Rodrygo joked Brazil's Real Madrid contingent are all eagerly awaiting Carlo Ancelotti to take over as the Selecao's new head coach.

Madrid boss Ancelotti has been strongly linked with the job, despite still having another year to run on his contract at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Rodrygo is one of three Madrid players in the Brazil squad, along with Eder Militao and Vinicius Junior, and he would welcome the appointment of Ancelotti as Tite's successor.

"We joke with him: 'Wow, coach, we're waiting for you there'," Rodrygo told Globo. "He jokes that we'll make the squad list together, the four of us in the same room.

"We talk in a joking tone, but every joke has a bit of truth. The situation is difficult because it means he'd have to leave Madrid.

"That way I can't say anything beforehand, but of course it would be an honour to have him here."

The Brazilian Football Confederation last month denied an agreement had been reached with Ancelotti to replace Tite, who left after Brazil's World Cup quarter-final elimination to Croatia.

Ancelotti has won 25 trophies across his 28-year managerial career, including four Champions League titles – two with Milan and two in separate spells with Madrid.

Speaking earlier this week, goalkeeper Ederson suggested "there is a big possibility" Ancelotti will take charge of the five-time world champions.

"Just look at his CV. We will know shortly whether he will be here or not," Ederson said. "I hope we can have a new coach quickly.

"I feel the anticipation too because there's too much speculation. Is it a Brazilian or a foreign coach? We are also living that phase of anxiety."

Under-20 coach Ramon Menezes will oversee Brazil's friendly with Morocco in Tangier on Saturday.

Spain striker Iago Aspas wants Premier League target Gabri Veiga to stay with Celta Vigo – but even the club's president is struggling to see that happening.

The 20-year-old Veiga is among the most coveted midfielders in LaLiga, scoring nine goals and adding three assists in the Spanish top flight this season.

He has the most goal involvements – combined goals and assists – of all midfield players in LaLiga in the 2022/23 campaign.

This is despite Veiga only starting 18 league games so far, also coming off the bench seven times.

Aspas spoke at Spain's press conference on Thursday about the youngster, who has been linked with clubs including Liverpool, Manchester United and Newcastle United.

"I would like him to remain with us," Aspas said. "The club is in a good moment both as an institution and in the sporting side. We are doing little but very good steps and next year we have the centenary of the club."

Celta president Carlos Mourino accepts the club are likely to be powerless to prevent Veiga moving on, because he has a release clause in his contract. That is reported to be €40million (£35.4million), potentially a great deal if Veiga continues to excel.

"We do not want to sell Gabri Veiga, but they are going to buy him from us. And there isn't anything we can do about it," Mourino said.

Mourino explained there is extensive interest from England in Veiga, saying: "Of the top 10 in the Premier League, four have asked for him."

Asked whether Real Madrid may also make a move, Mourino said: "They haven't asked us, we don't know if they will have called the player."

Quoted in Mundo Deportivo, Mourino said it was not the case that Veiga is for sale, merely that Celta would be unable to prevent him walking away if the clause is met.

"The decision is Gabri's," Mourino said. "He will play wherever he wants."

Manchester United have been charged by the Football Association (FA) for their players' behaviour towards the referee during Sunday's 3-1 FA Cup quarter-final win over Fulham.

Wolves have also been charged for a similar incident in their 4-2 home defeat to Leeds United in the Premier League on Saturday.

United's game against Fulham at Old Trafford took a spectacular turn in the second half when Willian was sent off for the visitors for blocking Jadon Sancho's goalbound shot with his arm, which led to furious reactions from Aleksandar Mitrovic and head coach Marco Silva, who also received red cards.

Mitrovic put his hands on referee Chris Kavanagh, and the FA confirmed that both had been charged, but added that "that standard punishment which would otherwise apply to Aleksandar Mitrovic for the sending off offence of violent conduct that he committed towards the match referee is clearly insufficient."

