Lazio captain Stefano Mauri has been banned for six months after being implicated in the Scommessopoli match-fixing scandal.

Mauri, who has previously protested his innocence, was one of eight players said to have been complicit in the fixing of Lazio s matches with Genoa and Lecce in May 2011.

The Italy international has been punished for failing to report match-fixing.

Mauri was found guilty for his role in the Lecce match, but the Italian Football Federation rejected prosecutor Stefano Palazzi s request for the 33-year-old to be suspended for four years and six months.

Palazzi had also asked for Lazio to be docked six points for the new season, however, the Rome club have instead been handed a €40,000 fine.

Lecce were slapped with a €20,000 fine, whi…

Market: Austria win

Odds: 

Desperate to improve on their recent form before hosting this summers World Cup finals, Russia will travel to Austria on Wednesday.

For Franco Foda s Austria side, although The Reds were unable to book their spot in Russia this summer and improve on their abysmal tournament at Euro 2016, the hosts have begun to rebuild with a string of victories of late. Coming off the back of a 4-0 win away in Luxemburg, although Austria were only able to secure a fourth-place finish in Group D, Foda s side are now on a five-match winning run and one man to watch for Austria will be West Ham talisman Marko Arnautovic, the forward now have five in five on international duty.

As for Stanislav Cherchesov s World Cup hosts, although Russia may h…

Timo Werner has acknowledged he will likely need to leave RB Leipzig if he wants to establish himself as a world-class forward.

The Germany international has developed into one of the Bundesliga s most highly rated young players, particularly since joining Leipzig from Stuttgart in 2016.

Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool and AC Milan have all been linked with the 22-year-old, while Bayern Munich have reportedly identified the striker as the ideal potential replacement for Robert Lewandowski.

And Werner thinks he will only become one of the world s best players if he follows the example of team-mate Naby Keita, who is to join Liverpool on July 1.

To become a world-class player, I ll probably have to play in an even better team at club level, Werner told W…

Harry Redknapp allowed full-back Gareth Bale to get the proverbial monkey off his back last Saturday as Tottenham brushed Burnley aside 5-0.

Bale finally tasted his first victory in a Premier League match at the 25th time of asking after Redknapp brought Bale on in the 86th-minute for Aaron Lennon against the Clarets.

The 19-year-old Welsh star joined Spurs more than two years ago from Southampton but was not involved in a league win until the weekend, but his wait for a top-flight victory after starting a game continues.

Late strikes by Fulham and Liverpool in 2008 denied him a league success, then a foot injury in a defeat to Birmingham ruled the teenager out for the remainder of that campaign.

Last term saw Spurs fail to win in the league unti…

Charlie Davies, a 23-year-old forward for the United States, underwent surgery Tuesday afternoon after being injured in a one-car crash early Tuesday morning, US Soccer Federation officials said.

Davies, who plays for the French club Sochaux, suffered injuries that were not life-threatening and was in stable condition after being taken to a nearby hospital following the 3:15 a.m. wreck in Virginia near the team hotel.

It was not certain exactly what injuries Davies had suffered or whether or not they might jeopardize his career.

Police were investigating the circumstances around the crash, in which there was a fatality, US Soccer officials said.

Davies was not missed immediately because a morning team breakfast was optional but US coach Bob Bradley gathe…

Turin-based newspaper that Juventus plan to return for Genoa striker Alberto Gilardino.

The Bianconeri attempted to sign the experienced forward on transfer deadline day and even agreed a transfer fee with the player s employers, but the deal failed to materialize as Genoa missed out on Roma s Marco Borriello.

Juventus, nevertheless, plan to launch a new assault on the 31-year-old forward, but they will probably wait until the summer before making their move.

According to Tuttosport, Genoa are prepared to allow Gilardino to move to Turin next summer, so no doubts the Bianconeri remain the favourites to sign the Italy international.

Following a somewhat disappointing 2011/2012 season, the forward has kick-started his career last term, scoring 13 goals in…

Roma striker Pablo Osvaldo has admitted that a possible transfer to Real Madrid could prove to be too tempting to turn down.

The Santiago Bernabeu side are reportedly keen to add some fresh blood to their attack at the end of the season, and recent reports from Spain claim Osvaldo is one of Real s top targets.

Real Madrid s interest? Every player dreams of wearing the jersey of a club like Madrid, Osvaldo told Marca.

However, I will have to do well with Roma first and win trophies here.

We have to do our utmost to make sure we secure third place in the table and qualify for the Champions League.

Osvaldo previously played in La Liga at Espanyol from 2010 until 2011, before eventually joining Roma ahead of the 2011/12 campaign.

The 27-ye…

Tite says Neymar s apparent emotional fragility is of no concern to Brazil as they prepare for a crunch World Cup encounter against Serbia.

The Paris Saint-Germain striker burst into tears at the end of Friday s 2-0 win over Costa Rica, after he and Philippe Coutinho had netted in second-half stoppage time to avoid what would have been a damaging draw.

Brazil head into Wednesday s clash with Serbia as Group E leaders, needing a point to be sure of a place in the last 16.

But Tite says such displays of emotion are customary, and revealed how he was in a similar state following his first match in charge, against Ecuador in September 2016.

I d like to say to the whole Brazilian nation, after Ecuador, Tite cried, the head coach told a news conference. I was…

The former head of German football Wolfgang Niersbach s one-year ban from football activities has been upheld after his appeal was rejected by the FIFA Appeal Committee

Niersbach resigned as president of the German Football Association (DFB) in November 2015 after investigators searched the premises of the organisation;s headquarters in Frankfurt, as well as his home, and those of predecessor Theo Zwanziger and former general secretary Horst Schmidt amid allegations that the hosting rights for World Cup 2006 had been secured by corrupt means.

A member of the FIFA Council, Niersbach claimed his resignation was to protect the DFB and maintained his innocence.

However, a FIFA probe found him guilty of failing to report findings about possible misconduct concerning …

Lyon have agreed a deal in principle to sign attacking midfielder Jeff Reine-Adelaide from Ligue 1 rivals Angers.

The 21-year-old will undergo a medical before finalising a move reportedly worth around €30million.

Arsenal, Reine-Adelaide s former club, have the opportunity to hijack the deal by submitting an equivalent bid.

The Gunners inserted the clause as part of the France Under-21 international s departure in 2018 but are not expected to match Lyon s offer.

Reine-Adelaide made 35 top-flight appearances last season, scoring three times, and could make his Les Gones debut against Angers on Friday.

Elsewhere in France, Montpellier have acquired goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli on a season-long loan from Real Sociedad.

The deal includes an op…