Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech has been left out of Morocco s squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations.
The 28-year-old has not played for his country since a friendly against Burkina Faso in July due to a reported falling out with head coach Vahid Halilhodzic.
Ziyech was not included in Morocco s 25-man group announced on Thursday ahead of the delayed tournament, which is due to run from January 9 until February 6.
That will be considered a boost for Chelsea, who faced being without the former Ajax attacker during a busy period in the season.
The Blues play at least six fixtures in January, including games with Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham.
Ziyech has played 18 times in all competitions this season – the 10th most appearances of an…
Motherwell have signed Faroe Islands international goalkeeper Gunnar Nielsen.
Nielsen, who will return to the club where he spent six months on loan from Blackburn in 2008, has also enjoyed stints at Manchester City, Wrexham and Tranmere.
He spent last season at Silkeborg, making just eight appearances for the Danish Superliga side, and has now moved to Fir Park on a two-year deal.
I’m delighted to be back and having been at some big clubs where it was hard to get a game, I can’t wait to get playing again, he told the club s official website.
I know Motherwell well from my six months here before and I know it’s a great club to be at.
I’m really pleased to get this sorted and am looking to establish myself as number one and do really well. We finish…
Barcelona defender Javier Mascherano has released a statement in which he says he has reached an agreement with Spanish authorities concerning charges of tax fraud.
The Argentina international appeared in court in an effort to avoid a custodial sentence being handed down as a result of two counts of tax evasion.
Mascherano had failed to declare earnings in 2011 and 2012 which amounted to €1.5million.
Reports emerged in Spain earlier on Thursday to suggest that Mascherano had been handed a year in prison and a significant fine but the former Liverpool man says an agreement has been reached with the Treasury which gives him peace of mind .
He has also suggested he could pursue legal action himself against the firm which he claims gave him poor advice and …
Sampdoria is reported to be keen on two players that Napoli have overlooked in striker and defender Lorenzo Tonelli, according to Marca.
Currently not getting enough playing time with the Naples-based team, is reportedly looking to bring both players to Genoa to give them consistent minutes.
Napoli currently set the fee for the 26-year-old Zapata at €20 million, and have not yet stated if they are willing to part ways with .
Zapata, a Colombian international player, joined the in 2013, but was promptly sent out on a two-year loan to Udinese. There he appeared in 65 matches and tallied 19 goals for the
Udine club.
Italian-born Tonelli hasn t fared better since joining Napoli last year, making only three total appearances in his debut …
Even in the immediate aftermath of a stirring World Cup victory over Colombia, Japan fans took the time to do a good deed in Saransk on Tuesday.
The Blue Samurai got their Group H campaign off to an impressive start with a 2-1 win over the 2014 quarter-finalists, who played almost the entire game a man light after Carlos Sanchez s third-minute red card.
Akira Nishino s side sealed the points thanks to Yuya Osako s second-half header, sparking scenes of jubilation both in Saransk and back home.
But before leaving the Mordovia Arena, a number of Japanese supporters did the stadium workers a favour by stopping to collect any rubbish left in the stands, earning high praise from one onlooker, who recorded their act of kindness on Twitter.
This is my favourite …
According to a recent report from the Mirror, Chelsea manager Frank Lampard is hoping to try and secure the signing of Manchester City defender John Stones this summer potentially for a bargain fee.
The belief is that he wants to try and get a deal done that would be worth around £20 million, which is less than half of what City paid for him back in 2016.
Pep Guardiola has always been a big fan of Stones, and he clearly appreciates everything he’s done for the club up to this point, but it doesn’t seem as if his future with them is all too promising.
The Blues were always going to make some big changes at the back during the summer, but after their shoddy performance against Bayern Munich last night, it s never been more clear to see that they have some hug…
Where will Fabian Ruiz be playing by the end of January?
Napoli will be hoping Fabian remains at Stadio San Paolo.
However, LaLiga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona are determined to bring the former Real Betis midfielder back to Spain.
TOP STORY – MADRID SURPASS BARCA IN BATTLE FOR FABIAN
Madrid have moved ahead of Barca in the race for Napoli star Fabian and want to sign the midfielder in January, according to Marca.
Fabian has attracted plenty of interest since swapping Betis for Serie A side Napoli, where the Spaniard has starred since his €30milion arrival in 2018.
Fabián, en el radar
— MARCA (@marca)
Barca have been keeping tabs on the 23-year-old, but rivals Madrid have reportedly jumped to th…
Paris Saint-Germain have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to stop UEFA re-examining their decision to clear the club of breaching Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations.
European football s governing body opted to review the investigation in July, having cleared the Ligue 1 champions of contravening FFP a month earlier.
PSG, who in 2017 signed Neymar for a world-record €222million and Kylian Mbappe on an initial loan before making the deal permanent for €180m, raised funds of around €50m through transfers at the request of UEFA to avoid sanctions for the 2015, 2016 and 2017 financial years.
A statement from CAS read: The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has registered an appeal filed by the French club Paris Saint-Germain Football SAS…
Derby goalkeeper Josh Vickers has paid an emotional tribute to his wife after revealing she has died of cancer less than four months after they were married.
The 27-year-old former Lincoln and Rotherham keeper confirmed on social media that his wife Laura died on Tuesday.
Alongside a picture of the couple on their wedding day, Vickers, who started his career at Arsenal, wrote: “I have written and unwritten this so many times and still can’t find the right words to say and don’t know if I ever will.
— Josh Vickers (@JoshVickers1)
“On Tuesday evening my wife lost her long battle against cancer…
“Laura is the strongest, bravest and most loving person I have ever met. Even though everything she was going through, she continued …
Ukrainian winger Andriy Yarmolenko scored a dazzling goal in West Ham s 2-1 Premier League win over Aston Villa, sparking an emotional celebration.
Yarmolenko, who has hit 44 goals to sit second behind Andriy Shevchenko in the Ukraine national team s all-time goalscoring charts, was granted time off by West Ham boss David Moyes last month when Russia s military began to invade his homeland.
The 32-year-old made his first appearance since the war in Ukraine began during Sunday s match against Villa at the London Stadium, coming on as a substitute after 52 minutes to a standing ovation.
Yarmolenko marked the occasion in superb fashion after 70 minutes, turning on Said Benrahma s pass before poking into the bottom corner with the outside of his left boot to open t…