Borussia Dortmund boss Edin Terzic said the question of Youssoufa Moukoko's age had never come up in their many discussions, after it was claimed the striker could be four years older than he attests to being.
German publication Bunte this week questioned whether Moukoko was 18 years old, or whether he was 22, citing as evidence a birth certificate.
That was reportedly issued after the birth of a Youssoufa Mohamadou in Yaounde, Cameroon, with the child's date of birth given as July 19, 2000, and the father named as taxi driver Ousman Mohamadou.
Moukoko's stated date of birth is November 20, 2004, and it has been repeatedly asserted during his career that he lived for around 10 years with grandparents in Cameroon before moving to Germany in 2014 to join his father, Joseph Moukoko, in Hamburg.
Joseph Moukoko has insisted he is the player's father.
Bunte also quoted a lawyer for Dortmund youngster Moukoko as denying the player provided false age details, saying: "Youssoufa Moukoko's date of birth is November 20, 2004. This is confirmed by all the official documents that we have, along with his parents."
The teenage Moukoko was a revelation in his early years at Dortmund, scoring 127 goals in 84 appearances at youth level, earning a rapid promotion to the first-team squad.
He has since gone on to represent Germany and featured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup before signing a new Dortmund contract in January.
Terzic was asked in a press conference on Friday about the age debate circling Moukoko, and said: "I don't read Bunte. I exchange ideas with him intensively – I have never spoken to him about that. I can't confirm that it bothers him. The nasty foul in Bremen puts a strain on him."
As Terzic pointed out, Moukoko is out of action at present with an ankle injury sustained against Werder Bremen in February. It means he will miss Saturday's derby against Schalke.
Terzic said: "He's doing well in rehab, improving his performance and feeling better. We hope he will be available to us after the international break."
Dortmund are level on points with Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga with 11 rounds of games remaining.
Carlo Ancelotti has backed Karim Benzema to play a big part in Real Madrid's end to the season.
The French striker has come in for criticism as Madrid have struggled for goals domestically in recent weeks, despite his brace against Liverpool in their 5-2 win at Anfield in the Champions League last-16 first leg.
Ballon d'Or holder Benzema has scored 11 goals in 15 LaLiga games but has not netted in his last three in all competitions, and he will be missing from the team for Saturday's home game with Espanyol because of an ankle injury.
"He was a key player for us [last season], he performed incredibly, scored more than 40 goals," Ancelotti said at a press conference on Friday.
"It affected us a bit [earlier this season] because he couldn't reach his top level. This second part of the season he has been important for us, and we think he will be key for us until the end of the season. He has a knock, and he has to get better."
Regarding Benzema's contract, which expires at the end of the season, Ancelotti said: "He has been here for so many years, I'm absolutely sure about what's going to happen next year, but I'm not a magician."
The Madrid head coach was also asked again about the possibility of signing long-term target Kylian Mbappe after Paris Saint-Germain's exit from the Champions League at the hands of Bayern Munich on Wednesday.
"Well, it's a question you can ask me whenever, but it is something to which I will never reply," he said.
Ancelotti confirmed Rodrygo will play as the central striker against Espanyol, adding: "He has to play where the team needs him, maybe at some point he can play as a winger to show his quality, or as a number 10, but he can play in different places."
He was also asked about criticism of him and his team for their recent form, having not won any of their three games since the success at Liverpool (D2 L1).
"I don't want to think about it, but it is always like this," Ancelotti said. "When there are difficult moments, criticism starts."
Jurgen Klopp urged his Liverpool side to remain focused on the task in hand as they pursue Champions League football and forget about the drubbing of Manchester United.
A thrilling 7-0 victory at Anfield last Sunday provided another boost to Liverpool's top-four hopes, and a victory over Bournemouth in Saturday's early kick-off would see them temporarily leapfrog Tottenham.
Liverpool head to the south coast with last weekend's result still at the forefront of the minds of many but Klopp made it clear past victories, no matter how emphatic, are no longer important.
"The 7-0, it was strange, it was nice and we'll all come back in 10-15 years and watch the game, maybe tickets for another derby, and someone might be next to me and remember that once we did that, but now it's done," he told a press conference.
"It was important but it's not important today. It was a good game, and we have to keep going."
Klopp is aware Bournemouth will provide a strong challenge for his side, having taken a 2-0 lead against league leaders Arsenal last time out before a remarkable second-half comeback from the Gunners.
