BOURNEMOUTH: The first weekend of semi-automated offside decisions in English soccer descended into confusion on Saturday as Bournemouth had a goal ruled out after a record eight-minute VAR check.

LOS ANGELES: World number one Aryna Sabalenka praised on Friday the WTA’s mission to highlight the personalities of its athletes and called Saudi Arabia’s investment in the women’s tennis tour an important part of growing the game.

MIAMI - Lionel Messi said his decision to join Major League Soccer club Inter Miami as a free agent was fuelled by his struggles at Paris St Germain, describing it as a period he “didn’t enjoy.”

AMMAN: Iraq want their World Cup qualifier against Palestine next month moved from the Jordanian capital of Amman, having also knocked back a Palestinian proposal to stage the match just outside Jerusalem.

MELBOURNE: When former Australia forward Sarah Walsh recalls their 2006 Women's Asian Cup final defeat by China, she remembers a sea of red-clad Chinese fans outnumbering locals in a crowd of about 5,000 at Adelaide's Hindmarsh Stadium.

IRAQ want their World Cup qualifier against Palestine next month moved from the Jordanian capital of Amman, having also knocked back a Palestinian proposal to stage the match just outside Jerusalem.

TURIN: Empoli beat Juventus 4-2 on penalties to advance to their first ever Coppa Italia semi-finals on Wednesday after a resilient performance helped them to hold the defending champions to a 1-1 draw in regular time.

ZURICH: Sepp Blatter, the former head of soccer’s global governing body FIFA, is looking forward to clearing his name at a new court hearing into allegations he made corrupt payments to French footballing great Michel Platini.

MIAMI: Lionel Messi has been fined an undisclosed amount by Major League Soccer after grabbing the neck of a New York City assistant coach at the end of Saturday's game.

JAKARTA: Indonesia appointed former Barcelona sporting director Jordi Cruyff as the national team’s technical adviser, the football federation said on Tuesday, in a revamp that has already seen former Netherlands forward Patrick Kluivert named coach.

Feyenoord have confirmed Robin van Persie as their new coach, a return to the club where he started and ended his illustrious playing career, after a deal was reached to release him from his position at Heerenveen.

FORT LAUDERDALE, United States: Lionel Messi and Inter Miami stumbled out of the blocks with a 2-2 home draw against New York City FC in the opening round of the new Major League Soccer season on Saturday.

FORMER France striker Karim Benzema was delighted to help Al-Ittihad secure a 4-1 victory over Al-Hilal in a top-of-the-table clash on Saturday, maintaining their dominance in the Saudi Pro League.

MADRID: Spain’s High Court has found former soccer federation head Luis Rubiales guilty of sexual assault for kissing player Jenni Hermoso without her consent and fined him over 10,000 euros (US$10,434) in a case which caused a nationwide furore.

LOS ANGELES: Lionel Messi shrugged off sub-zero temperatures to score the only goal as Inter Miami defeated Sporting Kansas City 1-0 in their weather-delayed CONCACAF Champions Cup first-leg clash on Wednesday.

ARSENAL made an overall loss of £17.7 million (US$22.29 million) in the 2023-24 financial year despite record revenue after wage costs increased nearly 40 per cent as the Premier League club announced their financial results on Wednesday.

ITALIAN Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is clashing with the country's judiciary in the same way her old political ally and mentor Silvio Berlusconi used to, promising a once-in-a-lifetime overhaul of the legal system.

LIONEL MESSI’S Inter Miami Champions Cup match against Sporting Kansas City has been postponed due to adverse weather conditions, including heavy snowfall, the North American soccer body CONCACAF said on Monday.

MILANO: Exor has not sold any shares in Italian soccer club Juventus to cryptocurrency firm Tether, a spokesman for the Agnelli family holding company said yesterday.

MADRID: Real Madrid are close to agreeing a contract extension with Vinicius Jr after discussions began in January amid interest from Saudi Arabia to sign FIFA’s Player of the Year to a record-breaking deal, multiple sources told Reuters on Thursday.