Inter s unlikely 2009-10 Champions League success under Jose Mourinho could inspire Cameroon to a shock World Cup triumph in Qatar, according to the former Nerazzurri and Indomitable Lions striker Samuel Eto o.

The Cameroon great was part of the Inter side that completed a stunning treble in 2009-10, winning a fifth consecutive Scudetto, the Coppa Italia and their first Champions League or European Cup title in 45 years.

Diego Milito s brace was enough to down Bayern Munich in the final of UEFA s elite club competition, with Eto o assisting the Argentina international for his second goal to wrap up victory.

Inter overcame Chelsea and Barcelona either side of defeating of CSKA Moscow en route to the final, and Eto o – who is now president of the Cameroonian Fo…

Kevin De Bruyne hit out at Belgium following their 2-0 defeat to France on Monday, claiming they have to be better in every way .

Ousmane Dembele ran the show for Les Bleus in their second Nations League match, scoring France s second after Randal Kolo Muani had opened the scoring in the first half.

Belgium, meanwhile, managed just nine shots in the game, with just two of those coming in a lacklustre first-half performance.

While De Bruyne refused to give any details of his half-time team talk, he did not hold back his criticism of the team.

I can t say here what went wrong. I already did that to the team at half-time, he said.

I cannot repeat that in the media, but it has to be better in every way. If the standard we want to reach is the best, …

According to Fabrizio Romano, Sevilla have opened talks with Arsenal over the possibility of signing Albert Sambi Lokonga. Arsenal have already decided that the 24-year-old Belgian midfielder is for sale, with no place in their plans for the future, even though there are two years remaining on his contract. Lokonga himself is open to the prospect of joining Sevilla, and the two clubs are negotiating over the fee the La Liga side would be paying for his services.

Arsenal signed Lokonga from Anderlecht in 2021, but he wasn t able to establish himself as a regular member of Mikel Arteta s team. In January 2023, he joined Crystal Palace on loan and spent the majority of 2023/24 at Luton Town, also on a temporary deal.

Lokonga made only 39 appearances in all competitions for…

France’s hopes of ending their European Championship qualifying campaign with a 100 per cent record were denied as Didier Deschamps’ men were held to a 2-2 draw by Greece in Athens.

The visitors struck the woodwork twice in injury time, with Odysseas Vlachodimos tipping a Kylian Mbappe effort on to the crossbar as the play-off bound Greeks withstood a late surge.

Randal Kolo Muani had given France a half-time lead but a swift double from Anastasios Bakasetas and Fotis Ioannidis turned the game on its head before Youssouf Fofana fired France back level.

Deschamps’ men had gone into the game bulging with confidence in the wake of their record-breaking 14-0 win over Gibraltar at the weekend.

But it was quickly clear they would not find the sturdy Greek…

Gateshead have been withdrawn from the Vanarama National League play-offs after failing to meet the entry criteria for membership into the Football League.

The north-east club finished sixth in the National League standings and were poised for a trip to Solihull Moors on Tuesday, with the winners advancing to a semi-final against Barnet on Saturday.

But because Gateshead were unable to meet the 10-year security of tenure at the Gateshead International Stadium, Solihull have instead been handed a bye directly into next weekend’s clash against the Bees.

National League Statement: Gateshead Football Club

— The National League (@TheVanaramaNL)

Gateshead lobbied its town council, which owns the stadium, to provide the security of tenure and after …

While the summer transfer window might have slammed shut over the weekend, there are plenty of European superstars who are still sat by their phones waiting for a new adventure.

Although former defender Mario Hermoso might have completed a move to Italian giants Roma on Monday, there are a host of big-names that are available on a free transfer.

On a list that includes a host of domestic champions, we have taken a look at some of the most intriguing free agents that are waiting for a new challenge.

Adrien Rabiot

While France might have endured a frustrating summer over in Germany as they watched their EURO 24 adventure come to an end at the semi-final stage, was one of Les Bleus’ standout performers.

Playing a crucial role in the heart of ’ midfie…

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino wants his side to convert this season’s lack of continental competition into a successful set of domestic cup runs.

The Blues moved one step closer to securing a first Carabao Cup since 2015 with a 2-0 last-16 victory over Blackburn on Wednesday night, and will host Newcastle in their December 19 quarter-final.

Should Chelsea go all the way, Pochettino would become just the third Blues manager in club history, after Gianluca Vialli and Jose Mourinho, to lead the five-time winners to a League Cup in his first season with the club.

He said: “We need to think that this is an important competition for us because we are not in Europe, and that should be the priority for us, like the Premier League, and when in January we start the …

Japan is likely to abandon its attempt to host the 2018 football World Cup to concentrate on bidding for the 2022 tournament, it was reported today.

We are going to decide on it officially at the bidding committee meeting next Tuesday, Japan Football Association President Motoaki Inukai was quoted as saying by sports daily Sports Nippon on Wednesday.

Education, Culture, Sports and Science Minister Tatsuo Kawabata, who visited FIFA President Sepp Blatter in Zurich with Inukai, said the Swiss told them it would be better to bid for the 2022 World Cup, as there would be tough competition from European nations to host in 2018.

FIFA requires World Cup host countries to have about 12 stadiums with more than 40,000 seats, and at least one with more than 80,000, but Ja…

Best Odds: 13/8

Bookmaker:

Simply looking to widen their buffer at the top of the Bundesliga table, a high-flying Bayer Leverkusen will welcome Borussia Mönchengladbach to the BayArena.

Bayer Leverkusen

Starting with the hosts, only continuing to break a string of records this season, Bayer Leverkusen have certainly cemented their spot as one of Europe’s surprise packages. Last seen putting in another stunning display as they snatched a last-gasp 3-2 victory away at RB Leipzig, Xabi Alonso’s side have rightfully received a string of plaudits from across the continent. Opening this weekend’s fixtures holding a famous seven-point buffer over defending champions Bayern Munich, the one-time Liverpool midfielder finds his side sat in the driving seat to get t…

The frenzied events of the days that followed – PSG coach Unai Emery saying Neymar might avoid surgery, surgery happening after the player s father stated a preference for that route and differing recovery timeframes stated by the respective club and national-team setups – gave a taste of the saga to come as one of the world s wealthiest clubs and most iconic footballing nation fret over the wellbeing of their prized asset. Brazil s tournament opener against Switzerland on June 17 looms large.

So near and yet so VAR

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) s unanimous approval of video assistant referees (VAR) means the much-debated technology is set to be used in Russia, with a final decision to be made by FIFA on March 16. Ever since it was trialled at t…