On April 1, the draw for the 2022 FIFA World Cup took place in Doha. 29 teams took part in it. Three more finalists will be announced in the summer:

• In Europe, Wales will face the winner of the semi-final play-off between Scotland and Ukraine.
• In Qatar, the Peruvians will meet with the winner of the match between Australia and the United Arab Emirates.
• Also in Qatar, New Zealand will play with Costa Rica.

Clear favorites for the 2022 World Cup

Analysts identify three main favorites of the tournament. These are the teams of Brazil, England, and France. For their victory, the betting companies from the bet9ja SA review list offer the lowest odds, which corresponds to a high percentage of success for these teams.

The Brazilian national team is considered the main contender for the championship with 5.5 odds (18%). The team went to the world championship a year before its start, easily winning the South American qualification. In 17 matches, the Brazilians could not win only three, and in eight home games, their goal was hit only once. The difference between goals scored and conceded is simply amazing: 40:5. A third of the goals were scored by Neymar and Richarlison.

You can bet on the triumph of the England team with 6.5 odds (15% probability). Only an unsuccessful penalty shoot-out prevented the British from winning the European Championship at home. Fans have already seen this when the French team lost the Euro 2016 final at home and then staged an extravaganza at the 2018 World Cup. Perhaps the same is true for the British. They have a young and ambitious team that recently set a national record of 21 consecutive games without defeat, excluding penalties.

The French team is the reigning world champion. The odds that the French will defend the title is 6.5 (15%). Didier Deschamps’ players failed at the Euro, taking off in the first round, rather lazily qualified for the World Cup, but replenished the collection of trophies by winning the League of Nations. At the World Cup, the French will have a balanced squad, rich experience, and, of course, the main star Kylian Mbappe.

Who can be the shadow favorite of the tournament

The Italian team which became the champion of Europe could be on this list. However, a defeat from the Macedonians prevented them from breaking through to the World Cup.

The Spanish national team might be an interesting option. Analysts give 9.0 odds for their victory, which corresponds to an 11% probability. Under the leadership of Luis Enrique, the Spaniards play actively and achieve good results. Only a failure in the penalty shoot-out prevented the team from reaching the Euro final, but the team reached the final of the League of Nations, preventing the Italian team from extending a record unbeaten streak.

10.0 odds (10%) are offered for the victory of the Argentina national team. The current winners of the America's Cup have a strong squad. Lautaro Martinez and Lionel Messi could well help their team light up the World Cup. In addition, the Argentines were not much worse than Brazil at the qualifying stage, also without losing a single match.

The Portugal national team with 13.0 odds (8%) is the third shadow favorite. The Portuguese have possibly the best offensive line on the planet. The team includes Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, Diogo Jota, Joao Felix and Cristiano Ronaldo. These tough players are too different in age, and therefore they may no longer play together in the world championships. However, in the play-offs, the Portuguese had difficult matches with the Turks and Macedonians, and therefore there are some doubts that they will be able to win the World Cup.

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The Chinese transfer window closed on Friday and a deal could not be reached for the 35-year-old Santos forward, who was the leading scorer in last season's Brazilian league championship, Xinhua reported.

Santos club president Modesto Roma Junior had previously said that the striker could leave for 12 million euros (about $13.25 million).

The values involved in the negotiation have not been revealed to the press, but Oliveira had agreed to pay $4.5 million of his own money to force through a transfer.

However, after the collapse of the deal, Oliveira confirmed he will continue to honour his contract with Santos, which expires at the end of the 2017 season.

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Zurich, Feb 26 (IANS) Gianni Infantino of Switzerland became the new head of world football's governing body after emerging triumphant in the FIFA presidential elections here on Friday.

Infantino won 115 of the 207 votes in the second round of the elections. Shaikh Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa of Bahrain was second with 88 votes, and Prince Ali al-Hussein of Jordan got four votes. Jerome Champagne, the fourth candidate in the fray, did not get any votes in the second stage.

A candidate needs more than 50 percent of the votes in the second stage of the FIFA elections in order to be declared as the winner.

Infantino thus became the ninth FIFA president. The 45-year-old Swiss succeeded Sepp Blatter who stepped down from the post last year following a corruption scandal which led to a massive outcry.

Blatter, who had led world football's governing body since 1998, was later banned from football for six years.

Earlier, the first round of polling did not yield a decisive result as no candidate managed to garner the required two-thirds majority. According to the FIFA rules, a candidate needs 138 votes out of 207 to clinch the elections in the first round.

Infantino had won 88 votes in the first round, closely followed by Salman with 85. Ali had bagged 27 votes while Champagne got seven.

It is the first time that voting for the FIFA elections had reached a second round since 1974, when Joao Havelange of Brazil became the first non-European president ahead of England's Stanley Rous.

There were originally five candidates in the running to decide the most powerful man in world football.

But Tokyo Sexwale of South Africa had pulled out out of the presidential race just before member associations of world football's governing body were due to start voting here on Friday.

Tokyo was considered to be a rank outsider in the FIFA elections and did not have the backing of the Confederation of African Football (CAF). The CAF had announced its support for Asian confederation president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa last month.

A former prisoner in an anti-apartheid jail with Nelson Mandela, the South African had conducted a low-key campaign and there seemed to be a real chance that he might not win any of the 207 votes in the first round.

Infantino elected new FIFA chief

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Tokyo, a minister in the South African government, was one of five candidates who were due to stand for elections to decide a successor to previous FIFA chief Sepp Blatter.

