Former England captain Rio Ferdinand slammed his nation s FA for the restrictive treatment of players on national duty.
Ferdinand represented England on 81 occasions from 1997-2011, retiring in May 2013.
The Manchester United legend, now at QPR, was in Brazil for the World Cup as a commentator, and recalled a time when the Netherlands squad were out at a bar.
Ferdinand was stunned by the Dutch players freedom to roam, and slammed England s FA for their controlling tendencies on national team players in his to-be-released autobiography.
One evening we were in a bar at the hotel with Fabio Cannavaro, waiting for Christian Vieri to come along. All of a sudden almost the entire Dutch team turn up and start chilling in this bar, Ferdinand wrote in his book, t…
The Qatar 2022 bid organisation claimed they have nothing to hide in regards to the vote for the FIFA World Cup.
Rumours, allegations and questions continue to arise regarding the voting for the next two World Cups in 2010, with claims Qatar could be stripped of the 2022 tournament for improper conduct in the bidding process.
But the organisers of Qatar s bid have slammed the allegations as baseless in a statement released on Saturday.
These allegations are baseless and riddled with innuendo designed to tarnish the reputation of Qatar s 2022 Bid Committee, the statement read.
The statement claimed Qatar had won on the back of a willingness to work harder .
Knowing that we weren t a key player in the football world, we knew we had to work harder than anyone …
Romelu Lukaku hopes to kick-start a period of returning dominance at Manchester United, after the Red Devils agreed an estimated £75million fee with Everton for the striker.
The Belgium striker was also a target for former club and Premier League champions Chelsea who reportedly matched United s bid but Lukaku says he had no doubts about moving to a club he says are the biggest in the world .
Scoring 25 goals in the Premier League last season has seemingly done enough to convince Jose Mourinho of his talents, despite the Portuguese selling Lukaku to Everton for £28m in 2014.
Lukaku has undergone a medical in Los Angeles, with personal terms now the only bridge to cross, although the player appears delighted with the prospective switch.
is delighted t…
Portuguese media outlet that Sporting CP have reignited their interest in Trabzonspor defender Douglas Franco Teixeira.
The Lions attempted to recruit the Netherlands international in the past, and they hope to have more success this time out.
Sporting CP coach Jorge Jesus believes the 28-year-old would seriously reinforce the back line at Estadio Jose Alvalade, and he is ready to pay top dollar for the experienced centre-back.
While the transfer fee has not been mentioned, Record claims the Lions are ready to match the defender’s €2.5 million yearly wage.
Sporting have all but secured their place in the Champions League group stages and they will have money to spend in the summer transfer window.
The Brazilian-born defender, who switched hi…
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The FA Cup rolls on and while it may feel unusual to see a series of matches in the competition take place midweek as opposed to at the weekend, the stakes are equally as high as they ve always been. Tomorrow night the field of eight teams that will compete in the quarter-finals of this year s competition will be completed, as Derby County attempt to cause an upset when they host Manchester United.
Derby
The big storyline surrounding this game has been Wayne Rooney as of late, which makes sense, given that he ll be going up against the club that helped turn him into the player we see today. The Rams don t really seem to have anything to lose at this stage of their campaign, because while they …
Chelsea youngster Callum Hudson-Odoi was the only player Bayern Munich wanted to sign in January, according to club CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
Bayern made no secret of their desire to sign Hudson-Odoi, with the 18-year-old winger reportedly frustrated by a lack of opportunities for Chelsea in the Premier League.
An Under-17 World Cup winner with England in 2017, Hudson-Odoi is very highly rated by Chelsea and they are said to have rebuffed several bids for him from Bayern.
The final offer Bayern are reported to have lodged was worth around £35million, but Chelsea have dug their heels in regarding any deal, adamant he will not be leaving.
Maurizio Sarri said he had been assured the club would not approve a sale of Hudson-Odoi, and as such Bayern sporting …
John Kennedy believes the return of creative spark Reo Hatate has given Celtic a huge boost ahead of Sunday’s showdown with title rivals Rangers.
The influential Japanese midfielder made his first appearance for the Hoops in three months when he started Sunday’s 3-0 win away to Livingston after being sidelined with a calf problem.
Hatate shone in West Lothian and was heavily involved in the opener – an own goal by Livi’s Jamie Brandon – as Celtic moved a point clear of Gers, who have a game in hand, ahead of Sunday’s mouth-watering top-of-the-table clash at Ibrox.
Reo Hatate delighted to be back in the Hoops
He played for over an hour in the West Lothian win for the Hoops, and following the victory he took time out to speak to about his ret…
UEFA working group responds to FIFA World Cup declaration emphasising need to ´support human rights´
A UEFA working group made up of 10 European nations has stressed the need to support human rights at the Qatar World Cup.
The decision to stage the World Cup in Qatar has been widely criticised due to concerns over the country s human rights record, with the conditions of migrant workers and the criminalisation of homosexuality being highlighted.
Amnesty International later accused FIFA of brushing these concerns under the carpet after president Gianni Infantino and secretary general Fatma Samoura called on participating nations to focus on the football at the World Cup.
In a statement released on Sunday, the working group acknowledged what it perceives to be significant progress made by Qatar, though also insisted human rights issues cannot be ignored.
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Former England boss Graham Taylor believes that Fabio Capello will make Steven Gerrard the national side s new captain.
The FA announced on Friday that John Terry had been stripped of the armband, as he awaits trial over charges of racial abuse, and Taylor admitted that he thought the correct decision had been made, adding that the Liverpool midfielder would be his choice if he returns to form.
(Steven) Gerrard s been captain before and I d expect (England boss Fabio) Capello to give it to him, Taylor told BBC Sport.
If he gets his top-class form back, I think I would do the same.
This is the correct decision. The FA have got it right, though they ll be accused of getting it wrong.
It s a recognition of the embarrassment that could be cause…
Arsenal regained top spot in the Premier League after goals from Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard secured a thumping 3-0 success which dented Brighton’s push for Europe.
Mikel Arteta’s men arrived at the Amex Stadium having dropped to third place in the table following Manchester City’s 4-2 win at Crystal Palace in Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off.
Fit-again top scorer Saka set the Gunners on course to return to the summit by converting a debatable first-half penalty before substitute Trossard sealed victory over his former club following a tap-in from Havertz.
The north London visitors were worthy winners on the south coast and sit a point ahead of both Liverpool, who play their game in hand at Manchester United on Sunday, and City as attention…