Football’s world governing body FIFA has fined Jamaica Football Federation (JMD$170,000) for a bottle-throwing incident that occurred during the World Cup qualifying match against the United States at the National Stadium in Kingston last month.

Near the end of the match that ended in a 1-1 draw, a plastic water bottle was thrown from the bleachers' seats near the running track. The incident was reported to the FIFA security officer on-site and the JFF was subsequently fined.

According to the FIFA ruling, “The Jamaica Football Federation is ordered to pay 1000 Swiss Francs for the inappropriate behaviour of its supporters in connection with the match Jamaica vs the USA played on 16 November 2021 in the scope of the Preliminary Competition for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, CONCACAF Zone. The fine is to be paid within 30 days of notification of the present decision.”

The JFF appealed the decision but the appeal was deemed inadmissible. In its appeal, the JFF expressed regret at the incident while pointing to its constant appeal to fans through different means not to throw objects, as well as the limitations on the sale of refreshments inside the stadium.

In light of the fine, the JFF said it was once again reminding spectators that they must follow all outlined protocols once they are within the confines of the National Stadium on match day as another breach could threaten Jamaica's hopes of hosting international games in the future.

Gerard Pique claimed the future will be bright for Barcelona given the club's emerging youngsters but labelled the current situation as "critical".

Barcelona were held to a 2-2 draw at Osasuna on Sunday, with Chimy Avila's deflected late strike salvaging a point for Jagoba Arrasate's side to leave Xavi's new team without a win in three games across all competitions.

The result meant the Blaugrana sat 15 points behind LaLiga leaders Real Madrid, even before Los Blancos' clash with city rivals Atletico Madrid later on Sunday.

However, it is not all bad news, given Ez Abde and Nico Gonzalez scored their first goals for the club, the first time in the 21st century that Barcelona have had two teenage goalscorers in a top-flight game.

Pique pinpointed the academy players as a key reason for hope in the future, but the centre-back appreciates the present is just as important for the struggling Catalan club.

"A new era begins in which we have to start adding three [points] at a time in the league," Pique told Movistar Plus.

"It is the priority, we have to try not to increase the distance with those above. This result is a very great pity.

"The objective is to think about the next game, only in the short term. We know that in the long run, these young people are going to be very good for the club.

"We have to get results, win and win again. It is really urgent, we are in a critical situation."

Barcelona were knocked out of the Champions League in midweek following defeat at Bayern Munich, but they looked like responding well against Osasuna, who have not defeated the Blaugrana in a home league game since February 2012.

But the defensive frailties of the Barcelona defence were evident once more when David Garcia headed home and then again when Avila struck from the edge of the area with four minutes remaining.

Indeed, Barca – alongside five other teams – have kept a league-low three clean sheets this term, but Pique feels confident results will come if his side keep putting in the hard work.

"I think that little by little we are going to give more," he said. "The team today have competed. Obviously, we can play better. But in attitude and work, nothing can be said to us. The games and results will come.

"It is a matter of time, but we don't have it. It is urgent to start winning. Now every game is a final."

Joshua Kimmich expressed regret at not jumping at the chance to be vaccinated against COVID-19 – but took a swipe at those who criticised his hesitancy.

The Bayern Munich and Germany midfielder has confirmed he is now ready to take a vaccine after months of delaying his decision, and after experiencing unpleasant effects of having the virus himself.

The 26-year-old caused a major stir in October when he explained he was not willing to receive his first dose due to what he perceived as a lack of research into possible long-term effects.

"Generally, it was just difficult for me to deal with my fears and concerns, which is why I was undecided for so long," Kimmich said, speaking to German broadcaster ZDF.

"Maybe I had to go through what I have now gone through first. Of course, looking back, I would like to make the vaccination decision earlier, but at the time it wasn't possible for me."

Kimmich has not featured for Bayern since November 6 after twice being forced to isolate due to being a close contact of someone who tested positive for coronavirus.

He was then infected with COVID-19 and was this week ruled out until 2022 due to an issue with his lungs. He told ZDF that to return to full training now would create the risk of that problem extending to his heart and "longer consequences".

Kimmich has been dismayed by some reaction to his reluctance to be jabbed, saying: "I have to say personally that some of the limits have been exceeded.