Blatter stepped down from the post last year following a corruption scandal which led to a massive outcry. He was later banned from football for six years.

"I suspend my participation. I leave only four people," Tokyo told the Fifa congress.

"It's your problem now," the 62-year-old added, turning to the other candidates.

The withdrawal leaves four candidates -- Gianni Infantino, Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa, Prince Ali bin al-Hussein and Jerome Champagne -- in the race.

"No matter which candidate won, it would be a party. Of course, if it were me, it would be a greater party," Tokyo remarked on a lighter note.

Tokyo was considered to be a rank outsider in the FIFA elections and did not have the backing of the Confederation of African Football (CAF). The CAF had announced its support for Asian confederation president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa last month.

A former prisoner in an anti-apartheid jail with Nelson Mandela, the South African had conducted a low-key campaign and there seemed to be a real chance that he might not win any of the 207 votes in the first round.

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Oliseh, who announced his decision via his official Twitter handle, accused the Nigeria Football Federation of failing to honor the terms of his contract as coach of the Nigeria team, also known as the Super Eagles, reports Xinhua.

"Due to contract violations, lack of support, unpaid wages, benefits to my players, assistant coaches and myself, I resign as Super Eagles' head coach," he tweeted early on Friday.

"I feel fortunate, blessed and eternally grateful for having the honor to play, captain and coach this great nation of ours, Nigeria," he added.

Oliseh's decision to quit his job did not come as a surprise to many. This is because the football coach and his employers had been locking horns following his outburst after being excoriated for his team's dismal performance at a recently held continental tournament in Rwanda.

The Nigeria Football Federation, in its reaction to Oliseh's resignation, took a swipe at his decision to quit his job, seven months after he was appointed head coach of the national team. The local football governing body described the development as "good riddance to bad rubbish".

However, a spokesperson of the football federation Ademola Olajire told Xinhua the coach was yet to turn in a formal letter to properly effect his resignation.

The football body said it has moved on and would inform the public about its decision in the shortest possible time.

Before his resignation, Nigeria was hoping on Oliseh to lead the Super Eagles to a two-leg African Cup of Nations qualifier next month. The football federation said it will now "empanel a new set of technical hands for the team" ahead of the two crucial matches.

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The 'Gunners' are presently fighting in three different championships which can lead to seven games in the next 21 days. Arsenal are two points adrift of Premier League leaders Leicester City with 12 encounters still left.

"It is the key period. We work the whole season for this period and that's where you're really tested but it's where you have an opportunity to show your quality as well. On that front, that is the most interesting period of the season," Wenger was quoted as saying by the club's official website on Friday.

"You can show quality, nerves and desire as well. We need to focus on the Premier League where we have a big part to play. Everybody drops points and it is unpredictable. We have rebuilt a good run in the Premier League and we need to continue that."

The Frenchman added that his side are keen on continuing their good run in the league and are not worried about how much points they can amass.

"How many points that will be needed (to win the title)? We don't know. Let's not set any limit on the number of points we can get. We have put ourselves in a strong position again. We want to take advantage of that and continue our good run in the Premier League," he said.

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The Brazilian striker has drawn criticism for diving and play acting from some corners of the footballing world and Guti is the latest to join in.

"Neymar, Jordi Alba and Dani Alves exaggerate more than necessary when they need to. Neymar deserves the Oscar for best actor for the many films he has done," Guti was quoted as saying by goal.com.

Guti made close to 400 appearances for Madrid during his playing days and believes the Spanish giants can finish the season on a strong note by doing well in the Champions League.

"You have to show the fans that you can go to the end of the season. The championship is practically lost but we must try to make a good Champions League," he said.

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"We know from our own bitter experience at the IOC that this is not an easy process but today we see very clearly how vital our reforms have been. Today is an extraordinary day. You will not only elect a new president but you will also decide on the future of world football," Bach said in a speech at the FIFA Extraordinary Congress here, reports Xinhua.

"You have a great chance to turn the page and start a new chapter for a game we all love so much. The world today takes less for granted and it is our shared responsibility to provide new answers to new questions. The credibility of sport organisations and competitions is the foundation of our mission. This was made clear by the FIFA president and executive committee urging you all to vote in favour of the reforms."

Bach hoped that the delegates will "score winning goals for football" in the congress and decide the future of the sport.

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Considering Indonesia and Kuwait are currently suspended by FIFA, 207 of FIFA member associations present are eligible to vote at the Extraordinary Congress here. The congress will also elect a new FIFA president later in the day, reports Xinhua.

The reforms were based on proposals made by the FIFA Reform Committee and the subsequent recommendations put before the congress by the Executive Committee in the form of draft FIFA Statutes. 179 of 201 valid votes proved the reform plans, 22 members voted against.

The reforms represent an essential step towards the modernization of FIFA's institutional culture in key areas such as the clear separation of political and management functions, term limits, the disclosure of individual compensation, greater recognition and promotion of women in football and a commitment to enshrining human rights in the FIFA Statutes.

Furthermore, they include statutory principles of good governance for member associations and confederations such as compulsory annual independent audit reports as well as independent judicial bodies to ensure a separation of powers on all levels of football structures.

"We stand united in our determination to put things right, so that the focus can return to football once again. The hard work of restoring trust and improving how we work begins now," said acting FIFA president Issa Hayatou.

"This will create a system of stronger governance and greater diversity that will give football a strong foundation on which to thrive. It will help to restore trust in our organisation. And it will deter future wrongdoing."

