cousin, while the Belgians often dismiss France as patronising and faux-superior.
A tired and weakened Germany got their Asian Tour got off to a lacklustre start when they were held to a 1-1 draw by a young China team in an international friendly on Friday. Showing the clear effects of a gruelling season, Germany needed an equaliser from Lukas Podolski to cancel out Hao Junmin's opener and avoid an embarrassing defeat to the Chinese, who are 95 places below them in the FIFA rankings.
When Russia and Saudi Arabia meet on Thursday form will be irrelevant as the world's biggest sporting festival explodes into life in Moscow.
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East Bengal duo Surkumar Singh and Syed Rahim Nabi were left out of the 20-member Indian football squad for the international friendly against Hong Kong on January 14.
Asian Cup in Australia offers Qatar a rare chance to generate some positive headlines.
Jermain Defoe scored twice to lift England to a 3-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago in a one-sided friendly.
A friendly between United and a Malaysian select team had been arranged in Kuala Lumpur despite it taking place only two days before the AFC's Asian Cup final in Jakarta.
'Our defence system starts with our first four and that's why we have a solid defence. People look to Brazil and always try to find players who score or dribble but we have many other qualities. With our goalkeeper and defenders, we have a solid defence' 'It's pretty exciting for us and we are looking to do something great here'
Germany should really not be surprised by their earliest World Cup exit in 80 years.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
The Russian Football Union's anti-discrimination inspector has said the World Cup is a chance for Russia to show how open it is.
News of all that transpired on and off the football field.
Iceland's president Gudni Thorlacius Johannesson has told Reuters that he wants even more soccer fans from around the world to join "Team Iceland" and share the joy as his tiny nation makes its World Cup debut in Russia.
'It has been good on pitch and off pitch,' Lampard said.
Former world champions France will play Ukraine for a place in the World Cup finals in Brazil next year with the advantage of the second leg at home following the draw for the European playoffs.
New manager Frank Lampard is confident the Premier League club do not need to bring in new players to taste success.
Muntari said he had complained that parts of the crowd, including a group of children, had hurled racist insults at him from the start of his Italian team's game at Cagliari in Serie A on Sunday.
The midfield duo, who both have dual Moroccan-Belgian nationality, kept Belgium alive with their goals off the bench in the extraordinary round of 16 comeback against Japan and were handed starts in the 2-1 win over Brazil.
