Juventus have been given a one-match partial stadium ban after their supporters racially abused Inter striker Romelu Lukaku.

Lukaku was targeted by opposition fans before and after scoring a penalty in the fifth minute of added time to earn Inter a 1-1 draw in Tuesday's Coppa Italia semi-final first leg.

The Belgium international was issued a second yellow card for putting his fingers to his lips to silence the Allianz Stadium crowd.

Serie A announced on Thursday that Juve must close the lower tier of the South Stand for their next home league game, which is against Napoli on April 23.

The judge overseeing the case stated that "the majority of the 5,034" spectators in that stand were guilty of racially abusing Lukaku.

Lukaku will still serve a one-match ban in the return fixture with Juve on April 26 for his sending off, which sparked a mass melee near full-time. 

Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic and Juve midfielder Juan Cuadrado were both dismissed for their parts in the scuffle, and will serve one and three-game bans respectively.

Lukaku, who is on loan at San Siro from Chelsea, has been subjected to racism on numerous occasions in Italy and this week called for more serious action to be taken.

"History repeats. [I've] been through it in 2019 and [now in] 2023 again," he posted on his official social media channels.

"I hope the league really take actions for real this time because this beautiful game should be enjoyed by everyone.

"Thank you for the supportive messages. F*** racism."

Juve intend to work closely with authorities to identify the fans responsible and issue bans.

Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw has been named Barclays Women’s Super League Player of the Month for March.

The Jamaican grabbed five goals in three appearances as Manchester City finished the month with a 100% record in the league.

The WSL top scorer with 16 goals, Shaw grabbed a hat-trick in City’s 3-1 comeback win over Tottenham and followed that up with a brace in a 2-1 triumph away to Brighton the following week.

It is the second time she has claimed the prize, having also been named Player of the Month for November.

Her goals in that victory over Brighton brought about another impressive milestone for the forward, as she became Manchester City’s highest-scoring women’s player across a single campaign, surpassing the record previously held by Nikita Parris.

Tottenham's acting head coach Cristian Stellini has accused former players of having no respect for the club after Harry Kane received criticism for his part in Abdoulaye Doucoure's red card in the 1-1 draw at Everton.

The England captain was targeted by some for his reaction to Doucoure putting his hand into Kane's face during the Premier League clash at Goodison Park on Monday.

Kane fell to the floor holding his face as Doucoure was given his marching orders.

At a press conference on Thursday, Stellini said: "I think it's strange that some ex-players said something wrong about Harry. They are ex-players and they know the difference between seeing something in slow motion and living it in real motion.

"Also the Everton manager [Sean Dyche] said it was a clear red card. Perhaps they respect Harry but they don't respect Tottenham."

Spurs host rivals for the top four spots Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday, and Stellini confirmed he is not expecting any of his injured players to return, though did indicate that Richarlison could be back to face Bournemouth the following weekend.

"No good news about players that come back for the next game," he said. "We are getting closer with Richarlison. He trained on the pitch but he trained alone. We are going well with Ben Davies with the plan but we have to wait a bit for him.

"[Richarlison] trained on the pitch. He is going well and for the next game he could be available."

Kylian Mbappe lashed out at Paris Saint-Germain over a promotional video for season ticket renewals after he was heavily featured in the campaign.

The forward penned a fresh contract with the Ligue 1 champions last year, following a lengthy transfer saga over a potential move to Real Madrid.

But despite being tied down until 2025, the France striker's future continues to draw speculation, particularly amid faltering form for Christophe Galtier's team.

Now Mbappe has aired his frustration over being the centre-piece of PSG's season ticket renewal push, and vowed to push to protect his image rights.

"I just took part in the viewing of the club's re-subscription campaign for the 23-24 season," he said. "At no time was I informed of the content of the interview.

"It looked like a basic interview during a club marketing day. I don't agree with this published video. That's why I'm fighting for the right to the individual image.

"PSG is a big club and a big family, but it is especially not Kylian Saint-Germain."