The main aspects of the approved reforms have been incorporated into unamended version of the FIFA Statutes. The statutory amendments passed will come into effect for the members 60 days after the close of the Congress.

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Platini and FIFA counterpart Sepp Blatter were given eight-year suspensions following an investigation by FIFA's independent ethics committee into a payment of two million Swiss francs by world football's governing body, and authorised by Blatter, to the former France captain in February 2011.

Platini and Blatter had their bans reduced by two years by the FIFA Ethics Committee on Wednesday, though his attempts to have the sanction quashed were dismissed.

The Frenchman confirmed he will take his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and insists he will do everything to have his name cleared.

"I won't commit suicide. I'm not on Valium. My destiny was not to be president of Fifa, but to be in the France team," Platini, who had intended to run in the FIFA presidential elections on Friday, was quoted as saying by French daily L'Equipe on Thursday.

"I'm not a politician, I'm a man of football. And today, I still am. But I will fight to the end against injustice, to have my name cleared, as I have done absolutely nothing wrong," the 60-year-old said.

Platini went on to accuse world football governing body's "bureaucrats" of orchestrating his ignominious exit from football governance and has backed UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino as the right man to succeed Blatter at the head of the organisation.

"The FIFA bureaucrats took power. It's they who have done everything to have me fired. Today, we must know what FIFA we want. Do we want a FIFA of the elected or a FIFA controlled by the bureaucrats? This is the challenge of the coming years. Gianni and I worked together for nine years. He's a hard worker. I have confidence in him," Platini said.

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Murtaza Ahmadi idolises the Argentina international, but his family in rural Ghazni province, to the south-west of the capital Kabul, cannot afford to buy him a real kit.

Ahmadi was sent the Argentina jersey, signed by Messi, after his elder brother Homayoun, 15, made him a plastic shirt with the Barcelona forward's named scrawled in marker pen, before posting the image on Facebook.

Jorge Messi, Lionel's father, confirmed last month his son was aware of the photos and "wants to do something" for his young supporter.

"Murtaza has the real thing now! #LeoMessi helped make his dream come true & gave him signed jerseys & a football," Unicef Afghanistan tweeted on Thursday.

"I love Messi and my shirt says Messi loves me," Ahmadi was quoted as saying by Sky Sports.

Messi is a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef) and the agency helped to get the shirt to the boy.

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Neymar had to settle for third place at the 2015 Fifa Ballon d'Or awards behind Messi and Ronaldo, but Cafu nonetheless said his fellow countryman is already at a higher level than the illustrious duo in one area of his game.

"Looking at his technical skills, I would say Neymar is stronger than Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo right now," the former defender was quoted as saying by goal.com on Wednesday.

Neymar assisted Barcelona to a historic Treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League titles last season. Though he hasn't experienced the same success with Brazil's national team, with whom his World Cup, Olympics and two Copa America campaigns have ended without silverware.

But the former Brazil international is adamant that Neymar is the Selecao's undisputed star, although he has stressed the Barcelona man cannot do it all on his own.

"Neymar is the best Brazilian out there. He is on another level to the other Brazilians. But Brazil need a united team more than anything else. Only a united team can guarantee a strong Selecao,” the 45-year-old, who won the World Cup in 1994 and 2002, said.

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In an interview published on Wednesday by French sports daily L'Equipe, Blatter said, "That day I said to myself - even God has abandoned me - when something like that falls on you it's terrible", reports Efe.

Blatter, who will turn 80 next March, was at the helm of FIFA for 17 years. He said that his fate would have been different if the United States was granted the honour of organising the 2022 World Cup and not Qatar.

Blatter noted that suspended French UEFA president Michel Platini called him in November 2010 and said that he had met former French president Nicolas Sarkozy and the Qatari crown prince, and both confirmed their desire that the Arab country should host the World Cup.

The Swiss raised doubts regarding Platini's personality, and said that the Frenchman advised him to leave FIFA.

Blatter added that Platini told his brother that he must withdraw from the FIFA presidential race for a fifth term or he will end up in prison.

The Swiss explained that he now hopes to restore his reputation, as well as the possibility of the FIFA Congress holding a farewell ceremony for him.

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"It's a completely rubbish story made by an irresponsible and totally ill-informed journalist," Barnett told British newspaper The Mirror on Wednesday, reports Efe.

Bale, 26, who became the world's most expensive footballer in 2013 when he moved from Tottenham Hotspur to Real Madrid for 100 million euros ($109.7 million), has played 17 games with the Spanish club this season in all competitions, in which he scored 13 goals and made 11 assists.

Bale missed the last six matches for Real Madrid due to a muscle injury, while speculation has arisen that he may be sidelined until next Saturday's Madrid derby against Atletico Madrid in week 26 of the competition.

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The Swiss did not imagine even in his wildest dreams that he would be forced to leave his office because of police investigations, or that he would be subjected to sanctions from a committee he established, reports Efe.

His own creation, FIFA's Ethics Committee, was the first to devour him and now it is impossible to detach his name from corruption.

He could not defeat, like he always used to do, those who dared to stand against him in presidential elections, such as the Swede Lennart Johansson in 1998, Cameroon's Issa Hayatou in 2002 and Jordanian Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein in 2015.

Despite his reelection as FIFA president last May 29, and his resignation four days later amid corruption scandals after the arrest of a number of his assistants, Blatter wanted to continue to lead FIFA until the upcoming presidential elections next Friday, but FIFA's Ethics Committee, which he established, cut off this track and suspended him for eight years.

