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Brazil great Ronaldinho has signed with Italian Serie C club Ravenna at age 46, more than a decade after retiring. "I cannot wait to dance with the ball," Ronaldinho said. "Football has always been joyful for me, and I'm excited to bring that spirit to Ravenna. Let the magic begin!" The Ravenna club is run by Ignazio Cipriani of the Cipriani restaurant brand. "(Ronaldinho) was my idol growing up," Cipriani said at a presentation in Miami. "I hope his involvement inspires a new generation of supporters to fall in love with Ravenna." Ronaldinho last played professionally for Fluminense in 2015. It will mark his second spell in Italy after featuring for AC Milan from 2008-11. He won the World Cup with Brazil in 2002 and the Ballon d'Or in 2005.
FIFA will consider keeping hydration breaks for future World Cups despite backlash to the extra stoppages in play at this year's tournament. Gianni Infantino, the soccer body's president, defended the decision to introduce breaks - which come midway through each half - at this World Cup and said Tuesday they may be providing more entertainment for fans. He said FIFA would analyze what it will do in future tournaments "based on this experience." But after criticism that the breaks were a stealth way to insert advertising or American-style timeouts, Infantino suggested the stoppages have been positive. "Maybe the coach can reassess certain situations, correct certain mistakes. The players get a little rest and come back in full speed. Well, is that bad necessarily? Maybe it's good," Infantino said. "And we see as well the intensity of the games. We've never seen 90 minutes in a tournament like this played in such an intensity. "Until the last second of the match, players attack and s
Paraguay midfielder Miguel Almiron has been given a one-match suspension after he was the first player to be sent off at the World Cup for covering his mouth. FIFA confirmed on Tuesday that Almiron will miss Paraguay's final group game against Australia on Thursday. World soccer's governing body said the decision was not subject to appeal. Almiron made history when he was issued a red card for covering his mouth during a confrontation with Turkey's Mert Mulder late in the first half of Paraguay's 1-0 win last Friday. Under new rules, players are not allowed to cover their mouths to disguise what they are saying during confrontations, with infringements leading to an instant dismissal. FIFA president Gianni Infantino pushed for the legislation after a high-profile incident in a Champions League game between Real Madrid and Benfica last season. Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni tried to hide verbal insults toward Madrid's Vinicius Junior. UEFA later issued Prestianni a six-game ban --
Josip Stanisic lifted a curving cross onto the boot of Ante Budimir, who tapped it into an open net in the 54th minute Tuesday, giving Croatia a 1-0 win over Panama in the World Cup. Croatia remains in contention for the knockout round ahead of its third and final group-stage match against Ghana on Saturday. Panama was eliminated and is still seeking its first World Cup point in two appearances. After a slow-moving first half at BMO Field, Croatia broke through Panama's strong back line after the break, with substitute Budimir finding the net just four minutes after coming on. The Vatreni nearly added another goal three minutes later when 40-year-old Luka Modric -- making his 200th international appearance -- passed ahead to Marco Pasalic on a breakaway, but Panama goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera blocked Pasalic's shot. Panama had three straight chances in the 67th minute to knot things up. Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic made a trio of dazzling saves; on the third, he just manage
England dominated possession but came up empty on several late scoring opportunities in a 0-0 draw with Ghana on Tuesday at the World Cup. Both teams won their opening matches, with Ghana beating Panama 1-0 and England defeating Croatia 4-2. Now both still have work to do in Group L before securing a spot in the knockout round. England, which has not lost to an African country at the World Cup in nine meetings, outshot Ghana 19-1 but failed capitalise on multiple chances in the closing minutes. England lost to France in the quarterfinals at the 2022 tournament in Qatar. Ghana has not made it to the knockout round since reaching the quarterfinals at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The Three Lions had a chance to take the lead in the 86th minute when Nico O'Reilly's header hit the crossbar. Harry Kane gathered the rebound but could not get enough on it with his left foot and shot high. Ghana's best chance came in the 78th minute came when Abdul Fatawu outfought England midfielde
The revised Kerala Budget for 2026-27 presented in the Assembly by Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Friday gave a major push to the sports and cultural sectors, announcing projects, including an international-standard football stadium in Malabar, a film city in Kochi and a cultural park in Kozhikode. In a move likely to enthuse football fans, especially in north Kerala, Satheesan announced the construction of a world-class football stadium in the Malabar region and allocated Rs 50 crore for the project. Referring to the state's passion for football, he said a world-class stadium was essential to systematically identify and train football talent and host prestigious international matches. "Recognising the immense passion and profound love for the game among football fans in Kerala, an international standard football stadium equipped with ultra-modern facilities will be constructed in the Malabar region. An amount of Rs 50 crore is allocated for this project," he said. In the first ..