Crewe Alexandra have confirmed director Dario Gradi has been handed an interim suspension by the Football Association.

The FA is undertaking a wider investigation into allegations of historical child sexual abuse in football. 

Following discussions with the Football Association, Crewe Alexandra Football Club can confirm that Dario Gradi is currently under an FA interim suspension from football, read the club s statement.

It is alleged Gradi attempted to smooth over a complaint of sexual assault when he worked as Chelsea assistant manager in 1974.

The claims came from an unnamed former youth player at Chelsea in a newspaper interview earlier this month and Gradi denied any wrongdoing at the time of publication.

He also issued a statement on Frida…

Edwin van der Sar has signed a new four-year contract as Ajax s general manager, seemingly ending any chance of him moving to Manchester United.

Van der Sar returned in 2012 to the Dutch club he served as a player, joining as a marketing director before being elevated to his current key leadership role four years later.

Since Van der Sar took up that position, Ajax have taken a significant step towards being the European force they were when the former goalkeeper played for the club in the 1990s.

Very happy with my contract extension at this beautiful club, he wrote on his official Twitter account.

We ve had some difficult moments, but the good times are definitely back. And of course we want more in the future!

Very happy with my contract e…

Manchester United full-back Antonio Valencia feels 21 as he shows no signs of slowing down at Old Trafford.

Aged 31, Valencia is one of the veterans at United but the Ecuador star remains one of the club s top performers and Jose Mourinho s undisputed right-back in the Premier League.

Valencia has appeared in 33 matches in all competitions for United this season and he plans to stay beyond his contract in 2018.

I ve changed in a lot of ways [since then] but with my willingness to keep on training hard, my hunger to keep on improving and my desire to want to remain here at United, I feel like I m still just 21 years old, Valencia told Inside United.

I m thankful to this great institution [the club] which has given me the chance to fulfil my dreams. And, …

Most football seasons carry a degree of unpredictability; that s just the nature of sport.

But it s certainly arguable that this season is among the least predictable in living memory due to the unique timing of the World Cup, which took place across November and December for the first time.

In Italy, Napoli would ve presumably been the team most frustrated by the timing of Qatar 2022. On course for a first Scudetto since 1990 and the days of Diego Maradona, the Partenopei had been head and shoulders above the rest in Serie A before the World Cup and among the most eye-catching sides in Europe.

They d lost just once – a 2-0 Champions League defeat at Liverpool – and won all but three matches across all competitions prior to the season s break. So, the key que…

Barcelona have completed a surprise move for former AC Milan attacking midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng, signing him on an initial loan deal until the end of the season.

The 31-year-old returns to LaLiga for his second spell after impressing at Las Palmas during the 2016-17 campaign, and Barca can purchase him outright for a reported €8million before the loan ends.

Barca s move for the former Ghana international comes as a shock given the midfielder s stature in the game, having represented fairly modest clubs in Las Palmas, Eintracht Frankfurt and Sassuolo over the last few years.

Ernesto Valverde had been hoping for attacking reinforcements in January, particularly after seeing Paco Alcacer depart for Borussia Dortmund in the previous transfer window and Mun…

FIFA s head of refereeing Massimo Busacca praised the implementation of video assistant referees (VAR) at the Confederations Cup but conceded the much-discussed system must be reformed and improved.

The use of VAR has come under the spotlight on a number of occasions during the tournament in Russia, most recently during Germany s 3-1 win over Cameroon in Sochi on Sunday when referee Wilmar Roldan sent off the wrong player before having his mistake corrected.

FIFA is not yet committed to using VAR at the World Cup in Russia next year and will undertake a review of its operation at the end of the Confederations Cup.

Busacca, a Swiss former referee who took charge of the 2009 Champions League final and officiated at the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, told a news conferen…

Napoli boss Walter Mazzarri has warned his side not to rest on their laurels as they look to nail down a spot in the Champions League knockout stages, despite knowing they could lose their final group game and still progress.

The Italians are handily placed behind Group C winners Real Madrid, sitting three points and three goals clear of their Portuguese opponents Braga ahead of Tuesday’s clash in Naples.

Having also won the reverse fixture, the Serie A outfit know they can win, draw or even go down by a single goal in order to reach the last 16, but Mazzarri expects them to be on their game.

Since marking his return to the club a month ago with victory at Atalanta, he has overseen three successive defeats, with Real, Juventus and league leaders Inter Milan pre…

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Bayern Munich welcome Borussia Dortmund to the Allianz Arena on Saturday, in a game that could go a long was in answering the question of this season s Bundesliga champion.

Having played 27 games apiece, the two title contenders are pretty much neck and neck at the moment. Only two points separate them as Dortmund lead with seven matches to go.

Borussia started the season strongly and led for most of the way, but recent stumbles saw the Bavaians overtake them before giving the lead back last weekend with a disappointing 1-1 draw away to Freiburg.

Bayern Munich

It s certainly been a season of ups and downs for the reigning champions. Their start was extremely worrying. Spats were being reported between the players and h…

Jupp Heynckes appointment at Bayern Munich on a deal until the end of the season is the latest example of a coach returning to an old club.

Football s managerial merry-go-round sometimes sees the same faces jumping back on the same horse for a second spin, but is that always a wise decision?

The history of such moves is a chequered one and here we take a look at some of the lessons that even the 72-year-old Heynckes could learn from.

JOSE MOURINHO (CHELSEA 2004-2007 2013-2015)

The self-titled Special One needed to produce some extraordinary results to back up his big talk and he did just that at Stamford Bridge.

Fresh from a stunning Champions League success with Porto, the Portuguese led a Blues revolution in a first spell that y…

Morgan Gibbs-White spoilt Southampton’s Premier League homecoming as his first goal of the season earned Nottingham Forest a 1-0 win at St. Mary’s.

Forest’s attacking prowess was rewarded in the 70th minute as Gibbs-White was the quickest to react inside the penalty area to finish beyond Alex McCarthy.

It was the least the visitors deserved on the South Coast, having dominated proceedings from the first whistle, registering 12 shots on target without reward in the first half.

Russell Martin’s side rarely offered a threat in the final third, with Kyle Walker-Peters going closest early after the break.

Having let their lead slip against Bournemouth late last time out, Forest were able to hold on to move up to fourth in the early-season standings, wi…