Golden Soccer 360

World Cup assistant referees have been instructed to keep their flag down for tight offside calls in Russia, according to FIFA referees committee chairman Pierluigi Collina. Collina says linesmen have been told to keep their flags down in order to enable the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) to make the correct decision. VAR will be used for the first time at the World Cup in this summer's tournament in Russia. "If you see some assistant referee not raising the flag, it's not because he's making mistakes," said Collina, at the World Cup referees media day on Tuesday. "It's because he's respected the instruction to keep the flag down. "They were told to keep the flag down when there is a tight offside incident and there could be a very promising attack or a goal-scoring opportunity because, if the assistant referee raises the flag, then everything is finished. "If the assistant referee keeps the flag down and the play goes o...

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah has given Egypt a timely boost after he joined the squad's training session on Wednesday. Salah had been a doubt after suffering a shoulder injury in Liverpool's 3-1 loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League final on May 26. However, the 25-year-old was spotted taking part in the session - going through a range of warm-up exercises with his team-mates. On Monday, Egypt's medical staff stated they remained unsure whether he would be fit for their opening game as he did not take part in a training session. Their World Cup campaign begins on Friday in Group A against Uruguay. Russia and Saudi Arabia complete that group. If Salah does not make it back in time for Uruguay, his next target will be getting fit for a clash with hosts Russia on June 19, before Egypt round off their group campaign against Saudi Arabia in Volgograd six days later. Egypt are training at the Akhmat-Arena in Chechnya's capital Grozny. via Sky Sports

Marcus Rashford will miss England training on Wednesday with a slight knee strain, but the injury is not thought to be serious. The 20-year-old underlined his claims for a starting place in England's World Cup opener against Tunisia with a man-of-the-match display and outstanding opener against Costa Rica last week. England manager Gareth Southgate revealed upon landing in Russia on Tuesday that the Manchester United forward had sustained a "slight knock" - a knee complaint that kept him out of the first training session as a precautionary measure. England face Tunisia in their opening World Cup game on Monday before they face Panama and Belgium in their remaining Group G fixtures. via Sky Sports

Toby Alderweireld has suggested he would be open to staying at Tottenham beyond this summer. The defender saw his playing time limited during the 2017/18 season due to injuries and reports of a stalemate over a new contract. Alderweireld has just over a year left on his current contract, which includes a one-year extension option, and more than a year of talks over a new deal have yet to result in agreement. Manchester United are among the clubs interested in the 29-year-old, but, asked he if could stay at Tottenham, Alderweireld said: "Yeah, why not? "I have two years left on my contract. I don't know what is going to happen." Alderweireld is currently away with Belgium at the World Cup and will face some of his Tottenham team-mates when Belgium and England meet in their final Group G game. While Belgium are among the favourites to win the World Cup, Alderweireld also thinks England are going to enjoy a "very good" tournament. "I have...

Arsenal are one of a number of clubs interested in Portugal winger Gelson Martins and are in advanced talks with Germany goalkeeper Bernd Leno, according to Sky sources. The Gunners have also agreed a deal with Borussia Dortmund for defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos, with the transfer expected to be formally announced on July 1. Martins could be available on a free transfer as he is one of four Sporting Lisbon players who moved to terminate their contracts, citing 'just cause' after Sporting's players were attacked at the club's training ground last month. The 23-year-old, who is part of Portugal's World Cup squad, scored 10 goals in 42 appearances for Sporting last season. Leno was named in Germany's provisional squad for Russia but did not make the final 23. He has made 304 appearances for Leverkusen but has been reportedly told he can leave the club after they signed Finnish stopper Lukas Hradecky from Eintracht Frankfurt. The 26-year-old Leno w...