"I also had the feeling that there was one or another who tried to make a name for themselves through this situation. It wasn't always just objective criticism.

"We always talk about respect, tolerance, openness – and these are precisely the values ​​that I particularly missed in my discussion."

Kimmich has played 18 times for Bayern across all competitions this campaign.

Bayern, who are playing their home games behind closed doors due to coronavirus restrictions imposed in Bavaria, sit six points clear at the top of the Bundesliga after beating Mainz 2-1 on Saturday.

Chimy Avila's late strike salvaged a 2-2 draw for Osasuna after teenagers Ez Abde and Nico Gonzalez scored their first Barcelona goals in an entertaining LaLiga clash.

Barca crashed out of the Champions League with a 3-0 defeat at Bayern Munich on Wednesday, but they looked set to respond with a battling victory at Estadio El Sadar.

Nico put Xavi's side in front on Sunday, only for David Garcia to equalise a couple of minutes later.

Ez Abde appeared to have won it with a strike early in the second half, but Avila struck in the 86th minute to rescue the home side.

Bayern Munich and Germany midfielder Joshua Kimmich is ready to take a COVID-19 vaccine after months of delaying his decision.

The 26-year-old made headlines in October when he explained he was not willing to receive his first dose due to what he perceived as a lack of research into possible long-term effects.

Kimmich has not featured for Bayern since November 6 after twice being forced to isolate due to being a close contact of someone who tested positive for coronavirus.

He was then infected with COVID-19 himself and was this week ruled out until 2022 due to an issue with his lungs.

In an interview with ZDF to be broadcast in full later on Sunday, Kimmich revealed he is now in a position where he feels ready to get vaccinated.

"Generally, it was just difficult for me to deal with my fears and concerns, which is why I was undecided for so long," Kimmich said.

Despite being absent for the past month, Kimmich has featured 18 times for Bayern across all competitions this campaign.

Bayern, who are playing their home games behind closed doors due to coronavirus restrictions imposed in Bavaria, beat Mainz 2-1 on Saturday in Kimmich's absence.

Julian Nagelsmann's men are now six points clear at the top of Bundesliga and face Stuttgart on Tuesday in their penultimate game of the year.

Bayern Munich are not interested in Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland and "will think twice" about signing Barcelona's Ousmane Dembele, according to Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.

German champions Bayern were this week named as one of four clubs realistically capable of signing Haaland by the player's agent Mino Raiola, along with Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester City.

Raiola clarified those comments by insisting Haaland is not yet thinking about leaving Dortmund, but the Norway international – reported to have a €75million buy-out clause that will kick in at the end of the season – continues to be linked with a move away.

However, with Robert Lewandowski in fantastic form and under contract until the end of the 2022-23 season, Rummenigge does not believe Bayern will attempt to poach Haaland from Bundesliga rivals Dortmund next year.

"FC Bayern will not try to get Haaland," the former Bayern chairman told Bild TV. "Not just for financial reasons, but also out of respect and appreciation for Robert Lewandowski, who's the best number nine in the world."

Since Haaland's debut for Dortmund on January 18 last year, Lewandowski (100) is the only player in Europe's top five leagues to have scored more goals than the former Salzburg striker (74) across all competitions.

Haaland is not the only big-name player to have been touted as a possible target for Bayern, with Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele also said to be on the Bundesliga leaders' radar heading into 2022.

Dembele will become a free agent at the end of the season and is free to sign a pre-contract agreement with a new club from January, but Rummenigge cannot see a place for the France international in a star-studded Bayern side.

"I was a big fan when he played for Dortmund. He was a great player," Rummenigge said.

"Since then he's not been the same. Bayern have [Kingsley] Coman, [Leroy] Sane, [Serge] Gnabry and [Jamal] Musiala, all of whom are at a higher level at the moment.

"Although Dembele will be a free agent, there will be a big signing-on fee involved. For financial reasons, I think FC Bayern will think twice about it."

Dembele's time at Barcelona has been blighted by fitness issues, but he remains a key player for the Catalan giants when available.

He has managed 30 goals and 20 assists in 123 appearances in all competitions since joining from Dortmund in August 2017 and has been directly involved in 0.65 goals per 90 minutes.

For context, that puts Dembele on a par with Bayern forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and ahead of Coman (0.63) over that period, but behind Musiala (0.73), Gnabry (0.78) and Sane (0.9).

