• AS Roma drop more points in their pursuit of leaders Juventus, drawing 1-1 with Empoli FC.• Empoli open the scoring through Massimo Maccarone's 39th-minute penalty.• Kostas Manolas sent off for conceding the spot kick; Empoli's Riccardo Saponara (45) also sees red.• Maicon restores parity after the break, slotting in a pass from Miralem Pjanić.• The Giallorossi, who trail Juve by six points, have drawn their last four Serie A matches.• Genoa CFC remain three points behind sixth-placed ACF Fiorentina after the teams' 1-1 draw.• A shot by Genoa's Stefano Sturaro hits the upr...
Football Update
Giovinco to join Toronto from Juventus
Toronto FC have announced that Italy playmaker Sebastian Giovinco will join them when his contract with Juventus ends at the end of the Serie A season.The 27-year-old has signed a deal running until summer 2020 with the Major League Soccer (MLS) outfit that will reportedly make him the highest-paid Italian footballer in the world."I have heard so many great things about Toronto over the years and I know I will feel right at home," he said. "Until then, there are many things I still want to accomplish for Juventus. I will give my heart and soul to Juve until I change shirts."A product of Juventus's academy, Giovinco had loan spells at Empoli FC and Parma FC, and has scored nine
Nielsen succeeds Lisdorf as Brøndby coach
Former Denmark defender Per Nielsen has replaced Peer Lisdorf, who stepped down because of personal reasons, as coach of UEFA Women's Champions League contenders Brøndby IF.Nielsen has signed an 18-month contract with the Danish league leaders. With Brøndby on a winter break, the 41-year-old will not preside over a competitive fixture until 22 February, while in March his team resume their European campaign in the quarter-finals against Swedish outfit Linköpings FC.Capped ten times, Nielsen made 547 appearances for Brøndby between 1994 and 2008. He then moved into coaching, taking charge of Hvidovre IF's men's team for four years, leaving the role when his contract expired after the first half of this season."I am looking forward to this new challenge," said
Ibraimi claims top prize in FYR Macedonia
NK Maribor attacking midfielder Agim Ibraimi has been voted as Macedonian Player of the Year for a second time, joining Galatasaray AŞ's Goran Pandev and 1. FSV Mainz 05 defender Nikolce Noveski as the only multiple recipients of the award.The 26-year-old helped his team win the 2013/14 Slovenian title before featuring in the UEFA Champions League group stage, where he scored in Maribor's 1-1 draw at home against Chelsea FC. "I am very happy and proud that I am being honoured in my country," said Ibraimi, who finished ahead of FYR Macedonia team-mates Aleksandar Trajkovski and Stefan Ristovski in the poll conducted by the Football Federation of Macedonia (FFM) international department, coaching committee and regional associations. Previously Player of the
England, Italy set for friendly hat-trick
© Getty ImagesEngland will take on Italy in a glamour friendly next year, the Football Association has announced.Roy Hodgson's team will play the Azzurri, who beat the Three Lions 2-1 in the World Cup, on 31 March at an Italian venue which is yet to be decided.England will return the favour by hosting the Italians in a friendly after Euro 2016 and before the 2018 World Cup.The friendly next March will be the 26th time the Three Lions have played Italy, who, like England, failed to qualify from their group in Brazil."Italy have always provided stern opposition for England and these two fixtures will be no different," said England manager Hodgson, who has managed Italian clubs Inter Milan and Udinese."Italian teams
Ludogorets v Real Madrid background
PFC Ludogorets Razgrad play their first home game in the UEFA Champions League on matchday two when the holders Real Madrid CF visit Sofia.Match backgroundLudogorets• Georgi Dermendzhiev's Bulgarian title holders made a promising start in the competition at Liverpool FC, losing only to an injury-time penalty in a 2-1 defeat.• In qualifying for the group stage, Ludogorets played three home games, beating F91 Dudelange (4-0), holding FK Partizan (0-0), and then defeating FC Steaua Bucureşti 1-0 prior to a 6-5 penalty shoot-out success.• They went four games unbeaten at home in last season's UEFA Europa League before succumbing 3-0 to Valencia CF in the first leg of an eventual 4-0 round of 16 defeat. It was their first meeting with
FIFA Emergency Committee sets 8 September deadline for NFF
© Getty Images Following the decision by the FIFA Emergency Committee, FIFA has today, 3 September 2014, sent a letter to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) confirming that the NFF will be suspended with immediate effect should there still be persons claiming to have been elected to NFF positions on 26 August 2014 and occupying their offices on Monday, 8 September 2014 at 08.00 (Central European Time). The decision follows events linked to the NFF general assembly held on 26 August 2014. While the said general assembly was duly convened by the NFF Executive Committee to adopt a new roadmap leading to the NFF elections, some members proceeded to hold elections in the absence of the NFF President, who