Mbappe's comments come amid a rough run for PSG, with three losses in their last four games across all competitions and a Champions League exit to boot.

Though they remain at the summit of Ligue 1, the runaway procession they had looked likely to enjoy for another league title has been all but scotched by back-to-back defeats in the top-flight.

Both Lens and Marseille lie just six points off them, ahead of a trip to European-chasing Nice this Saturday.

Liverpool have been charged by The Football Association (FA) for an incident that saw their players surround the referee in last Saturday's 4-1 Premier League defeat at Manchester City.

The incident occurred in the 34th minute of the game at Etihad Stadium with the score at 1-1 when City midfielder Rodri committed a cynical foul on Cody Gakpo.

The Spaniard had already been booked for a similar infringement just minutes earlier, but referee Simon Hooper refrained from showing a second yellow, which would have meant a red card.

Diogo Jota, Fabinho, Virgil van Dijk and captain Jordan Henderson ran to the official to query the decision, which has led to The FA charging the club with failing "to ensure its players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion and/or do not behave in a way which is improper".

Liverpool have until Wednesday, April 12 to respond to the charge.

Stefano Pioli says Milan are fully focused on their Serie A clash with Empoli, and not distracted by their upcoming Champions League quarter-final against Napoli.

The Rossoneri host the runaway league leaders in the first leg on Wednesday, but face Empoli at San Siro on Friday prior to that huge encounter.

Milan sit third in Serie A after their impressive 4-0 win at Napoli on Sunday, though with Inter, Roma and Atalanta all within three points of them in a tight race for the top four.

Pioli stressed the need for humility against 14th placed Empoli as their league campaign remains important despite the upcoming glamour of the Champions League last eight.

"It is crucial to stay in tension," he said at a press conference. "Matches are won first with attitudes and determination, and then with quality.

"We must be humble; the league is important to us and we must take advantage of this home game."

He added: "We have to stay on track. We produced an important victory in Naples, but we have to use it to play at that level there all the time. We just have to think about tomorrow."

When later asked how he can ignore the upcoming Champions League clash, Pioli said: "Because the objective in the league is very important and because otherwise the victory in Naples would be useless."

The Milan head coach was also asked about the club's former owner Silvio Berlusconi, who is in intensive care after being diagnosed with leukaemia.  

"We're all worried, but we don't have such precise news clearly," he said. "We hug him and hope he can recover and return to the stadium."

Inter striker Romelu Lukaku was allegedly targeted by racist chants from Juventus fans following his equaliser in their 1-1 Coppa Italia draw in midweek.

When asked if Italian football has a racism problem, Pioli said: "I don't know. I have many friends who go to the stadium with respect, but I'm very sorry because football and sport must be lived with a different spirit."

Frank Lampard is not looking beyond the end of his caretaker spell with Chelsea and said he is focused on immediate results after making a sensational return to the Stamford Bridge dugout.

The Blues have reappointed their ex-manager and legendary midfielder on an interim basis following Graham Potter's dismissal earlier this month.

As Todd Boehly steps up his pursuit of a long-term successor, Lampard's return could well double as a fairy-tale audition for his old job on a permanent basis.

However, the 44-year-old insists he is not getting ahead of himself following his return.

"I'm a very practical person," he said. "To come back in a time where the club has asked me, I'm delighted to get the opportunity, and I'm thankful for that.

"I think the role speaks for itself, in the period that I'm here. I'm not getting anywhere ahead of myself. I want to do the best that I can in the best possible way."

Lampard was dismissed in 2021 and had to watch on as his successor Thomas Tuchel guided his squad to Champions League success.

He refused to mull the poetry of him succeeding Potter with a European quarter-final against Real Madrid on the horizon, but acknowledged he is relishing the test.

"It's certainly a chance," he added. "I'm not naive, Real Madrid is a huge football club. My job is to go step-by-step.