With relegation still a threat for the Cherries, Klopp expects the hosts to "fight like crazy".
"The main thing is going to Bournemouth and playing a game there and not counting the points before you have them," he added.
"The way Bournemouth play, they can be really uncomfortable for each team - everybody saw against Arsenal in the last game, how much they had to fight and stretch luck, if you want.
"We might fight for the Champions League spots - we will see how the results will be in the next few weeks - but the fight to stay in the league is as exciting. Bournemouth will fight like crazy.
"We want to go into the top four, but it's about fully focused on Bournemouth."
Erik ten Hag has been named the Premier League's Manager of the Month for February, completing a Manchester United double after Marcus Rashford scooped the monthly players' award.
Ten Hag oversaw a return of 10 points from four Premier League games for United last month, with a 2-2 draw at home to Leeds United the only blot on their record.
As well as beating Crystal Palace and Leicester City, United improved on that Leeds draw by beating their rivals 2-0 in the return fixture at Elland Road four days later.
Ten Hag's side also carried their league form into other competitions in February, ending a near six-year trophy drought by beating Newcastle United to lift the EFL Cup and eliminating Barcelona from the Europa League.
Having also received the award last September, Ten Hag's second monthly prize brings him level with other two-time winners including Kenny Dalglish, Roberto Mancini and Thomas Tuchel.
While United enjoyed an excellent February, March began with the joint-heaviest competitive defeat in their illustrious history as they were hammered 7-0 by Liverpool at Anfield.
Having bounced back with a 4-1 Europa League win over Real Betis on Thursday, United welcome Southampton to Old Trafford on Sunday, looking to extend an 11-match unbeaten streak at home in the Premier League (W9 D2).
Australia put themselves in a strong position in the fourth Test against India after Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green's impressive partnership and a late surge from Nathan Lyon and Todd Murphy saw them post 480 in their first innings.
Resuming day two on 255-4, Khawaja (180) and Green (114) piled more runs on to frustrate the hosts with a fifth-wicket partnership of 208, while Australia's tail also wagged.
Ravichandran Ashwin produced figures of 6-91 to stop the tourists from doing even more damage, before Rohit Sharma (17 not out) and Shubman Gill (18 not out) made a promising start to India's reply, ending the day 36-0, still trailing by 444 runs.
Khawaja and Green continued their impressive partnership from day one, with the latter hitting his maiden Test century before a sweep attempt saw him glove one from Ashwin to Srikar Bharat.
Ashwin soon found his groove as he removed Alex Carey for a duck and Mitchell Starc for six, while Khawaja was finally out lbw after a review off the first ball after the tea interval from Axar Patel.
Lyon (34) and Murphy (41) were in the mood to play some shots though, and had plenty of joy as they struck 11 fours between them in a ninth-wicket partnership of 70, before both fell to Ashwin.
The surface in Ahmedabad has been kinder to batters than others in the series, and Rohit and Gill had few problems seeing off Australia's bowling attack in their 10 overs before close.
Gill launched the first six of the match in the final over of the day off Lyon, but India still have plenty to do to get close to the Baggy Green's first innings total.
Khawaja shows patience is a virtue
Khawaja had already reached three figures on day one, but continued his impressively mature innings alongside Green on Friday, lasting 422 balls in all, the most faced of any Australian batter in an innings in India in Test history.
After the day ended, Green said: "Ussie helped me so much out there. It is really special."
Ashwin overtakes Kumble in Australia battles
It must be a strange feeling for a bowler to post numbers as impressive as 6-91 but see the opponents still score almost 500 runs.
It may be consolation for Ashwin that his 113 wickets in total means he has surpassed Anil Kumble (111 wickets) and equalled Lyon to become the joint-leading wicket-taker in the Border Gavaskar Trophy.
Marcus Rashford has been named the Premier League player of the month for February, equalling Mohamed Salah's record for the most awards in a season.
The England forward had a near-perfect month for Manchester United, scoring five goals in four league matches, as Erik ten Hag's side took 10 points from a possible 12.
Rashford scored in victories against Crystal Palace, Leeds United and Leicester City, while also netting in a 2-2 draw against Leeds.
His Premier League tally for the season stands at 14 goals, behind only Ivan Toney (15), Harry Kane (18) and Erling Haaland (27) in the scoring charts.
Rashford also clinched the monthly awards for January and September, meaning he has matched Salah, who won three in 2017-18, for the most wins in a single campaign.