Moresche was influential as Central Coast Mariners raced into an early 2-0 lead against struggling Sydney FC on Sunday and protected that advantage to return to winning ways.

The Mariners had lost their previous two A-League matches – last losing more in succession in a miserable 11-game stretch in 2020 – but Moresche made sure that short run came to an end.

The Brazilian did not get on the scoresheet himself but laid on the opener for Marco Urena after 13 minutes.

No player in the league has aimed more shots on target this season than Urena's nine, with his latest steered past Andrew Redmayne from Moresche's measured pass.

Three minutes later, it was two. Fine work from Lewis Miller on the right was followed by a low cross that sought out Moresche, only for Anthony Caceres to turn into his own net under pressure in front of the goal line.

Winless Sydney could not recover and extended their worst start to a season since 2010-11, when they had to wait 11 matches for their first victory.

Manchester United's search for a permanent new manager continues to roll on.

Ralf Rangnick has taken over on an interim basis following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's axing.

Several big names have been linked with the vacant post.

TOP STORY – TEN HAG TOP OF MAN UTD'S LIST

Ajax head coach Erik ten Hag has moved to the head of the queue to be Manchester United's new manager, claims The Mirror.

Ten Hag guided Ajax through a record-breaking Champions League group campaign where they won all six games.

United have now made appointing him their priority as he ticks all the boxes for the 20-time English champions.

ROUND-UP

- Newcastle United have reached out to Manchester United about the prospect of a January move for Jesse Lingard, claims The Sun.

- Tottenham are tracking Chelsea's Andreas Christensen, joining Manchester City and Manchester United in pursuit of him, reports the Daily Star.

- Liverpool have set a £10million asking price for West Ham target Nat Phillips, according to The Sun.

- The Reds are also interested in signing Real Madrid winger Rodrygo and are willing to pay £68m (€80m), reports El Nacional.

- La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that Inter have not held any talks with Stefan dr Vrij amid links with Tottenham and Newcastle United.

- Brazilian powerhouse Corinthians have enquired about Manchester United's veteran Uruguayan forward Edinson Cavani, claims Globo Esporte.

Stefano Pioli was pleased with Milan's character as they salvaged a 1-1 draw at Udinese but warned they must raise their game after slipping up in the Serie A title race.

Four days after they were knocked out of the Champions League by Liverpool, the Rossoneri were facing a shock defeat at the Dacia Arena before Zlatan Ibrahimovic volleyed a stoppage-time equaliser.

Ibrahimovic's goal was his 300th combined in Europe's top-five leagues, a landmark only Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have also reached this century.

Beto had capitalised on Tiemoue Bakayoko's mistake to give Udinese a deserved lead 17 minutes into their first game under interim head coach Gabriele Cioffi following Luca Gotti's sacking this week.

Isaac Success was sent off for clashing with Mike Maignan following Ibrahimovic's late goal, but there was no time for Milan to force a winner and they could drop to third on Sunday if Inter and Napoli win.

Pioli responded to a poor first-half showing by hauling Bakayoko, Ismael Bennacer and Rade Krunic off at the break and the head coach was left with mixed emotions after watching his side drop points.

He told DAZN: "We start the matches to win and therefore we cannot be satisfied. Let's start with small goals, we can do even better and we will try."

Pioli says Milan must regroup following a difficult week in which they failed to match the sort of standards that lifted them to the summit.

"There was a lack of clarity, we had to force our opponents to move more. It was not a brilliant first half, the goal took confidence away from us," he added.

"I am satisfied with the reaction, it is a sign of character and it is clear that we need to find our rhythm."

 The two teams that only got into the quarterfinal round of the Manning cup because Camperdown High and Tivoli Gardens were disqualified, won their opening matches of the Manning Cup quarter-finals.

Excelsior and STATHS had originally finished third and fourth in Group B of the Manning Cup preliminary round but advanced after Camperdown and Tivoli were disqualified from the tournament for using ineligible players.

STATHS won their Group 1 opener 4-1 over St. Catherine High on Friday while Excelsior High beat Kingston Technical 3-1 in their Group 2 opener on Saturday.

Jamaica College beat Mona High 2-0 in the other Group 1 match on Friday and Kingston College got by Charlie Smith 3-0 in the other Group 2 match on Saturday.

