Alan Pardew has taken his leave of Newcastle as he prepares to take up the reins at Crystal Palace.

Newcastle owner Mike Ashley has launched the search for a new manager with Alan Pardew’s departure for Crystal Palace imminent.

France’s Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) has banned fans of Ligue 1 club St-Etienne from travelling to away games until the end of December following an afternoon of violent clashes in Nice.

NICOLAS ANELKA has broken his silence on the fiasco of France’s World Cup and claimed he should not have been made the scapegoat for the team’s failings as it was his goal against Ireland in the qualifying play-off that helped Les Bleus reach South Africa.