Edin Terzic has resigned as coach of Borussia Dortmund, the Bundesliga club confirmed in a statement on Thursday. 

Terzic departs after leading his side to the Champions League final, which they lost 2-0 to Real Madrid at Wembley earlier this month. 

The 41-year-old, who was in his second spell in charge of Dortmund, asked Die Schwarzgelben to terminate his contract, which was due to expire next year.

"Even though it really hurts, I want to inform you that I will leave BVB today. It was a huge honour to lead this club to a DFB Cup final and recently a Champions League final," Terzic said in a club statement.

"After our final at Wembley, I asked the club bosses for a talk, because I've been at BVB for over 10 years now, with five as a coach and two-and-a-half as head coach, and I have the feeling that our new beginning should also come with someone new on the touchline.

"After intense discussions, my feeling hasn't changed. I wish Borussia Dortmund all the best. It's not goodbye, but till next time."

The German had previously been interim boss for seven months in the 2020/21 season, guiding Dortmund to their fifth DFB-Pokal title. 

Terzić oversaw 96 competitive fixtures during his two seasons at the helm, having stepped into the role on a permanent basis before the 2022-23 campaign, winning 55 matches and averaging 1.93 points per game. 

Lionel Messi has ruled out the possibility of participating in the Paris Olympics, conceding "it would be too much to play two straight tournaments".

Messi is gearing up for Argentina's Copa America title defence, which begins against Canada on June 20, while they will also face Chile and Peru in Group A.

The final takes place on July 14, with the Olympic tournament beginning in Paris 10 days later. 

With three overage players allowed per team in the primarily under-23 event, leading to speculation that Messi could feature for La Albiceleste.

However, the 36-year-old, who was a gold medallist in Beijing 16 years ago, revealed he would not be partcipating following a discussion with Argentina under-23s coach - and former team-mate - Javier Mascherano.

"I talked to Mascherano and the truth is we both understood the situation," Messi told ESPN.

"It's hard [to think about the Olympics right now] because we're in Copa America. It would be two, three straight months of not being with the club, and more than anything, I'm not at an age to be in everything.

"I have to choose carefully, and it would be too much to play two straight tournaments. I've been very lucky to play in the Olympics, and win it together with [Mascherano].

"It was a wonderful experience on a football level. Olympics, under-20s, memories I'll never forget."

Milan have confirmed the appointment of former Lille head coach Paulo Fonseca as Stefano Pioli's successor at San Siro, with the Portuguese coach penning a three-year contract.

Fonseca stepped down from his position at the Ligue 1 side last week against the backdrop of speculation linking him with the Milan job.

The 51-year-old spent two seasons with Lille, finishing fifth and fourth, and has previously coached Porto, Braga, Shakhtar Donetsk and Roma.

Milan's confirmation of Fonseca's arrival comes three weeks on from the 19-time Italian champions announcing Pioli would depart at the end of the 2023-24 season.

Pioli won the Scudetto during his five-year spell at San Siro, doing so in 2021-22 as the club ended their 11-year wait to finish top in Italy.

However, they followed that up with a fourth-place finish the following season and a more respectable second-place finish this past season, albeit 19 points adrift of Inter.

Sergio Conceicao, Mark van Bommel and Julen Lopetegui had also been touted as contenders to replace Pioli.

FIFPRO, the global union representing football players, has launched a legal claim against FIFA over the match calendar and the scheduling of next year's expanded Club World Cup.

FIFA's decision to stage a 32-team Club World Cup in the United States next year has attracted fierce criticism from pundits and players, with many believing it will exacerbate issues arising from fixture congestion.  

Earlier this week, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti suggested the European champions could boycott the tournament, only for the club to quickly confirm their participation in a statement.

Ahead of last year's seven-team Club World Cup, Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva said the expansion of the football calendar would lead to matches losing "energy and intensity".

When FIFA's Club World Cup plans were finalised last year, FIFPRO threatened legal action and said world football's governing body had demonstrated "a lack of consideration for the mental and physical health of players, as well as a disregard for their personal and family lives."

FIFPRO has now launched a claim against FIFA at the Brussels court of commerce.