The quarter-final round of the DaCosta Cup also got underway on Saturday with Dinthill Technical blanking Christiana High 4-0. Meanwhile, Edwin Allen beat William Knibb 2-0 in the second Zone 1 game on the day.

Mannings were the only Zone 2 winners Saturday, beating Vere Technical 3-2.

Munro College, which have struggled for form played to a 1-1 draw with Happy Grove in the other Zone game on the day.

Munro entered that game on the back of two straight losses in their Zone C playoff games against Lacovia and B.B. Coke.

In Zone 3, Garvey Maceo continued their fantastic form this season by beating Frome 2-0 while STETHS easily got past St. Thomas Technical 6-1.

Elsewhere, defending champions Clarendon College and Manchester High got wins in Zone 4 action.

Clarendon College defeated Cornwall College 2-1 while Manchester High ran out 4-0 winners over McGrath High.

Quarterfinal action in both competitions resumes on Tuesday.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic's milestone stoppage-time strike salvaged a 1-1 draw for Serie A leaders Milan at Udinese on Saturday.

Milan's miserable week looked set to take another turn for the worse after Beto gave Udinese a first-half lead at Dacia Arena, four days after the Rossoneri were knocked out of the Champions League by Liverpool.

But Ibrahimovic rescued a point with an acrobatic volley in time added on, taking his goal tally to 300 in Europe's top five leagues.

Isaac Success was then shown a red card for violent conduct as Udinese had to settle for a point in their first game under interim head coach Gabriele Cioffi, who stepped in when Luca Gotti was sacked this week.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has hit another career milestone after netting his 300th goal across Europe's top five leagues.

The Milan veteran scored a spectacular stoppage-time equaliser against Udinese on Saturday in what was his 450th appearance in the top five leagues.

That took Ibrahimovic to 300 goals in those competitions – the Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A, LaLiga and Ligue 1.

Only Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have reached that mark previously in the 21st century.

Ibrahimovic has featured in four of the top five leagues, with the Bundesliga the only competition missing off his list.

Having joined Juventus in 2004 from Ajax, the Sweden striker has gone on to play for Inter, Barcelona, Milan (over two spells), Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United.

Ibrahimovic has now scored seven Serie A goals this term. He netted 15 last season and 10 in 2019-20 after he returned to Milan following a stint in MLS with the LA Galaxy.

The 40-year-old scored 17 goals in his sole full season in the Premier League with United, averaging a strike every 143 minutes.

His best minutes-per-goal ratio across a full league campaign so far came in his final season at PSG in 2015-16 (67), in which he also set up a career-high 13 league goals for team-mates.

Ibrahimovic scored 38 times in Ligue 1 that season, with an impressive shot conversion rate of 24.52 per cent from 155 attempts.

He has scored 30 or more league goals on two occasions, in 2015-16 and in 2012-13, also with PSG.

Ibrahimovic's maiden season in one of the big five leagues produced 16 goals for Juve. He failed to settle at Barca under Pep Guardiola but still contributed 16 LaLiga goals in 2009-10.

Just over half of his goals have have been scored in Italy (154), while 113 came in Ligue 1.

Massimiliano Allegri has urged Juventus to "play ugly" after his side dropped two points in Saturday's 1-1 Serie A draw with Venezia.

Juve had won three successive matches in all competitions without conceding ahead their trip to Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo, where they opened the scoring through Alvaro Morata.

However, the Bianconeri wasted a good chance to double their lead through Juan Cuadrado before half-time and were made to pay 10 minutes into the second period.

Former Torino man Mattia Aramu guided a first-time shot past Wojciech Szczesny from range and Juve, who lost Paulo Dybala to an early injury, failed to muster a response.

The visitors finished with an expected goals (xG) return of 2.13 compared to Venezia's 0.54, but Juve were made to pay for a lack of cutting edge in front of goal.

Juve are now six points adrift of fourth-placed Atalanta, who face Hellas Verona on Sunday, and Allegri admitted his side need to improve in certain areas after their latest setback.

"It was a good first half, but then we had a 10- or 15-minute blackout before the Venezia goal," he told DAZN. 

"The same thing happened against Salernitana recently – we were lucky then not to concede as they hit the post – so it's something we clearly need to work on.

