Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola hailed the unique talents of Lionel Messi after the Argentina forward's five goals against Bayer Leverkusen last night eased the holders into the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

Juan Mata yesterday revealed that Fernando Torres had turned down a chance to end his long search for a Chelsea goal against Birmingham City on Tuesday because he wasn't "first on the list" to take penalties.

The Fifa president, Sepp Blatter, has asked for talks with Brazil's president, Dilma Rousseff, as concerns grow about the collapse of the relationship between football's governing body and the 2014 World Cup hosts.

Blackpool boss Ian Holloway admits talks to bring former England striker Robbie Fowler to Bloomfield Road have hit a stumbling block.

Sepp Blatter's unopposed re-election as Fifa president last year should be the subject of an internal investigation into whether he unfairly exploited his position, according to a Council of Europe assembly committee.

An investigation was under way last night after two trains running on the same track crashed head-on in southern Poland, leaving 16 people dead and 58 injured in the country's worst rail disaster in more than 20 years.

The Fifa president, Sepp Blatter, insists he would "die" if he witnesses another World Cup goal-line blunder such as Frank Lampard's disallowed goal for England in 2010.

Sir Trevor Brooking, a key figure in the Football Association's recruitment of the new England manager, would not allow any personal issues to affect his judgement as to whether Harry Redknapp is a suitable candidate for the role, it is understood.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is still in his prime and surely must be coveted by the Premier League’s big spenders

Birmingham have confirmed the Football League have placed them under a transfer embargo after they failed to submit their club accounts on time.

This compilation of Michael Palin and Terry Jones's absurd half-hour adventure parodies from the Seventies is worth it alone for the stupendous send-up of British public schools in Tomkinson's Schooldays, in which pupils wrestle grizzly bears, beat their headmaster and are nailed to the school walls on St Tadger's Day.

Portsmouth administrator Trevor Birch has today revealed the club may not be able to complete the npower Championship season.

Grant Millington is in line to make his delayed debut for Castleford tomorrow night. The Canterbury Bulldogs prop has been sidelined with the after- effects of shoulder surgery since arriving from Australia.

No 8 forced to return to club rather than rest with country while Narraway chooses move to France