Ranocchia and Carrizo sign new Inter deals

Italy captain Andrea Ranocchia has signed a four-year contract extension with Inter.

The defender joined the Milan giants from Genoa in January 2011 and has gone on to become a key player.

Ranocchia has racked up 156 appearances for the Serie A outfit and looks set to make many more after agreeing a new deal.

Inter published a short statement on their website revealing that the centre-back s new contract will run until June 30, 2019.

Goalkeper Juan Pablo Carrizo also signed a new contract on Tuesday, extending his stay for a further two years.

Fofana ´will do everything´ to earn spot in France´s World Cup starting 11

Youssouf Fofana says he will do everything possible to earn a place in France s starting line-up at the World Cup in Qatar.

Fofana only made his France debut against Austria in September, but his impressive form in Ligue 1 for Monaco was enough to earn him a spot in Didier Deschamps 26-man squad for the tournament.

Injuries to fellow midfielders Paul Pogba and N Golo Kante mean he may even start for the reigning world champions, potentially alongside former team-mate Aurelien Tchouameni.

The 22-year-old says he will do all he can to receive a place among France s starters for their opening match against Australia on Tuesday.

As a newcomer [to the squad], we come to discover this great competition, Fofana told reporters. Whether you are 23 or 30, the firs…

Anfield fans of more interest to Klopp than Burnley revenge mission

Jurgen Klopp is relishing the opportunity to lead Liverpool at a full Anfield again, insisting memories of the previous meeting with Burnley are far from his mind.

The Reds will be backed by a capacity home crowd for the first time since March 2020, with the coronavirus pandemic meaning fans missed their subsequent Premier League title triumph.

Supporters were also absent in 2020-21, as Liverpool struggled a little, although they maintained an outstanding unbeaten run at home until coming up against Burnley.

Klopp s men had not lost in 68 league matches at Anfield prior to the Clarets 1-0 victory in January, a game in which Liverpool had 26 shots to the visitors six and 72 per cent of the possession.

But Burnley have not won consecutive away league matche…

Bitesize Prediction: Melbourne Victory vs Western Sydney Wanderers – 27/04/24

Market: Both teams to score

Odds: 4/7 @

Looking to make an immediate return to winning ways on Saturday morning, Melbourne Victory will welcome Western Sydney Wanderers to AAMI Park.

Starting with the hosts, after officially accepting that they will be unable to punch a lucrative AFC Champions League ticket this season, Melbourne are sat in pole position to secure a bronze medal finish in 2024. Last seen missing out on what they had billed as a potential opportunity as they had to settle for a 0-0 stalemate against Brisbane, the Victory have lost just one of their previous six A-League appearances. Opening April with a stunning 2-1 victory against bitter local rivals Melbourne City, Tony Popovic’s side have gained a reputation for their largely rugged performa…

Deschamps defends choice to substitute history-chasing Giroud in France win

Didier Deschamps has defended his decision to substitute Olivier Giroud in France s World Cup win over Australia, delaying his bid to become France s all-time leading goalscorer outright.

Giroud equalled Thierry Henry s record of 51 goals for France with a brace on Tuesday, helping Les Bleus fight back to post a 4-1 win in their Group D contest.

However, the striker was replaced by Marcus Thuram in the closing stages, meaning he will have to wait until Saturday s meeting with Denmark for another chance to seize the record for himself.

Deschamps was defensive when asked why he withdrew Giroud in his post-match press conference, responding: Would you like to take my place and be the coach?

Olivier Giroud did what he does best, he scored goals. You have t…

Fiorentina demand more for Jovetic

Fiorentina have reportedly asked Juventus to include Luca Marrone in their offer for Stevan Jovetic.

The Turin giants saw their previous bid of 13 million euros plus Alessandro Matri and Michele Pazienza turned down by Fiorentina, who were initially holding out for a transfer fee of 30m.

However, Fiorentina could now accept an offer in the region of 22m plus 50 per cent of the economical rights of Marrone, as head coach Vincenzo Montella sees the 22-year-old midfielder as a useful addition to his squad.

Juventus coach Antonio Conte considers Marrone to be an important player for the future, and would support the idea of seeing the former Italy Under-21 starlet earn first-team experience elsewhere as long as the Serie A champions can re-sign him in the future.

Wanderers capture Ono from Shimizu

Western Sydney Wanderers have confirmed the signing of experienced Japanese midfielder Shinji Ono from Shimizu S-Pulse.

Ono, 33, is due to arrive in Australia on Monday and could be available for Western Sydney s A-League debut at home to Central Coast Mariners on October 6.

After beginning his career with Urawa Red Diamonds in 1998, Ono s career has taken him to Eredivisie side Feyenoord, German club VfL Bochum and back to the J.League with S-Pulse, as well as a second spell as Urawa.

He was capped 58 times for Japan between 1998 and 2008, appearing at the 1998, 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups.

We have been in talks with Shinji and his management for a long time now, we have gone through the process and believe he will add a large amount to our squad acr…

BATE abandon tactical plan for Barcelona

BATE have opted to forgo their usual tactical plan to try to stop Barcelona, according to head coach Aleksandr Yermakovich. 

The Belarusian champions who clinched their 10th consecutive domestic title at the weekend last faced Barca in the Champions League group stage of the 2011-12 season, when they were beaten 5-0 at home and 4-0 at Camp Nou.

Ahead of another daunting trip to face the reigning Spanish and European champions, Yermakovich says they have learned from those defeats that overburdening the players with pre-game analysis can prove costly.

This game will decide our hopes, he said on Monday. Four years ago, we also played against Barcelona but then overloaded the team with tactical knowledge. We gave the players a lot of information but it did not he…

Tevez thrilled with Boca league success

An emotional Carlos Tevez revelled in Boca Juniors Argentine Primera Division success on Sunday.

A first-half header from Fabian Monzon saw Boca to a 1-0 win over Tigre in Buenos Aires for their first league crown since the 2011 Apertura.

Tevez scored five goals in 12 league games after returning to his boyhood club from Juventus in June.

The 31-year-old was delighted to bring the title back to Boca.

These guys needed this championship. From now on it s going to be a new Boca, Tevez said.

I ve left many sides a champion, but this feeling is unexplainable.

Boca are six points clear at the top with a game remaining in the league campaign.

Blatter lawyer: No evidence of “improper motivation” in Platini agreement

Sepp Blatter s lawyer Richard Cullen claims there is no evidence of any improper motivation in an agreement between FIFA and Michel Platini which resulted in the pair being banned from all football-related activities.

FIFA president Blatter and vice-president Platini were handed 90-day suspensions by the Ethics Commission in early October over a disloyal payment made to the Frenchman in 2011.

The pair deny any wrongdoing but had their appeals against the bans rejected by FIFA s Appeal Committee on Wednesday.

Blatter s lawyer revealed they will press forward with attempts to clear the outgoing president s name and claimed there is no evidence to support allegations of wrongdoing.

President Blatter is disappointed by today s decision of the Appeal Committe…