Mueller grabs another double in easy Germany win

Thomas Mueller scored twice for the second World Cup qualifier in a row to lead dominant Germany to a comprehensive 3-0 win over Czech Republic on Saturday.

Cameroon's Song left out of Nations Cup squad

 (Reuters) - Cameroon have left in-form West Ham United midfielder Alex Song out of their 23-man squad for next month's African Nations Cup finals in Equatorial Guinea which was named on Tuesday.

Song had asked the English Premier League club to be released for the tournament despite fears over the Ebola virus but is not in the plans of coach Volker Finke, who has

Germans set 10-year plan, want Euro 2024

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) -- At a reception shortly before Christmas, German football federation president Wolfgang Niersbach said his plan for the holidays was to sit back on a sofa, shut off the radio and television and think about the wonderful year behind him.

Ronaldo returns home for statue unveiling

Lisbon (AFP) - World player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo returned to his hometown of Funchal on Madeira on Sunday to attend the unveiling of a statue sculpted in his honour.

The Real Madrid star travelled to the Portuguese island from

Ronaldo unveils statue of himself in Portugal

LISBON, Portugal (AP) -- Cristiano Ronaldo has unveiled a statue of himself on his home island of Madeira in Portugal.

Analysis - Club World Cup still a hit outside Europe

MARRAKECH, Morocco (Reuters) - Greeted with overwhelming indifference in Europe, the Club World Cup is still seen as the pinnacle of club football elsewhere as thousands of San Lorenzo fans demonstrated this week.

FIFA official says England had best bid for 2018 World Cup

LONDON (Reuters) - England's failed bid to host the 2018 World Cup "was by far the strongest contender", FIFA official Harold Mayne-Nicholls was quoted as saying on Sunday.

"How could England have only got two votes? It was a big surprise," Mayne-Nicholls was quoted as saying in The Sunday Times.

A defeat is never dignified, says San Lorenzo coach

MARRAKECH, Morocco (Reuters) - San Lorenzo coach Edgardo Bauza refused to accept his team's 2-0 defeat had been dignified, even though they were up against the clearly superior Real Madrid in Saturday's Club World Cup final.

Real Madrid beat San Lorenzo to lift Club World Cup

MARRAKECH, Morocco (Reuters) - Real Madrid won the Club World Cup for the first time when they beat South American champions San Lorenzo 2-0 thanks to Sergio Ramos and Gareth Bale in a bad-tempered final on Saturday.

Soccer-Real Madrid beat San Lorenzo 2-0 to win Club World Cup

MARRAKECH, Morocco, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Real Madrid won the Club World Cup after they beat South American champions San Lorenzo 2-0 in the final on Saturday.

Things to know about FIFA's World Cup probe

MARRAKECH, Morocco (AP) -- Ever since FIFA executives voted to send the World Cups of 2018 and 2022 to Russia and Qatar there have been endless questions about how and why they picked those countries and accusations that some of them might have been bought off or otherwise leaned on.

With FIFA's already tarnished reputation taking a beating, it

FIFA executive meets amid corruption report storm

FIFA president Sepp Blatter opened a meeting of his 25-member executive committee on Thursday amid a storm of controversy over an inquiry into the bids by Russia and Qatar for the 2018 and 2022 World

FIFA to vote on releasing World Cup corruption report

Paris (AFP) - FIFA face a vote next week on whether or not to publish the controversial and sensitive report into alleged corruption during the bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, it was claimed Thursday.

The sport's world governing body will discuss the matter at its

Soccer referee urges players not to fake injury

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) Faking injuries on the field could jeopardize treatment for players, who suffer cardiac arrest and other life-threatening conditions, World Cup final referee Howard Webb told a FIFA medical conference.

FIFA to test goal-line technology at Wembley

ZURICH (AP) FIFA says the Hawk-Eye goal line technology system will be tested at Wembley Stadium when England plays Belgium in a June 2 exhibition.

FIFA doctors want safer headscarf designs

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) FIFA's medical advisers say new designs are needed because headscarfs worn by Muslim women players could lead to head and neck injuries.

Michel D'Hooghe, chairman of FIFA's medical committee, says samples received from two designers ''represented a danger'' to players' health.

FIFA Congress set to accelerate Blatter's reforms

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Sepp Blatter's reform of FIFA will continue on Friday when delegates at the 62nd FIFA Congress review a set of proposals aimed at modernizing the way world soccer's governing body is run.

In an interview with Reuters this week, the 76-year-old Swiss, whose organization was battered by a series of scandals last year, said he was hugely optimistic that delegates would see how far matters had improved a year into his fourth term.

Derrick elected new president of Caribbean soccer body

MIAMI (Reuters) - The Caribbean Football Union (CFU) has elected Antiguan Gordon Derrick, an official reprimanded in a FIFA ethics probe, as their new president a year after Jack Warner relinquished the post amid corruption allegations.

FIFA delays appointing anti-corruption officials

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) FIFA President Sepp Blatter's anti-corruption drive hit another delay on Tuesday, even as soccer's world governing body appointed the first woman to its inner circle.

FIFA pushed back plans until July to select independent outsiders who

FIFA clears Kosovo to play international matches

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) World soccer's governing body has given Kosovo approval to begin playing exhibitions against its 208member countries.

FIFA's executive committee made the decision after previously blocking Kosovo's ambitions because it is not recognized by theUnited Nations.