Pendulum swings towards tighter measures against transgender athletes
Russia was banned from the world's top sporting events for four years on Monday, a period that includes the next summer and winter Olympics and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, for tampering with doping-related laboratory data. The World Anti-Doping Agency concluded that Moscow had tampered with laboratory data by planting fake evidence and deleting files linked to positive doping tests that could have helped identify drug cheats.
Spain icon Andres Iniesta has announced his retirement from international football following the team's exit against Russia.
A round-up of all football-related news...
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
A group of current and former Iranian sportspeople say they have no choice but to turn on their own country, citing what they called state-sponsored violence and discrimination against ordinary Iranians, especially women.
Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan on Tuesday instructed the states in the National Capital Region to take all possible measures to prevent any spike in air pollution levels during the upcoming Under-17 FIFA World Cup in Delhi to save India the blushes.
Indian football saw a big jump in the FIFA rankings on Thursday, rising 24 places to go up to 147 spot.
Nasser Hussain, an astute reader of the game that he'd played for more than a decade internationally, expressed his amazement at Virat Kohli's intensity and his hunger to succeed. Kohli has been amassing big runs for the past few years but Hussain said the India captain is not worried about personal records.
A Swiss national who has run soccer's powerful governing body for the past 17 years, 79-year-old FIFA boss Sepp Blatter has now for the first time become the focus of a criminal investigation.
Iran's players did not sing the Iranian national anthem in an apparent show of support for anti-government protesters back home.
The public are growing tired of hearing about allegations of wrongdoing against Qatar's winning 2022 World Cup bid, according to organisers, with the Gulf state more interested in improving worker's rights than publishing Michael Garcia's report.
He was hospitalized last week to re-evaluate his treatment and is also being treated for a respiratory infection, according to medical reports.
Senators call for reforms of US soccer body at FIFA corruption hearing
Several candidates, including Taranjit Singh Sandhu, the BJP's Amritsar candidate, are promising resumption of India-Pakistan trade via the Attari-Wagah land route.
Portugal's Football Federation (FPF) has denied media reports that Cristiano Ronaldo threatened to leave the national team during the World Cup after coach Fernando Santos dropped the captain for their last-16 win over Switzerland.
India captain Sunil Chhetri said the team couldn't make use of the opportunities, but no less mediocre was India's defending.
After not much action barring the 2-2 draw against Bangladesh in an international friendly in March this year, India slipped eights places to be ranked 158th in the latest FIFA rankings headed by World Champions Germany.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
After the disappointing show at the Copa America, Argentina's recently-appointed football coach Alejandro Sabella is keen to rebuild the team around Lionel Messi that will begin their campaign for the 2014 World Cup with Wednesday's FIFA international friendly against Venezuela.
The countdown for the city's date with Lionel Messi began as Argentinian footballers including the star strikers Gonzalo Higuan and Sergio Aguero arrived in Kolkata along with 19 members of Venezuela team in different batches for their FIFA International friendly on September 2.
FIFA deferred a final decision on whether Islamic women can play in a headscarf, or hijab, until July when they will also make their long-awaited decision on what goal-line technology system to employ.
Some soccer players have raised concerns over the rights of fans travelling to the event, especially LGBT+ individuals and women, whom rights groups say Qatari laws discriminate against.
The top 10 most-capped players in men's soccer:
US prosecutors may find it difficult to get a number of the people they have charged in the FIFA bribery scandal to face the music.
Gokulam Kerala FC players, who were to participate in the AFC Women's club championships, are stranded at Tashkent following AIFF's suspension by FIFA on Monday.
FIFA has rejected Luis Suarez's appeal against his lengthy ban for biting an opponent in a World Cup match. Football's international governing body said on Thursday its appeals committee rejected the appeal by Suarez and the Uruguay football federation in its entirety.
Lionel Messi kept his date with India and unfolded his magic when he led Argentina in a FIFA international friendly against Venezuela in Kolkata even as the euphoria of one of the most high-profile matches in the country reached the crescendo.
Football superstar Lionel Messi is set to unfold his magic when he leads Argentina in FIFA international friendly against Venezuela in Kolkata on Friday evening.
From data analysts to financial firms, everyone has their views on who could win the FIFA World Cup, starting in Brazil next month. Here are some interesting predictions by two international firms -- Opta and Goldman Sachs -- about the how tournament could pan out. Read on...
Three different invitations were sent out for the wedding and the receptions with top-run guests being sent a large red box that contained an intricate chest incorporating a mini silver temple featuring gold idols of various Hindu deities, including Lord Ganesh, Radha-Krishna, and Goddess Durga.
Former International player and Olympian Referee Bentla D'Coth of Ernakulam has become the first Indian woman referee to be selected for the FIFA FUTRO III referee's instructor course to be held in Kathmandu, Nepal from August 1 to 6.
India will stage the Under-17 football World Cup from October 6 to 28 next year, the sport's world governing body FIFA announced today while ratifying Kolkata as the sixth venue for the mega-event after an inspection in Kolkata. The draw for the mega-event, to be held across six venues in India, will take place on July 7. "We first came here two years ago to see the stadium. The work that has done has been staggering. I am confident that the stadium will look 30 years younger. I grew up here watched football here, it gives me immense pleasure to say Kolkata has been ratified as one of the venue for World Cup matches," Joy Bhattacharya, Project director -- FIFA U-17 World Cup, said.
New Zealand opened the ninth Women's World Cup with a shock win against former champions Norway on Thursday
'The National Team gaining its best ranking since December 2005 shows that we are on the upsurge. The ranking enables us to be placed in pot two when the draw for the Asian Cup Qualifiers UAE 2019 is to be conducted later this month'
Superstar footballer Lionel Messi is set to keep his date with India and unfold his magic when he leads Argentina in a FIFA international friendly against Venezuela in Kolkata on Friday when the euphoria of one of the most high-profile matches in the country reaches the crescendo.
Following an agreement with the International Cricket Council (ICC) in this regard, INOX Leisure had last week said, it will showcase all group matches to be played by Team India, followed by the semi-finals and the final match.
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.
Brazil stayed outside the top ten of FIFA's highly questioned ranking system on Wednesday, with England, Denmark and Greece all ahead of the five-times world champions.