The award was Rashford's fourth overall in his career, leaving him three adrift of the record tally that Kane and Sergio Aguero share.
Rashford's goals have helped United consolidate their position in the hunt for a top-four finish and Champions League qualification, sitting third, seven clear of fifth-placed Liverpool despite losing 7-0 to the Reds last weekend.
Roberto De Zerbi is content at Brighton and Hove Albion and is focused on helping the Seagulls make history this season, amid speculation linking him with Tottenham.
De Zerbi has enjoyed a tremendous impact at Brighton since succeeding Graham Potter in September, leading the Seagulls into contention for European qualification.
Brighton are seven points adrift of fourth-placed Spurs in the Premier League table with three games in hand, while their tally of 43 goals this season is already their best in the competition.
With De Zerbi's side flying, he – along with the likes of Mauricio Pochettino, Thomas Frank and Steve Cooper – has been touted as a possible successor to Antonio Conte, who appears destined to leave Spurs by the end of the campaign.
Asked about those links at a press conference ahead of Saturday's trip to Leeds United, De Zerbi said: "I have a long contract with Brighton and I'm happy to work here.
"I'm enjoying working with these players, I'm delighted with my players for their performance and I can't ask for more, it's a good moment in my life."
Ahead of the trip to Elland Road, Brighton are unbeaten in their last five Premier League away games (W3 D2), the joint-longest current run in the competition, alongside Brentford.
Brighton have also failed to score just once in 11 away league games this term (0-2 at Brentford in October) – no Premier League side have drawn a blank on fewer road trips (Arsenal also one).
With Brighton earning plaudits for their enterprising style and with the race for European qualification wide open, De Zerbi is aware of the potential their campaign holds.
"People are speaking about our quality of play, and for that I am proud. But we have to be focused only on the next games. We have a clear target," he said.
"We have a dream. We know we can write a new history for the club. This is a nice challenge.
"It will be difficult. We know what we can expect, but now we are able to win. I think now we have a complete squad with many young players, we are stronger.
"We want to arrive in Europe but we have to push and take it game by game. Tomorrow starts a difficult period with three games in a week, but we are ready to fight for our targets."
Pierluigi Collina has urged referees to add the correct amount of stoppage time at the end of games regardless of the circumstances.
FIFA's head of refereeing discussed Sunday's clash between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield, in which only three minutes were added at the end of the hosts' 7-0 win despite six goals having been scored in a second half that also saw 10 substitutions and a VAR delay.
The World Cup in Qatar had games elongated by added time that was supposed to be more reflective of actual time lost during the 90 minutes, but this trend has mostly not carried on into club football.
"Last weekend in the Premier League, there were 10 matches," Collina told reporters. "Four had additional time of 10 minutes or more [across the first half and second half], and two should have been higher but weren't only because they had scores of 7-0 and 4-0.
"In the game at Liverpool, there was four minutes added, one in the first half and three in the second. But there were six goals in the second half.
"Maybe at some point in the future we will have a rule which says: if the difference between the two sides is big, the additional time is not to be given. But this would be in the laws of the game.
"Now it is common sense, but it is [only] common sense when it doesn't affect someone.
"I can understand that showing the right amount of time when it is 7-0 is difficult to understand. But in some competitions, the goal difference in the entire competition may be decisive at the end for the ranking.
"So, even one goal scored or not scored could make the difference."
Former referee Collina believes adding on as much time as necessary would eventually stamp out time-wasting, much like the introduction of VAR appeared to reduce the amount of simulation in the game.
"It's time to compensate time that was not played during the match," he said. "We are not considering to go from 70 to 75. No, we want to avoid just playing 43 minutes.
"The effective time at Aston Villa vs Brentford [earlier this season] was 43 minutes. I don't think someone wants to pay to watch a match that lasts 43 minutes.
"We have seen implementing VAR has reduced simulation. How many cards are now given for simulation? Very little because the players know it is meaningless to try.
"I am convinced time-wasting will be reduced when players know it is meaningless to waste time because that time is compensated."
Fred VanVleet has been fined $30,000 for his criticism of a referee following the Toronto Raptors' loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Toronto went down 108-100 to the Clippers in Los Angeles on Wednesday after the hosts had more than twice as many free-throws awarded (31-14), and VanVleet – who was called for a technical foul in the third quarter – aimed strong criticism in particular at referee Ben Taylor after the game.
