Anti-racism message driven home prior to semis

In front of hordes of watching cameras Euro 2008 finalists Spain underwent a light training session here on Friday morning just hours after knocking out Russia on Thursday.

Luis Aragones title contenders were in relaxed mood at the Franz Horr stadium ahead of Sunday s date with Germany.

But striker David Villa s hopes of lining up against Michael Ballack and company look non existent as the competition s leading goalscorer underwent tests in a Vienna hospital on the calf injury he picked up in the 3-0 win over the Russians.

David s a very important player for us, hopefully we can win the trophy and celebrate it with him, said Xabi Alonso of the forward whose four goals have helped lift Spain to their first final since 1984.

Villa came off in the 34th…

Lionel Messi said Argentina wanted to win a very special match against Chile in World Cup qualifying as Diego Maradona was honoured with a statue prior to kick-off on Thursday.

Argentina and Napoli great Maradona – widely considered to be one of football s greatest ever players – died at the age of 60 after suffering heart failure in November last year.

A World Cup winner with Argentina and two-time Serie A champion during his time at Napoli, Maradona was at the centre of a touching tribute as Messi and the La Albiceleste players gathered outside Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades to unveil a statue of the country icon before the 1-1 draw with Chile.

Messi s 24th-minute penalty was cancelled out by Alexis Sanchez 12 minutes later in Argentina s first match since…

For months now various reports have been naming Liverpool among the front-runners for the signature of Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham this summer, along with Manchester City and Real Madrid. On Monday, David Ornstein of The Athletic expressed his view that the transfer of the 19-year-old midfielder to Anfield looks unlikely at the moment, not believing the Merseysiders capable of beating such financially powerful opposition in a potential bidding war.

With no release clause in Bellingham s contract, Dortmund would, of course, hold the key to the situation, being in the position to choose an offer to accept or reject them all, but according to Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool have no intention of giving up. Their hope, unlike that of their rivals on this particular front, rest…

“It would be a dream to return to Madrid as soon as possible. I would be lying if I said something else”.

Those are the words of Achraf Hakimi, who has admitted that he is interested in returning to Real Madird during the summer transfer window. The 20 year old has been with Real for well over a decade now since singing onto their youth setup, and has even made a few appearances for their first team. However, the Morocco international, who featured at the 2018 FIFA World Cup for his nation, has been on loan with Borussia Dortmund since last year. He has another year on his current loan deal, but seems to prefer the idea of an early return to the Bernabeu.

Zinedine Zidane has made it clear that he wants to make some big changes during the summer, but it’s not yet k…

Guangzhou Evergrande have dismissed claims they are close to completing a mega-money move for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as completely groundless after the Chinese Super League threatened action against any club entering into a bidding war for the Borussia Dortmund striker.

Reports in China over the weekend suggested Guangzhou had beaten CSL counterparts Beijing Guoan to Aubameyang s signature, with a €72million deal in place to complete the transfer at the end of the Bundesliga season.

Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke refused to comment on the latest speculation regarding the Gabon international s future but the CSL issued a robust statement on Tuesday warning Guangzhou and Beijing Guoan against pursuing a deal that would contravene league spending regulati…

Mexico coach Miguel Herrera believes Neymar will pose the biggest threat for Brazil at the FIFA World Cup.

Herrera s side take on the hosts in Group A on June 17 looking for a repeat of the success they enjoyed against the Brazilians in the final of the 2012 Olympic Games.

Oribe Peralta scored twice to hand Mexico gold, although Brazil got their revenge with a win at the FIFA Confederations Cup last year.

If Mexico are to pick up a victory in Fortaleza, Herrera feels they must stop Neymar by cutting off the supply line to the Barcelona man.

I feel he is Brazil s most gifted player. He s the figurehead of this team and currently of this World Cup, as it s on home soil, he told FIFA.com .

We ll have to be really on our toes to stop a player of his ability.…

Benfica are set to complete the signing of German midfielder Yannick Gerhardt from FC Koln, .

The Eagles seem to have agreed a transfer fee with the German side, and the deal looks set to be wrapped up in the coming days.

A Bola is reporting that Gerhardt has arrived in Lisbon together with his father and official representative and he is currently undergoing a medical.

If all goes well, the Germany Under-20 international will put pen to paper on a five-year contract with the Portuguese giants.

Yannick Gerhardt has spent his entire career up to date at Koln, playing for the youth team and the reserves during the 2012/2013 season .

However, the 20-year-old impressed in his first ever senior campaign, scoring 3 goals and producing 4 assists in 29 …

Lionel Messi would threaten the balance at Paris Saint-Germain if he joined the club from Barcelona, says Arsene Wenger.

Six-time Ballon d Or winner Messi has been linked with PSG and Manchester City after failing to engineer a move away from Camp Nou in the close season.

The 33-year-old was not allowed to leave the club on a free transfer and is expected to depart when his contract expires at the end of the campaign.

But with PSG already possessing Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, former Arsenal and Monaco boss Wenger wonders whether there is truly a need for Messi at the Parc des Princes.

Lionel Messi is one of the two best players in the world. Those who will replace Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi are already at PSG, Wenger said to Europe 1.

After that…

David Turnbull scored his first Celtic goal as the Hoops overcame Lille 3-2 to end their Europa League campaign on a high note and ease some of the pressure on Neil Lennon.

A dismal run of form has piled the pressure on Celtic boss Lennon and, despite a spirited display from his youthful side, it looked as though they would be extending their winless run to six matches.

Timothy Weah s maiden Lille goal – a fantastic volley from just inside the area – had made it 2-2, cancelling out Callum McGregor s first-half penalty, which came at the end of a frenetic seven-minute flurry in which Christopher Jullien and Jonathan Ikone also netted.

Lille looked well placed to push on and seal a win which would have seen them top Group H when Weah, son of Liberia legend G…

Turkey international Arda Turan is edging closer to a move away from Barcelona as the Catalan giants already made their midfielder available for transfer.

The 29-year-old Turkish star signed for Barcelona last summer from Atletico Madrid for a fee in excess of €40 million, but has made just nine La Liga starts last season during which he was forced to spend almost six months on the sidelines due to Barcelona’s transfer ban.

Turan ended the 2015-16 season with a couple of below-par performances for Turkey at the 2016 European Championship finals in France and Barcelona have already placed him on the transfer list, according to .

The Camp Nou outfit are ready to let their player go for €26.5 million and Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund and Fenerbahce have already …