Since his exit in October 2015 Blatter has not been allowed to enter the FIFA headquarters to appeal the decision and to defend himself against the governing body of the world's most popular sport.

FIFA has also requested the Swiss prosecution open an investigation into the granting of Russia and Qatar the rights to organize the FIFA World Cup in 2018 and 2022 respectively.

The main reason for suspending Blatter for eight years, as well as Frenchman Michel Platini, was the approval by the Swiss to give Platini two million euros ($2.24 million) in an "unfair payment" in return for services provided by Platini in 1999 when he was still an ally, before he turned against Blatter later on.

These sanctions have prevented Platini from running for FIFA president in the elections at FIFA headquarters in Zurich next Friday.

During Blatter's era Africa hosted the World Cup for the first time in history, while the door has been opened to allow Australia to host the competition.

The Ballon d'Or award has become more important, while soccer's social responsibility has increased thorough initiatives aimed at integrating sports with anti-racism policies, as well as protecting minors.

The so-called FIFA Goal Project, which granted $1 million to the neediest federations, guaranteed Blatter's stay in FIFA for four consecutive terms at the helm of the organization.

Blatter was born in the Swiss city of Visp in 1936 and is fluent in five languages; English, French, Spanish, German and Italian.

He has a degree in Economics and Business Administration from the University of Lausanne and was a colonel in the Swiss Army.

Since 1975, Blatter's name has been connected with FIFA, where he worked as a general secretary from 1981 to 1998.

The Swiss revealed a few days ago that he does not intend to support any of the current candidates for the FIFA presidential race, although four of them have already talked to him in this regard.

The suspended FIFA president is not giving up when it comes to defending himself, and lamented what he considers as the slaughter of FIFA, pointing out that he is not responsible for crimes committed by people from North America and Latin America.

It seems that this is the end of the Blatter era, an ending which must be very different from what he had imagined during his time as FIFA president.

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The Chinese Football Administrative Center, one of 21 sports departments of China's General Administration of Sport, was abolished last week to give CFA more latitude in making decisions, said a CFA official on Wednesday, reports Xinhua.

The CFA now has autonomy in personnel management, pay rate setting, football marketing and selection of national team coaches.

The separation of football from government control came one year after a top-level team on deepening China's reforms, as led by President Xi Jinping, approved plans to reform the sport.

"We must develop and revitalize soccer to ensure we are a strong nation of sports," Xi, an avid football fan, told a meeting of the Central Reform Leading Group in March 2015.

China must overcome their "defective system", which has impeded the development of the game, and provide better "institutional guarantees" for their progress, said the statement issued after the meeting.

In stark contrast to their huge success in many other sports, China have been struggling in football for decades and only ever qualified for the World Cup once, in 2002.

Xi specifically declared that hosting, qualifying for, and winning a World Cup were national goals.

Companies and businessmen have rushed to put money into football since China approved a 50-point plan last year, including building thousands of football academies, cultivating domestic talent and separating the CFA from the government.

Chinese Super League clubs have spent an unprecedented 317 million euros during the current winter transfer window, which closes on Friday, to bring in foreign stars, many of them internationals.

The Chinese transfer fee record has been smashed four times during the period, culminating in Jiangsu Suning paying Shakhtar Donetsk 50 million euros for Alex Teixeira.

Heavy spending didn't result in good scorelines as megabucks Chinese clubs had a disappointing opening night in the Asian Champions League on Wednesday.

Defending champion Guangzhou Evergrande, led by World Cup winning coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, drew 0-0 with Pohang Steelers of South Korea, while Sven-Goran Eriksson's Shanghai SIPG lost to Melbourne Victory 2-1.

On Tuesday, Shandong Luneng, guided by former Brazil coach Mano Menezes, edged past Japan's Sandrecce Hiroshima 2-1 but Jiangsu Suning was held to 1-1 by Binh Duong of Vietnam.

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In the first half of the match on Wednesday, the first main chance was for the visitors when Luciano Vietto was denied a goal by PSV defender Jeffrey Bruma, Xinhua news agency reported.

The following opportunities were for Atletico as well with PSV goalkeeper Jeroen Zoet saving attempts by Koke and Antoine Griezmann.

The first half ended with some chances for Jurgen Locadia and Davy Propper on behalf of the home-team, but both missed.

In the second half, Atletico found the net, but Diego Godin's goal was disallowed. The Uruguayan defender had pushed Hector Moreno before he headed in.

After PSV striker Gaston Pereiro, who replaced suspended captain Luuk de Jong, received his second yellow card for a bodycheck on Godin PSV had to finish the last 22 minutes with ten men.

In a hectic final phase, PSV managed to deal with the Spanish pressure and keep the clean sheet. With this result, both teams will have hope for the return on March 15 in Madrid.

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Jeje Lalpekhlua (33rd, 69th minutes) and Cornell Glenn (35th, 72nd) struck twice each for the reigning I-League champions after star winger Sony Norde (19th) had opened the scoring in the Group G match.

Ahmed Imaaz breached the Mohun Bagan defence in the 61st minute and an own goal by Raju Gaikwad gifted the visitors a second goal in the 77th.

The hosts started on an attacking note, putting the Maziya defence under sustained pressure. Bagan were rewarded for their efforts when Norde found the net with a superb free-kick.

Norde was involved in Bagan's second goal as well, putting in some good work on the left flank before passing to Jeje, who made no mistake.

The Kolkata giants increased their lead only a couple of minutes later as Glenn produced a nice finish after receiving a pass from Jeje just inside the penalty box.

