Robin van Persie spotted taking in the sights in Rome as Manchester United striker contemplates Old Trafford future

Robin van Persie was seen out and about on the streets of Rome as he contemplates his Manchester United future.

With just one year left on his Old Trafford contract there is continued speculation that the Dutchman was in Italy to discuss a move to the Serie A, with Roma rumoured to be interested in the striker.

The 31-year-old and his wife Bouchra spent Sunday afternoon taking advantage of Rome's designer shopping outlets and acknowledging fans, which included some rather scantily clad shop goers.  

The former Arsenal front man was linked with a summer switch to Lazio, however the club's sporting director, Igli Tare, has explained otherwise.

'I can only say that I respect Van Persie as a striker, but unfortunately he is outside of our parameters,' Tare said to Lazio Style Radio. 'There was never any meeting.' 

Van Persie admitted last week that he finds himself in a difficult situation given that he is settled in Cheshire with his family, although more regular first team football would certainly benefit him considering the European Championships are set to take place in France next year.

'I must evaluate the situation,' said the Holland captain. 'The club (Manchester United) is doing that as well. I must consider what I really want. If worse comes to the worst and I won't be playing much next season I wouldn't be in an ideal situation with Euro 2016 coming up.'

Holland currently lie third in Group A of European Championship qualifying, and face fifth placed Latvia in Riga on Friday Evening.

The 23-year-old faces punishment after leading Arsenal supporters in a series of explicit songs directed at the club's bitter north London rivals

Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere is surprised by his FA charge for swearing and says his anti-Tottenhamjibes were "a bit of fun".

Wilshere is considering contesting the misconduct charge, which came after he sang offensive songs during the Gunners' FA Cup victory parade in London.

The 23-year-old was told of the charge by a member of the FA's media department when he joined up with the England squad ahead of Sunday's Euro 2016 qualifier against Slovenia.

Wilshere, at Arsenal since 2001, insists he has learned his lesson - but feels the threat of FA disciplinary action is too harsh.

"That’s one way [lesson learned] of looking at it. But, at the same time, people have been giving me a lot of stick for having some fun and enjoying myself at the end of [the season]," he told reporters.

"We've worked hard all year as a group of players and we've won a trophy. That's the best feeling in the world. No matter what job you do, if at the end of the year you get a promotion and a bonus, you're going to go out and celebrate. From that side of things it was a bit harsh.

"I've always had that bond with the Arsenal fans since I was young because I came through the club. I grew up at Arsenal and I love the fans. I am quite proud of that.

"But, believe it or not, I've actually got family who are Tottenham fans so it's nothing personal against them. It was just a bit of fun."

The striker has offered a low key response to talk of playing for the club again, while claiming he could have scored 25 goals last season had he been fit from the start

Juventus forward Alvaro Morata says a return to Real Madrid would "depend on many people", following reports the club could bring him back to the Bernabeu.

The 22-year-old only moved to Turin last year where he has since won the Scudetto and Coppa Italia and scored in the Champions League final before his side went on to lose 3-1 to Barcelona.

Morata denied there had been talks to move back to Madrid following the departure of Carlo Ancelotti and subsequent appointment of Rafa Benitez, but didn't close the door completely on playing for the club again.

"Nobody has spoken to me about going back," the Spain international told Cadena Ser. "It is something that would have to depend on many people.

"That said, I have to think about how my year went here [at Juventus]. And I am very happy to be playing here."

The Madrid cantera graduate moved to the Serie A champions to increase his chances of playing time and enjoyed a season of continuity in which he managed to score 15 goals in 46 games across all competitions.

Nevertheless, Morata expressed his regret at not being able to do more in helping Juventus secure the treble but said their European disappointment on Saturday would serve as motivation next term.

"The year could have been better if we had won the Champions League," he continued. "I could have easily scored 20 to 25 goals had I been better prepared in the first half of the season.