In a statement released on Thursday, the union said: "FIFPRO Europe member unions have today submitted a legal claim against FIFA, challenging the legality of FIFA's decisions to unilaterally set the international match calendar and, in particular, the decision to create and schedule the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.

"Player unions believe that these decisions violate the rights of players and their unions under the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights while also potentially violating EU competition law."

Madrid and City are among 12 European clubs to have booked a spot at the first 32-team Club World Cup, due to their recent Champions League successes.

Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter and Juventus will also feature, with most qualifiers being determined by a FIFA ranking system that awards points for victories in the Champions League.

Chelsea striker Sam Kerr has signed a new two-year deal until 2026, the club announced on Thursday.

Kerr, whose contract was due to expire at the end of the Women's Super League season, has scored 99 goals in 128 matches since joining from Chicago Red Stars in 2019.

The 30-year-old has played a huge role in the success of Emma Hayes' side in recent years, winning five consecutive league titles along with three FA Cups, two League Cups and the Community Shield. 

During the 2022-23 campaign, Kerr scored 29 goals in 38 appearances in all competitions, making her 100th appearance for the Blues in the process. 

The striker has not played since January because of an anterior cruciate ligament injury and has been ruled out of the Australia squad for this summer's Olympics in Paris.

"It’s really exciting and a very proud moment for me," Kerr said after putting pen to paper on her new deal. "Having the opportunity to stay at a club like Chelsea means a lot to me. I’m really excited to continue to push and to try to win trophies."

Since arriving in England, Kerr has claimed the Golden Boot twice and was runner-up to Spain's Aitana Bonmati at the Ballon d'Or awards last year.

Kerr would also become the first player to be awarded the Football Writers’ Association Women’s Footballer of the Year prize twice in a row. 

Gregg Berhalter has said that the United States are ready for the Copa America following their 1-1 draw with Brazil on Wednesday. 

Berhalter's side concluded their preparations for the tournament with an improved display in Florida, having lost 5-1 to Colombia three days prior.

Many feared the worst as Real Madrid's Rodrygo gave the visitors an early advantage, but Christian Pulisic's second half free-kick was enough to share the spoils, as Matt Turner made 11 saves in the contest, the most by a USA keeper since Tim Howard in the 2014 World Cup. 

"We asked for teamwork and intensity," Berhalter said. "The way we framed it is two things that are totally in their control. It doesn't matter about the opponent, it doesn't matter about the field, the fans or anything.

"That's the type of effort that we saw today. The boys certainly did really well on that and that was good. We feel like we made a little step."

The USA kickstart their Copa America campaign on June 23 against Bolivia in Arlington, before taking on Panama and Uruguay in Group C. 

Berhalter believes the result against the five-time World Cup winners is a little step on the way to being successful against the better teams on the international stage. 

"It's not a huge step, but it's a little step to be able to play against an amazingly talented Brazil team and bend but not break," Berhalter added.

"And give them problems as well, push them as well. So for us, looking at it, we think it's a good end to a preparation camp when we're ready for Copa."

The United States capped their Copa America preparations with a 1-1 draw against Brazil on Wednesday, with Christian Pulisic scoring a fine free-kick.

USA captain Pulisic drilled a low effort beyond Alisson 26 minutes in, after a mazy run ended with him being chopped down by Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes on the edge of the area.

A full-strength Brazil side had gone ahead nine minutes earlier when the lively Raphinha split the hosts' defence with a fine pass for Rodrygo, who beat Matt Turner at his near post.

Rodrygo went close with an acrobatic effort shortly after half-time, but neither side was able to find a second-half winner, primarily due to the performances of Alisson and Turner.

The Liverpool goalkeeper made a great stop to deny Pulisic shortly after the hour mark, and Turner responded by tipping Rodrygo's outside-of-the-boot effort to safety.

Vinicius Junior fired across goal and off-target deep into stoppage time as the Selecao were made to settle for a draw 12 days out from their Copa opener against Costa Rica. The USA open their campaign against Bolivia in Texas on June 22.

