Sporting CP president Bruno de Carvalho has reportedly suspended 19 of the club's first-team players after they suffered a 2-0 defeat to  Atletico Madrid  in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League quarter-final on Thursday. Carvalho came out in criticism of certain players following Thursday's defeat in Madrid, leading 19 senior players to share the same message over social media regarding their displeasure in his actions. In response, Sporting's president suspended each of those who spoke against him, per  O Jogo  (h/t  Sport Witness ' Lucas Sposito). Metro's Portuguese football expert, Jan Hagen, suggested this controversy will lead to Carvalho's reign as Sporting president coming to an end. Hagen added  that Bas Dost, who has no social-media representation, remains the only regular starter available for Monday's clash against Pacos de Ferreira, for which the Lions now have only six players. Among those said to have been suspended from the fi

A duel against Atletico is always special. Cristiano Ronaldo has been wearing the Real Madrid shirt long enough to know that the derby is not just another match.   Therefore, he has decided to play from the beginning against 'Cholo' Simeone's team, a decision, as always, agreed with Zinedine Zidane, and designed to ensure that the Portuguese remains in tip top condition in the final thrust of the campaign. Ronaldo's spectacular double against Juventus in the first leg of the Champions League has done nothing but recharge his batteries. Apart from the magnitude of his numbers in the Champions League (119 goals, 14 in the current edition), his streak also extends to LaLiga. He has scored in eight of the last nine games he has played in the domestic competition. A little over a month ago, against Levante, was the last time he failed to hit the back of the net.  Madrid didn't win that game, but the eight in which Ronaldo has scored since has seem him accumulate

This is the story of two men. One of them is Luka Modric. His name is known all over the world as  Real Madrid 's midfield lynchpin, orchestrator of the side that has won three of the last four UEFA Champions League titles and is gunning to retain its crown this season. The other man is a mentor to him. His name is Zdravko Mamic, the most powerful man in Croatian football. Part of the story involves a transfer between Modric's former teams—Dinamo Zagreb, the most successful club in Croatian history, and  Tottenham Hotspur , one of England's grandest outfits—and a court case that has captivated Croatia. The transfer, for a fee reported by  Marca  to be €21 million, happened in 2008, four years before Modric was bought by Real Madrid. The transfer saga is a sticking point in a legal case brought against Mamic, a former director of Dinamo Zagreb and ex-vice president of the Croatian Football Federation. Mamic was arrested in July 2015. He is accused of corruption and tax

Arsene Wenger has revealed Arsenal are in talks with Aaron Ramsey over a new contract. The Gunners have come under the spotlight for their contract negotiations in recent months. Mesut Ozil signed a new deal, but Alexis Sanchez was allowed to leave in January once it became clear he had no intention of committing his future to the club. Meanwhile, Jack Wilshere, who captained the side in Sunday's  3-0 Premier League win over Stoke , sees his current deal expire in the summer, with the player and club publicly at odds as to the progression of contract talks. When asked about a new deal for Ramsey, whose current deal runs to the end of next season, Wenger said: "We are communicating. "Yes, I'm confident, he's not at the end of his contract, he has one and a half years to go. From my side it is clear, but you always have to find an agreement. "We want him to stay. He's one of these guys who has been here for a long time. He will be

Sadio Mane has scored on his last two visits to Goodison Park; will he make it three in a row on Saturday? Or will the Toffees keep him at bay? And will Jurgen Klopp rotate ahead of the second leg of Liverpool's Champions League quarter-final against Manchester City next Tuesday? Can Keane stop Mane? With top-scorer  Mohamed Salah potentially out due to injury , Liverpool may look to the in-form Mane to provide the spark on Saturday. The 25-year-old is enjoying his best scoring season for Liverpool, with 16 goals in all competitions and seven in his last eight appearances, including one against Man City on Wednesday. He has also netted three times in seven appearances against Everton. Keane, meanwhile, will be appearing in his first Merseyside derby if he lines up in Everton's defence. The defender has started the last eight games - his best run since the beginning of the season when he started 11 in a row - and team-mate Phil Jagielka recently revealed how he is

Paul Lambert has warned Dele Alli's critics they are only harming England by heavily scrutinising the midfielder. Alli's performances have come under scrutiny recently, but he brushed the criticisms aside with a match-winning display against Chelsea on Sunday, scoring twice in the  3-1 win at Stamford Bridge. Tottenham travel to face Lambert's Stoke this weekend , and he has urged Alli's doubters to lay off the 21-year-old. "It's the old thing of a young kid bursting through and hitting the ground running. He does great, then he's had a little bit of a blip, which all young kids do, then he comes back again," Lambert said. "Everybody seems to push the old pressure button to him rather than just letting him flourish. "It's not healthy for him, a young kid getting criticised, especially for the national team. "You want your young, best players to perform. If you're continually going to criticise him, he's human, h

Neuer back to training