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  Ronaldinho does little to stake World Cup spot

  December 22, 2013 12:50 IST

  Marrakech, Morocco: Free kicks aside, Ronaldinho did little to stake his claim for a spot in Brazil's World Cup squad in what may have been his last appearance on the international stage.   The 33-year-old Ronaldinho

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  Bayern beat Raja to win Club World Cup, 5th trophy

  December 22, 2013 12:43 IST

  Marrakech, Morocco: Bayern Munich capped the greatest year in club history by beating Raja Casablanca 2-0 to win its third Club World Cup on Saturday.   The European champions added a record fifth title to their

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  Sporting held to 0-0 by Nacional, tied for lead

  December 22, 2013 6:16 IST

  Lisbon, Portugal: Sporting Lisbon was held to 0-0 at home by Nacional on Saturday, leaving it in a three-way tie with FC Porto and Benfica at the top of the Portuguese league standings.   The three

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  Sao Paulo tops World Cup base requests

  December 21, 2013 15:38 IST

  Rio de Janeiro: Brazil's southeastern state of Sao Paulo will be home to 15 of the 32 teams competing at next year's football World Cup.Federations have nominated 23 cities in nine states as their preferred

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  Raja gets ready for Bayern in Club World Cup final

  December 21, 2013 12:51 IST

  Marrakech, Morocco: After sweeping aside Ronaldinho and Atletico Mineiro, Moroccan club Raja Casablanca is now trying to figure out how it can stop Bayern Munich in Saturday's Club World Cup final.   Raja surprised many by

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  Ibrahimovic says will be hard to watch World Cup

  December 21, 2013 12:44 IST

  After missing out on the World Cup, Sweden forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic doesn't consider the tournament to be compulsory viewing -- at least for him.   Sweden was eliminated in the playoffs last month by Cristiano Ronaldo's

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  Jets beat 1st-place Roar 2-0 in A-League

  December 21, 2013 6:45 IST

  Sydney: Substitute Joey Gibbs scored in the 88th minute to seal the Newcastle Jets' 2-0 victory over Brisbane and prevent the Roar from becoming the first A-League team to win 100 matches.The first-place Roar weren't

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  3 fascinating World Cup cities in Brazil

  December 21, 2013 7:11 IST

  Manaus, Brazil: All 12 Brazilian cities hosting World Cup games have their claims to fame. Here are three that, for one reason or another, particularly caught our eye.   Manaus   Welcome to Manaus. Of all places

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  Vanishing spray to be used at World Cup

  December 20, 2013 18:01 IST

  Rio de Janeiro: A vanishing spray used to mark the distance of a defensive wall from a free-kick will be used during next year's World Cup in Brazil, football's governing body FIFA said.The decision follows

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  Juventus to play A-League all-stars next year

  December 20, 2013 6:21 IST

  Sydney: Reigning Serie A champion Juventus will play an Australian A-League all-star team next August in Sydney.   New South Wales state Premier Barry O'Farrell said Friday the Italian team's appearance on Aug. 10 will follow

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  More Eritrean footballers go missing in Kenya

  December 19, 2013 12:48 IST

  Nairobi: A dozen members of the Eritrean team for the regional CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup that went missing in Kenya cannot be traced as the regional football governing body is set to discuss the next

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  West Ham, Man United advance to League Cup semis

  December 19, 2013 12:28 IST

  London: Shock therapy failed to produce the desired result at Tottenham as Spurs conceded two goals in the last 10 minutes to go out of the League Cup in the quarterfinals after a 2-1 home

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  Madrid, Atletico win to advance in Copa del Rey

  December 19, 2013 12:21 IST

  Barcelona, Spain: Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid advanced to the Copa del Rey's round of 16 after dispensing with third-division opponents on Wednesday.   After being held to a scoreless draw in the first leg, Madrid

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  Wilshere accepts charge for offensive gesture

  December 19, 2013 11:48 IST

  London Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere has accepted a charge from the English Football Association for making an abusive gesture towards fans during a Premier League match but will contest an expected two-match ban.   The England

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  Raja stuns Ronaldinho's Atletico at Club World Cup