Imaaz, who was the among the best performers for Maziya on the night, pulled one back for the visitors with an easy tap in in the 61st minute.

But if that goal prompted Maziya fans to dream of a comeback, their hopes were quickly dashed with Jeje and Glenn both finding the net.

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The visitors missed star striker Sunil Chhetri who hasn't made the trip owing to a strained groin and midfielder Eugeneson Lyngdoh continued with his recuperation from a fracture.

Kazuo Homma opened the scoring in the third minute itself for the home side to give them a 1-0 lead.

Things became worse for the Indian club as Phatthana Syvilay scored in the 35th minute for the hosts to give them a comfortable 2-0 lead.

Both teams went into the break with a 2-0 score line in favour of Lao Toyota.

Coming in the second half, the away team showed some positive intent to get the first goal for them but some good defending by Lao Toyota denied Bengaluru the advantage.

The hosts still kept on pressing in the Bengaluru box to get their third goal but failed to sneak through the defence.

But just a few minutes from the final whistle, C.K. Vineeth scored the only goal for Bengaluru FC in the 90th minute.

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London, Feb 24 (IANS) Barcelona star striker Lionel Messi insisted that they still have work to do to progress to the Champions League quarter-finals despite their 2-0 victory over Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium here on Tuesday.

The Argentine scored twice in the second half to put the Catalans in control of the tie ahead of the second leg at Camp Nou, opening the scoring after latching onto Neymar's pass before sending the second past Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech from the penalty spot.

Speaking after the game, Messi credited his side for a great result but insisted there was still a long way to go in the last 16 clash.

"The tie isn't over. We know what sort of things Arsenal are capable of and nothing is decided despite the fact we achieved a great result with two goals as visitors," Messi was quoted as saying by TV3 on Tuesday.

Messi's two goals also broke an eight-game drought against Cech, a fact which pleased the Argentina captain.

"Luckily it happened today. But above all the fact we played a great game and got a big result, against a very good team, is the most important thing. Arsenal marked very hard because they are very strong players. But we knew in the second half they would slow down, it is difficult to keep up such a high rhythm," the 28-year-old said.

"And that is how it went. We had more space, which is how we prefer to play. We broke away several times, the first goal arrived and then the game opened up," Messi said.

Barcelona aren't through to quarters yet: Messi

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Bayern dominated most of the pre-quarterfinal first leg tie at the Juventus Stadium on Tuesday evening. The visitors had opened up a 2-0 lead, but Juventus displayed excellent fighting spirit to find a couple of late goals and come away with a well earned draw.

Thomas Mueller (43rd minute) and Arjen Robben (55th) had put the reigning Busdesliga champions in front. But Paulo Dybala scored for the Italians against the run of play in the 63rd minute before Stefano Sturaro levelled in the 76th to set up a nail-biting finish.

Allegri felt that the Juventus players' confidence in their defenders encouraged them to push forward in search of the equaliser.

"We can afford to push higher up the pitch and risk the occasional one-on-one at the back because we have reliable defenders who can cope in those situations. When they took their foot off the gas, we grew in confidence, pressed them higher and played with less protection in front of the backline," Allegri was quoted as saying by the Juventus website on Wednesday.

"This enabled us to create even more opportunities to score and we were ultimately rewarded for a more open-minded approach."

Talking about Juventus' overall performance, Allegri said,"We need to take away the great things we did in the second half whilst taking stock of and analysing properly the first 45 minutes too. We had the opportunity to play better from a technical standpoint before the break and we also created a number of openings, but we failed to capitalise on them under pressure."

"For a certain period, they had ten players in our half and we did well to keep them at arm's length. We did, however, need to be better at attacking the spaces when we won back the ball," the 48-year-old Italian added.

Allegri also urged the Juventus players to carry the positives from Tuesday night's clash over to the domestic front as they try to clinch a fifth consecutive Serie A title.

"We now return to assignments in the league and a Coppa Italia final to fight for with Inter. Tonight's was a test to see if we were at the right level to make our mark in challenging scenarios and the performance fills us with considerable confidence which we'll take with us into the remainder of the campaign," he said.

Allegri is now targeting a win when Juventus travel to Munich for the second leg tie against the German champions on March 17.

"If you want to advance into the next round of this competition you have to win a game. We did not win it here so now we have to go and win it in Munich," he asserted.

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Argentine star Lionel Messi scored late in the second half as Barcelona carved out a 2-0 victory in the pre-quarterfinal first leg match at the Emirates Stadium here on Tuesday evening. Wenger also rued the fact that Arsenal wasted the scoring chances that came their way.

"We were naive. Technically we were very average. We were naive and that's what was frustrating. Similar to Monaco last season. When it looked like we could win this game we gave it away," Wenger told the British media after the match.

"The way we finished our chances is a problem. I felt in the final third we missed something. We were disciplined defensively but we knew that if we had to keep a 0-0 we keep a 0-0." he added.

"The regret I had was once we looked like we dominated the game, we give the goal away."

The first goal came off a counter-attack after Arsenal had managed to put the visitors' defence under pressure.

"They are lethal. One thing we couldn’t afford to give them was counter attacks because they are very dangerous. That’s exactly what we did. We pushed too far in their half and got caught. That's down to their quality as well. It’s too easy to blame I think you have to respect the effort the players put in. What is frustrating is that it looked like they might tire," Wenger said.

"I knew in the last 20 minutes we would have a chance to win the game if we don't make any mistakes and that's the frustration of the night."

