Football

On loan from Liverpool, Balotelli scored only one goal in 20 Serie A appearances for AC Milan this season. Pirlo, on the other hand, is playing in the Major League Soccer.

"The final is fifty-fifty. The two teams have the same options," Simeone said at a media conference.

Idolised by his Boca Juniors club and popular throughout Argentina, Carlos Tevez was overlooked in favour of Gonzalo Higuain who smashed a record 36 goals in Serie A this season with Napoli.

Police used sniffer dogs to search the area before calling in an army bomb disposal unit which carried out a controlled explosion on the item.

Christian Benteke headed home from close range as Liverpool grabbed a stoppage-time leveller to snatch a point against Chelsea in a 1-1 draw.

According to Forbes, the 20 most valuable football teams are worth an average of $1.44 billion, a 24 percent jump from last year that was driven by new lucrative television deals.

West Ham bade farewell to the Boleyn Ground after 112 years with a pulsating 3-2 victory over Manchester United to leave the visitors' top-four hopes in tatters on Tuesday.

The regulatory commission of the Indian Super League (ISL) on Thursday imposed heavy penalties on FC Goa for breach of discipline during the final of the 2015 edition of the lucrative football tournament.

Having barely had time to digest their narrow win over Manuel Pellegrini's side, Real's euphoric fans gleefully recalled that late show in Lisbon, chanting: "Atletico, tell me how it felt to lose the final".

An extra-time strike from Brazilian forward Uilliams Bomfin sent Shillong Lajong through to the semi-finals, beating East Bengal 4-3 on aggregate.

"I have a contract for three years, so I will say 100 percent. Rumours affect any club where things are going badly. People think the top players want to leave because they are not in the Champions League," Courtois told Le Parisien.

The 38-year-old Hellas Verona striker says "this has been the worst year of my career. ... Maybe I wouldn't stop if we had had a good season."

"It's a fairy tale. It's a football story that only football can write. It's great not just for Leicester fans but for football fans everywhere," said Infantino.

Leicester's first top-flight title was secured after their only remaining challengers Tottenham Hotspur were held to a 2-2 draw at Chelsea when needing to win to keep the race alive.

Stefan Petrovski, an 18-year-old reserve 'keeper for second-tier side Melaka United, had been in a coma in intensive care since being struck by lightning three weeks ago.

Mario Balotelli missed a penalty as AC Milan, jeered off the field after a dismal first half, drew 3-3 with lowly Frosinone in Serie A on Sunday.