"But of course having played a part in coaching in the Champions League, I'm excited to be fighting in that competition again.

"I want to say credit to Graham Potter. Sometimes, for whatever reason, things don't align. I've been in that situation.

"[But] in terms of unfinished business, I don't quite see it like that. Unfinished business sounds a little bit Hollywood. I want to work, and I want to help this club as much as I can."

Lampard would not be drawn on the future of Mason Mount either amid questions over the England international's place at Stamford Bridge.

However, he was glowing in his assessment of the midfielder, who he helped nurture at both Derby and Chelsea in separate spells.

"I don't know enough about it for me to talk about it," he added. "Mason has always been a fantastic player for me, from my days at Derby.

"It has been a pleasure watching him. I know he's had a few slight injury problems, but I know what I get from Mason. I think he's a huge player for Chelsea."

Christian Eriksen could make his first Manchester United appearance since January when the Red Devils host Everton on Saturday, Erik ten Hag has revealed.

Eriksen has not played since an FA Cup win over Reading in late January, having sustained an ankle injury during that game.

United initially handled the midfielder's absence well as they lifted the EFL Cup in February, though Ten Hag's men endured a three-game winless run in the Premier League prior to Wednesday's 1-0 victory over Brentford.

Asked whether Eriksen could return to the matchday squad against Everton after that win, Ten Hag told Viaplay in Denmark: "We will see. We see it from day to day.

"He is progressing. He is only back in team training this week. We have two sessions. After that, we will decide if he is back in the squad again."

United have won 63.2 per cent of the Premier League games in which Eriksen has appeared this season (12 of 19), compared to 44.4 per cent of those he has missed (four of nine).

The Red Devils have relied on a midfield pairing of Eriksen and Casemiro for much of this campaign, and the Brazilian will serve the final game of his four-match domestic ban against the Toffees.

While Ten Hag is excited by the duo's return, he believes United's other midfielders have stepped up in their absence, adding: "They're two very important players for us, don't get me wrong, but we have a good squad. 

"[Against Brentford] there was brilliant midfield occupation with Scott McTominay and Bruno Fernandes. Marcel Sabitzer, in his role, was very good. 

"I can't say this midfield trio was bad, not at all. It was very good."

Frank Lampard is back at Chelsea after being confirmed as caretaker manager until the end of the season.

Lampard returns to Stamford Bridge to take the reins after the sacking of Graham Potter on Sunday, with the club reportedly meeting several other candidates in recent days as they look to their long-term appointment.

Just over two years after being sacked by previous owner Roman Abramovich as permanent Chelsea boss, and just over two months on from his dismissal by Everton, the 44-year-old is back in charge of a Premier League club.

Chelsea confirmed the news on their official website on Thursday, with Lampard's first game back being Saturday's trip to Wolves, followed by a Champions League quarter-final fuirst leg against Real Madrid.

Co-controlling owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali said: "We are delighted to welcome Frank back to Stamford Bridge. Frank is a Premier League Hall of Famer and a legend at this club.

"As we continue our thorough and exhaustive process for a permanent head coach, we want to provide the club and our fans with a clear and stable plan for the remainder of the season.

"We want to give ourselves every chance of success and Frank has all of the characteristics and qualities we need to drive us to the finish line.

"We have an important game against Wolves on Saturday and then we will turn our attention to our Champions League quarter-final in Madrid next week.

"We are all going to give Frank our full backing as we aim to get the best possible outcome from all our remaining games."

The former Chelsea and Manchester City midfielder finished fourth in his one full season in charge of the Blues, and also reached the FA Cup final where they were beaten by Arsenal.

After replacing Rafael Benitez at Everton in January 2022, he just about managed to keep the Merseyside club in the Premier League, but their struggles carried over into the 2022-23 campaign.

Having played 20 games by the time Lampard was sacked just under a year later, they sat 19th on 15 points following a 2-0 defeat to fellow strugglers West Ham, and had lost eight of their previous nine matches in all competitions.

