Thierry Henry, Samuel Eto'o and holder Ronaldinho were among the 50 nominees for the 2006 Golden Ball trophy.

Asian soccer chiefs agreed on Tuesday to give Thailand three months to upgrade its facilities or face being dumped as a co-host for next year's Asian Cup finals.

Tuesday's match between Steaua Bucharest and Real Madrid, within the Champions League's Group E, is considered to be the most important sport event in recent years in the country.

Midfielder Gonzalo Castro of Bayer Leverkusen will be out of action for a month due to a shoulder injury, the German first division soccer club said on Tuesday.

The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg are prepared to enter their joint bid during January for the 2018 World Cup, an 2000 European Championship organizer said on Monday.

U.S. women's team erased the humiliation left by men's team by finishing first in the first-day's qualifiers with a score of 243.325 at Aarhus gymnastics worlds in Denmark on Monday.

Bulgaria captain Stilian Petrov hinted he might come back to the team only if coach Hristo Stoitchkov is not in charge, Sofia News Agency reported on Monday.

Seven members of Italian World Cup-winning team are among 50 players in the running for the 2006 European Footballer of the Year award - the Ballon d'Or, local media reported on Monday.

New Jersey Nets Eddie House had arthroscopic left knee surgery in New York Monday, and team said there is no timetable for his return.

The 2008 Olympic mascots have their English name changed in an attempt to keep consistent with the Chinese version.