Data Debrief: Captain America strikes again

If the USA are to enjoy a successful Copa campaign on home soil, they will need Pulisic to be right at it after an encouraging first season with Milan.

He is developing a taste for scoring against CONMEBOL opponents, having now netted versus Bolivia, Brazil, Chile and Venezuela.

He is just the third American man to achieve that feat, after Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan.

Former Milan and Italy great Gennaro Gattuso has completed a surprise move to Hadjuk Split, taking over as head coach in Croatia.

Gattuso, a World Cup winner with Italy in 2006, has signed a two-year deal with the Croatian giants.

The 46-year-old will be officially welcomed at Poljud next week after Split announced his appointment on Wednesday.

Gattuso's coaching career began as player-coach of his final club, Sion of the Swiss Super League, and he also had short spells in charge of Palermo and OFI Crete.

The former midfielder then led Pisa to Serie B promotion before taking charge of old club Milan and subsequently joining Napoli, where he won the Coppa Italia in 2020.

Short tenures followed with Fiorentina, Valencia and Marseille before his sacking from the Ligue 1 side in February.

England have started to plan for life after Gareth Southgate but Football Association executive Mark Bullingham insists no approach has been made for the manager, nor has his future been decided.

The Three Lions boss raised questions over his future after German media outlet BILD published an interview this week from Southgate, who suggested Euro 2024 this month is his last chance with England.

Manchester United were reportedly interested in the 53-year-old as well before reaffirming their commitment to under-fire manager Erik ten Hag.

As the European Championship awaits in Germany, Bullingham sought to ease any fears over the future of Southgate, though reiterated the FA has already thought through a succession plan.

"Gareth has been really, really clear that he wants to talk about that after the tournament," Bullingham said.

"And I don't want to provide any distraction for him and the team, and I want to respect the fact that he wants to talk about the future after the tournament.

 "I've seen some things about, 'Have we got a plan, haven't we?' Any organisation has a succession plan in place for their top employees, and we are no different to that.

"A succession plan normally includes everything from what you do for the short-term cover, through to a process you follow, through to [drawing up] a candidate pool. We have that for all our top employees."

Bullingham also assured that Southgate's future will not be dictated by success at Euro 2024, with the manager's contract set to expire in December.

"[The team] could go further but be playing poorly or have a really unlucky result where you get a couple of red cards and hit the woodwork three times," the FA chief added.

"I think setting an arbitrary figure isn't the right way to go. I think we step back and look at everything after the tournament."

In a staunch defence of Southgate, Bullingham lauded the job the former England international has done, guiding the Three Lions to the Euro 2020 final and World Cup semi-finals in 2018.

"I would say I think the world of Gareth, I think he has done a phenomenal job," Bullingham said.

"I think he has transformed the fortunes of our team, and that's not just off the pitch, and you can see the culture, but also the performances on the pitch.

"Since 1966, he has won about half of our knockout games, which is a measure we really use, so we value him massively."

Should Southgate leave, Bullingham remains open to bringing in another homegrown talent to manage England.

"We have two senior coaches," he continued. "One of them is English, one of them [England women's boss Sarina Wiegman] is not.

"Any federation in the world would always want to have a pool of top homegrown talent playing and managing at any time."

Joshua Zirkzee is reportedly drawing interest from Milan, Juventus and Manchester United, and will have the chance to further his stock after a late call-up for the Netherlands at Euro 2024.

Oranje boss Ronald Koeman has lost Frenkie de Jong and Teun Koopmeiners, as well as midfielder Marten de Roon, in the build-up to the tournament in Germany.

Koeman criticised former club Barcelona for their handling of the injured De Jong before Koopmeiners' absence was also confirmed this week in another blow for the Netherlands.

Ajax forward Brian Brobbey is another said to be struggling for fitness, forcing the Dutch to act swiftly with reinforcements.

Zirkzee's inclusion was confirmed on Wednesday as the Netherlands added the striker to their international camp ahead of their tournament opener against Poland on Sunday.

The 23-year-old does not have a single senior cap under his belt for the Netherlands, but did score seven goals in 19 caps for the Under-21 side.

