The latest instalment of the Tyne-Wear derby was halted early in the second half following allegations of racist abuse being aimed in the direction of Sunderland defender Lutsharel Geertruida. It is claimed that the Netherlands international was subjected to discriminatory taunts by members of the crowd - with those of a Newcastle persuasion considered to have been responsible.

Fights broke out among supporters in the vicinity of St James’ Park ahead of Newcastle’s derby date with arch-rivals Sunderland. Two old adversaries are locking horns again in Premier League competition and there was always going to be an edge to proceedings, with local bragging rights at stake alongside precious points, but some fans allowed passions to get the better of them.

Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes admits that Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has been his “toughest opponent” down the years, with the pair establishing a bitter rivalry. While they have clashed on a regular basis in Premier League action, there is plenty of respect between the duo. They are poised to lock horns again in the 2026 Carabao Cup final.

Timo Werner admitted it will be a special meeting when his San Jose Earthquakes face off against Thomas Muller's Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday. The duo shared the pitch consistently for Germany, and have played against each other at the highest levels in Europe on a number of occasions. Werner has tallied two assists in three appearances since signing for San Jose last month.

UFC president Dana White swapped the Octagon for the trading card world during a high-stakes visit to London. The MMA mogul stunned collectors by pulling a unique Chelsea legend and a valuable one depicting Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi.

MLS will implement a 14-game "sprint season" in the spring of 2027, a slate that will fill a gap before the league switches to a European-esque fall-spring calendar, the league announced Thursday. The shortened campaign will feature a regular season and playoffs, while also giving 18 teams the chance to qualify for the Leagues Cup the following year.

Latest news on Barcelona: Koundé could be on his way out – here’s who might sign him.

Meeting at Casa Milan: what has been leaked.

The Nerazzurri have set their sights on a new midfield signing.

The FIFA Council approved a new legislation that mandates that a woman head coach or a woman assistant coach must be on every team across all of FIFA's youth and senior women's football tournaments, national team competitions, and club competitions. This initiative and mandate are to increase the number of women coaches and fit into FIFA's long-term strategy to do so.

When Emma Hayes' time at Chelsea was coming to a well-publicised end in the final few months of the 2023-24 season, ahead of her move to the United States to take over its iconic national team, the revered manager took a moment in one of her final press conferences to ponder what the Blues' team might look like in the future, given the progress being made in the women's youth set-up and the work being done to try bridge the gap between the academy and the first team.

GOAL tracks all the qualification campaigns for the 2027 Women's World Cup, breaking down which teams have qualified and which nations could soon join them