Sunday Oliseh honeymoon over at Nigeria following first defeat

Vincent Enyeama, the Nigeria captain, has retired following a row with coach Sunday Oliseh.

DR Congo won 2-0 against Nigeria in Thursday evening's friendly to inflict a first defeat on new coach Sunday Oliseh. However, the build-up to the game was overshadowed by reports of a rift with goalkeeper and captain Vincent Enyeama, leading to the retirement of the country's record appearance holder.

Sir Alex Ferguson backs Jose Mourinho to find solution at Chelsea

Sports house sits down with Sir Alex Ferguson to discuss Chelsea's poor form this season, where he feels Jose Mourinho will get Chelsea back on track.

Sir Alex Ferguson has backed Chelsea to regain their usual elite form under Jose Mourinho after a dismal start to the Premier League season.

Michel Platini lodges appeal against FIFA suspension

UEFA President Michel Platini is appealing against the 90-day ban imposed by FIFA over allegations of corruption.

 

Platini, head of European soccer's governing body UEFA, was suspended on Thursday along with FIFA president Sepp Blatter by the Ethics Committee of soccer's governing body, pending a full investigation. Both men deny wrongdoing.

Paper Round: I'll miss Manchester derby and be out for a month, says Aguero

Striker Sergio Aguero, injured during Argentina's shock 2-0 home defeat by Ecuador in a World Cup qualifier, says he will miss the Manchester derby.

 

Aguero tore a muscle in his left thigh half an hour into the team's opening South American qualifier for the 2018 World Cup in Russia at the River Plate stadium on Thursday.

SILVA INJURED ON SPAIN DUTY

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The Manchester City midfielder limped off during the opening stages of La Roja's clash with Luxembourg, with the hosts looking to seal their qualification for Euro 2016

Spain midfielder David Silva was substituted after just 10 minutes of his country's Euro 2016 qualifier againstLuxembourg after sustaining a calf injury. 

Mario Gotze out for up to 12 weeks with muscle injury

Mario Gotze will be out for between 10 and 12 weeks after picking up an injury on international duty with Germany, Bayern Munich have confirmed.

Gotze limped off midway through the first half of Germany's 1-0 defeat to the Republic of Ireland on Thursday, after appearing to pull a muscle during a battle for possession with Everton's James McCarthy.

Sunderland appoint Sam Allardyce as manager on a two-year deal

Sunderland have named Sam Allardyce as their new manager on a two-year deal.

 

The Premier League club announced the news on Friday evening, having opened talks with him in a bid to replace Dick Advocaat, who left his post last Sunday.

FERGUSON 'WORRIED' ABOUT LIVERPOOL'S KLOPP APPOINTMENT

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The former Manchester United boss is a fan of the Reds' new coach and believes he will be a success at Anfield

Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has joked he is "worried" about Liverpool's appointment of Jurgen Klopp

The Reds confirmed the arrival of the 48-year-old - who left Borussia Dortmund in May - on a three-year contract on Thursday, following the sacking of Brendan Rodgers.

DIEGO COSTA: I WAS OVERWEIGHT

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Diego Costa has conceded he turned up for pre-season training overweight as he attempted to deflect blame for Chelsea’s poor start away from Jose Mourinho.

 

Costa has found the net just once in the Premier League this season, a far cry from his tally of nine at the same stage last year.

OFFICIAL: KLOPP NAMED NEW LIVERPOOL MANAGER

Liverpool have officially announced Jurgen Klopp as their new manager, ending days of speculation after the sacking of Brendan Rodgers.

 

The club have called a media conference for 10am (BST) on Friday to unveil the former Borussia Dortmund coach.

Michel Platini slams FIFA over 'deliberate leak,' still wants presidency

Michel Platini has said he still wants to stand as FIFA president and claimed reports that he could be handed a 90-day suspension by the FIFA Ethics Committee are "essentially an attempt to damage my reputation."

It was reported on Wednesday that it had been recommended that FIFA president Sepp Blatter be given a 90-day suspension, and UEFA president Platini may face the same sanction.