Zirkzee found the net 12 times in 37 appearances for Bologna in the 2023-24 campaign as the Serie A side qualified for next season's Champions League.

That form has reportedly drawn interest from Erik ten Hag's Man Utd, Juventus – who appointed Thiago Motta as their new head coach on Wednesday – and Milan.

Ian Maatsen, who reached the Champions League final with Borussia Dortmund this year, is the other man brought in for the Netherlands to fill the void left by De Jong and Koopmeiners.

The Netherlands also face Austria and France in Group D at Euro 2024, where Germany open the tournament against Scotland on Friday.

Kylian Mbappe hopes to avoid any hangover from World Cup disappointment as the France forward searches for his elusive final international crown at Euro 2024.

The Real Madrid-bound forward scored a hat-trick in the final of FIFA's global tournament in 2022, though that was not enough to stop Argentina from winning on penalties in Saudi Arabia.

Another major tournament is on the horizon as the European Championship awaits in Germany, where Didier Deschamps' side rank as the favourites alongside Gareth Southgate's England.

Euros success is the only glory missing from Mbappe's glittering resume, having won the World Cup in 2018 and the Nations League as well, though the 25-year-old hopes to end that this time around.

The former Paris Saint-Germain told CNN Sport: "I want to win the Euros. I have to be honest. I won the World Cup. I won the Nations League.

"That's the only one that missed me with the national team after I did everything with the national team. I really want to win this.

"My first competition as captain, so it's really important for me and it's always important for the country and we want them to be proud of us.

"[It's] another opportunity to write the history of my country."

Mbappe endured a woeful tournament at Euro 2020, failing to score from chances amounting to 1.7 xG in four games, before missing the vital penalty as France lost to Switzerland in a last-16 shoot-out.

Coming into this tournament on the back of a 44-goal season with PSG and with his long-term future decided, few would back a repeat from Madrid's newest Galactico. 

France open their group-stage campaign against Austria on Monday before facing the Netherlands and Austria in a testing pool.

Mbappe believes Les Bleus can take the learnings from the last World Cup into their next quest for the European crown.

"I think we have to move forward," the world-class forward added. "Of course, we were hurt, to see that you're close to something...

"Close to the back-to-back. Something amazing. Something historic. Everybody loved the game except for us.

"We didn't like that, but it's part of the game. Now, when I watch the video of the game, I watch with a smile because it's part of the history and we know what we have to do if we go again in the final.

"We have to play all the game and have no reaction."

Italy great Alessandro Nesta has been appointed as the new head coach of Monza.

The 48-year-old comes in as the successor to Raffaele Palladino, who switched Monza for Fiorentina last week.

Nesta, a World Cup winner in 2006, has enjoyed a modest managerial career compared to his remarkable playing days.

The former defender will embark on his first Serie A season as a coach after spells with Perugia, Frosinone and Reggiana.

Nesta led promoted Reggiana to an 11th-place finish in Italy's second tier and has now resolved his contract issues with the club in order to take over at Monza.

His new club finished 12th last season in what was just their second campaign in Serie A.

UEFA is preparing for a landmark moment at Euro 2024 as Europe's governing body revealed plans to communicate VAR decisions on stadium screens in Germany.

The organisation had already announced last month that refereeing calls would be explained in detail to international captains, who should be the only players to speak to the officials.

Any team-mate ignoring their captain's role and approaching the referee showing any sign of disrespect or dissent will receive a yellow card.

Yet UEFA confirmed another refereeing initiative at the upcoming tournament as officials will explain decisions to the crowd via stadium screens across June and July.

"This is something new. I think it's very, very, very interesting," UEFA's managing director for refereeing Roberto Rosetti said on Wednesday.

"So we want to give, after the opinion of VAR, a technical explanation for the public.

"In live, simultaneously, the UEFA expert will prepare the explanation, a technical explanation about what happened in the specific situation.

"For example, on-field review, the referee awards a penalty for handball...

"Technical explanation: Germany number nine touched the ball with his left arm in an unnatural position above the shoulder and making his body bigger."

Rosetti has already been leading the way in reaching out to teams and players to inform them of the new protocols at the European Championship.