"I could have done much better. These have been a couple of hard days in which we lost the Champions League final, though I feel the team gained plenty from the journey. 

"Sometimes it's not always pretty but we've learnt and seen that we're not made of glass. We'll emerge out the other side soon."

Juventus have already been busy reinforcing their squad to challenge on all fronts again next term, having completed the €40 million signing of Paulo Dybala from Palermo.

A great second half display ensured Edwin Okon ladies began their 2015 Women's World Cup campaign on an impressive note after forcing the Europeans to a draw on Monday night

Juventus' Gianluigi Buffon is more deserving of the Ballon d'Or than Lionel Messi, according to Johan Cruyff.

Cruyff, himself a three-time winner of the prize, believes the Italian has had a more consistent year, despite losing to Messi's Barcelona in the Champions League final.

"Messi is playing very well, but what counts when it comes to winning the Ballon d'Or is the whole year and Buffon is definitely a possibility for the prize in 2015," the 68-year-old shared to Tuttosport.

"He's been a great goalkeeper for years now. But Juventus have so many great players. I'm also thinking of Pirlo, [Arturo] Vidal, [Paul] Pogba and [Alvaro] Morata. I especially appreciate the organisation the club boasts.

"Replacing Pirlo will be hard, because his game is so unique. They'll need to find someone entirely similar. [Toni] Kroos has excelled in that position, but he belongs to Real Madrid.

"If they can't find a direct replacement, they'll have to evolve their style. The important thing is not to look back."

Still, Cruyff believes the Bianconeri have the strength in depth to start over once their iconic midfielder leaves and fully expects them to replicate their European feats of last season sooner rather than later.

"Juventus played as they should have [in Saturday's 3-1 final defeat to Barcelona] with personality and organisation, and managed a goal, though Barcelona are also very strong and showed it again.

"They [Juventus] will have more chances to win it again. They got to the final this year, after several years of playing good football. It's something that is positive for all of Italian football."

A great second half display ensured Edwin Okon ladies began their 2015 Women's World Cup campaign on an impressive note after forcing the Europeans to a draw on Monday night

A commanding second half display by Nigeria Women saw them hold Sweden to a 3-3 draw in their opening game at the Winnipeg Stadium, Winnipeg.

Goals from Asisat Oshoala, Ngozi Okobi and Francisca Ordega were all Edwin Okon’s ladies needed to fight back having gone down by two goals in the first half.

The Falcons, who have never defeated the Europeans, came into the game full of hope but were soon down in the 21st minute after Desire Oparanozie put the ball into her own net when Emma Berglund’s header ricocheted off her and into the net following a corner kick that left the Nigerians jittery.

Few minutes later, Nilla Fischer tapped into an open net from another corner kick owing to poor clearance by the African champions’ back line as veteran goalkeeper Precious Dede fluffed her clearance.

It was clear that the higher-ranked Swedes had perfected their game plan to employ corner kicks in rattling the Nigerians who had not lost in 10 matches coming into the encounter.

While youngster Oshoala saw an attempt go just wide of goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl's goal and Oparanozie could not deliver a pin point cross into the box, the Nigerians went into half time facing an uphill task and a battle to regain their pre-match confidence. 

Whatever coach Edwin Okon told his team at half time, it surely worked as the Falcons came back strongly into the game.

On resumption of the second half, Nigeria got two quick goals to draw level. First it was Okobi’s cool finish in the 50th minute that geared her team back to life. She received an Oparanozie pass from the right and shot under Lindahl to give some momentum to the Nigerians.

Three minutes later before the Swedes knew what hit them, Oshoala leveled up with a fine individual effort after a well-played long ball from Onome Ebi. The Liverpool ladies striker raced past experienced defender Fischer and Lindahl to get the Africans back into the game.

Just as the Nigerians were still celebratng and had taken their eyes off the ball, Linda Sembrant handed the lead back to Sweden after good build-up play on the left side resulted in Lina Nilsson’s cross that the substitute managed to direct past Dede with her thigh in the 60th minute.