Frank Lampard is back at Chelsea.

The club's record goalscorer and former boss has taken on an interim position in the dugout until the end of the season, when Chelsea will bring in their long-term choice.

Of course, should Lampard do well enough, he could put his own name into consideration, but either way he still has plenty to do over the next two months.

Graham Potter was hired to give the team an identity, but Lampard will have no such responsibility given his short-term deal and the fact that someone like Julian Nagelsmann or Luis Enrique would bring their own ideas should they ultimately be hired ahead of next season.

Lampard was sacked by Chelsea in January 2021, before suffering the same demise at Everton two years later, but his continued legendary status at Stamford Bridge has secured him another lucrative opportunity to lead them.

Stats Perform has taken a look at five areas where the former West Ham and Manchester City midfielder will need to thrive to improve the club, as well as his own chances of finding a long-term gig beyond this one.

Find a way to score goals again

To say that Chelsea have been goal-shy this season is somewhat of an understatement.

Following their 0-0 draw with Liverpool on Tuesday, the Blues have scored 29 goals in 29 Premier League games this season, only ever netting fewer at this stage of a league campaign twice before (23 in 1921-22 and 16 in 1923-24).

During his 57 Premier League games in charge of Chelsea between August 2019 and January 2021, Lampard's team scored 102 goals.

They also had a shot conversion rate of 11.5 per cent, compared to their remarkably profligate 7.9 per cent this season.

Potter's issue was that he generally played without a striker and his midfielder's didn't score enough. If there is anyone who can teach midfielders to score goals, you would think it's Lampard, who hit 211 of his own during his playing days at Chelsea.

Get the old Mount back

It appears to be a widely held belief that Mason Mount enjoyed the best spell of his Chelsea career under Lampard.

He actually produced more under Thomas Tuchel, with 38 goal involvements (19 goals, 19 assists) in 86 games, compared to his 21 (11 goals, 10 assists) in 80 games under Lampard.

Mount was given his initial opportunity by Lampard though, and certainly developed and learned impressively in the first season and a half of his time in the Chelsea first-team.

The England international has struggled this season though, with just three goals and three assists from 32 games, and he has even been strongly linked with a move to Liverpool or Manchester United with his contract situation still up in the air.

If he can get his groove back at Stamford Bridge under Lampard though, maybe it can lead to a renaissance for Mount at the club.

Qualify for Europe

With nine games remaining in the Premier League, Chelsea sit in 11th place, five points behind seventh place Aston Villa, and 14 off the top four, meaning they are closer to the relegation zone (12 points) than Champions League qualification.

The table has been a strange place this season, so it is not beyond the realms of possibility that a few wins can catapult a team up several places.

While a top four finish is almost certainly beyond them, Chelsea could still at least keep themselves in European competition with a few victories.

Europa League successes in 2013 and 2019 laid foundations for bigger achievements, and in a season that has seen so few positives on the pitch, it would be a notable tick in the box should Lampard secure a place in Europe.

Overcome a familiar face

While they probably won't be in the competition next season, Chelsea remain in this season's Champions League, though with a daunting quarter-final against defending champions Real Madrid on the horizon.

The first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu will be Lampard's second game in charge, and Chelsea gave Los Blancos quite a scare when they went 3-0 up there in last season's final eight second leg.

Madrid ultimately won on aggregate after extra-time, but really struggled to deal with the Blues' approach, albeit with the tactical acumen of Tuchel directing them.

Lampard played under Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea, and so could perhaps have one or two insights into how to get the better of him.

He might not be feeling too confident after seeing what Madrid recently did to Liverpool and Barcelona, though.

Set the table for successor

It might not be what Lampard envisioned his role at Chelsea ultimately being when he was initially hired in 2019, but the opportunity to help the club in the interim also means preparing the team for the next boss, whoever that may be.

As mentioned, he could even fancy himself to convince Todd Boehly to give him a longer chance, but either way, he will be tasked with making sure the team goes into next season with more optimism than they have now.