Arsenal now face an uphill task in the second leg at the Camp Nou on March 17 and Wenger conceded that Barcelona are favourites to go through to the next stage.

"Barcelona are through 95 percent but we want to go there and play. We have to go there and fight. We will not go there and have absolutely no chance. ," the 66-year-old Frenchman said.

"That (second goal) makes it realistically very difficult, if not impossible. They were better than us. There's no shame to say that. It will be very difficult but we have to try and do our best. It's 95 percent for them and five per cent for us. But you never know."

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But unfortunately for Arsenal fans, someone from the club was sent back to the Uruguayan's home to pick it up and he boarded the flight with the rest of his teammates, BBC reported on Tuesday.

The Uruguayan striker has been in superb form this season. The celebrated Barcelona attacking trio of Lionel Messi, Suarez and Neymar have scored 91 goals between them this season. Suarez has scored 41 of them.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger tried to sign Suarez from Liverpool in the summer of 2013, before the 29-year-old joined the Spanish giants and the Frenchman said the Uruguayan is the man to watch out for.

"Suarez is the kind of guy who manages to create that spirit in teams," Wenger said.

But Suarez isn't the first football player or manager to forget his passport.

Manchester United defender Marcus Rojo was fined 140,000 pounds after failing to make the club's US tour because he hadn't renewed his passport last July.

In November 2013, then Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho dropped star player Eden Hazard when he was late for training after forgetting his passport before a vital Champions League match.

Danny Welbeck, then Manchester United player, was left red-faced after forgetting his passport before a flight to Amsterdam for their Europa League match at Ajax in February 2012.

Retired footballer Robbie Savage was flying to Rio de Janeiro to work as a football expert for the BBC during the 2014 World Cup but nearly missed his flight. The former EPL midfielder has taken his wife's passport to the Heathrow airport by mistake instead of his own.

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The Jordanian former FIFA executive committee member had voiced concerns that his rivals were exerting undue pressure on the 209 voters to record proof that they had cast their vote a certain way.

According to a report in the Guardian on Tuesday, FIFA responded by banning mobile phones from the voting booth but would not agree to a request from the Ali camp to install transparent voting booths that they offered to provide.

In a statement, Ali's lawyers said that FIFA's measures were "not sufficient" and they reportedly remain concerned that the voting process would not be properly policed and that there would be no sanctions for flouting the rules.

"FIFA remains silent upon the measures to enforce it and sanctions associated with it. Prince Ali has naturally brought the matter to CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport) on Monday the 22nd," the statement said.

"FIFA has objected to our demand for expedited hearing in order for an award to be delivered before February 26th. This behaviour bears no rationale other than denying any right to a fair and transparent voting process," it added.

In order for CAS to expedite a decision on the transparent voting booths, both parties would have to agree. But FIFA refused to have the request expedited.

The CAS confirmed it had received the appeal and said it would issue a verdict on Thursday morning, the day before the election.

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The victim, believed to be an Olimpia fan, was near Defensores del Chaco Stadium when he was shot by suspected Cerro Porteño fans. Hundreds of fans clashed after Sunday's match, which Cerro Porteño won 1-0, and attacked police in numerous incidents, reports Efe.

Officers seized several pistols and knives from suspects, officials said on Monday. The 54 suspects arrested are being held at the Metropolitan Police Station in Sajonia, the police said.

Security was tight for the Olimpia-Cerro Porteño classic, which draws tens of thousands of fans whenever the two clubs meet.

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The 28-year-old, who spent four seasons with Bayer Leverkusen, left Juventus in 2015 to return to Bundesliga with Bayern Munich, reports Efe.

"Yes, there was a chance to come to England. It was last summer and at one point we thought that is what would happen. I liked the opportunity that they had offered me, but eventually it did not happen and I chose to come to Bayern," Vidal said on Monday.

Vidal joined the Bavarian club, current leader of Bundesliga, for 37 million euros ($40.7 million) and played 22 games in which he scored two goals.

"I wanted to come to a team this strong and to a project that is so ambitious," the midfielder said, indicating that he feels "very happy".

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Chris Smalling, Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard scored one each to steer the team to a comfortable victory.

"The performance was very good. I said that already at half-time to my players. They were very committed, they performed our game plan very well and the consequences were we were ahead 2-0 at half-time - a lucky goal from Smalling but a very good free-kick from Mata," van Gaal was quoted as saying by The Guardian on Monday.

It was just the response that van Gaal needed after his side's hopeless performance in Denmark on Thursday when United were beaten 1-2 by Midtjylland in a Europa League Round of 32 match.

Van Gaal made no attempt to play down the significance of the Midtjylland tie, fully aware that it represents United's best opportunity to play in Europe's premier club competition next season.

"In my opinion it's a big game because it's a chance to qualify for the Champions League next season, but we have to win a lot of matches. Of course it's easily spoken but done is different. But it is possible and then we'll see," the United manager said.

"In March a lot of players are coming back and then we'll have a full selection, and with our full selection we were first in the Premier League."

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Bagan were relegated to this competition after losing 0-6 loss against China's Shandong Luneng in the AFC Champions League. The AFC Cup tourney is the second tier competition of the continental body.

But they are coming off a splendid run in the I-League. Bagan are atop the leader board and have been unbeaten this season so far.

Maziya, the club from Maldives on the other hand have won only two of their last five games. Those triumphs were against the same side, Warriors FC. They have lost to Persatuan Sepak Bola (1-2) and Indian outfit Bengaluru FC (1-2) and have drawn one encounter.

