Germany captain Michael Ballack has been forced out of the World Cup finals due to an ankle injury which has sidelined him for two months, the German football federation said on Monday.

Barcelona made it four league titles in six seasons as they retained the La Liga crown on the final day of the season with a 4-0 win over Valladolid on Sunday to finish three points ahead of arch-rivals Real Madrid.

Hosts South Africa launched their World Cup countdown with a 4-0 thrashing of Thailand on Sunday in the opening match at Mbombela Stadium.

England’s hopes of hosting the 2018 World Cup were rocked on Sunday when bid chief David Triesman stood down following a newspaper report in which he appeared to make bribery allegations against rival

Germany captain Michael Ballack will not find out his World Cup fate until Monday because heavy swelling on his injured right ankle has delayed an MRI scan by 24 hours.

Mohun Bagan made amends for an embarrassing loss earlier in the season by beating arch rivals East Bengal 2-1 in their I-League encounter at the Salt Lake Stadium on Sunday.

Barcelona will need to keep the euphoria in check if they are to hold onto the La Liga title in what promises to be a nerve-jangling final day of the Spanish season on Sunday.

Didier Drogba’s second-half free-kick ensured Premier League champions Chelsea completed a domestic double for the first time in the club’s history by beating Portsmouth 1-0 in the FA Cup final on Saturday.

Some still sniffily dismiss Chelsea as arriviste upstarts but by becoming the seventh club to complete the double on Sunday they would take another solid step in establishing themselves as real football heavyweights.
Having won the Premier League title in scintillating style with an 8-0 thrashing of Wigan Athletic last week, C

England footballer David Beckham and Australian football chief Frank Lowy handed in their nations’ bids to host football’s World Cup in 2018 or 2022 to Fifa here on Friday.