United's players also surrounded the referee during the incident and the club have been charged with failing to ensure their players "conducted themselves in an orderly fashion and/or do not behave in a way which is improper."

Meanwhile, Wolves' players and staff were incensed by the decision to award Leeds' fourth goal at Molineux after they felt Adama Traore had been fouled in the build-up.

The fallout led to substitute Matheus Nunes being shown a red card for his reaction, though that was later overturned on appeal.

Wolves have been charged with failing to ensure their players "and/or technical area occupants do not behave in a way which is improper towards an assistant referee and the fourth official."

Both clubs have until Monday to respond.

Luis Enrique had no 'plan B' and Spain suffered a premature World Cup exit as a consequence, according to Iago Aspas.

Veteran striker Aspas missed out on the squad for Qatar 2022 but has been recalled by Luis Enrique's successor, Luis de la Fuente, for Euro 2024 qualifiers against Norway and Scotland.

The 35-year-old Celta Vigo player was powerless to prevent Spain losing to Morocco on penalties after a goalless stalemate at the last-16 stage of the World Cup.

"I was wishing Spain to score," Aspas said on Thursday, looking back at that game.

"With Luis Enrique we had a very defined game style. For me, who in future could become a coach, we did not have plan B, and when plan A was stuck there wasn't plan B or other types of footballers to try to revert that situation. From my point of view."

Aspas knowingly added: "Now the headline is easy, of course."

Luis Enrique felt Aspas did not contribute sufficiently from a defensive perspective for Spain.

De la Fuente has chosen to see for himself what the former Liverpool player might be able to achieve for the national team in the twilight of his playing career.

Reflecting on Luis Enrique's reasoning, Aspas said: "I didn't agree really, but didn't have a chat with Luis Enrique to talk about this. I do not know if he said that referring to me specifically, but in my team I run like anyone else.

"Data is there and anyone can see how I can make 10 kilometres per game each weekend. We [at Celta] are a team that cannot leave one player without defending because other teams could then destroy you.

"I was an important footballer in my [club] team, but when I have come to the national team in other occasions I think that I have demonstrated that I am a versatile player who can play on different positions: behind the striker or as a striker, or on the side. So I am here to help and for what the coach needs."

Spain lost an attacking option on Thursday when Bryan Gil pulled out of the squad ahead of Saturday's clash with Norway due to "discomfort that has prevented him from exercising normally".

De la Fuente does not plan to call in a replacement for the player who is on loan to Sevilla from Tottenham.

Any delay in the sale of Manchester United could lead to a "vacuum" that impacts transfers at the end of the season.

That is according to football finance expert Kieran Maguire, who also believes the reportedly high asking price put on the Premier League club by owners the Glazer family is because United are seen as a "trophy asset".

The deadline for bids for the club passed at 9pm GMT on Wednesday, though reports have suggested both British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe and Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad bin Al Thani requested an extension before submitting their respective offers.

Speaking to Stats Perform, Maguire detailed why any buyer will likely want to get a deal over the line quickly in preparation for the transfer window at the end of the season.

"I think whoever does acquire Manchester United will want to do it as early as they can into the transfer window for the summer of 2023 because they'll be wanting to make a statement," he said.

"Also, from the Glazers' point of view, they don't want to be committing themselves or committing the club to long-term contracts on players who might not be in favour with any potential new owners.

"So the danger is that if things are dragging on over the summer, there could be a vacuum with regard to player trading."

Though reports suggest that several bids for either a takeover or minority investment have been made, Ratcliffe and Shekh Jassim have been the most public about their interest, though have made it known they do not want to pay over the odds for the Red Devils.

It is expected that any successful bid would need to be above the world-record amount paid for a sports team, which was NFL franchise the Denver Broncos when they were bought for $4.65billion by the Walton-Penner family ownership group in June last year.

Maguire explained that the money involved in acquiring a sports team is rarely based on financial prudence, rather it is a way for billionaires to "win the room" among their peers.

