´The race against time is on, but we won´t give up´ – Chelsea´s James clinging onto World Cup dream

Hannover have parted company with head coach Mirko Slomka after a disappointing first half of the Bundesliga season.

The two-time German champions are 13th in the table at the halfway stage of the league and sit just four points off the relegation play-off place.

Following their 2-1 defeat to Freiburg last time out, speculation intensified around the German s position, with the club confirming his exit on Friday.

Slomka, who was appointed by the club in 2010, secured the club their Bundesliga status in his first season after spending much of the season in the drop zone.

He then guided the club to a fourth-place finish in his second season thereby qualifying for the UEFA Europa League before finishing seventh and ninth in his next two campaigns.

We have …

China said Sunday it had formally launched investigations of three more former football officials including the ex-head of the Chinese Football Association in a widening gambling and match-fixing probe.

Authorities were investigating former CFA chief Xie Yalong, the national team s ex-manager Wei Shaohui, and Li Dongsheng, the former director of Chinese soccer s referee committee, the police ministry said in a statement.

State media had previously reported the three men had been taken into custody for questioning, but there had been no official confirmation.

China s professional leagues have been plagued with allegations of gambling, match-fixing and crooked referees for years.

That, coupled with the national side s poor performances, have long made the …

Barcelona star Luis Suarez has made it clear that joining Arsenal was never really an option due to his emotional attachment to Liverpool.

Arsenal made a bid for Suarez in the summer of 2013, but Liverpool refused to sell the Uruguayan to a domestic rival.

Suarez went on to enjoy a superb 2013-14 season, scoring 31 Premier League goals to inspire Liverpool s unlikely bid for the title.

The 29-year-old then joined Barcelona, and played a major role in helping the Camp Nou outfit to a treble of La Liga, the Champions League and the Copa del Rey last term.

Suarez and Barca visit Emirates Stadium for the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday, and the in-form striker who has scored 41 goals in all competitions already this season has no r…

Japan star Keisuke Honda is adamant his team can cause an upset by winning the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

Alberto Zaccheroni s Japan are tipped to make a splash at the showpiece event after being drawn against Colombia, Greece and Ivory Coast in Group C.

Former England international Michael Owen believes the Asian champions could reach the quarter-finals at the World Cup but Honda has set his sights higher.

I have kept saying about the aim to win the World Cup and it does not matter how other people think about it, the Milan attacker told reporters ahead of Japan s final warm-up match against Zambia on Friday.

I could not be happier as a football player if there are more people to expect us to win it than before, as a result of having said that.

I w…

Xherdan Shaqiri still has a future at Liverpool, manager Jurgen Klopp revealed during his pre-match press conference ahead of his team s trip to Selhurst Park, where they will face Crystal Palace on Saturday.

The Swiss international has been an important player for the Reds since his arrival from Stoke City in the summer of 2018 and played a vital role in their Champions League triumph, as well as the ultimately doomed Premier League title chase last season. He scored six goals and laid on five assists during the campaign, often bringing new levels of energy from the bench or starting as a rotational option. But he hasn t been able to force his way into the regular starting XI, and that has led to some speculative reports about his future at the club.

Asked about those …

Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde sees no reason why Real Madrid should expect a year of transition after sacking Julen Lopetegui.

The former Spain head coach was dismissed on Monday in the wake of the 5-1 Clasico thrashing at Camp Nou, a result that left Madrid with only one win in seven matches.

Santiago Solari has been placed in temporary charge of the first team while a long-term successor is sought, with Antonio Conte and Roberto Martinez the reported favourites.

Despite the uncertainty around the coaching position, Valverde does not believe Madrid should be discounted from competing for major honours this season.

I don t think that exists, he told a news conference when asked if Madrid are entering a transitional year.  Madrid are like us and they w…

Neil Warnock will relish facing six of his former clubs next season after agreeing a one-year contract extension to stay on as Huddersfield manager.

The 74-year-old came out of retirement in February for a second spell in charge of the Terriers, having previously been their manager from 1993 to 1995, and guided them to safety in the Championship.

The team recorded seven wins and four draws in their final 15 matches of the campaign as they moved out of the relegation zone and finished 18th in the table.

One more year..

— Neil Warnock (@warnockofficial)

Warnock, who confirmed Carl Serrant and Ian Bennett will join his backroom staff as first-team coach and goalkeeping coach respectively, will face former clubs Middlesbrough, Cardiff, Rotherham,…

Celtic manager Ronny Deila has admitted the club are only staving off the inevitable by rejecting Southampton s bid for Fraser Forster.

The England goalkeeper played in Tuesday s 4-0 victory over Icelandic outfit KR, which secured a 5-0 aggregate win and progression to the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League, just hours after Celtic had knocked back a reported £7.5million offer for his services.

Scottish champions Celtic are understood to believe Forster is worth much more, but Deila knows his club will not be able to hold onto the highly-rated gloveman forever.

Nevertheless, the Norwegian hopes to keep Forster beyond the current transfer window.

In the end, something will happen with Fraser, Deila said.

But whether it happens n…

England boss Roy Hodgson has picked eight players under-24 in his 23-man World Cup squad

England boss Roy Hodgson has now named his 23-man squad for the World Cup this summer.

There were few surprises in the squad, but the fact the Three Lions boss is taking eight players under 24 is highly encouraging for the future. Here is the England World Cup squad:

Keepers: Joe Hart, Ben Foster, Fraser Forster

Defenders: Glen Johnson, Leighton Baines, Gary Cahill, Luke Shaw, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Phil Jagielka

Midfielders: Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Jack Wilshere, Ross Barkley, Jordan Henderson, Raheem Sterling, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Adam Lallana, James Milner

Strikers: Wayne Rooney, Daniel Sturridge, Danny Welbeck, Rickie Lambert

…

According to a report from L’Equipe, French champions Paris Saint-Germain have gone ahead and submitted a bid for Idrissa Gueye. Their initial target was Leandro Paredes of Zenit St Petersburg, but after hearing that the Russian club want £40 million for him, they quickly moved on to something new. Gueye has been with Everton since back in 2016 when he made the jump over from Aston Villa, and in that time he’s been able to establish himself as a solid defensive midfielder for the Toffees at Goodison Park.

Paredes is also a Chelsea target and with that kind of competition, many fans can understand PSG’s logic of moving on to something new.

The offer is believed to be in the region of £22 million and while that may be a fairly convincing offer, the question remain…