Jack Wilshere’s future remains uncertain but talks are ongoing between him and Arsenal, according to Sky sources. Sky Sports News has been told a potential departure from the Emirates is complicated by a loyalty payment the midfielder is due. Wilshere will be out of contract on July 1. The 26-year-old, who has been at the club since he was nine, has so far been unable to agree terms on a new deal. However, he told  Soccer Saturday  last month he was keen to stay at the club and was "hopeful" of agreeing a new contract to remain. Wilshere has struggled with injuries in recent years but played 38 times for Arsenal last season in what proved to be Arsene Wenger's final campaign at the club. However, that was not enough to convince Gareth Southgate to include Wilshere in his 23-man England squad for the World Cup in Russia. via Sky Sports

Atletico Madrid striker Antoine Griezmann says he has made a final decision about his future but has refused to reveal where he will be playing next season. Griezmann, a former target for Manchester United, has been strongly linked with Barcelona this summer after scoring 29 goals in 49 games for Atletico last season. The 27-year-old called a press conference while on international duty with France on Tuesday but refused to confirm if he will move clubs this summer or remain at the Wanda Metropolitano. "Today is not the day to talk about my future," he said. "Yes, I have already made a decision about my future. But I'm not going to speak about it today. "It's not the time or the place." Griezmann had previously hinted that his future would be sorted before the start of the World Cup and  Sky Sports'  Spanish football expert Guillem Balague believes the French striker is at risk of angering fans with his lack of clarity. "Whiche...

Spain coach Julen Lopetegui will take over as Real Madrid boss after the World Cup. The 51-year-old, who has been in charge of the national team for the past two years, has agreed a three-year contract at the Bernabeu. The move comes as a surprise, with Lopetegui not featuring prominently among the host of managers linked with the role since the departure of Zinedine Zidane days after Madrid's 3-1 victory over Liverpool in the Champions League final. The former goalkeeper made a sole league appearance for Madrid as a player and later turned out for rivals Barcelona. Lopetegui previously coached Madrid's feeder club Castilla in 2008/09 before taking charge of Spain's youth teams. He enjoyed success with the country's youth sides, winning the U19 European Championship in 2012 before repeating the feat as U21 boss 12 months later. Lopetegui's forays into club management have been less successful, however. He was sacked from a brief spell in charge of R...

Kylian Mbappe has played down an injury scare after he limped out of training on Tuesday as France stepped up their preparations for the World Cup. Didier Deschamps' squad were taking part in an open training session at the Glebovets Stadium in Istra when Paris Saint-Germain forward Mbappe went down following a challenge with defender Adil Rami. The 19-year-old was pictured laying on the floor holding his left ankle before being helped to his feet by staff. There was no immediate further details given of the injury by the French Football Federation, which had broadcast the training session on YouTube. However, later on Tuesday, Mbappe took to his personal Twitter account to allay fears it could be a serious problem. "I'm fine, it's just a knock so it does not matter but thank you for your posts ?? PS: And leave my friend @Rami13official it was not mean??" Earlier, Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann had spoken at a press conference, looking ...

Gareth Southgate has revealed Marcus Rashford has sustained a "slight knock" in training ahead of the World Cup. Rashford suffered the injury in England's final training session on Monday, the day before the squad set off for Russia. The Three Lions landed in St Petersburg on Tuesday afternoon before travelling on to their World Cup training base in Repino. The injury to Rashford, who was named man of the match in England's final warm-up game against Costa Rica on Thursday, is not thought to be serious and his place in the squad is not under threat. England face Tunisia in their opening World Cup game next Monday before they face Panama and Belgium in their remaining Group G fixtures. Southgate says his squad are relishing the chance to represent their country on the world stage. Speaking to the media at St Petersburg's Pulkovo airport, Southgate said: "We are representing our country in the greatest sporting tournament there is. "We are...

Raheem Sterling’s future at the Etihad looks less certain after he and Manchester City failed to reach an agreement over a new long-term deal. Sky Sports News  has learnt that the two parties remain poles apart on the player's wages and at this stage no fresh negotiations are planned. The 23-year old winger joins his England team-mates on the plane to Russia on Tuesday, having enjoyed his finest season to date, scoring 23 goals in all competitions for the Premier League champions. It was hoped that a new deal could be concluded before the World Cup kicked off, keeping Sterling at City through to 2022. However, SSN understands City have met Sterling's representatives on two separate occasions since the season concluded on May 6, with the parties unable to find common ground over the player's wages. In recent months, City have agreed new deals with a host of key players, including Kevin De Bruyne, Fernandinho, David Silva and Nicolas Otamendi, and behind the sc...