With so many new arrivals in the last two transfer windows, giving Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke more chances to shine will be key, while Joao Felix could learn plenty from him should he eventually make his loan move from Atletico Madrid permanent.

At the very least, it is likely having Lampard back at the helm will appease the fans, and having a better atmosphere will hopefully be a springboard for anyone to hit the ground running next season, when significant improvement will be an absolute must.

Borussia Dortmund head coach Edin Terzic says his decision to leave out Jude Bellingham against RB Leipzig had nothing to do with recent criticism from Emre Can.

Bellingham was named among the substitutes for Wednesday's 2-0 loss at Red Bull Arena as Dortmund's DFB-Pokal hopes were ended at the quarter-final stage.

The England's international's omission came a day after Can publicly said his team-mate has "to learn a lot" after regularly letting his emotion get the better of him on the field.

But Terzic confirmed Bellingham was overlooked for a starting spot against Leipzig for fitness reasons, rather than any sort of falling out behind the scenes.

"Jude signalled after the game against [Bayern] Munich that he wasn't 100 per cent fit," Terzic told Sky Germany.

Asked about Can's criticism of Bellingham, Terzic said: "That has nothing to do with the decision."

Only Nico Schlotterbeck (37) has played more times for Dortmund than Bellingham (36) this season, with all but three of the midfielder's appearances being starts.

The 19-year-old, who has been linked with an array of Europe's top clubs, was introduced with an hour played against Leipzig but could not help Dortmund recover.

Will Orban scored in the 98th minute to add to Timo Werner's 22nd-minute opener in a deserved victory for Leipzig, who had 11 shots on target to BVB's one.

Dortmund have exited the DFB-Pokal and Champions League over the past month, while Saturday's 4-2 loss to Bayern saw them replaced at the top of the Bundesliga.

Terzic had no complaints over the loss to Leipzig and accepts his side's campaign is as good as over if they do not learn from their back-to-back defeats.

"It was a catastrophic game in the first half," he said. "It was basically a s*** evening because we did not advance to the next round of a cup we had a good chance of winning.

"It's now a matter of looking ahead. There's still an important competition in which we want to play a big role.

"But if you look at the performance against Leipzig and the performance in Munich, it will be difficult for us if we continue to play like this."

Frank Lampard is back at Chelsea after being confirmed as caretaker manager until the end of the season.

Lampard returns to Stamford Bridge to take the reins after the sacking of Graham Potter on Sunday, with the club reportedly meeting several other candidates in recent days as they look to their long-term appointment.

Just over two years after being sacked by previous owner Roman Abramovich as permanent Chelsea boss, and just over two months on from his dismissal by Everton, the 44-year-old is back in charge of a Premier League club.

Chelsea confirmed the news on their official website on Thursday, with Lampard's first game back being Saturday's trip to Wolves, followed by a Champions League quarter-final fuirst leg against Real Madrid.

Co-controlling owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali said: "We are delighted to welcome Frank back to Stamford Bridge. Frank is a Premier League Hall of Famer and a legend at this club.

"As we continue our thorough and exhaustive process for a permanent head coach, we want to provide the club and our fans with a clear and stable plan for the remainder of the season.

"We want to give ourselves every chance of success and Frank has all of the characteristics and qualities we need to drive us to the finish line.

"We have an important game against Wolves on Saturday and then we will turn our attention to our Champions League quarter-final in Madrid next week. We are all going to give Frank our full backing as we aim to get the best possible outcome from all our remaining games."

The former Chelsea and Manchester City midfielder finished fourth in his one full season in charge of the Blues, and also reached the FA Cup final where they were beaten by Arsenal.

After replacing Rafael Benitez at Everton in January 2022, he just about managed to keep the Merseyside club in the Premier League, but their struggles carried over into the 2022-23 campaign.