"If you take a look at Chelsea, which was sold for around $3billion last year, that was a distressed asset," Maguire said. "Roman Abramovich had his assets frozen by the UK government at the time and I think that took a lot of people by surprise, because Chelsea had lost well over £1million a week for 19 years under Abramovich.

"You put that into any spreadsheet and the fundamentals say the business isn't worth it, but football is a trophy asset industry.

"There are many billionaires who want to make a statement and the way to do that is to buy a brand, to buy a franchise, which from a financial perspective the prices cannot be justified, but if you've got billions burning a hole in your pocket, what better way to win the room?

"If your social circle is fellow billionaires, everybody's got an apartment in Manhattan and Monaco, everybody owns a yacht, everybody's got a few helicopters, but if you own a sports franchise which is as unique as the Broncos or in the world of football, Manchester United, then you win the room, and that's what the price is going to be linked to.

"On a cash flow basis, on a comparative basis to other football clubs, are Manchester United bigger than Newcastle United? Yes it is, but is it worth 20 times the price of Newcastle? The answer, fundamentally, is no, but that's probably what it's going to take to persuade the Glazer family to sell."

LaLiga filed an eighth complaint regarding racist abuse directed at Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior following incidents in Sunday's clash with Barcelona.

The hosts secured a 2-1 Clasico win at Camp Nou following Franck Kessie's 92nd-minute strike, which opened a 12-point lead for Xavi's side over Madrid.

That victory has been marred by racist abuse towards Vinicius, however, with LaLiga confirming a complaint had been lodged to the Barcelona Court of Instruction.

A statement read: "In view of the events that took place at the FC Barcelona-Real Madrid match, in which intolerable racist behaviour was once again observed against Vinicius Jr, LaLiga has reported the racist insults to the Barcelona Court of Instruction.

"This is the eighth complaint filed by LaLiga with the corresponding authorities for racist abuse against Vinicius Jr."

Earlier this week, Mallorca announced a fan's membership had been revoked for three years after racist abuse was directed at Vinicius and Villarreal's Samuel Chukwueze.

In February, Real Valladolid suspended 12 season ticket holders for abusing Vinicius during a league match two months earlier.

UEFA has appointed ethics and disciplinary inspectors to investigate allegations that Barcelona made payments to a company owned by a former top referee.

A corruption complaint was recently filed by Spanish prosecutors against the Catalan giants, concerning payments allegedly made to a business run by Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, once a top match official and latterly vice-president of Spain's Technical Committee of Referees (CTA).

It has been claimed the total payments from Barcelona exceeded €7million, dating from 2001 to 2018.

Newspaper El Pais last month reported Negreira's company – DASNIL 95 SL – produced written reports and DVD assessments of referees for Barcelona prior to games.

UEFA announced in a statement on Thursday that it has opened an investigation into the matter.

"In accordance with Article 31(4) of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations, UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspectors have today been appointed to conduct an investigation regarding a potential violation of UEFA's legal framework by FC Barcelona in connection with the so-called 'Caso Negreira'," the statement read, adding that: "Further information regarding this matter will be made available in due course."

Barcelona president Joan Laporta maintains the club has done nothing wrong and that the allegations are simply an attempt to derail the LaLiga leaders.

Laporta recently said: "The campaign we are suffering is not by chance, you all know this. Its objective is, in the short term, to destabilise the team, and in the medium term, to control Barca. I will have time and I want to explain to you who, why and how they want to orchestrate this campaign.

"Have no doubt that we will defend ourselves. And we will not only defend ourselves, we will attack."

Christian Horner has ruled out Red Bull making a move to snatch Lewis Hamilton from rivals Mercedes at the end of the season.

The seven-time Formula One champion looks set to endure another difficult season with Mercedes, having failed to win a race in 2022 – the first year in his career without a victory.

