FIFA.com - News

Aimar extends Benfica contract

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:34:00 GMT

Pablo Aimar has extended his contract with Benfica by a year, the Lisbon club said on Friday.

Pique: We will be there at season's end

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 03:28:00 GMT

Barcelona defender Gerard Pique says that the title race is far from over with the champions visiting Osasuna on the weekend, while Real Madrid host fourth-placed Levante aiming to protect their seven-point margin.

Iborra eyeing another Real upset

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:46:00 GMT

Levante midfielder Vicente Iborra believes his high-flying side are capable of upsetting Primera Division leaders Real Madrid for a second time this season when the teams meet at the Bernabeu on Sunday

Lillo: Football and life are complicated

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:53:00 GMT

FIFA.com chats exclusively to Juan Manuel Lillo, the colourful Spanish coaching guru who stood as mentor to many an influential boss, including Barça hero Pep Guardiola.

Guardiola: It will be a fascinating final

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:07:00 GMT

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has predicted a "beautiful" Copa del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao after the Catalan club advanced last night at the expense of Valencia.

Callejon hopeful of Mourinho stay

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:43:00 GMT

Real Madrid forward Jose Callejon has said that he is confident under-fire coach Jose Mourinho will stay on at the Spanish giants beyond the end of the season.

Tejada to stay for rest of the season

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:35:00 GMT

Inaki Tejada, who took temporary charge of Sporting Gijon last week following the departure of Manuel Preciado, will remain in charge until the end of the season.

International ground-breaker, Barça king

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:16:00 GMT

FIFA.com recalls the brilliant and bizarre career of Ladislao Kubala, the only man to ever represent three countries who was named the greatest player in the history of Barcelona.

Bilbao end tiny Mirandes' big dream

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:52:00 GMT

The fairytale run of Mirandes in the Copa del Rey final has come to an end as Athletic Bilbao cruised into the final 8-3 on aggregate and a meeting with either Barcelona or Valencia.

Michel relishing Sevilla challenge

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:12:00 GMT

Michel is hopeful of returning Sevilla to their previous status among Spain's elite after the former Real Madrid midfielder assumed the reins of the relegation-haunted club.

Michel named Sevilla coach

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:33:00 GMT

Former Real Madrid midfielder Michel has been announced as the new coach of Sevilla, following Marcelino Garcia Toral's dismissal on Monday.

Van der Sar talks De Gea, retirement

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:31:00 GMT

Edwin van der Sar has rejected the possibility of coming out of retirement, urged David de Gea to prove his worth, tipped Manchester United for the Premier League title and revealed how his former club’s draw at Chelsea ruined his dinner.

Training, tournaments dominate in Futsal

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:39:00 GMT

FIFA.com's latest monthly Futsal round-up reflects on another busy period of training seminars and tournaments, as well as the announcements of the hosts for the UEFA Futsal EURO 2014 and the UEFA Futsal Cup.

Europe’s contenders left in the cold

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:25:00 GMT

Europe’s big freeze saw havoc played with the fixture list in England, Belgium and the Netherlands, while there were shocks in store for the frontrunners in Italy, Spain and France. FIFA.com rounds up the weekend action.

Granada beat Malaga in Andalusian derby

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 02:34:00 GMT

A late winner from Inigo Lopez gave relegation-haunted Granada a 2-1 home victory over high-flying Andalusian rivals Malaga.

Sevilla sack Marcelino

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:37:00 GMT

Sevilla have sacked coach Marcelino Garcia Toral after a poor run of form that has seen the club take just two points from their last seven La Liga fixtures.

The five-point European review

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 23:57:00 GMT

Europe's top flights battled on amid the snow and freezing temperatures over the weekend, with a memorable Manchester United comeback among the highlights.

Respite for Villarreal, Valencia held

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 22:59:00 GMT

Villarreal eased their relegation worries with a 2-1 victory at Sevilla, their first away win in La Liga this season, while Valencia had to settle for a point after a goalless draw at Atletico Madrid.

Happy birthday to you!

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 08:47:00 GMT

FIFA.com is once again looking forward to another week of footballing birthdays, with two hot shots from Madrid in Cristiano Ronaldo and Radamel Falcao alongside Barcelona legend Hristo Stoichkov in line for a celebration.

Top two win, Athletic in thrilling draw

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:54:00 GMT

The race for La Liga's title remains as it was as slender wins for both Real Madrid and Barcelona saw the gap between the leading pair remain at seven points, while Athletic Bilbao were held to a six-goal draw by Espanyol.

Stuttering Barça beat Sociedad

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:40:00 GMT

Lionel Messi was the difference as Barcelona beat Getafe, with the Argentinian star converting one of a number of chances after feeding Cristian Tello to score on his full debut in a 2-1 win.

Ramos goal enough for Real

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 21:44:00 GMT

Sergio Ramos announced his return from injury by scoring Real Madrid's only goal as they laboured to three points at Getafe, wasting numerous chances throughout the match to seal the points.

Spoils split in Bilbao six-goal thriller

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 19:44:00 GMT

Juan Albin capped off a thrilling encounter between Athletic Bilbao and Espanyol, which ended 3-3, after both sides had lead the game.

Torres: Fans' support surpassed everything

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 13:48:00 GMT

Chelsea striker Fernando Torres has revealed that one of the greatest moments of his career was receiving support from the club's fans while suffering on the substitutes' bench during a game against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Transfers that transformed seasons

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 09:58:00 GMT

From Eric Cantona through Johan Cruyff to the great Alfredo di Stefano, FIFA.com looks back at some of the mid-season deals that have had the biggest impact on the clubs involved.

