One of the earliest and most hard-earned lessons I learned in the playground as a young football neophyte was that there was no team called Manchester.

The FAI were making no comment yesterday on Sepp Blatter’s suggestion that the UK and Ireland could jointly host the 2030 World Cup.

The morning of February 6 60 years ago was much like any other winter’s day in Manchester. By the evening the city was plunged into grief.

There was a time when Arsene Wenger’s sides did this to the best in Europe.

Jose Mourinho has described Manchester United's Europa League pairing with FC Rostov as "a bad draw in every aspect".

Arsene Wenger should be given one more season at Arsenal to allow the club time to prepare for his departure, says former Gunners defender Martin Keown.

As my long-suffering comrades in the press box know only too well, your aging correspondent doesn’t need much encouragement to regale all and, yes, even sundry with what I like to imagine are fascinating stories from my life in — yikes! — going on 40 years in the inky trade.

The draw moves the champions onto 24 points, three ahead of Leipzig who have a game in hand.

More than 130 jobs are at risk following the appointment by the High Court of a provisional liquidator to a Co Tipperary-based pharmaceutical manufacturing company.

It’s almost a year now since this column fulfilled a near life-long sporting ambition with a trip to Chicago to see the Bears host the Green Bay Packers at the iconic Soldier Field.

Manchester United have fired a further message of intent to their Premier League title rivals by confirming the arrivals of Germany World Cup winner Bastian Schweinsteiger and Southampton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin.

It was probably the nerviest 90 minutes of the season — so, so close, yet the potential to balls it up was there in most of our minds, which is ridiculous given our home record, who our manager is and the fact we are the best team in this league by a country mile.

Jose Mourinho says he is the supreme leader at Chelsea.

Bayern Munich v Shaktar

Champions League Last 16 First Leg

The Golden Age of Football...now when was that exactly?

Check out our spoiler-free guide to the best of tonight's TV.

Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini insists uncertainty over Wayne Rooney’s fitness will have no bearing on his plan for this weekend’s Manchester derby.

UEFA president Michel Platini’s vision of a European Championship spread across the continent came to fruition in Geneva yesterday, as Wembley Stadium was chosen to host the climax of Euro 2020 with 12 other cities — including Dublin — joining the party.

Midfielder Fernandinho is convinced Manchester City can be competitive in the Champions League despite their opening loss at Bayern Munich.

Xabi Alonso is poised to complete his move to Bayern Munich after Real Madrid confirmed on Friday an agreement had been struck between the two clubs for the former Spain international.

What is the point in denying it? There is very little that energises us more than preposterous humiliation. Someone else’s anyway.

Bayern Munich midfielder Toni Kroos insists his reported move to Real Madrid has not yet been defined, and that he is waiting until after the World Cup before revealing where his future lies.

Frank Lampard may not know where his club future lies but he accepts this summer’s World Cup is likely to bring the curtain down on his England career.

Although Louis van Gaal appears to be closing in on the Manchester United job, this week’s Champions League action offered clues to a possible alternative narrative had the hunt for David Moyes’ successor taken another route.

Bayern Munich 0 Real Madrid 4 (Real Madrid win 5-0 on aggregate)

Andy Townsend not up to speed: “The players are always greeted with such velocity here at Old Trafford.”

Civic-minded football fans have undone the work of vandals at a bridge dedicated to an Irish footballer killed in the 1958 Munich air disaster.

I was five when I ended a brief dalliance with Bobby Robson’s Ipswich Town, swayed by the history of the Busby Babes, Munich, the Fifth Beatle and The King.

Whisper it, but the emotions around Old Trafford edged, ever so slightly, from outright hope towards expectation over the weekend. Not that any of the Manchester United fans travelling to Bayern Munich’s fortress in Bavaria would ever dare admit it.

Well, we’re all ABUs now. That’d be All Backing United, of course.

The sensation was strange at first. Unfamiliar.

The president of the German Football Association (DFB) has said Uli Hoeness’ services to the game must not be forgotten, despite the Bayern Munich president being sentenced for tax evasion yesterday.

Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness may have evaded even more taxes than the €18.5m he admitted to in court, an expert witness has said.

Arsenal 4 Sunderland 1

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is in no doubt Mesut Ozil’s class will eventually tell — and one day perhaps even see him immortalised with a statue outside the Emirates Stadium like Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry.

Guangzhou Evergrande 0 Bayern Munich 3

The German Football Association (DFB) has confirmed that it will be bidding for Euro 2024.

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini hailed his side’s character as they recovered from a drubbing against Bayern Munich to defeat Everton.

Celtic Manager Neil Lennon has his side's Champions League draw alongside Barcelona, AC Milan and Ajax is "the best and the worst draw" they could have had.

Be patient and this Bayern Munich side will get even better - that was the message from Munich after the German champions started the defence of their Bundesliga title.