"We were under pressure, couldn't play the ball to feet anymore, so we should've had patience with one or two balls over the top to the strikers, but we didn't do that.

"We had to attack the space, force them into fouls and more yellow cards, but we threw away two points against a good Venezia side.

"At the start of the second half we were wandering about, giving the ball straight back. Sometimes we don't realise the game is getting 'ugly' and we don't read the moment. 

"Once that moment passed, we started playing again and pinned Venezia back into their own half, but the damage was done."

Allegri added: "We have players without a great deal of experience. The whole team was a bit sluggish after the restart.

"We can't seem to realise when it's the time to play pretty and those 10, 15 minutes we ought to play ugly, grit our teeth and push through."

Dybala hobbled off against Malmo in the Champions League on Wednesday and lasted just 12 minutes before being replaced against Venezia.

"We ran a risk, and it went badly," Allegri said. "He went off on Wednesday with a muscular issue; we hoped he was better now, but that was not the case."

Juventus, who had won 15 of their previous 17 league meetings with Venezia, could find themselves nine points off the Champions League places come the end of the weekend.

"We mustn't think about that," the coach said. "We threw away two points today, two points we should've brought home."

Julian Nagelsmann felt Bayern Munich made life difficult for themselves after the reigning Bundesliga champions defeated Mainz on Saturday.

Bayern fell behind to Karim Onisiwo's first-half strike before Kingsley Coman levelled things up at the Allianz Arena.

Jamal Musiala then delivered the decisive strike to help Nagelsmann to his 100th win as a manager in the Bundesliga.

At just 34 years and 141 days old, Nagelsmann is the youngest coach in the history of the German top flight to reach the 100-win milestone, with his first and his 100th victories both coming against Mainz.

But the former RB Leipzig head coach was disappointed with Bayern's first-half performance as he felt his side caused their own problems, though he was satisfied with their response in the next 45 minutes.

"The win was tough because Mainz are doing very well this season," Nagelsmann told reporters. "But we rather made it difficult for ourselves. We started well, I had a great feeling – suddenly the momentum was gone and we played very slowly.

"In the second half we were really sharp and put in a lot of power and intensity from the first to the 88th minute. That was a very good reaction by the team."

Nagelsmann also reserved special praise for Jamal Musiala, who operated in a deeper midfield role in the absence of Joshua Kimmich.

Musiala scored from his one effort on target and also attempted 10 dribbles, a tally only bettered by team-mate Kingsley Coman (12).

"He's left his 'Bambi' status," Nagelsmann added on the versatile Musiala. "At some point you grow out of your talent status. 

"He should keep this street football gene, but he doesn't have to become Gennaro Gattuso. Defensively, it's all about being reliable."

Leaders Bayern move six points clear after Borussia Dortmund were held to a 1-1 draw by Bochum, while Nagelsmann's side next travel to Stuttgart on Tuesday.

Juventus' winning run was halted with a 1-1 draw away at lowly Venezia in Saturday's Serie A contest as they failed to truly make up ground on the Champions League places.

Massimiliano Allegri's men had won three games in a row without conceding in all competitions ahead of their trip to Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo, but they were unable to hold onto the first-half lead given to them by Alvaro Morata.

Juve, who lost Paulo Dybala to injury inside 12 minutes, were pegged back by a long-range strike from former Torino midfielder Mattia Aramu 10 minutes into the second half.

The visitors were unable to hit back against a Venezia side that had lost their last three games and conceded 10 goals in the process, meaning they are six points behind fourth-placed Atalanta, who face Hellas Verona on Sunday.

Dybala's replacement Kaio Jorge flicked over from close range and Morata's drive forced a good save out of Sergio Romero before the Spain international managed to find a way through with 32 minutes played.

Luca Pellegrini sent a low cross in from the left and Morata got in front of his marker to flick the ball past Romero, the goal allowed to stand following a VAR check for a possible handball from Federico Bernardeschi in the build-up.

Juan Cuadrado wasted a good chance when firing across the face of goal shortly before the interval and Juve were made to pay as, following a spell of Venezia pressure, Aramu curled in a low first-time shot from range.

Allegri's side failed to create much in way of response, with their one shot on target in the second half summing up their struggles as the contest finished all square.