That includes reinforcing the message that dangerous tackles will be greeted with serious disciplinary punishment.

"One of the most important priorities in refereeing guidelines is to protect the players," Rosetti added.

"To protect the image of the game, but in particular to protect the safety of the main actors of the games.

"We showed them a couple of clips that we are asking to the referees to be very strong in these kinds of situations.

"So for such situations, we asked the referees to be zero tolerant because this is something that we cannot accept."

Germany open the Euro 2024 tournament in their curtain-raiser against Scotland in Munich on Friday.

Adam Wharton does not expect age to be a barrier to his England hopes at Euro 2024 as the midfielder revelled in a "surreal feeling" ahead of the major tournament.

Crystal Palace's Wharton was playing Championship football with Blackburn Rovers until his January move to the Premier League.

The next step on his seismic rise comes this month after making Gareth Southgate's final squad for the upcoming European Championship.

That reward followed after a remarkable second half to the season for Wharton, who is already attracting interest from Europe's elite clubs following his impressive showings for Oliver Glasner's Palace.

Wharton, aged just 20 for this UEFA tournament in Germany, wants to leave his mark and believes chances are there to be taken, despite his relative inexperience compared to his team-mates.

"There are still players that have been in the team for a long time and some top young players in the team... I think it's good to have that little mix," Wharton said on Wednesday.

"If you're good enough, you're old enough.

"It's a surreal feeling. Honestly, I wasn't expecting it. Just a dream come true. Every kid who grows up playing football wants to play in the Premier League, and play for their country.

"I got to play for the team I supported to begin with, really enjoyed that and then it has continued since. Moving to the Premier League, now here, so it's all been very fast but I wouldn't want it any other way.

"I have really enjoyed the last six months and I just want to keep playing, getting better."

Wharton will battle with Declan Rice, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Conor Gallagher and Kobbie Mainoo for a role in Southgate's midfield, while Jude Bellingham remains an option if moved deeper.

That does not concern the 20-year-old, however, as Wharton realises his dreams on the international scene.

"I am just absolutely delighted," he added. "I get to do what I love on the top stage, you can't beat it."

Lionel Messi knows his illustrious career is running out of time as the Argentina great suggested his club playing days will end with Inter Miami.

The Barcelona legend completed a switch to MLS side Miami last year after two decades of European football with the Blaugrana and Paris Saint-Germain.

As Messi starts to prepare for Argentina's Copa America defence this month, retirement remains a pertinent question for the global superstar.

The 36-year-old, speaking to ESPN, acknowledged Miami will likely "be my last club" as the fear sets in over ending his playing career sooner rather than later.

"I've done this all of my life; I love playing ball," the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner said on Wednesday. 

"I enjoy the practices and the day-to-day, the games. There's a bit of fear that it's all ending. It's always there. It was a difficult step leaving Europe to come here [Miami].

"The fact we won the World Cup helped, it helped a lot, to see things in another way. But I try not to think about it, I try to enjoy it.

"I do that more now because I'm aware that there's not a lot of time left. So I have a good time with the club, being lucky to have good team-mates and friends at my side.

"I enjoy my time with the national team, where I also have good friends, too, and a lot. I enjoy those small details that I know I'll miss when I stop playing."

Messi is Barcelona's all-time top scorer with 672 goals, as well as lifting four Champions League trophies amid a glittering career.

Yet the ageing forward insists World Cup glory in 2022 remains his crowning moment, following in the footsteps of late Albiceleste great Diego Maradona.

"Obviously, I was sad that he couldn't experience what we experienced [winning the 2022 World Cup], because I know what he felt for the national team and what he would say about Argentina being world champion again," he added.

"We went through a World Cup together which aside from the result was an impressive experience, going through that day-to-day with him, how happy he was, seeing him enjoy being the manager.

"So I try to remember all the good times that we had together. I know that he loved me a lot, and I loved him, despite what was said in the media.

"The reality is we had a lot of affection for each other, and since he met me he was always supportive and wanted the best for me.

"It was a shame that he couldn't live to experience it like the rest of the country did."