      

However it was the Nigerians that would laugh last as Ordega salvaged a point for the Super Falcons three minutes from time with a shot that slipped through the legs of Lindahl, leaving matters level at 3-3.

Ngozi Okobi was named player of the match and Nigeria would next face Australia while Sweden would meet tournament favourites USA.

After months of speculation, the Brazilian defender has finally put pen-to-paper on a two-year extension, along with the option for one more

Barcelona announced that Dani Alves signed a new contract with the club on Tuesday.

The 32-year-old looked set to leave the club after talks stalled over a deal, with his agent revealing AC Milan and several clubs were interested in his services.

However, both parties have now come to an agreement, meaning he will remain at the club until at least the summer of 2017.

"FC Barcelona announce that Dani Alves has accepted the club's proposal for the renewal of his contract," a statement on the Blaugrana's official website read.

"The new agreement linking the two parties will run for two more seasons until 30 June 2017, plus an optional third season."

Alves played a key role in Luis Enrique's side securing a magnificent treble of the Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League titles last term.

The Brazilian was a €35 million signing from Sevilla in 2008 and has won five league titles and the Champions League three times at Camp Nou.

The reigning European champions have issued an official statement rejecting reports from Italy that they have tabled a bid for the Juventus star

Real Madrid deny Pogba Bid

Real Madrid have issued a statement denying reports they have made a formal offer for Juventus star Paul Pogba.

The France international has been the subject of intense speculation linking him with a move to a host of Europe's biggest clubs this summer, with the reigning European champions rumoured to be among the current front-runners for the 22-year-old.

Italian newspaper La Stampa claimed this week that a formal offer have been presented to Juventus, but Madrid have moved to categorically deny the reports.

An official club statement read: "Following the reports published in the Italian newspaper La Stampa concerning an alleged offer from Real Madrid for the player Paul Pogba, the club wishes to state the following:

"Real Madrid have had no contact either with Juventus or the player's agent and, as a consequence, the reports published in this newspaper are completely false."

Former Madrid goalkeeper Francisco Buyo claimed this week that Pogba had informed the club that he was ready to move to the 

Santiago Bernabeu, though conflicting reports suggested Barcelona would be his preferred destination.

He has also been strongly linked to big-spending Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Manchester City.

Pogba joined Juventus in 2012 on a free transfer after failing to agree a new contract with Manchester United.

The Nigeria U23 coach has told Goal that hard work is needed by his boys and technical crew to land the ticket for Rio 2016 as camping resumes

Olympics ticket is not child's play - Siasia

The Nigeria U23 coach has told us that hard work is needed by his boys and technical crew to land the ticket for Rio 2016 as camping resumes

Nigeria U23 coach Samson Siasia expects tougher challenges ahead as his team seeks to land a ticket to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Nigeria would face the winner between Ghana and Congo in order to qualify for the final qualifying tournament that would hold in Senegal between 28 November and 12 December 2015.

"The Olympics ticket is not child’s play. I have been there before and I know it’s not easy to win the Olympics ticket,” says Siasia.

“But with hard work, determination and the full support of everybody, I know we have the materials that will win the ticket and also go far in the competition," said Siasia who led Nigeria to silver at Beijing 2008.

The former Super Eagles handler said he has had contact with some undisclosed Europe-based players that are eligible and within the age bracket whom he would extend invitation to as soon as the camping of his team commences.

Siasia is expected to arrive in Abuja today as preparations continue for the ticket which Nigeria failed to get for the London 2012 Olympics.

Caf announced on Wednesday that Senegal would host the African U23 Championship which will throw up the qualifiers for Rio 2016.

The tournament would be played at the Léopold Sedar Senghor Stadium in Dakar and the Caroline Faye Stadium in M’Bour.