The Week in Quotes

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 03:04:00 GMT

Featuring Jeremie Janot on keeping warm during games, Ricardo Rocha on how his humorous mistake helped Brazil in 1994, Martin O’Neill on how his French sounds South Korean and Michael Rensing on Cologne’s disease.

Pick your favourite team for FIWC12!

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:13:00 GMT

Which team excites you the most in EA SPORTS™ FIFA12? Let us know!

Puyol grabs Barça draw at Valencia

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:25:00 GMT

Carles Puyol nodded home a goal in reply to an opener from Jonas, rescuing a 1-1 draw for Barcelona with Valencia in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final tie.

Villarreal sign Martinuccio

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:40:00 GMT

Villarreal have signed Argentinian forward Alejandro Martinuccio on a six-month loan from Fluminense, the Spanish club have announced.

Just 500 days until Brazil 2013 kick-off

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:02:00 GMT

The countdown to the next FIFA Confederations Cup continues apace, with just 500 days until the Brazil 2013 edition of the ‘Festival of Champions’ gets underway.

Titans, trebles and halted runs

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:11:00 GMT

The end of long-running sequences for Sudan and Porto features alongside milestones for Mario Gomez, Christine Sinclair and Abby Wambach, and a glut of La Liga trebles in FIFA.com's latest stats review.

Llorente double gives Bilbao lead

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:26:00 GMT

Athletic Bilbao took a 2-1 Copa del Rey semi-final advantage over giant-killers Mirandes thanks to a first-half brace from talisman Fernando Llorente.

Barça terminate Hleb contract

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:36:00 GMT

Spanish champions Barcelona have agreed to terminate the contract of midfielder Alexander Hleb, who has struggled to settle at the Camp Nou and had several loan spells elsewhere.

Sporting Gijon part ways with Preciado

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:27:00 GMT

Manuel Preciado's time as coach of Sporting Gijon has been brought to an end after the Spanish strugglers after move than five years at the helm, with them currently sat second from bottom in La Liga.

Sanchez signs for Espanyol

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:02:00 GMT

Espanyol have signed their second player of the transfer window from Swiss side Neuchatel, sealing the signature of Victor Sanchez on a three-and-a-half year deal.

Finance by day, football by night

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:42:00 GMT

Pablo Infante spends his days working as a bank manager. He has been spending evenings propelling the Copa del Rey fairytale of third-flight Mirandes, who are poised to face Athletic Bilbao in the semi-finals.

Aussie queens crowned, Europe's elite endure

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:57:00 GMT

FIFA.com’s weekly review of women’s club football reflects on the crowning of new champions in Australia, top spot changing hands in the Netherlands and the front three continuing to impress in Spain.

Deadline day as it happened

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 GMT

With the January transfer window coming to a close, FIFA.com posted a live round-up of the main events. Click here to read about the major moves and the drama of deadline day.

Roberto Carlos to finish playing in December

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:58:00 GMT

Brazilian legend Roberto Carlos, who won the FIFA World Cup™ in 2002, has said he will bring his playing career to a close in December of this year at current club Anzhi Makhachkala.

Espanyol capture Coutinho on loan

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:28:00 GMT

La Liga side Espanyol who acquired the services of Inter Milan's Brazilian starlet Philippe Coutinho on a short-term loan deal until the end of the season.

Valdes: Barça must win every point

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:37:00 GMT

Barcelona have to emerge victorious in each of their 18 remaining games in La Liga to have a chance of beating Real Madrid to the title according to Victor Valdes, who has refused to blame the Catalans’ slip-up at Villarreal on injuries.

Dynamo Tbilisi sack Spanish coach Garcia

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:34:00 GMT

Alex Garcia's spell at the helm of Dynamo Tbilisi has been brought to an end after a poor showing in pre-season following just over six months in charge.

The five-point European review

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 06:48:00 GMT

While the FA Cup dominated in England, it was a good weekend for the leaders in Europe's other major leagues, with Real Madrid, Juventus, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain all chalking up victories.

Malaga take scrappy edge over Sevilla

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 22:57:00 GMT

Malaga edged to a 2-1 victory over Sevilla, with Weligton and Seba Fernandez on target for the winners either side of an Antonio Luna reply.

Valencia rescue point, Sociedad cruise

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 19:50:00 GMT

Valencia claimed a hard-fought 2-2 draw at Racing Santander, with substitute Aritz Aduriz hitting a brace to ensure a share of the points, while Real Sociedad defeated Sporting Gijon 5-1.

In-form Getafe down Levante

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 18:04:00 GMT

Goals from Dani Guiza and Diego Castro saw Getafe travel to high-flying Levante and keep their good form going, despite losing a man and giving away a penalty late one.

Happy Birthday to you!

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 09:02:00 GMT

FIFA.com is once again celebrating the week of birthdays set to take place over the next week in the football world, including FIFA World Cup™ winners Romario and Joan Capdevila as well as Tunisia boss Sami Trabelsi.

Barça forced to settle at Villarreal

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 23:36:00 GMT

Barcelona were held to a frustrating goalless draw with Villarreal, pushing the Catalans further off pace of leaders Real Madrid as the champions were unable to recover after a lacklustre first half at El Madrigal.

Real hit back to beat Zaragoza

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 21:29:00 GMT

Real Madrid came back from an early scare with goals from Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mesut Ozil to deny Real Zaragoza 3-1 and maintain their La Liga momentum after a quarter-finals exit from the Copa del Rey.

Weiss strikes Espanyol past Mallorca

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 20:02:00 GMT

Vladimir Weiss scored the only goal as Espanyol scraped by Real Mallorca to claim a 1-0 victory and keep up their climb in the La Liga standings.