Tom Bellwood

Manchester City and Australia star Mary Fowler has revealed she and another team-mate were the victims of a vile racist prank after their final game for Montpellier. The incident, which occurred in 2020, came after other departing players had received flowers. Fowler, one of only a few players of colour on the squad, called the act "hard to laugh off" and questioned whether it was "just a simple error".

There were emotional scenes at Hampden Park after Scotland secured their qualification for next year's World Cup and it was a particularly poignant moment for Andy Robertson, who took time after the match to pay tribute to late Liverpool team-mate Diogo Jota, who lost his life in a tragic car accident in Spain earlier this year.

At an extravagant White House state dinner honouring Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), U.S. President Donald Trump announced the presence of football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. Acknowledging his youngest son Barron's admiration for the Al-Nassr and Portugal striker, Trump joked that the meeting had increased his son’s respect for him. Ronaldo was joined at the black-tie event by his fiancée Georgina Rodriguez, and they both posed for a selfie with Elon Musk at one stage.

Liverpool need to make urgent changes to their starting line-up, changes which include the painful omission of Mohamed Salah, according to former Reds midfielder Don Hutchison. Arne Slot's side have faced mounting issues all season, from the integration of new players, poor performances and increasing injuries and sit well off the pace in the Premier League title race and Hutchison believes there’s only one answer to solve their problems.

England booked their place in the last 16 of the Under 17 World Cup courtesy of a commanding 2-0 victory over South Korea in Qatar. Reigan Heskey, son of former Liverpool striker Emile, was on the scoresheet with a superb header and an own goal eased the Young Lions into the next round in what was ultimately a comfortable win for Liam Bradley's side.

Starting in 2027, Major League Soccer will transition from its current calendar-year schedule to a summer-to-spring format, aligning with top international leagues. The move has caused much discussion, but United States national team boss Mauricio Pochettino has thrown his full support behind the move, saying it's a great step forward for the game in America.

The uncle of controversial former Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) chief Luis Rubiales has spoken for the first time after pelting his nephew with eggs at the launch of his new book 'Killing Rubiales', claiming he feels brilliant, like he’s just returned from a relaxing holiday. It has also been bizarrely claimed Rubiales’ uncle wanted to throw breadsticks at him, too.

England's hopes of landing the World Cup could hang on a unique tactic borrowed from another international team, in a completely different sport. Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel has massive decisions to make regarding who makes the starting XI and who he keeps on the bench, but could copy the “Pom Squad” system favoured by England's rugby team for when he makes his substitutions.

Manuel Neuer's behaviour on and off the pitch has shown he's a true leader after former Southampton and Tottenham midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg revealed the Germany legend's impressive conduct during his time at Bayern Munich. Hojbjerg, now playing for Ligue 1 side Marseille, made only a handful of appearances during his four years with the Bavarian giants, but the club’s iconic goalkeeper made a huge impact on him.

Never far from the headlines, Brazilian superstar Neymar has now started writing his own after an expletive-laden attack on a journalist on social media over a newspaper report he claims was "all lies". The incident came following Neymar's shocking reaction to being substituted for Santos and reports he phoned his manager to say sorry - a call which the Brazil international strongly denies.

Manchester United made it three wins from three in their first-ever Champions League campaign, courtesy of a thrilling 2-1 victory over Paris St-Germain in the inaugural women’s European match at Old Trafford. Former England goalkeeper Mary Earps was booed throughout in the PSG goal as the French giants conversely suffered a third defeat in the competition this season.

Free-scoring striker Erling Haaland has landed another coveted title by having a dish named in his honour at a popular Chinese restaurant in Manchester. Haaland posed for pictures with restaurant staff and was later given the honour of the 'Haaland Special' being added to the menu, although there was a key detail which the City forward may not be too impressed with.

Arsenal squandered a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 to German giants Bayern Munich on a thrilling night at the Allianz Arena in an early blow to the holders' Champions League hopes. The Gunners dominated the first 45 minutes, and seemed comfortably on course for a vital three points, but they capitulated in the second half as Bayern turned the game on its head and will be left to rue three dropped points in Bavaria.

After taking time to consider his stinging comments, Wayne Rooney has conceded he was wrong to claim Virgil van Dijk had "downed tools" after signing a new deal at Liverpool. The row had threatened to boil over as the pair clashed live on TV, but the former England and Manchester United star has moved to cool the disagreement and also offered Van Dijk advice on how to get the champions' faltering season back on track.

Thomas Tuchel faces some tough decisions ahead of next year’s World Cup, with the England boss revealing some players will be omitted as they won’t all fit into his playing system. The Three Lions head coach has warned a big-name trio they can’t start a game together as he puts the final touches to his plans ahead of the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

A prominent German journalist has launched an impassioned defence of struggling Liverpool signing Florian Wirtz, and taken aim at jealous ex-Manchester United stars for their perceived unjust criticism. The Reds' blockbuster summer signing from Bayer Leverkusen has also been tipped to become the biggest star in the Premier League despite his slow start at Anfield.

Benfica and Norway international footballer Andreas Schjelderup has admitted on social media that he expects to be convicted for sharing an illegal video involving minors, an offence that occurred two years ago. The 21-year-old Norwegian revealed in an Instagram post that he made a "stupid mistake" when he was 19.

Real Madrid cult hero Ivan Zamorano has taken aim at Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal over his behaviour before and after the recent El Clasico, claiming the youngster lacks the requisite character to represent Los Blancos and pointed at the behaviour of another Barca legend as a shining example of how he should behave.