The 20-year-old's agent announced the winger would not be staying at Anfield for any sum of money, but the Reds boss insists he will be see out his deal

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers says he expects Raheem Sterling to see out the final two years of his current deal, despite the bitter ongoing contract row between player and club.

Sterling's controversial agent, Aidy Ward, insisted on Thursday that the 20-year-old would not be staying at Anfield even if he were offered €1.3 million per week, and also branded ex-Red Jamie Carragher a "k***" over his criticism of the situation.

That came on the back of a string of stories in the media suggesting Sterling is set on finding a new club this summer, and the Reds duly scrapped planned talks over a new agreement.

But Rodgers says the youngster will be staying put regardless: "It's difficult to comment on what others speak about. Any meetings that take place here will be dealt with internally.

"Raheem, whether there are talks or no talks, has two years left and I expect him to see that through.

"I'm sure talks will take place over the summer. 

"I don't see Raheem as being unhappy. If Raheem is fit, which he is, he will be available to play on Sunday. It doesn't change my approach to him. He's a good kid."

Widespread reports on Monday night stated that Sterling had told Rodgers ahead of the Premier League clash at Chelsea earlier this month that he would be leaving the club this summer.

But the Reds boss refused to shed any light on the rumours, insisting everything the club does will be conducted in private.

"What Raheem said and didn't say to me [before the Chelsea game] will stay between him and I.

"How we like to work is to keep everything behind closed doors. We can only control what we do."

Liverpool proved their ability to keep hold of an unsettled player, if only for one further season, by refusing to sell Luis Suarez to Arsenal in the summer of 2013.

And Rodgers believes the club's owners, Fenway Sports Group, will be able to keep the Sterling situation under control.

"The ownership have shown their strength in their time here," he continued. "They have done an incredible job to stabilise the club.

"Liverpool supporters always back their own players. If he plays any part in the game, Raheem will get the support of our fans."

The best performers in the latest round of Italian league action are recognised in our all-star XI

Serie A Team of the Week: El Shaarawy torments Torino

The penultimate round of the 2014-15 Serie A season could easily have been something of a formality with so few fixtures having any big prizes riding on them. Instead, there were a huge number of quality displays to be considered for Goal's latest Team of the Week.

Gianluigi Buffon was in excellent form as Juventus continued their preparation for the Champions League final with a 3-1 home win over Napoli. The Italy captain saved Lorenzo Insigne's penalty and made a plethora of smart stops in general play to help tee up the Bianconeri's late victory march.

Daniele Rugani's excellent first full campaign in Serie A has seen him into our best XI on a number of occasions, and he was fantastic once more as Empoli were denied a clean sheet and a victory over Sampdoria in stoppage time by Samuel Eto'o. Yohan Benalouane was head and shoulders above the rest for Atalanta at Chievo before the hosts grabbed a late equaliser of their own. And Monday saw Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa's return to the scoresheet for the first time since 2011 as Roma won the local derby against Lazio to snatch a Champions League group spot.



Keisuke Honda has been one of Milan's most consistent players in a largely disappointing season, and he was again a stand-out as the Rossoneri triumphed over Torino despite the first-half dismissal of Cristian Zaccardo. Francesco Magnanelli's consistency rarely translates into goals, but he registered the only strike of the game as Sassuolo beat Udinese, and Andrea Bertolacci was magnificent in midfield as Genoa outplayed Inter to snatch a 3-2 win. Meanwhile, Josip Ilicic makes the Team of the Week for the fourth successive round after he returned to Palermo and delivered a barnstorming performance in Fiorentina's 3-2 success.

Genoa's win over Inter saw Maxime Lestienne change the course of the fixture by running rings around Andrea Ranocchia and friends, and he netted a vital second goal too. Luca Toni continued a phenomenal campaign - and career - with two more goals for Verona in a 2-2 draw with Parma. And there was a welcome return to goalscoring form for Stephan El Shaarawy, who netted only his second and third goals of the season in Milan's 3-0 win over Torino.