IS BENITEZ DAYS NUMBERED AT REAL MADRID?

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The conflict between manager and captain is not an isolated case, but a reflection of a general disenchantment within the dressing room where the Spaniard has not been fully accept

Real Madrid dropped two points on Sunday at the Vicente Calderon. It was a result that left a sour taste in the mouth but Rafa Benitez’s teething problems do not begin and end with matters on the pitch, far from it. 

Paper Round: Jurgen Klopp could lure Steven Gerrard back to Liverpool

Could Steven Gerrard head back toLiverpool and what will Jurgen Klopp do in January? That and more from the Thursday papers.

 

Gerrard could return to Liverpool - LA Galaxy are concerned that Jurgen Klopp could lure Steven Gerrard back to Liverpool, according to The Mirror. 

Big-game player? Bayern showdown holds key to Mesut Ozil redemption

Osayo says Mesut Ozil has reason to fear Bayern Munich, but Arsenal's next Champions League match could be the making of him.

 

It was one of the darkest nights of his Arsenal career. Eight minutes into the first leg of a Champions League last-16 fixture against Bayern Munich in 2014 and Mesut Ozil’s awful penalty was batted away with contemptuous ease byManuel Neuer.

Carlo Ancelotti expects Chelsea to keep faith in manager Jose Mourinho and has ruled out returning to work this season.

 

Former Blues boss Ancelotti has seen the London side struggle in the early stages of their Premier League title defence.

Sepp Blatter ‘provisionally suspended for 90 days by FIFA’

Sepp Blatter has been provisionally suspended for 90 days by FIFA's ethics committee, according to reports.

 

It comes after the committee met to discuss the cases of the FIFA president and his UEFA counterpart Michel Platini.

DO POGBA FIT IN A NUMBER 10 ROLE?

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The former Manchester United midfielder is struggling to adapt to life in a new role as the Serie A champions are without familiar faces to guide him along

Just as Juventus have struggled to muster a positive start to their Serie A title defence, France midfielder Paul Pogba has failed to take up the mantle of being the Turin side’s star player.

Bayern Munich stay top but Barcelona slip down the Power Rankings

The top two remain the same but last season's treble winners take a big tumble down wale Top 10.

1. Bayern Munich (no change)

My ESPN FC colleague Ale Moreno put it best when he said, in the aftermath of Bayern's 5-1 thrashing of Borussia Dortmund, that the Bundesliga title race is "100 percent over". With Thomas Muller and Robert Lewandowski each scoring twice, Pep Guardiola's side eased past the only other team who had shown any evidence that they could challenge this season.

Vincent Enyeama considering Nigeria future after Sunday Oliseh row

Nigeria captain Vincent Enyeama's international future is in the balance after a bust-up with coach Sunday Oliseh on Tuesday night.

Enyeama arrived at the Nigeria camp on Tuesday, one day past Monday's deadline, after attending his mother's funeral over the weekend in his home town.

MATA BACKS DIEGO COSTA AFTER SPAIN AXING

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The Chelsea forward was left in the cold for the clashes against Luxembourg and Ukraine, but his national team-mate insisted that with patience he would find his way back

Juan Mata has defended Diego Costa's form for Spain after the striker was left out of the national squad and replaced by Alvaro Morata for the upcoming Euro 2016 qualifiers.

Zinedine Zidane, Michael Ballack, Dennis Bergkamp and more set to play in 2017 'Legends World Cup'

Mexico is set to play host to what is likely to be a much-anticipated semi-competitive football tournament, two years from now.

ESPN Deportes are reporting that a Legends World Cup will be staged across three cities in Mexico - Monterrey, Guadalajara and Mexico City - with a total of 12 nations participating.

Players aged between 35 and 45 will be invited to compete in 60-minute matches with unlimited substitutions.

Not only that, but proceeds from the tournament will go to charity - likely to be various Mexican foundations.

Further details will apparently be revealed this coming January, but - come on! The prospect of some of the coolest footballing names of the last two decades reuniting for a friendly tournament is far too exciting for us to wait three months before indulging in wild speculation.

