Asamoah breaks goal drought in style for Schalke

The Swiss football association on Monday banned Switzerland s highest-profile referee for three games after he gestured at the crowd with his middle finger.

Massimo Busacca, known as the country s best referee and a regular on the international circuit, was buttonholed by the SonntagsBlick newspaper which printed a photograph of the gesture.

Busacca apologised on Sunday saying he regretted his anti-sporting gesture at Saturday s first round Swiss cup tie between FC Baden and Young Boys.

But the association s referees committee on Monday announced an immediate three-game ban despite noting that the best Swiss referee had been provoked by the fans.

Busacca was on duty at last season s Champions League final between Manchester United and Barcelona, and also…

Milan coach Filippo Inzaghi said he is all too aware of what it takes to play at Roma s Stadio Olimpico.

Inzaghi plied his trade in Serie A from 1995-2012, including 11 straight seasons at the San Siro to complete a decorated career which featured three Serie A titles and two UEFA Champions League crowns.

The former striker, 41, said Roma second in the league, four points behind Juventus are a tough prospect, especially in the Italian capital.

I know what it means to play at the Olimpico, I know how the atmosphere will feel like, Inzaghi said. 

We are ready, I can see that my players are very motivated to do well in this game and they are looking forward to it. 

We are all aware of Roma s strength but I am very calm because I am confident tha…

Bologna president Albano Guaraldi has confirmed that he is trying to sell the club, just two years after saving them from bankruptcy.

Guaraldi took the helm at the Stadio Renato Dall Ara in 2011 following the resignation of predecessor Marco Pavignani.

The 53-year-old invested €11million in the club to become the majority shareholder, but has come in for criticism from fans after agreeing to sell Saphir Taider and allowing Alberto Gilardino to re-join Genoa.

Guardaldi admits he now regrets rescuing Bologna and is hoping to find a buyer for the Emilia-Romagna club.

The club is for sale if somebody serious and reliable presents an offer which would cover all of the money I and my partners have invested, my investment is around €11m, he told Radio International…

Emil Forsberg has added weight to speculation linking him with a transfer away from RB Leipzig by saying he wants to play for one of the strongest clubs in the world .

Speaking while in Russia on World Cup duty for his country, the Sweden winger indicated that he is ready to bring his four-year spell in Leipzig to an end and reports suggest Arsenal, Liverpool and Roma could be interested in signing the 26-year-old.

Forsberg scored two goals in 21 Bundesliga appearances in 2017-18 but he rose to prominence in the previous season, when he scored eight goals in 30 appearances as Leipzig finished second.

The former Malmo star told Swedish website Fotbollskanalen: I m ready for the next big step. That s going to be very interesting.

Three points in Nizhny Novg…

Real Madrid beat Mallorca by 4-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday to maintain their 100% record this season and stay at the top of the La Liga table, two points clear of arch-rivals Barcelona.

It didn t start too well for the 13-time European champions, with the visitors taking the lead through Vedat Muriqi in the 35th minute.

However, Fede Valverde equalized in the final seconds of the first half with this superb goal, before Vinicius Junior turned the game around completely in the 72nd, Rodrygo added the third in the 89th, and Antonio Rudiger set the final score deep in stoppage time.

What a goal from Valverde!! He just scored the goal of the season so far in La Liga, WHAT A GOAL!!!!

— Social Media Jagaban (@Iamkingchidex)

…

Inter striker Romelu Lukaku does not intend to leave a response to racism in football to the authorities, citing players protests in the Eredivisie as an example for Serie A stars.

A number of incidents of racist abuse in stadiums have marred Italian football in recent seasons, with Lukaku, Mario Balotelli and Miralem Pjanic among the targets.

Lukaku has repeatedly been outspoken on the issue, and the Belgium international is keen for players to lead a riposte to discrimination.

Eredivisie matches were paused for a minute in November in protest after Excelsior winger Ahmad Mendes Moreira was subjected to abuse at Den Bosch, giving Lukaku food for thought.

For me, Italy is a beautiful country to live in, the former Manchester United man told Sky Sports.<…

Real Madrid fans are tingling with excitement at the prospect of seeing Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and company strut their stuff as their new-look Galactico team host Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday in the curtain-raiser to the 2009/10 Spanish league season.

It has been an unforgettable summer with Real splashing around 250 million euros to build a star-studded team and there are likely to be a number of debutants against Depor with Ronaldo, Kaka, Xabi Alonso, Karim Benzema, Raul Albiol all expected to start.

French striker Benzema has been firing in the goals in pre-season while Ronaldo has been installed as chief free-kick taker as he was at Manchester United.

It will also be Manuel Pellegrini s first competitive game in charge of Real and everyone will expect th…

Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic has urged his team to lift for their blockbuster clash against Arsenal on Sunday.

David Moyes men have made a slow start to the season and a loss at Old Trafford to the English Premier League leaders would be a huge blow to their title chances.

Vidic said his men needed to step up for the visit of Arsene Wenger s side and wants them to take their chance to prove themselves.

We have to step up for a big game like this. We have to prove to everyone, including our fans and ourselves, that we are good. That is the challenge for us, the Serbian defender said.

Arsenal have played really well this season but we have to show we can do better than we did in games like Manchester City (in a 4-1 loss in September).

I…

Barcelona defender Lucas Digne could leave Camp Nou this summer if an offer that would be of interest for both the player and the club arrives.

Spanish media report that Digne has been disillusioned with his first-team status at Barcelona and claim that full-back is not ready to spend another season at the club acting as a Jordi Alba substitution.

Digne made only eight La Liga starts during the 2017/18 campaign and is looking for a more prominent role which would require a change of clubs this summer.

The French international has reportedly asked for a permission to leave Camp Nou and Barcelona will not stand in his way if a right offer arrives this summer.

The 24-year-old defender joined Barcelona in 2016 from AS Roma for a transfer fee of €16.5 milli…

David Alaba admits former boss Pep Guardiola had a huge impact on his career during their time together at Bayern Munich. 

Guardiola spent three hugely successful years at the Bundesliga giants, during which time Bayern were the dominant force in domestic football in Germany. 

They won the league title in all three of his seasons at the helm, as well as picking up the DFB-Pokal twice, but the Champions League eluded the Spaniard during his spell in Bavaria. 

Still, Alaba was full of praise for his old head coach, someone he believes is right up there with the best in the world. 

First of all, he meant a lot to me, the Bayern defender said. He took me to another level. 

Under him, I knew I could play a lot of positions. He is …