The Blues laid the foundations for a first Premier League title in five years with a brilliant summer of targeted recruitment - now their rivals must do the same

For Jose Mourinho, that euphoric Premier League title feeling came with beating Crystal Palace. By the timeChelsea got around to lifting the trophy on Sunday he was past it, speaking with the pride of a winner but also the steely glint in the eye of a man who is already plotting the next triumph.

“I always believe if you are not better than you were the season before, normally you don’t retain the title, so if we want to win the title next year, and obviously we want to do that, we have to be better,” he told Sky Sports as his players celebrated on the pitch at Stamford Bridge. “I have to be better, these players have to be better and maybe our squad needs some fresh blood to put the current squad under a bit of pressure.

“The players know me, they know I’m not going to give positions just because of what they did this year, but I think maybe a couple of players to improve the squad to put them under pressure would help us compete against the fantastic opponents we are going to have.”

Mourinho is well aware that Chelsea’s first Premier League title in five years was made possible by a brilliant summer of targeted recruitment. Diego Costa was acquired in a €46 million deal from Atletico Madrid to provide the goals that a faded Fernando Torres could not. Cesc Fabregas came in to turn a talented but reactive midfield into one capable of winning matches on the front foot. Thibaut Courtois finally made the leap from loan superstar to first-choice goalkeeper.

All three men were integrated into the squad before Chelsea embarked on a pre-season tour of mainland Europe in late July, and by the start of the season Mourinho could not hide his pleasure at the talent and cohesion of his group. “We have the squad that we want to have,” he told reporters in August. “It is a squad for tomorrow, for next season and also a squad with big possibilities for the next five or 10 years with so many young people. So I like my squad very much.”

Chelsea’s achievement mirrored that of Manchester City the summer before, when Fernandinho and Jesus Navas arrived to bolster an already formidable squad on July 1 and went on to play key roles as Manuel Pellegrini’s men saw off Liverpool and the Blues to claim a second title in three seasons, scoring an outrageous 102 goals in the process.

It is a common theme. In the last five seasons only two men signed towards the end of a summer window have gone on to be key contributors to a Premier League title-winning team. One was Sergio Aguero, a superstar-in-waiting when he joined City in late July of 2011, missing most of the club’s pre-season tour of the USA. The other was Robin van Persie, already the best striker in England by a distance upon signing for Manchester United in mid-August 2012.

LATE IMPACT | Sergio Aguero arrived from Atletico Madrid in late July but hit the ground running (Getty)

       ALL SMILES | RVP was Sir Alex Ferguson's last big-name signing and was an instant hit (Getty)

These exceptional talents are the exceptions that prove the rule. Louis van Gaal only has to cast his mind back to last summer to recall how difficult it is to try to keep up with the Premier League’s finest after a chaotic, disjointed and draining pre-season. Their major transfer business done early, Chelsea’s preparations were every bit as serene as what has followed.

This summer the sense of urgency is exacerbated by the fact that the new Premier League season is slated to begin on August 8 – the earliest starting date for 15 years. Signings will have less time to adjust to their new surroundings, team-mates and managers, making those July weeks all the more crucial if they are to hit the ground running in the manner of Costa and Fabregas.

United have made an encouraging start, wrapping up a €31.4m deal for Memphis Depay with three matches of the season to spare and sending the faded Radamel Falcao back to Monaco. But Van Gaal still has plenty to do if he wants to bring the Premier League’s most unbalanced squad up to championship standard.

City’s planned overhaul should make their supporters nervous – and not just because Txiki Begiristain is the man making the decisions. The likes of Raheem Sterling, Kevin De Bruyne and Paul Pogba are glamorous targets but if Pellegrini is saddled with wholesale change he will need every minute of pre-season to turn his squad into coherent contenders.