Although the Raptors point guard admitted his comments had been "unfortunate" he also claimed to have felt he had run out of other options.
"Speaking for a lot of guys, obviously I was frustrated, emotional," VanVleet said on Thursday. "But there are a lot of people that feel that way. Hopefully going forward we see some change for the better, the betterment of the game. It was a little emotional, a tough loss, things not going our way, [I] got caught up in the moment a little bit.
"You live and you learn and you move on. It came out authentic, it came out in real time. I wouldn't have done that if I felt like I had another option or outlet. I felt like I've exhausted my options this season, many different occasions. It is just one of those things, I am human.
"You will see me make mistakes in real time and make things that are not always perfect. A little unprofessional for my standard, so it was unfortunate."
Boston Celtics point guard Marcus Smart has also been critical of officiating in the past, and referred to VanVleet's comments when speaking to reporters on Thursday.
"I don't know if you saw Fred VanVleet's interview, that is all I am going to say," Smart said. "Obviously, it lets you know that I am not speaking out of my butt and I am not the only one that feels that way. I am going to let Fred do all the talking."
Jenson Button will enter three NASCAR Cup Series races in 2023, debuting at Circuit of the Americas on March 26.
Button won the 2009 Formula One world championship with Brawn, later driving for Mercedes before leaving the series in 2017.
The Briton has since tried his hand at rival series but had not until now raced in NASCAR.
Button will drive Rick Ware Racing's No. 15 Ford Mustang in three races, following up his Austin, Texas bow with entries in the inaugural Chicago Street Race on July 2 and at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course on August 13.
"Obviously, racing a Cup car is very different than what I'm used to," Button said.
"It's a lot heavier, with a lot less power and, basically, no downforce. It's got a sequential gearbox where you need to blip the throttle, so there's lots of stuff to learn in a very short space of time.
"But I just get excited about that new challenge, and when I throw myself into something, I am 100 per cent in.
"I'm not just doing it for fun in some one-off. I want to be competitive, and I know that to be competitive, it's going to take a bit of time. That's why doing these three races works very well this season."
Draymond Green and Dillon Brooks continued their feud following a well-timed matchup between the Golden State Warriors and the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday.
The days before the game had been dominated by the two players trading barbs, most notably on Green's podcast as he responded to criticism from Brooks.
Green's rant concluded: "Next time you speak up on me, I hope you're in a better situation than you're in now, where the guys you play with actually enjoy playing with you, because they actually think you're contributing to winning.
"Because it ain't happening right now, champ. Ah – you're not a champ. You're a clown. It ain't happening for you."
Brooks was able to respond on the court on Thursday as he led a Grizzlies team still missing Ja Morant to a 131-110 victory over the Warriors.
But Green again had a riposte, saying: "Anybody can win in March. Anybody can win in March. What does that mean? I have a hard time getting out of my bed in March. What's a game in March mean?"
There was a flash point late in the second quarter when the pair bumped chests, yet Green said he would not be "baited" by Brooks.
In the eyes of the Warriors man, this is still not a game that means more than any other.
"One team has to win [a championship] and then another team has to win," Green said. "That's what creates a rivalry.
"Not because one team gets up for you and talks like they can beat you and then not. That doesn't create a rivalry.
"Rivalries are created by you win, I win. Clearly, we've won four times, and I think their organisation has zero championships, so I can't consider that a rivalry."
Still, Brooks disagreed, adding: "They don't ever forget. When they won the championship, they were talking about us.
"They don't ever forget who the Memphis Grizzlies are. They get up and they can't wait to play us."
Domantas Sabonis recorded a second straight triple-double as the Sacramento Kings held off the New York Knicks 122-117 to move another step closer to ending their 16-year playoffs wait.
The Knicks erased a 21-point deficit to tie the game at 96-96 in the fourth quarter but the Kings held their nerve, claiming the win at Golden 1 Center on Thursday to restore second seed in the Western Conference.
Sabonis scored a team-high 24 points with 13 rebounds and 10 assists, while De'Aaron Fox came alive in the fourth quarter to finish with 23 points and seven assists.
Fox scored 15 of his 23 points in the fourth. The Kings guard has scored 10 or more points in the fourth quarter 23 times this season, which is tied for the most in the NBA with Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Knicks were not helped by losing Jalen Brunson in the third quarter to injury, with a repeat of the foot injury that had kept him out of the previous two games.
