Goalkeepers who waste time by holding on to the ball are to be penalised with the award of a corner, the law-making International Football Association Board (IFAB) has confirmed. The new law, which will be introduced this summer, will mean goalkeepers have eight seconds to claim and redistribute the ball before they are penalised, with the referee giving a five-second countdown to warn them of incoming punishment. This will replace…

Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has fined Real Madrid after some of their fans directed homophobic chants towards Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola. The Spanish side have been ordered to pay 30,000 euros (£24,800) by European football’s governing body. Real have also been given a suspended partial stadium closure and must shut off at least 500 adjacent seats during their next European match at the Bernabeu. However, the partial…

Fenerbahce manager, Jose Mourinho has filed a lawsuit against Galatasaray after the club accused him of making racist statements. The Fenerbahce manager was accused by Galatasaray of making racist statements after Monday’s Istanbul derby and, on Tuesday, the Portuguese’s Turkish club released a statement saying his comments had been taken “completely taken out of context”. On Friday, Fenerbahce said Mourinho was filing a 1,907,000 Turkish Lira lawsuit, through the club’s…

Fenerbahce manager, Jose Mourinho has been banned for four games and fined a total of £35,194 for comments made after Monday’s game with local rivals Galatasaray. Mourinho was accused by Galatasaray of making racist statements after the Istanbul derby and, on Tuesday, Fenerbahce released a statement saying his comments had been taken “completely taken out of context.” The 0-0 draw was refereed by Slovenian Slavko Vincic after both clubs requested…

Former captain of the Super Eagles of Nigeria, John Obi Mikel has told Jamie Carragher to apologise to Africans, insisting that the Englishman offended Africans with his statement about the status of the Africa Cup of Nations. Mikel Obi’s demand for an apology is coming after Carragher recently argued why he thinks the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is not a ‘major tournament’. Speaking on The Obi One Podcast, Mikel said: ‘It’s so disrespectful what…

A referee has reportedly been banned for six months after asking Lionel Messi for his autograph at the end of an Inter Miami game. WHAT HAPPENED? Mexican referee Marco Antonio Ortiz Nava approached Messi at the final whistle of Miami’s CONCACAF Champions Cup win over Kansas City last week and asked for his autograph to give to a family member with special needs. North America’s controlling football body (CONCACAF) opened…

Cristiano Ronaldo, Mane on target as Al Nassr bounce back Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane’s second half strikes secured crucial three points for title aspirants Al-Nassr against Al-Wehda in Saudi Pro League. The match started an hour after the scheduled kick-off time as Al-Nassr’s team bus broke down en route to The King Abdulaziz Sports City. The visitors started the game without two star players Marcelo Brozovic and Jhon Duran…

Ugandan police said Monday they were investigating the death of Nigerian footballer, Abubakar Lawal who fell from a shopping mall balcony in Kampala. The 29-year-old striker played for local premiership club, Vipers. He fell from the third floor of Voicemall Shopping Arcade early on Monday, police said in a statement. He had been visiting a Tanzanian friend staying in one of the residential apartments that form part of the mall.…

Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman delivered an outstanding performance as Atalanta cruised to a 5-0 victory over Empoli at the Stadio Carlo Castellani on Sunday. The Bergamo-based side struck three times in the first half and added two more after the break, with Lookman bagging a brace to cap off a dominant display. The Nigerian star found the net in the 43rd minute with a clinical finish, extending Atalanta’s lead…

The Belgian looked a shadow of his former self while Josko Gvardiol was helpless to stop the electric Mohamed Salah in a disheartening defeat Manchester City used to relish those top-of-the-table clashes at home to Liverpool, but this was all about enduring a 90 minutes in which they knew they were miles apart from Arne Slot’s slick winning machine, who edged closer to the Premier League title with a 2-0…

Mikel Arteta’s Premier League title challenge suffered a massive blow as the 10-man Arsenal were beaten 1-0 at home by lowly West Ham on Saturday. Jarrod Bowen headed in the only goal just before half-time and an injury-hit Arsenal had no reply after Myles Lewis-Skelly was sent off on 73 minutes. The defeat leaves second-placed Arsenal still eight points adrift of leaders Liverpool. With leaders Liverpool not in action until…

Baileigh Sinaman-Daniel’s path to history was sparked by a painful rejection at her high school When her high school basketball coach cut her from the team senior year, Baileigh Sinaman-Daniel refused to let that rejection, or the fact she was born with one arm, end her dream of playing the game that her childhood idol, LeBron James made her fall in love with 15 years ago. That determination led the…