CREATOR IN CHIEF | Former Chelsea man Kevin De Bruyne has starred in the Bundesliga (Getty)

WANTED MAN | City will be among a host of clubs interested in Juventus' Paul Pogba (Getty)

Arsene Wenger is right when he insists that Arsenal require quality rather than quantity, but there remains the fear that his endless pondering will be wholly unsuited to a transfer window where decisiveness will be more valuable than ever before. News of an ambitious bid for Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema is heartening but the Gunners’ boss will be judged on his results.

Chelsea will again look to strengthen but they enjoy the advantage of building from the highest base. “It’s not the problem of Chelsea, it’s the problem of the others,” Blues legend Marcel Desailly told Goal last week. “If United, Arsenal and City don’t have that consistency of performance, Chelsea will again be ahead of all the other teams.”

With Mourinho already eyeing the next piece of silverware, Chelsea’s Premier League rivals face an unenviable task to ensure their squads are up for the challenge. Worse still, the clock is ticking.

A European club final could be played under a roof for the first time in history on Wednesday - and the hosts of Dnipro-Sevilla now have other targets to aim for

The first European club final to be played under a closed roof could take place on Wednesday and the location for this historic event will come as a surprise to many football fans. Rather than being held in one of the rich western European countries where such a significant development would be more expected, the venue is the Polish capital city of Warsaw.

The 2015 Uefa Europa League final is being staged at the Stadion Narodowy on the banks of the River Wisła (Vistula). Such is the unseasonably poor weather in central Poland that the match organisers have made contingency plans to shut the stadium roof if the predicted heavy rainfall materialises.

The Poles were already proud enough just to be hosting the country's first European club final. The potential use of the roof, confirmed by Uefa on Tuesday, adds further to the sense that Polish football is making immense advances, which have become ever clearer in recent years.

Polish footballers are far more prominent in leading European clubs than has previously been the case, with Robert Lewandowski at Bayern Munich an outstanding example. Then there are his former team-mates at Borussia Dortmund, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Lukasz Piszczek.


The Stadion Narodowy - with the roof closed - during Tuesday's pre-match training sessions

Arkadiusz Milik is a very promising young forward at Ajax, but perhaps the Polish player who has made the greatest strides forward this season is Grzegorz Krychowiak. The 25-year-old has impressed for Sevilla from the opening moments of his daunting debut against Real Madrid in the Uefa Super Cup in Cardiff last August.

Though that encounter ended in a 2-0 defeat, the defensive midfielder has been vital in helping Sevilla to the Europa League final, making more tackles and more interceptions than any of his team-mates. He has, unsurprisingly, been watched by several of the continent's leading clubs, including Arsenal.

Krychowiak is the latest of an increasing run of Polish footballers participating in major European finals. He has also proved crucial in helping his country to the top of Group D of the Euro 2016 qualifiers ahead of world champions Germany, having impressed in Poland's 2-0 victory over their neighbours at the Stadion Narodowy last October.

The result was immensely significant, as the Poles had never before defeated the Germans in 18 previous attempts, and Krychowiak enthuses: "Our victory over Germany was absolutely huge for the country. It was the first time in history that we had beaten them. I get goosebumps every time I think about it."



It was something that even Poland's past golden generations of footballers did not manage, despite Jan Tomaszewski's famous side securing third place at the 1974 World Cup and Zbigniew Boniek's team subsequently equalling that achievement in 1982. Boniek is now the modernising president of the Polish Football Association, the PZPN.

But a past footballing great as the figurehead of the nation's governing body has not always worked out. The difference now is that Polish football has the infrastructure to go with its ambitions on the pitch. Membership of the European Union has brought much-needed investment but it was Euro 2012 that proved the biggest stimulus.

All four stadiums used for that tournament three years ago were newly built, in Gdansk, Poznan and Wroclaw as well as Warsaw. All are different but every one is beautiful in its construction and none is purely functional. They have attracted leading music acts such as Madonna and Coldplay, bringing in much-needed extra income.