"The most important thing is to compete well and then God and Messi will decide if we can win the World Cup," Argentina president Mauricio Macri said of his country's chances of winning the tournament in Russia. No pressure then, Lionel. Despite his remarkable career, Messi has never been able to lead his country to a major championship victory. There was the 2014 World Cup final defeat and, in the Copa America, back-to-back disappointments in 2015 and 2016 finals. With Messi turning 31 during this summer's World Cup, this could be his last chance to lift the most coveted trophy in football. The focus is on the Argentina captain. Messi's relationship with the Argentina fans is a complicated one. He was dubbed ' The Catalan'  for leaving his homeland to join Barcelona as a teenager and the perception is that he does not reproduce his brilliant club form for his country. But that could all change if he and his team-mates can achieve success in Rus...

Cristiano Ronaldo "does not look at all worried" about his future, according to Portugal team-mate Manuel Fernandes, amid Real Madrid exit talk. Ronaldo suggested he could call time on his Madrid career just moments after they clinched their third consecutive Champions League against Liverpool, saying "it was very nice to be at Real Madrid". However, Fernandes, who plays for Russian side Lokomotiv Moscow, insists Ronaldo is unfazed by the speculation. Speaking on Monday at Portugal's World Cup team base camp on the outskirts of Moscow, Fernandes said: "I have nothing negative to say about Cristiano, he looks focused and doesn't look at all worried about his future." Portugal share Group B with Morocco and Iran, but face their toughest test in their opening game against Spain on Friday in the evening kick-off. Ronaldo is Portugal's all-time leading scorer with 81 goals in 150 senior caps and captained them to a first European champi...

Lionel Messi says the future of his international career depends on how Argentina do at the World Cup. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner originally announced his international retirement when Argentina lost the Copa America final for the second successive year to Chile in 2016, and said criticism from media in his home country was a big factor in his decision. Messi - who had suffered defeat in the 2014 World Cup final to Germany - changed his mind shortly after and led Argentina through a poor World Cup qualification campaign with a hat-trick in their must-win final game against Ecuador. Only "God and Messi" will decide if Argentina can win this year's tournament, according to their president Mauricio Macri, and the Barcelona forward has hinted it could be his last attempt. Asked if he will retire after the World Cup, Messi told Spanish newspaper  Sport : "I don't know. It will depend how we do, how it ends. "The fact we've lost three fi...

Harry Kane says England must "believe it can be different" at the World Cup if they are to end their 52-year run without silverware. England last lifted a trophy at the 1966 World Cup and have since struggled to recreate such success - only progressing to the semi-final stage of major tournaments. However, England's captain says Gareth Southgate's youthful squad must not become distracted by their previous record on the biggest stage. "The main thing is to believe it can be different, it's been tough for the last 50 years because we haven't won anything," said Kane. "For us [the key thing] is to stay focused on ourselves, not to worry about the teams in the past and things like that. We are our own team, we have our own identity and we just have to look forward and enjoy it. "We can't wait to get out there and get started." England have the worst World Cup record in penalty shootouts - failing to win on three occ...

The careers of World Cup referees will be over if they fail to act should incidents of racism occur, says Kick It Out's chairman. Lord Ouseley insisted the responsibility rests on match officials after FIFA president Gianni Infantino gave referees the power to abandon matches if players experience discrimination. Infantino says there are measures in place should anything occur during matches and has warned of "serious consequences" if there are such issues. Ouseley told  Sky Sports News:  "If players feel that something isn't happening and the referees should be taking action - the referees are aware their career is over. "There are strong sanctions being taken. The referees have a responsibility on the pitch for the care and well-being of all the players whether it's because of an injury sustained due to normal action or something thrown onto the pitch or it's abuse." England defender Danny Rose has told his ...

Everton are expected to start the bidding for Norwich City’s player of the year James Maddison – with an offer likely in the next week, according to Sky sources. Wayne Rooney's move to the MLS is expected to be confirmed in the coming days and Everton are keen to conclude a deal for Maddison, with Leicester and Fulham among a host of Premier League teams interested in the England U21 midfielder. With parachute payments now coming to an end, Norwich look set to cash in on Maddison - and are looking to recoup £20-£25m for him. The former Coventry midfielder, signed by Norwich for £2.5m in 2016, is presently recovering from a knee ligament injury suffered at Sheffield Wednesday on the last day of the season. We understand the 21-year old, who scored 15 goals last season, is recovering ahead of schedule from the injury and is due to begin running again in July. Maddison made 49 appearances in all competitions for Norwich last season. via Sky Sports ...