Brazil defender Dante has revealed he turned down an opportunity to play for Belgium four years before he made his international debut.

The 30-year-old was somewhat of a late bloomer and made his maiden appearance for Brazil in February 2013, although the Bayern Munich defender has rapidly become a key player for his country and looks likely to start their opening match of the FIFA World Cup against Croatia.

But Dante could have been preparing to play in Belgium s first World Cup finals appearance in 12 years this year, as the former Charleroi and Standard Liege man was once approached to represent the European nation.

Speaking in relation to Diego Costa s decision to turn his back on Brazil in favour of Spain, Dante claimed he never felt comfortable with the idea of g…

Fulham secured an admirable point in their fight against relegation in a rearranged Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday evening.

Harry Kane was predictably the man to open the scoring by netting with a diving header in the 25th minute. Heung-Min Son was extremely unfortunate not to double the advantage in the second-half as he steered his low effort onto the base of the post, with Ivan Cavaleiro then breaking Spurs hearts with a fantastic headed equaliser.

Here are three things we learned from the capital:

Kane on for most productive PL season?

Whilst he had a quiet evening in all, Tottenham skipper Harry Kane still managed to have a productive match. His excellent diving header from Sergio Reguilon s cross took his Premier League season ta…

UEFA has warned it is prepared to reopen closed cases relating to Financial Fair Play if new information suggests such action is needed.

European football s governing body insists FFP has without question been successful in helping clubs avoid spiralling debts since its inception seven years ago.

However, UEFA has confirmed it would be prepared to examine former cases if it decides there was a clear abuse of the system
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, as shown by new evidence.

In a statement, it said: FFP has led to a step change in the health of the finances in European club football. Seven years ago, European clubs had a cumulative debt of €1.7billion. Last year it was a profit of €600million. Without question, it has been a success for the game across Europe.

FFP is …

Jose Mourinho admits there can be no arguing with Manchester City s dominant Premier League campaign in 2017-18 and fears it will be tough for Manchester United to close the gap.

Pep Guardiola s champions are 19 points clear of second-placed United heading into Sunday s final round of matches.

A win against Southampton will see them set Premier League records of 16 victories and 50 points earned away from home in a single campaign.

City have already set a new best tally of wins (31) and goals scored (105) and they will break United s record for the biggest winning margin at the top of the table if they keep the gap at 19 points.

Given the spectacular nature of their form this season, Mourinho concedes City fully deserve to be champions and says United a…

This weekend is the final round of Premier League action before the international break – who wouldn t want to go into the pause top of their fantasy football league?

Well, hopefully that s where Stats Perform s Opta-powered Fantasy Picks can come in handy and give you the edge over your mates.

You ve all presumably already got Bruno Fernandes and Mohamed Salah, so don t expect any more oh-so-obvious tips.

Without any further ado, here are the picks that could hand you the advantage ahead of matchday three of the 2021-22 season…

EMILIANO MARTINEZ (Aston Villa v Brentford)

Argentina goalkeeper Martinez was one of the buys of the season in 2020-21 and has established himself as one of the Premier League s best in that time.

Si…

Former LA Galaxy and Seattle Sounders coach Sigi Schmid died on Tuesday aged 65.

Schmid, who won two MLS Cups during his career, stepped down from his role as Galaxy coach earlier this year.

His passing, due to a personal health matter , was confirmed in a statement from his family on Wednesday.

In a separate statement, MLS commissioner Don Garber paid tribute to Schmid.

Major League Soccer is devastated by the news of the passing of Sigi Schmid, he said.

Sigi will go down as one of the leading figures in the history of our league. From Los Angeles to Columbus and Seattle, Sigi won more games than any coach in MLS history and led his clubs to multiple championships, including two MLS Cups and five Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cups.

Sigi s passi…

Verdict: Home win

Best Odds:

Bookmaker:

The international friendly against Ghana will serve as a dress rehearsal for the CONCACAF Gold Cup for the USMNT, who obviously harbour championship ambitions. On the other hand, this will be the final game of the season for the Black Stars before the World Cup qualifiers resume in August.

United States

The USMNT have managed to raised their profile over the last decade or so, reaching the Round of 16 twice and once playing in the quarter-finals in their last four World Cup appearances, but it would appear as though there is still room for improvement. The national team chiefs expect Bruce Arena to take the team to new heights, and the new boss did well to stabilise the team following some disappointing results …

Olivier Giroud is not shying away from feeling very frustrated about playing back-up at Chelsea and demanded a more important role if he stays.

Giroud arrived at Chelsea from Arsenal in January 2017, but he has since gone on to make just 13 Premier League starts for the Stamford Bridge club.

He initially found himself playing second fiddle to Alvaro Morata, and although the Spaniard departed earlier this year, Gonzalo Higuain was brought in and Giroud has remained a peripheral figure despite the Argentinian failing to impress.

Giroud was a part of the France team which won the 2018 World Cup and he is adamant he is deserving of a bigger part at Chelsea.

Speaking ahead of Thursday s Europa League quarter-final second leg against Slavia Prague, Giroud said:…

In an , Willian said that he had never intended to leave the club.

This statement of his comes less than a month after that the Brazilian attacking midfielder claimed there was no chance he would have stayed another season at Stamford Bridge under Antonio Conte. He now says he wants to stay at the club for as long as possible.

Willian had been heavily linked with Manchester United where he would have been reunited with the manager that brought him to London five years ago Jose Mourinho. There were also reports of interest from Real Madrid and even bids being made by their arch-rivals Barcelona, but the 30-year-old ended up staying put after the club parted ways with Conte and appointed Maurizzio Sarri as manager.

Since his arrival in 2013, Willian has played in…

Lazio have completed the signing of Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva to bring his 10-year association with the Premier League club to an end.

Lucas arrived in Rome on Sunday to undergo his medical and his switch was confirmed 48 hours later.

After moving to Anfield from Gremio in 2007, Lucas became an integral part of Liverpool s midfield but slipped down the pecking order last season, starting just 12 league games.

With first-team football far from guaranteed at Anfield, the Brazilian has opted for a move to Serie A with Lazio, who finished fifth last season.

Benvenuto Lucas

— S.S.Lazio (@OfficialSSLazio)

After completing his transfer, Lucas penned an open letter thanking the Liverpool fans for their support during his decad…