Coached by Ali Suzain, Maziya also known as the 'green boys', finished fourth in the first ever Dhivehi Premier League and were the Maldivian FA Charity Shield winners last season.

Bagan gaffer Sanjoy Sen would be wary of the fact that his men will have their task cut out as Maziya are one of the top sides in the Maldives and accordingly he might have to change his game plan a little.

Ideally, Sen would want his big guns to fire. Sony Norde, Katsumi Yusa, Cornell Glen are all ready to take on Maziya, but will they be able to produce their A-game and score goals against a side they don’t know much about?

For the visitors Ismail Easa, Assadhulla Abdulla and Bokuree will largely bear the responsibility in the attacking front.

Abdulla is regarded as the best striker in the Dhivehi Premier League, whereas Bokuree and Easa are known for their talent playing wide in the pitch. Despite being an outfit which likes to play attacking football, Moosa Yameen is deployed in a defensive midfield role to provide cover for the back four, making for a largely balanced set-up.

Other Maziya players to watch out for will be winger Ahmed Nashid and goalkeeper Imran Mohamed.

Sen would have surely done his homework on the tourists and the tactician that he is he would first plug in the holes in the defence and then may think about his attack.

Bagan have the pace upfront and in the midfield, while Maziya too like attacking football; the contest thus promises to be an engaging one.

The hosts are in Group G of the competition along with South China (Hong Kong), Yangon United (Myanmar) and Maziya.

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Kolkata, Feb 23 (IANS) Indian midfielder Bikash Jairu, who has been in rich form over the past few months, says the Indian Super League (ISL) experience is now helping him succeed at various levels of the game.

"The ISL experience is helping me now. I got to learn a lot from the coach (David Platt of FC Pune City). A coach of his stature tells you things that you will remember for life; so I am trying to implement the little things that I have picked up.

"But to play well, you need to work hard and that is what I am trying to do. Give my best in every game, every opportunity I get," Jairu told IANS in an interview.

At present he is plying his trade for local football heavyweights East Bengal, for whom he has already scored three goals in the ongoing I-League.

Though Jairu believes his team can clinch the I-League this time around, he is well aware of stiff competition from heavyweights Bengaluru FC and defending champions Mohun Bagan.

East Bengal are currently second on the points table. They are on 17 points from eight matches, one point behind league leaders Mohun Bagan. Bengaluru are within striking distance of the top two with 15 points.

"Yes, we are one of the contenders. We are a good team and we are getting results. But you see, there is a lot of competition this year. It's neck-and-neck at the top of the table. Anyone one can win. Bengaluru, Mohun Bagan are very strong contenders too. And with just nine teams you cannot afford slip ups."

The Sikkimese midfielder was spotted through the 'Search for more Bhaichungs' initiative and has gone on to play for teams like the Mumbai Tigers and former National Football League champions Salgaocar.

During the World Cup qualifiers last year, India coach Stephen Constantine handed him his international debut. He also shone in the maiden edition of the ISL.

Jairu impressed in his country's colours in the recently concluded SAFF Championship where India emerged as champions beating Afghanistan 2-1 in the final. Jairu worked tirelessly and outfoxed rival defences many a time with his skills.

"It was a great win. We really played like champions. It was nice that I could contribute for my team. I am honoured to have played with the likes of Sunil Chhetri whom I have grown up watching," he said.

"You see, these are good signs for Indian football. It is growing and slowly the money is coming into the game. New players are coming in too, so all is good."

Asked about East Bengal's rich vein of form in the season, Jairu said: "We are not thinking about the games too much, just focussing on the next job."

"The coach (Biswajit Bhattacharya) knows all about Indian football. We try and follow whatever instructions he gives us. We are now gelling well as a team."

East Bengal have four foreign recruits from three different countries this season. Asked if there were problems communicating, Jairu said: "No, not at all. We understand football, we don't need a language. Everyone knows which position to play in, that is what matters."

Jairu was also reluctant to comment on the infrastructural difference between the ISL and the I-League, saying the latter is slowly improving.

"Obviously there is a difference. ISL facilities are much better but times are changing and I-League clubs are revamping there infrastructure also," he said.

The medio, who took up football at the age of 12, said he has no plans of settling down now and wants to just concentrate on his footballing career.

"Are kahaan baandhna chahte ho humein (with whom do you want to tie me?) (laughs) (when asked about marriage) No plans of getting married any time soon. I just want to play football," he quipped.

(Debdoot Das can be contacted at debdoot.d@ians.in)

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Kolkata, Feb 23 (IANS) Indian midfielder Bikash Jairu, who has been in rich form over the past few months, says the Indian Super League (ISL) experience is now helping him succeed at various levels of the game.

"The ISL experience is helping me now. I got to learn a lot from the coach (David Platt of FC Pune City). A coach of his stature tells you things that you will remember for life; so I am trying to implement the little things that I have picked up.

"But to play well, you need to work hard and that is what I am trying to do. Give my best in every game, every opportunity I get," Jairu told IANS in an interview.

At present he is plying his trade for local football heavyweights East Bengal, for whom he has already scored three goals in the ongoing I-League.

Though Jairu believes his team can clinch the I-League this time around, he is awell aware of stiff competition from heavyweights Bengaluru FC and defending champions Mohun Bagan.

East Bengal are currently third on the points table, with Bagan and Bengaluru just above them.

