Pele has called on world governing body FIFA to ban defending teams setting up walls after conceding free-kicks close to the box.

England World Cup heroes Lawrence Dallaglio and Josh Lewsey will be rested for Wasps’ Heineken Cup clash against Calvisano in Italy on Saturday.

Ulster have broken into their bank vault to sign All Blacks scoring machine Charles Piutau with a reputed £1million-plus two-year deal.

ROY KEANE says England needs to get over not winning the right to stage the 2018 World Cup.

GOLF and soccer lovers are queuing up to dig deep in aid of a very worthy appeal.

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah was last night named the African Player of the Year for 2017.

Kieron Dyer insists he must build up his fitness with Newcastle before the World Cup can enter his thoughts.

Uruguay and Liverpool striker Luis Suarez is confident he will play at the World Cup as he makes a cautious return to fitness after knee surgery.

"If you get a re-injury on the same site then you are in a situation where his World Cup could be in doubt."

Shane Jennings has been called into the Ireland Rugby World Cup squad to replace David Wallace who was injured in this afternoon's defeat to England.

Rio Ferdinand was today officially ruled out of the World Cup.

Argentina coach Diego Maradona is keen to sign a new contract – so long as he is allowed to retain his entire backroom staff.

Gregory Coupet has hailed his successor as France number one, Hugo Lloris, a “phenomenon” after the Lyon goalkeeper’s clean sheet against the Republic of Ireland put Les Bleus on the brink of the World Cup finals.

The Football Association were offered votes for bribes during their unsuccessful bid for the 2006 World Cup, according to former executive director David Davies.

GAA president Liam O’Neill said the organisation would more than likely be unable to make their stadiums available to the FAI for any future bid to host or co-host the European Championships.

DERVAL O’ROURKE put the finishing touches to another successful season with an impressive if not spectacular performance at the IAAF/VTB Bank Continental Cup in Split yesterday when she finished fifth in the 100m hurdles in 12.99 secs.

COACHES Bernard Laporte and Eddie O’Sullivan tried to distance September’s World Cup clash between the teams in Paris from yesterday’s game at Croke Park.

PORTUGAL coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said yesterday that only victory in the final on July 4 in Lisbon at the Estadio da Luz will be a satisfactory result for the host nation.

RAVENHILL is to host a full Irish senior international for the first time in over half a century.