First and foremost, we'll cover what already seems to be a lock...

Paper Round: Chelsea face £37m bill if they want to fire Jose Mourinho

Jurgen Klopp has agreed to take overLiverpool, while it will cost Chelsea a ton to dump Jose Mourinho. That and more from Wednesday's papers.

 

Firing Mourinho would cost Chelsea £37.5m - Chelsea aren't ready to fire Jose Mourinho yet, but The Star claim that they will be on the hook for £37.5 million if they do. Mourinho's contract pays him £10m per year and it doesn't expire until the summer of 2019. Roman Abramovich has paid huge sums to get rid of managers before - £12.6m to Luiz Felipe Scolari, £12m for Andre Villas-Boas and £6m toCarlo Ancelotti - but this would be the largest by far.

What makes Jurgen Klopp the logical hire for the Liverpool job

Just hours after Brendan Rodgers' sacking was confirmed on Sunday evening, it became clear that there were only two genuine contenders to take the vacant Liverpool post. Football moves quickly these days, and immediate action was required.

Dybala, El Ghazi, Gnoukouri, Minamino, Semedo - Five uncapped stars to watch

England manager Roy Hodgson caused a bit of stir when hecalled up 19-year-old Dele Alli to his squad for the Euro 2016 qualifiers against Estonia and Lithuania this month. But the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder is not the only promising young player set to get his first taste of senior international action over the next week or so.

NEDVED WARNS POGBA: YOU CAN'T HAVE EVERYTHING

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The Old Lady director has warned the club's star midfielder that he needs to focus on being more effective and less stylish on the pitch

Juventus director Pavel Nedved has warned Paul Pogba he "cannot have everything" at such a young age and feels the time has come for less style and more substance in his performances.

Jose Mourinho is acting like he wants the sack

Oduware says Jose Mourinho's behaviour - to the club, the media and his players - gives the impression he wants Chelsea to sack him.

 

If you examine Jose Mourinho's behaviour recently it wouldn't be much of a stretch to conclude that this is a man who is seeking the sack. I think you can tell he is already looking to move on from Chelsea. He has lost a few games and I don’t think he fancies the battle at Stamford Bridge.

HONDA HITS BACK AT MIHAJLOVIC: THERE'S NO POINT IN BLAMING THE PLAYERS

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The Japanese midfielder has responded to his manager's criticisms, pointing the finger at the Serbian coach for the club's poor form

AC Milan playmaker Keisuke Honda has hit back at Sinisa Mihajlovic, saying the current squad of players are not to blame for the club's fall from grace.

Jose Mourinho: I would only quit if I lost support of Chelsea dressing room

Jose Mourinho says he will only quitChelsea if he loses the backing of the players.

 

Jose Mourinho says he will only quit Chelsea if he loses the backing of the players.

Mourinho is in the midst of the worst run of results of his trophy-laden career, but he remains happy with his handling of Chelsea's miserable season, saying: "I am not afraid, I'm not crying, I'm not desperate".

BENZEMA 'FED UP' OF BENITEZ SUBSTITUTING HIM

The striker refused to criticise his coach but did express his alarm at continually being taken off, while the Madrid boss says it was for tactical reasons

Karim Benzema is "fed up" of being substituted by Real Madridcoach Rafael Benitez but refrained from criticising the Santiago Bernabeu boss.

Liverpool 'make contact with Jurgen Klopp and Carlo Ancelotti

Liverpool have made contact with representatives of Jurgen Klopp and Carlo Ancelotti following the sacking of Brendan Rodgers, according to a report on Monday morning.

 

Multiple reports from various sources suggest that the wheels are already in motion for the appointment of a new boss.

Bayern Munich hit five as Borussia Dortmund are demolished

Bundesliga, Allianz Arena - Bayern Munich5 (Muller 26' 35' Lewandowski 46' 58' Gotze 68') Borussia Dortmund 1 (Aubameyang 37')

 

Bayern Munich crushed Dortmund 5-1 at the Allianz Arena with two goals apiece for Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller.