Europe

Five Clubs Disqualified, 45 People Handed Lifetime Bans In Blatant Match-Fixing Case

The Armenian Football Federation (FFA) suspended the country's second tier with immediate effect and disqualified five teams after receiving "undeniable evidence" of their involvement in match-fixing.

About 45 people, including club owners, players and coaches, have been handed with life bans and another 13 were banned for different periods for being involved in manipulation of matches, the FFA said.

Local media reported that club owners with Russian passports, Russian players and coaches, as well as Ukrainian, Latvian and Belarusian footballers were among those banned.

Teen Comes Up Big As Man United Torches Bournemouth 5-2

MANCHESTER, England — Manchester United's three-pronged attack combined to devastating effect as they crushed Bournemouth 5-2 in the Premier League on Saturday to move into the top four and stretch their unbeaten run to 16 games in all competitions.

Mason Greenwood shone with two superb goals while Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and playmaker Bruno Fernandes added one each for United, who climbed into fourth place on 55 points from 33 games.

Alvaro Morata’s Retaken PK Helps Atlético Solidify Champions League Qualification

Atletico Madrid stayed firmly on course to secure Champions League football next season after two goals by Alvaro Morata and a late strike from Koke gave them a 3-0 home win over struggling Mallorca in LaLiga on Friday.

The result left Atletico third on 62 points from 34 games, five ahead of fourth-placed Sevilla and eight in front of fifth-placed Villarreal who both have a game in hand.

Mallorca have a only slim chance of avoiding relegation as they remained third-bottom on 29 points from 34 games, five behind 17th-placed Celta Vigo who have played a game less.

A European League Just Shut Down 2 Days After Restart Due To COVID-19

Kazakhstan’s league was suspended on Friday for a second time after the government implemented another 14-day lockdown due to a rise in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks.

The Kazakh top flight resumed on Wednesday after a three-and-a-half-month break due to the pandemic though the recent surge in infections forced some coaches to field weakened teams.

Five matches were played without spectators. Kazakh teams Tobol and Caspiy played with second-string sides due to a number of positive COVID-19 tests.

FIFA President, Swiss AG Under Fresh Investigation For Criminal Complaints

ZURICH — Switzerland named a special prosecutor to review criminal complaints against FIFA chief Gianni Infantino and Swiss Attorney General Michael Lauber after the men held undocumented meetings while Lauber's office was investigating suspected graft surrounding the global soccer body.

Lauber last month became the subject of an impeachment process relating to his handling of the soccer inquiry.

Did Real Madrid Wrap Up The Title With Sergio Ramos’ Late Winner?

MADRID — Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos kept his nerve to score a late penalty and secure a hard-fought 1-0 home win over Getafe on Thursday for a sixth consecutive La Liga victory to take his side one step closer to winning the title.

Ramos coolly passed the ball into the net to break the deadlock in the 79th minute after Dani Carvajal was felled by the trailing leg of Getafe's Mathias Olivera, who was earlier denied a penalty after being knocked over by Carvajal.

Liverpool, Probably Still Hungover, Gets Ripped A New One By Man City, 4-0

MANCHESTER — Manchester City generously applauded new champions Liverpool onto the field before their Premier League match on Thursday -- and promptly showed no mercy by thrashing them 4-0 at the Etihad stadium.

With the title secured a week ago, there was little at stake for Juergen Klopp's Liverpool side who showed far from their usual levels of intensity but the loss, just their second of the league campaign, was an emphatic reminder that City will be desperate to regain their crown next season.

How Wayne Rooney's Late-Career Revival Has Transformed Derby County

Wayne Rooney's move to MLS was declared a farewell tour, a career death sentence for a 30-something ex-Premier League star. After moderate success during his single season with Everton, Rooney was seen as a shell of his former self when he left his boyhood club for D.C. United in 2018.

Despite this criticism, Rooney flourished in the U.S., notching 23 goals in 48 games and leaving a highlight real in his wake.

Alexis Sanchez Reminds Us He’s Still Alive With Impressive Performance In 6-0 Win

MILAN — Alexis Sanchez produced an imposing performance to inspire Inter Milan to a 6-0 win over Serie A strugglers Brescia at San Siro on Wednesday.

Sanchez scored for Inter for only the second time but helped set up other goals as they consolidated third place in Serie A and moved closer to a berth in next season’s Champions League.

Brescia slipped to the bottom of the table and will need a dramatic turnaround in fortunes in their remaining nine games if they are to avoid an immediate return to Serie B.

Legendary Spanish Keeper Iker Casillas Quietly Ends Spell With Porto

MADRID — Spain's World Cup-winning captain and goalkeeper Iker Casillas has called time on his five-year spell with Porto after his contract with the Portuguese club expired on Wednesday.

Casillas, 39, suffered a heart attack during a training session last year and has not played any competitive football since April 2019.

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