On Thursday afternoon, as Louis Van Gaal was being introduced as the Premier League's latest love interest at Old Trafford, a young British manager trawled through eBay on his laptop, looking for a full-sized goal net for the training ground. He couldn't get ...

Uefa has made it harder for players to be suspended for the Champions League and Europa League finals after changing the rules on yellow cards. Real Madrid's Xabi Alonso missed last season's victorious showpiece in Lisbon after picking up a third ...

Uefa has made it harder for players to be suspended for the Champions League and Europa League finals after changing the rules on yellow cards. Real Madrid's Xabi Alonso missed last season's victorious showpiece in Lisbon after picking up a third ...

A film extolling the virtues of Louis van Gaal was playing in Old Trafford's Europa Suite in the minutes before he stepped out of a side door for his first piece of public theatre as Manchester United manager. Teddy Sheringham, Frank de Boer and Clarence ...

Israel appeared to be on the brink of launching ground operations into northern and eastern Gaza on Wednesday, after it dropped thousands of leaflets ordering civilians to evacuate. “Failure to comply will endanger your lives and the lives of your family,” the ...

Israel appeared to be on the brink of launching ground operations into northern and eastern Gaza on Wednesday, after it dropped thousands of leaflets ordering civilians to evacuate. “Failure to comply will endanger your lives and the lives of your family,” the ...

Israel appeared to be on the brink of launching ground operations into northern and eastern Gaza on Wednesday, after it dropped thousands of leaflets ordering civilians to evacuate. “Failure to comply will endanger your lives and the lives of your family,” the ...

As Ashley Cole prepares for life in Italy having joined Roma, he has criticised his fellow Englishman for "being afraid" of going abroad to play. The 33-year-old former Chelsea and Arsenal defender joined the Serie A team after his contract at Stamford Bridge ...

As Ashley Cole prepares for life in Italy having joined Roma, he has criticised his fellow Englishman for "being afraid" of going abroad to play. The 33-year-old former Chelsea and Arsenal defender joined the Serie A team after his contract at Stamford Bridge ...

As Ashley Cole prepares for life in Italy having joined Roma, he has criticised his fellow Englishman for "being afraid" of going abroad to play. The 33-year-old former Chelsea and Arsenal defender joined the Serie A team after his contract at Stamford Bridge ...

Women bishops could be ordained by the end of the year after the Church of England allowed them to be appointed for the first time in history. The General Synod gave final approval to legislation introducing the change by the required two-thirds majority.

Rest days on the Tour de France provide an uncomfortable paradox. The name conjures up images of repose- of exhausted, sun-baked riders slumbering in the shade of an incorruptibly beautiful French vineyard after a gentle spin on the bike in the morning.

What is it about the dispute between Israel and Palestine that causes so much vituperation? Even people who appear to know next to nothing about politics seem to have a view on the long-running conflict over a tiny strip of land. What's worse is that everyone ...

Manchester United and adidas have agreed a mammoth new kit deal worth a record £75m-a-year - set to start in 2015-16, the deal will run for 10 years. The incredible sum of money is more than double what they currently receive from Nike, who confirmed ...

Diego Maradona has hit out at Fifa naming Lionel Messi as the World Cup's best player as a 'marketing plan'. Messi was handed the Golden Ball after Argentina were beaten 1-0 in the final by Germany. Despite scoring four goals in seven games in Brazil, ...

Diego Maradona has hit out at Fifa naming Lionel Messi as the World Cup's best player as a 'marketing plan'. Messi was handed the Golden Ball after Argentina were beaten 1-0 in the final by Germany. Despite scoring four goals in seven games in Brazil, ...

The US is signalling that it is looking for ways to broker an urgent ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, amid growing concern about a possible Israeli ground offensive in the coming days. The message was relayed personally by President Barack Obama to ...

John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, has warned that the future viability of Afghanistan “hangs in the balance” amid the bitter dispute over the outcome of last month's presidential election run-off, and appealed to both contenders to give their backing to an ...

In the build-up to the 1986 World Cup finals, Diego Maradona, it emerged years later, had been preoccupied with the unborn child – his child – that his lover Cristiana Sinagra was carrying. In his seminal biography of Maradona, The Hand of God, Jimmy ...

Conceding an early goal is never a good thing, but that's exactly what Brazil did against Germany. And then they fell apart. Thomas Muller got the German party started when he was left unmarked to bundle in a Toni Kroos corner after 11 minutes. But it was ...