Mercedes' struggles have reignited the debate around Hamilton's future, with the British driver's deal due to expire at the end of the season, and team principal Toto Wolff accepted there can be no complaints in the years to come if Hamilton moves elsewhere.

However, Red Bull would not make a move if Hamilton was to become available, with Horner adamant Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez will remain put for next season.

"What Lewis has achieved in F1 is second to none, but we're very happy with the drivers that we have," he told Sky News.

"They're committed as a pair not only this season but the next season as well. So, I can't see where we would be able to accommodate Lewis."

While Mercedes have struggled so far this season, failing to secure a podium in either of the opening two races, Horner expects the team to improve over the course of the year.

"I'm sure they're going to sort their issues out – we're certainly not writing him off yet," he added.

"We're hearing about big Mercedes upgrades. I'm sure Ferrari aren't happy with their current position as well. So, we're fully expecting things to converge quickly."

Hamilton has spent the past decade with Mercedes and has won six of his seven world titles with the team, the other coming in 2008 during a five-year stint with McLaren.

Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly has apologised after the club were labelled "disrespectful" by supporters when a banner honouring the late Ray Wilkins was altered in an episode of TV series Ted Lasso.

The banner at Stamford Bridge, which reads "They don't make them like Ray anymore" in tribute to Wilkins, was changed to read "They don't make them like Roy anymore" in reference to fictional character Roy Kent.

Wilkins died at the age of 61 in 2018 after suffering a cardiac arrest.

The Chelsea Supporters' Trust (CST) expressed disappointment at the edit in a statement released on Wednesday.

"This is a banner paid for by supporters to commemorate a Chelsea legend – Ray Wilkins," the statement read. "Many supporters have seen this edit to be disrespectful, and we have expressed our disappointment to club officials. We expect that CFC will address this in due course."

Chelsea are investigating the matter, but Boehly says the banner edit was down to Apple TV, rather than the Premier League club.

"We had nothing to do these arrangements," Boehly posted on Twitter. "The deal w/ apple was struck in 1Q/22. We are sorry it affected so many and mostly we care about Ray and his family.

"We would also point out that none of the 'Chelsea' players were actual Chelsea players. Hopefully, that was clear."

Wilkins played over 200 games for Chelsea in the 1970s and later served as assistant manager under Gianluca Vialli, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Guus Hiddink and Carlo Ancelotti.

He also played for Manchester United, Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, Rangers and QPR among others during his playing career.

Bojan Krkic announced his retirement on Thursday and picked out having to leave Barcelona for Stoke City as one of the toughest moments of his career.

The Catalan forward, who had his thunder stolen by Gerard Pique letting slip his retirement plans earlier in the week, has elected to hang up his boots at the age of 32.

Bojan left Vissel Kobe at the start of the year after several nomadic seasons that followed the end of his second spell at Barcelona.

He began his career at Barcelona and had two years in Italy with Roma and Milan before returning to Camp Nou in 2013 and being immediately loaned to Ajax.

Hopes of sustaining his Barcelona career were extinguished when he was sold to Premier League side Stoke in July 2014.

Former Stoke manager Mark Hughes and centre-back Ryan Shawcross were among those who sent tributes to Bojan, which were played at his retirement press conference, along with messages from Rafael Nadal, Thierry Henry, Andres Iniesta, Pique, Patrick Kluivert and Xavi.

Looking at the highs and lows of his career, Bojan said: "The most gratifying part was the first night at Camp Nou, the first goal, entering the professional world.

"There have been several toughest moments. When I signed for Stoke City it was tough, because I cut the umbilical cord that attached me to the club."

Bojan scored 41 goals in 166 official games for Barcelona, making his debut under Frank Rijkaard in September 2017 and scoring in the Champions League and LaLiga as a 17-year-old.

He was a hot prospect at that age who never developed into the world beater many thought he would become, despite playing under coaches including Pep Guardiola and Massimiliano Allegri.