Moreover, the competition to be a Euro 2012 venue meant that new arenas also rose up on the sites of other old stadiums, such as the famous Stadion Slaski in Chorzow and the home grounds of Wisla Krakow and Legia Warszawa. They were just reserve sites for Euro 2012 but the club arenas are attracting more fans back to league games.

Poland may now be hosting its first European club final, but the real ambition is for one of the country's sides to eventually participate in one. It is 45 years since Gornik Zabrze reached the European Cup Winners' Cup final in Vienna in 1970, where they were beaten 2-1 by Manchester City.

First a Polish club must get back among the continent's leading competitors by qualifying for the Champions League, something no team from Poland has managed since Legia went all the way to the quarter-finals in 1995-96, at the expense of, among others, the English league winners, Blackburn Rovers.

With the advances which Polish football is presently making, that is another historical anomaly which should soon be changed.

Tuesday's shocking news sparked outrage throughout the footballing fraternity with some figures even likening Fifa to the mafia

The football world was rocked on Tuesday when Swiss police swooped to arrest and detain, pending extradition to the United States, seven football officials on federal corruption charges related to Fifa.

These included current Fifa vice president and Concacaf president Jeffrey Webb, as well as Conmebol president Eugenio Figueredo.

An international law enforcement collaboration resulted in morning raids at the Hotel Bauer au Lac in Zurich where officials were staying ahead of the 65th Fifa congress which will decide the Fifa presidency on Friday.

The arrests, together with further news that Switzerland’s Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has opened criminal proceedings relating to the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, led to outrage throughout the footballing fraternity.

The controversy was only further exacerbated when world football's governing body's Director of Communications and Public Affairs Walter de Grogorio addressed the press. He insisted that not only was it FIFA who initiated the proceedings and was the damaged party, but that there would be no re-vote for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups and no postponed re-election of the Fifa presidency.

HRH Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, who is challenging Sepp Blatter for the Fifa presidency, was one of the first to react to the news.

“Today is a sad day for football,“ he lamented in a press release.




'A sad day' | Prince Ali (right) is set to take on Blatter for Fifa presidency on Friday

A statement from Europe's governing body Uefa read: "Uefa is astonished and saddened by the events which have taken place earlier today in Zurich and is now waiting for additional information.

"An informal meeting of the Uefa Executive Committee will take place this afternoon in Warsaw prior to the Uefa Europa League final."

The Chairman of the English Football Association Greg Dyke was also deeply disheartened: "We should stress this morning's developments are very serious for FIFA and its current leadership.

"As one of the associations who nominated Prince Ali it will not surprise you to learn that if the election for president goes ahead The FA will be voting for him. However, there must be a question mark over whether the election should take place in these circumstances.

"Clearly things are changing very quickly and our delegation to the Fifa congress in Zurich, which I am leading, will discuss the position and what we should do about it with our colleagues in Uefa when we meet tomorrow [Thursday] morning."


Mafia | Delaney said the Fifa raids are like something from a gangster film

Football Association of Ireland CEO John Delaney was absolutely scathing in his criticism of Fifa.

"It seems like something out of a mafia movie," he told RTE Radio One.

"Nothing would surprise me with Fifa, that’s the sad thing. When you wake up this morning and hear those events, it’s shocking and very saddening.

"The awards of World Cups are always covert and then there are independent reports that we don’t get to see. We’re told we’d get redacted versions and we don’t get those.

"There is always controversy around Fifa and it’s governance and the one person who has always been at the head of that is Sepp Blatter and he has to take some responsibility for that and that’s why I said yesterday that we wouldn’t be voting for him."

England legend and BBC presenter Gary Lineker was even more damning of the governing body and Blatter.

"There can't be a more corrupt, deplorable organisation on earth than Fifa. The house of cards is falling. Time for change!," he tweeted.

"If Blatter had even a crumb of dignity remaining, he'd walk away now, creep back to his lair, sit in his armchair and stroke his cat."