Neymar looks set to stand trial after a judge accepted charges of corruption against the Barcelona star.
It is the latest development in a case brought by Brazilian investment company DIS following Neymar s move from Santos to Camp Nou in 2013, which has come under scrutiny.
National Court judge Jose de la Mata initially threw out the case in July over a lack of evidence, but that decision was overturned and the charges are now set to be processed.
DIS claims it is due a 40 per cent cut of the fee that Barca paid to sign Neymar from Santos in 2013 something it says it has not received in full, given the secrecy over the full cost of the transfer.
The Brazil forward s father and Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu are also implicated, along with predecess…
With the Champions League group stages drawing to a close in midweek, we are offered a stacked Wednesday night from across Europe. On that note, for those of you looking to stick on a midweek acca, we have found a handful of helpful tips that are worth keeping an eye out for in midweek.
Wednesday 9th December
BST 19:45 Norwich City vs Nottingham Forest
Starting with the hosts, managing to mount a dramatic late comeback at home against Sheffield Wednesday over the weekend, Norwich eventually left Carrow Road with a 2-1 win to show for their troubles. While Daniel Farke s men might still be looking to fully bounce back from their shock 3-1 defeat away at Championship returners Luton last week, fans around East Anglia still find their side holding a one-point…
3-1. 5-1. 4-0. 3-1. It is fair to say Liverpool have dominated Arsenal in their recent Premier League meetings at Anfield.
It is eight years since the Gunners won away at Liverpool in the top flight, Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla scoring the goals that day when Jamie Carragher and Stewart Downing were in the home squad.
However, ahead of Monday s visit to Merseyside, there is fresh optimism in unbeaten Arsenal s ranks given the north London club have beaten Liverpool twice once at Emirates Stadium and once at Wembley in the Community Shield in the past two months.
Mikel Arteta has certainly improved Arsenal, but how? And how might that help them at Anfield? We take a look at the Opta data.
Possession isn t everything
Some of Artet…
Yaya Toure will be offered the chance to remain at Manchester City in an ambassadorial capacity when his playing days are over, .
The Ivory Coast midfielder is contracted at City until 2017 and is likely to earn another playing deal before then, but the club’s hierarchy are keen to offer him a separate role once he has hung up his boots.
Toure moved to the Etihad Stadium in the summer of 2010, and has since racked up two hundred and ten appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring sixty-one goals.
He was a stand-out performer in both the title winning seasons on 2011/12 and 2013/14, while he also hit the winner in the FA Cup final victory over Stoke City in 2011 and scored in the League Cup final win over Sunderland twelve months ago.
Inte…
Wigan chairman Dave Whelan has taken a swipe at Mohamed Diame by insisting his departure from the Premier League club was driven by money.
Whelan hit out at the Senegalese midfielder who is now a free agent after quitting the DW Stadium and is currently seeking a new club after a prospective move to Liverpool broke down.
(Mohamed) Diame is a good player and he is a good lad and we were disappointed that he did not sign for Wigan to be honest because he could not get a club in Spain when he was there three years, he told Goal.com.
So he is available on a free. He unfortunately has the problem with his ticker his heart and that is a serious problem. We have always addressed it and sort of helped him along with it. You have to keep that heart machine within 50 ya…
West Brom midfielder Claudio Yacob has signed a new two-year contract at the Hawthorns.
The Argentine, signed from Racing Club in 2012, had been due to see his deal expire at the end of the current season.
However, the club announced on Thursday that he has agreed to a two-year extension, with an option for a further 12 months.
I m pleased to sign a new deal with the club, he told the club s official website upon agreeing the contract.
It wasn t a difficult decision because everyone working at the club, the fans and the players have all made me feel very comfortable since I ve been here.
Hopefully I can continue to play in the team. I m happy.
West Brom boss Tony Pulis added: Claudio is a great professional and players like him are v…
Former Southampton managers Nigel Adkins and Lawrie McMenemy have heaped praise on Ronald Koeman for guiding the club to the brink of European qualification.
Southampton, along with Liverpool and Tottenham, are one of three clubs fighting for two guaranteed UEFA Europa League berths in the final round of Premier League fixtures on Sunday, with Koeman s side set to travel to Manchester City.
And Adkins, who guided Southampton from the third tier to the top flight during his stint in charge from 2010 to 2013, says continental football would be just reward for a season that has exceeded all expectations.
I joined Southampton a few years ago when we were down at the bottom of League One and the dream then was can we get to Europe? , Adkins told Perform as he an…
Alexis Sanchez paid tribute to Arsenal s fans, players and staff after completing his anticipated switch to Manchester United but admitted criticism from some former Gunners had left a bitter taste.
The Chile international, who has moved to Old Trafford in a swap deal that sees Henrikh Mkhitaryan head in the opposite direction, used his personal Instagram account to declare his appreciation for those he d shared many nice things for the club during his time at the Emirates Stadium.
However, Sanchez also made a point of reacting to those ex-players who had questioned his attitude during the final stages of his career at Arsenal.
The 29-year-old forward heavily linked with a switch to United s neighbours Manchester City in the previous transfer window insisted he…
Gylfi Sigurdsson says he had to have a quiet word in the ear of Harry Kane to temper his enthusiasm when the pair were team-mates at Tottenham.
Sigurdsson spent two years at White Hart Lane between 2012 and 2014 before returning to Swansea City in search of regular first-team football.
England striker Kane was attempting to force his way into the first-team picture at Spurs during that time and was seemingly keen to display his goalscoring prowess on the training pitch.
Sigurdsson, who will face Kane for the first time since helping Iceland knock England out of Euro 2016 when Swansea visit Spurs in the Premier League on Saturday, was not always impressed with Kane s single-minded approach to scoring goals in training.
However, he expects the 23-year-old w…
Chris Coleman has defended Gareth Bale s reserved nature and revealed the oft-criticised Real Madrid winger can speak perfect Spanish.
Wales star Bale almost left LaLiga for China during a turbulent close season in which Zinedine Zidane attempted to force him out of the Santiago Bernabeu.
The pair s relationship reportedly became fractured as Madrid fans showed increasing coldness towards the four-time Champions League winner, their treatment of him described as a disgrace by the player s agent.
Criticism of Bale has tended to centre on his speculated inability to learn Spanish as part of a wider reluctance to integrate into the country s culture.
Coleman, who managed the former Tottenham talisman for over five years at international level, believes su…