At Stoke, he scored seven goals in his second Premier League season, his best return for the Potters.

After joining Stoke, he had loans at Mainz and Alaves, before heading to MLS side CF Montreal and finishing his playing days with Vissel Kobe in Japan.

"All the coaches make a mark on you. But the most, Frank Rijkaard," Bojan said. "He gave me the opportunity and continuity to back myself. Without him, my career would not have been possible."

He is planning to take coaching badges and stay in football, saying it would make him "very happy" if an opportunity at Barcelona ever came up.

There will be one final match for Bojan, a farewell game for the Catalan regional team.

"The federation is working to find a match at the beginning of June," he said.

NFL tight end Foster Moreau revealed he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma during a physical with the New Orleans Saints.

The 25-year-old is a free agent following his release from the Las Vegas Raiders, who drafted him in 2019, and was diagnosed during a visit to his hometown team in free agency.

Moreau's hunt for a new team will now be halted as he prepares for treatment, though he plans to continue his NFL career in the future.

"Through somewhat of a miraculous process, this free agency period has been life changing for me," he posted on Twitter.

"During a routine physical conducted by the Saints medical team down in New Orleans, I've come to learn that I have Hodgkin's lymphoma and will be stepping away from football at this time to fight a new opponent: Cancer.

"I'm grateful for the support and thankful for the people who have stood firm with me. There hasn't been a single step I've taken without hundreds of people lighting the path before me and I will continue to seek their guidance.

"That being said, I'll go kick this thing's ass and get back to doing what I love."

In four seasons with the Raiders, Moreau had 91 receptions for 1,107 total yards, including a career-high 420 in 2022.

Former Barcelona and Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure compared Mesut Ozil to his former team-mate David Silva after the Germany international retired from football.

Ozil announced the end of his 17-year playing career on Wednesday, with the 34-year-old having represented Real Madrid and Arsenal among others.

Speaking at a Football Black List event in London, Toure said it was unfortunate for the game to lose "another good player" but hopes there will be more like Ozil in future.

"For me, he was kind of a flair player, a little bit like [David] Silva," he said. "Very clever, the movement just between the lines. Very good and his last pass was top.

"Another good player has retired, but I think now players understand the level of the game is so high now and unfortunately Mesut will retire, but maybe we'll see the next one in the future."

Former Leicester City captain Wes Morgan also paid tribute to Ozil, remembering the "magical moments" he provided during his spell in England.

Ozil recorded 33 goals and 54 assists for the Gunners in 184 appearances in the Premier League before moving to Fenerbahce in 2020.

"He was great in the Premier League," Morgan said. "I know his Arsenal time probably ended not the way he wanted, but at the same time, we've seen some magical moments for him.

"I remember he came from Real Madrid and lit up the Premier League with his vision and his ability. He was a great player in the Premier League, fantastic to watch and hopefully he'll have a nice retirement."

Cody Gakpo and Matthijs de Ligt were among five players sent home from the Netherlands national team camp on Thursday after being hit by a virus.

The drastic news meant coach Ronald Koeman was forced into a rapid rethink of his plans for Friday's Euro 2024 qualifier away to France.

In a statement on its website, the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) said Liverpool forward Gakpo and Bayern Munich defender De Ligt had left the squad, along with Newcastle United defender Sven Botman, PSV midfielder Joey Vermeen and Anderlecht goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.

Botman, Vermeen and Verbruggen are uncapped and were hoping for their first active involvements with the Oranje, while Gakpo and De Ligt are key figures in the Dutch side.

Koeman called in Vitesse goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen, Inter defender Stefan de Vrij and Bayern Munich midfielder Ryan Gravenberch to fortify his group.

The KNVB described the problem facing the five sick players as "a viral infection", without giving further details.

The Netherlands tackle World Cup runners-up France at the Stade de France in Paris on Friday and then host Gibraltar on Monday in Rotterdam.