Having played 20 games by the time Lampard was sacked just under a year later, they sat 19th on 15 points following a 2-0 defeat to fellow strugglers West Ham, and had lost eight of their previous nine matches in all competitions.

Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti is hopeful Victor Osimhen will be fit to face Milan in the Champions League quarter-finals, but the striker has "no chance" of playing at Lecce on Friday.

Osimhen sustained a thigh injury while representing Nigeria during last month's international break, causing him to miss last Sunday's Serie A meeting with Milan.

His absence was felt as Milan thrashed the champions-elect 4-0, but Napoli are positive regarding his prospects of featuring in the first leg of their European tie against the Rossoneri.

Before Wednesday's trip to San Siro, Napoli will look to get their title charge back on track at Lecce, where Spalletti will not have Osimhen available.

Asked about Osimhen's chances of facing Lecce, Spalletti said: "Tomorrow there is no chance. With the schedule, we said we must get to the following week. 

"There are many possibilities to see him against Milan, but we have to wait for the practical development of next week's work."

Osimhen's tally of 21 goals in Serie A this campaign is at least seven more than that of any other player, with Inter's Lautaro Martinez second in the scoring charts with 14.

The 24-year-old has hit 15 goals across all competitions since the turn of the year – a tally only bettered by Karim Benzema and Marcus Rashford (17 each) among players from the top five European leagues.

Despite Osimhen's absence, Spalletti expects Napoli to respond to last week's disappointment as they look to close in on a first Scudetto since the 1989-90 season.

"The week developed in the best possible way, I saw some great training sessions," Spalletti said. "It always amazes me, I've only had this a few times in my career.

"It's a very important match, we know how to face it. A performance is needed in these cases, after a defeat. 

"We still need five victories, 15 points, then everyone can say what they want."

Carlo Ancelotti believes Karim Benzema is capable of winning another Ballon d'Or after netting back-to-back hat-tricks for Real Madrid.

Benzema followed up his treble in last week's 6-0 LaLiga win over Real Valladolid with three more goals in Wednesday's 4-0 Copa del Rey semi-final second leg at Barcelona.

It marks the first time the former France international has scored successive hat-tricks in a Madrid career spanning 14 trophy-laden seasons.

Having won the Ballon d'Or for the first time in 2022 on the back of a superb year for Los Blancos, Ancelotti has backed Benzema to challenge for the individual accolade again.

"Why not?" Ancelotti said following his side's 4-1 aggregate victory against Barcelona. "He remains one of the best players in the world – and not just attacking players."

Benzema now has 25 goals in 31 appearances this season – a tally bettered by Robert Lewandowski (27), Marcus Rashford (28), Kylian Mbappe (31) and Erling Haaland (42).

That includes 19 goals in 19 games since the World Cup, while the 35-year-old's back-to-back hat-tricks have come straight on the back of the international break.

"The work he did during the international break helped him a lot," Ancelotti said of Benzema, who announced his latest retirement from France duty in December.

"He is in prime physical condition. With the qualities he has, he inevitably makes a difference for us."

Real Madrid will face Osasuna, who beat Athletic Bilbao, in the Copa del Rey final on May 6.

World Cup winners Argentina have returned to the top of the FIFA World Rankings for the first time in six years.

Lionel Scaloni's side – who captured their third world title with a thrilling final win against France in Qatar last year – won friendlies against Panama and Curacao in the March international break.

Captain Lionel Messi brought up two milestones in those fixtures, netting his 800th career goal in a 2-0 victory over Panama before reaching 100 international goals as he scored a hat-trick in a 7-0 rout of Curacao.

Argentina last topped the rankings in 2017, but the Albiceleste dropped as low as 12th the following year after an underwhelming campaign at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Argentina replace rivals Brazil at the summit after the Selecao suffered a surprise friendly loss to World Cup semi-finalists Morocco in March, a result which sees them drop to third.

France are second in the rankings after their Euro 2024 qualification wins over the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland, while the rest of the top 10 remains unchanged.