  December 19, 2013 6:39 IST

  Marraakech, Morocco: Raja Casablanca converted a late penalty kick to upset Ronaldinho's Atletico Mineiro 3-1 Wednesday and set up an unexpected encounter with Bayern Munich in the Club World Cup final.   The Moroccan club will

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  Barcelona says Messi's recovery is on schedule

  December 18, 2013 23:09 IST

  Barcelona, Spain: Barcelona says Lionel Messi's recovery from a hamstring tear is on schedule, meaning he should be back on the pitch in January.   Barcelona says a club doctor examined Messi in Buenos Aires, Argentina,

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  Suspended Neymar gets extra Christmas break

  December 18, 2013 22:18 IST

  Barcelona: Barcelona striker Neymar will start his Christmas holidays three days early, announced team coach Tata Martino Wednesday morning.Neymar, who scored a hat-trick a week ago against Celtic in the Champions League and two goals

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  Bayern cruises into Club World Cup final

  December 18, 2013 12:42 IST

  Agadir, Morocco: Bayern Munich closed in on its fifth trophy of 2013 by brushing aside Guangzhou Evergrande 3-0 Tuesday to reach the Club World Cup final.   Franck Ribery and Mario Mandzukic scored first-half goals to

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  Moggi's sentence in 2006 fixing scandal reduced

  December 18, 2013 12:34 IST

  Naples, Italy: Former Juventus executive Luciano Moggi has had his jail sentence in the 2006 Italian match-fixing scandal reduced to 28 months on appeal.   Moggi was sentenced to 5 years and 4 months in the

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  Sunderland, Man City through to League Cup semis

  December 18, 2013 12:25 IST

  Chelsea conceded late goals in both normal time and extra time to lose 2-1 to Sunderland in the League Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday, while Manchester City also advanced thanks to Edin Dzeko's double at Leicester. 

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  Neymar scores again as Barca advances in Copa

  December 18, 2013 12:11 IST

  Barcelona, Spain: Neymar scored his sixth goal in seven days to cap Barcelona's 3-0 win over Cartagena on Tuesday as it advanced in the Copa del Rey on a 7-1 aggregate score.   With the round-of-32

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  New Zealand Football names new CEO

  December 18, 2013 6:36 IST

  Wellington, New Zealand: Former London Irish rugby club boss Andy Martin has switched sports and been named the new chief executive of New Zealand Football.   Martin, who oversaw the recent buyout of London Irish by

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  Arsenal's Wilshere charged for abusive gesture to City fans

  December 17, 2013 23:13 IST

  London: Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere was charged by the English Football Association on Tuesday for making an abusive gesture toward Manchester City fans during a Premier League match.   Television cameras spotted the England international raising

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  Ronaldinho leads Atletico Madrid against Raja

  December 17, 2013 18:00 IST

  Agadir, Morocco: In a career that has been marked by comical gaffes and emotional miscues, Raja Casablanca's goalkeeper has a chance to continue his standout Club World Cup by stealing the spotlight from Ronaldinho and

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  Croatia player banned for fascist chant

  December 17, 2013 14:01 IST

  Geneva: World football body FIFA handed Croatian defender Josip Simunic a 10-game ban to make him miss the entire 2014 FIFA World Cup after he led fans into a pro-Nazi chant following the play-off win

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  Roma held to 2-2 draw at AC Milan in Serie A

  December 17, 2013 13:53 IST

  Milan: Roma was held to a 2-2 draw at AC Milan on Monday as it lost more ground on Serie A leader and reigning champion Juventus.   Mattia Destro opened the scoring for Roma in the

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  Guerra nets 3, Valladolid wins to escape drop zone

  December 17, 2013 6:43 IST

  Valladolid, Spain: Javi Guerra scored three second-half goals in heavy fog at Jose Zorilla Stadium on Monday to help Valladolid earn a much-needed 3-0 win over 10-man Celta Vigo.   Valladolid's second home victory of the

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  Barcelona gets Manchester City in last 16 of Champions League

  December 16, 2013 17:38 IST

  Nyon, Switzerland: Barcelona will face Manchester City in the last 16 of the Champions League, and Chelsea will meet Galatasaray and its former striker Didier Drogba.   Also, Bayern Munich was paired again with Arsenal, nine-time