Brunson scored 19 points with three-of-five three-point shooting from 19 minutes with the Knicks missing him down the stretch, giving up three turnovers in the final two-and-a-half minutes.
Julius Randle was guilty of one of those turnovers, mishandling the ball at 119-115 with 13.1 seconds to go. Randle finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds, while R.J. Barrett had 25 points.
The defeat means the Knicks have lost two in a row after going on a nine-game winning streak, leaving them fifth in the East at 39-29.
Ja-less Grizzlies down Warriors
The Golden State Warriors' road woes worsened as the Memphis Grizzlies downed the reigning champions 131-110 in the continued absence of Ja Morant.
Grizzlies point guard Tyus Jones scored a team-high 22 points with 11 assists, while Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr both added 21 points.
Stephen Curry finished with a game-high 29 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the field, but the Warriors shot 15-of-45 from beyond the arc as a team.
Memphis put up a massive 48 points in the first quarter, but held only a six-point three-quarter time lead before racing away with a comprehensive victory, improving to 39-26.
Lopez sets blocks record in Bucks win
Brook Lopez recorded an NBA season-high nine blocks as the league-best Milwaukee Bucks got past the short-handed Brooklyn Nets 118-113.
Lopez scored 24 points with 10 rebounds and a career-high nine blocks for the Bucks, who were without Giannis Antetokounmpo due to a sore right hand. Bobby Portis scored a game-high 28 points with 13 rebounds.
The Nets were without a host of players due to injuries, including Nic Claxton, Royce O'Neale, Spencer Dinwiddie and Ben Simmons, with Patty Mills top scoring off the bench with 23 points, making five-of-nine triples.
The Colorado Avalanche failed another test against an NHL playoff contender, losing 5-2 to the Los Angeles Kings to leave head coach Jared Bednar frustrated.
The Kings recorded their fifth straight win, improving their record to 38-20-8 to sit second in the Pacific Division.
But the Avs are third in the Central Division with a 35-21-6 record, having lost four of their past five games, all against sides in the playoffs contention.
"There's another level of determination and passion that we can play with, if we want to win against the good teams," Bednar told reporters.
"It's deflating, because you feel like you're right there and you know they're a difficult team to score against."
Adrian Kempe opened the scoring in the first period and Gabriel Vilardi doubled their advantage at 17:10.
Evan Rodrigues halved the deficit, deflecting in Samuel Girard's point shot at 14:59 of the second period. But Kempe restored the Kings' two-goal lead early in the third.
Nathan MacKinnon made it 3-2 with a snap shot at 4:24 on the power play, only for Phillip Danault to score twice to seal victory for the Kings, the latter into an empty net.
Avs defenseman Cale Makar reiterated Bednar's sentiment, with Colorado's postseason hopes getting tight.
"We should have approached this like a playoff game tonight," Makar said. "Felt like we knew the type of team they are.
"We know that they're so systematically sound that it tends to frustrate teams when they sit back and don't allow you to get in their zone."
Andy Murray pulled out another narrow win on Thursday as he collected an opening round 6-7 (5-7) 6-1 6-4 comeback against Tomas Martin Etcheverry at the Indian Wells Masters.
It is the latest in a string of hard-fought wins for Murray, who has played the maximum number of sets in each of his past 10 victories dating back to the Gijon Open in October, including a pair of five-setters at the Australian Open.
Etcheverry started strong, fresh off his first ever ATP final at the Chile Open, but committed more unforced errors (21) than winners (17) in the second and third sets combined.
Fellow Great Britain representative Jack Draper was far more comfortable in his 6-1 6-1 demolition of Switzerland's Leandro Riedi, booking an all-English clash against Daniel Evans in the second round.
Former world number three Stan Wawrinka prevailed 6-4 1-6 6-1 against Aleksandar Vukic, but Vukic's Australian compatriot Thanasi Kokkanakis flew the flag with a 6-4 6-1 triumph over hometown talent Brandon Holt.
In a better result for the Americans, Mackenzie McDonald breezed past Filip Krajinovic 6-3 6-0 in just 63 minutes, and rising 20-year-old Ben Shelton had no problems in his 6-4 6-1 win over Fabio Fognini in 72 minutes.
Argentina's Guido Pella ground out 3-6 7-5 6-2 comeback in his South American clash against Brazil's Thiago Monteiro, and Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff did the same in his European showdown against France's Quentin Halys, taking it 1-6 6-3 6-3.
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