Football/Soccer 24-Hour Briefing
×Premier League & FA Cup
Northampton Town bbc.com sacked manager Kevin Nolan after a run of one win in 16 games left the club in the League One relegation places. Wayne Rooney espn.com urged Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta to ignore "very unfair" criticism of the Premier League leaders' playing style. Rodri skysports.com escaped a ban for hitting out at officials following Manchester City's 2-2 draw at Tottenham last month.
European Football
Real Madrid espn.com have Mauricio Pochettino on the shortlist of candidates to replace Álvaro Arbeloa next season, according to sources. Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker espn.com has not travelled to Istanbul for the Champions League last-16 first leg against Galatasaray after sustaining a problem in training. Milan's derby win espn.com over Inter has opened a little bit of a title race again in Italy - at least for now. Jose Mourinho espn.com accused FC Porto assistant manager Luis 'Lucho' Gonzalez of calling him "a traitor" 50 times during Sunday's 2-2 draw.
International Football
Iran's women's national team espn.com faces safety concerns as FIFPRO calls on FIFA to ensure player protection. Iraq coach Graham Arnold espn.com is asking FIFA to reschedule his team's World Cup playoff as the conflict between neighboring Iran and the United States threatens to derail plans to help his team to its first World Cup in 40 years. Two charged after brick thrown at supporters' bus bbc.com following an incident after Queen of the South's home clash with Stenhousemuir in Dumfries.
Women's Football
Michael McArdle bbc.com, the Scottish FA's head of elite women's football and former interim head coach of Scotland, has been appointed Northern Ireland manager. Barry McGuigan skysports.com says Ellie Scotney is on the edge of greatness, calling the boxer "phenomenal" as she targets major titles.
Scottish Football
Aberdeen bbc.com faces an uncertain future after the holders were dumped out of the Scottish Cup by second-tier Dunfermline Athletic. St Mirren skysports.com beat Partick Thistle 2-1 to book their place in the Scottish Cup semi-finals, where they'll face Celtic bbc.com in a repeat of this season's League Cup final. Falkirk and Dunfermline Athletic will meet in a Scottish Cup semi-final derby at Hampden next month.
MLS & North America
Vancouver Whitecaps espn.com are absolutely purring after three games, establishing themselves as the early-season team to beat in MLS Power Rankings. CF Montreal espn.com thumped Red Bull New York 3-0 on Sunday, with Wiki Carmona scoring two goals against his former team after Prince Owusu found the net on a penalty kick.
Brazil & South America
A mass brawl espn.com erupted seconds before the final whistle of Cruzeiro's 1-0 win over Atlético-MG in Sunday's Mineiro Championship final, resulting in 23 red cards issued. Former Brazil forward Hulk called the incident "regrettable" after becoming one of the players sent off.
FA Cup & Domestic Cups
Bradford City bbc.com planted 154 trees - one for each goal scored by its men's and women's teams last season - at its training ground as part of its commitment to sustainability through the "Greener Bantams" initiative. Watford Women bbc.com are to play their final two home games of the season at Vicarage Road after a 14-0 win put them in pole position to win promotion to WSL.
Player News & Transfers
Chelsea's João Pedro espn.com has hailed his "special" first season at the club after firing himself into contention to lead the line for Brazil at this summer's World Cup. Fulham and USMNT left back Antonee Robinson espn.com favors a move to Liverpool over Manchester City. Pep Guardiola espn.com said he gave Erling Haaland the night off against Newcastle to allow the striker to rediscover his "pace" before the Champions League trip to Real Madrid.
Managerial & Coaching
Kevin Nolan was sacked as Northampton boss after a poor run of results. Sabrina Wittmann skysports.com became the first woman to take charge of a men's team in Germany's top three divisions when appointed head coach of Ingolstadt. Phil Parkinson bbc.com says Wayne Rooney's praise for Wrexham's FA Cup display against Chelsea is an "incredible tribute" for the club.
Miscellaneous Football
Time-wasting in the Premier League bbc.com appears to be on the rise, raising questions about fan value for money and what's being done to address it. Lower-ranked teams in the FA Cup bbc.com may always get to play at home following some superb fifth-round ties. Police Scotland skysports.com would not currently support another big away allocation for the next Old Firm fixture following trouble at Ibros on Sunday.