"Yes, we are one of the contenders. We are a good team and we are getting results. But you see, there is a lot of competition this year. It's neck-and-neck at the top of the table. Anyone one can win. Bengaluru, Mohun Bagan are very strong contenders too. And with just nine teams you cannot afford slip ups."

The Sikkimese midfielder was spotted through the 'Search for more Bhaichungs' initiative and has gone on to play for teams like the Mumbai Tigers and Salgaocar.

During the World Cup qualifiers last year India coach Stephen Constantine handed him his debut for the national side. He also shone in the maiden edition of the ISL.

Jairu impressed in his country's colours in the recently concluded SAFF Championship where India emerged as champions beating Afghanistan 2-1 in the final. Jairu worked tirelessly and had rival defences in splits many a time with his skills.

"It was a great win. We really played like champions. It was nice that I could contribute for my team. I am honoured to have played with the likes of Sunil Chhetri whom I have grown up watching," he said.

"You see, these are good signs for Indian football. It is growing and slowly the money is coming into the game. New players are coming in too, so all is good."

Asked about East Bengal's rich vein of form in the season, Jairu said:"We are not thinking about the games too much, just focussing on the next job."

"The coach (Biswajit Bhattacharya) knows all about Indian football. We try and follow whatever instructions he gives us. We are now gelling well as a team."

East Bengal have four foreign recruits from three different countries this season. Asked if there were problems communicating, Jairu said: "No, not at all. We understand football, we don't need a language. Everyone knows which position to play in, that is what matters."

Jairu was also reluctant to comment on the infrastructural difference between the ISL and the I-League saying the latter is slowly improving.

"Obviously there is a difference. ISL facilities are much better but times are changing and I-League clubs are revamping there infrastructure also," he said.

The medio, who took up football at the age of 12, said he has no plans of settling down now and wants to just concentrate on his footballing career.

"Are kahaan baandhna chahte ho humein (with whom do you want to tie me?) (laughs) (when asked about marriage) No plans of getting married any time soon. I just want to play football," he quipped.

(Debdoot Das can be contacted at debdoot.d@ians.in)

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Speaking at a press conference before SIPG meets Melbourne Victory in the Asian Champions League (ACL) on Wednesday, the Swedish mastermind said the explosion of money being put into Chinese football -- specifically the Chinese Super League (CSL) -- would eventually translate to sustained national team success, reports Xinhua.

"I think I'm at the right place at the right time. You can always feel how football is growing in China," Eriksson said on Tuesday.

"I've been in Italy during the 90s when every player wanted to come to Italy because the football was very good, then I was in England during the 2000s and all the players wanted to go to the Premier League because of more money and the good football."

"Now, in 2016, it seems that every player wants to come to China for the same reasons. (All the money) will make the clubs much stronger. Maybe 10 or 15 years ahead, I'm sure China's national team will compete well to win the World Cup," Eriksson said.

Eriksson also noted the improvement in junior ranks, and praised CSL clubs for opening youth academies to train China's next generation of football stars.

"It's not only the top of football in China that's getting bigger and richer, also the Chinese clubs are opening football schools more or less every day - and young boys and girls will start to play football," he said.

"The future for football in China is great I'm sure about that."

Shanghai SIPG midfielder Dario Conca agreed with the former England national team coach, and said local players would only continue to get better thanks to the recent influx of "world-class" coaches.

"China's football is progressing... for the players they are getting better. Also, the world-class coaches are coming to China now," Conca told the press.

"Football is growing more and more popular, and it will bring lots of benefits to China."

Shanghai SIPG is in Melbourne to play the Victory in their ACL match on Wednesday.

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Fifth round

Shrewsbury 0 Manchester United 3

Played Sunday

Blackburn 1 West Ham 5

Chelsea 5 Manchester City 1

Tottenham 0 Crystal Palace 1

Played Saturday

Arsenal 0 Hull 0

Bournemouth 0 Everton 2

Reading 3 West Brom 1

Watford 1 Leeds 0

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Sandoval was fired in the wake of his side's 2-1 home defeat to Valencia on Sunday which left them bottom of the BBVA Primera Liga with just 20 points from 25 matches this season, according to Xinhua.

"The results obtained in recent weeks have obliged the club to take this difficult decision," explained the club in a statement published on its official website.

The former Rayo Vallecano and Sporting Gijon coach joined Granada at the end of last season, helping the club take 10 points from a possible 12 in its last four games to avoid relegation on the last day of the 2014-15 season, but a run of five defeats in the last six games has seen them return to the bottom of the table and cost last season's hero his job.

Former Albacete and Cadiz coach Jose Gutierrez has been named as the new Granada coach until the end of the season.

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The 26-year-old midfielder has agreed to join Cologne for next season after putting pen to paper on a deal until June 2021, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Marco has demonstrated his qualities, such as his pressing against the ball carrier and passing game, in many matches. It is great, that he has now decided to play for his hometown club. At Schalke he played on several positions, which shows his versatility," Cologne coach Peter Stoeger said.

Hoeger plays since 2011 for the "Royal Blues" where he scored seven goal in 87 appearances ever since.

"Every young boy has dreamed to play for his hometown club sometime. Through my transfer to Cologne I have now this great opportunity. But, before my transfer I want to complete my fifth season at Schalke with the best possible result," Marco Hoeger said.

His current club Schalke host FC Shakhtar Donetsk on Thursday in UEFA Europa League's second leg of the last 32. They sit on the 6th place of the Bundesliga standing meanwhile Cologne occupy the 9th position.

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