Frederic Antonetti has been sacked as Lille head coach with the club languishing in the Ligue 1 relegation zone.

Antonetti replaced Herve Renard on November 22, 2015, with Lille 16th in the table and led them to a fifth-placed finish and Europa League qualification, but he has lost his job a year later after a sluggish start to 2016-17.

Lille s European campaign was ended by Qabala in the Europa League qualifiers and they have lost eight of their last 10 games in Ligue 1.

Antonetti s assistant Patrick Collot will take charge of the team on an interim basis, with Lille heading to Nantes on Saturday.

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Wrexham s fierce National League title battle with Notts County has been comparable to the great rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, according to Ben Tozer.

There has been a great deal of focus on Wrexham over the past two seasons after the club were bought by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

The Welsh side have thrived in the spotlight, finishing second last year and falling agonisingly short in an epic play-off defeat to Grimsby Town.

Wrexham bounced back this season and are now in pole position for the single automatic promotion place, needing only to beat Boreham Wood on Saturday to seal their return to the Football League.

That is only after a remarkable tussle with Notts County, however, culminating in the dramatic …

Thomas Tuchel thinks Bayern Munich resemble a team that has played 70 or 80 games after the lethargic Bavarians let more Bundesliga points slip away in a 3-1 defeat at Mainz.

Bayern looked likely to extend their lead over second-placed Borussia Dortmund to five points when Sadio Mane put them ahead, but an astonishing second-half collapse continued Tuchel s troubling start to life at the club.

Goals from Ludovic Ajorque, Leandro Barreiro and Aaron Martin dealt Tuchel his third loss in seven games at the helm, denting Bayern s hopes of an 11th consecutive league title.

Bayern have now gone four games without a win across all competitions, and Tuchel believes a lack of energy is responsible for their downturn.

I don t think it s a technical or tactical pro…

At Soweto s most famous address, tour buses of camera-toting tourists roll up like clockwork outside Nelson Mandela s old red-bricked home for a dose of anti-apartheid royalty.

Pouring toward the modest but revamped house which Mandela returned to after 27 years in jail, they pass gentle foot-traffic and street vendors punting animal skins, curios and the occasional gaudy Mandela bust.

It s the most famous street in South Africa. All the tour buses go past Vilakazi Street, said Jojo Tsheola, tour operator and treasurer of a regional tourism body.

The world s only street that claims two Nobel Peace laureates Archbishop Desmond Tutu s house is down the road the area is struggle-tourism gold anchored by the revamped Mandela Family Museum.

But with the FIFA…

Chelsea midfielder Mickael Essien has been named in the Ghana team for next month s African Nations Cup but captain Stephen Appiah has been left out along with Sulley Ali Muntari.

Essien, 29, limped off with a hamstring injury during Chelsea s 2-2 draw against APOEL Nicosia earlier this month, and is not certain to be in top form for the Janaury 10-31 tournament.

Like Essien and Gyan Asamoah, Inter Milan midfielder Ali Muntari refused to play in a friendly against Angola on November 18 but has been punished for disciplinary reasons after failing to pay a fine.

Appiah has not sufficiently recovered from a right leg injury and will miss the tournament for the second time after already missing the 2008 edition in his homeland through injury.

Coach Milovan R…

Hadi Norouzi, the captain of Iranian football club Persepolis, has died of heart attack.

Norouzi passed away in his sleep on Thursday according to local media reports. He was 30 years old.

The Iran international forward scored 26 goals in 150 Pro League appearances for Tehran-based Persepolis over a seven-year period.

He also represented Naft Tehran on a season-long loan from November 2013, scoring three times in 12 games.

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German giants Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen are locked in the battle for talented winger Julian Brandt, .

The 20-year-old has largely impressed since joining die Werkself from Wolfsburg in January 2014, but the Bay Arena outfit are now struggling to ward off heavy interest in his services.

It is no secret that Bayern Munich lead the chase for the youngster’s signature, and they could soon make their interest concrete.

Namely, Brandt has a deal until June 2019 at Bay Arena, but a €12.5 million release clause will be activated in June 2018, meaning that die Werkself need to sell before the summer of 2018 if they want to get the best possible price.

And even though Bayern Munich are prepared to pay top dollar for the Germany international, Leverkus…

Manchester United could sell Jadon Sancho in the summer transfer window to facilitate a move for Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar, according to . The report has claimed that the Red Devils are keen on bringing former Barcelona star Neymar to Old Trafford, and in order to do that, they are considering cashing in on Sancho.

Sancho has not had the desired impact at United since his move from Borussia Dortmund. The 23-year-old winger has made 17 starts and three substitute appearances in the Premier League for the Red Devils this season, scoring five goals and providing two assists in the process. The England international has made six starts and four substitute appearances in the UEFA Europa League this campaign, scoring one goal in the process.

Last season, Sancho made …

What the papers say

Former Everton winger Ademola Lookman, 26, is attracting attention with his performances for Atalanta, according to The Sun. Atletico Madrid and Juventus are being linked with a summer move for the Nigeria international.

Defender Cedric Soares, 32, could still leave Arsenal, despite the transfer deadline passing. The window remains open in Turkey for another week and the Daily Mirror reports, via ESPN, that Galatasaray, Besiktas and Trabzonspor are interested in the Portuguese full-back.

West Brom were among three Championship clubs who enquired about defender Calum Chambers, according to the Daily Mail. The 29-year-old opted to stay at Aston Villa.

Liverpool and Arsenal are being linked with Eintracht Frankfurt teenager Hugo Larsson. The Dai…

Porto to sign Alberto Bueno

Portuguese daily newspaper that FC Porto have all but agreed to sign Spanish striker Alberto Bueno from Rayo Vallecano.

The Dragons were on the lookout for a new centre forward as they prepare for life without Jackson Martinez and they seem to have found their man in the La Liga star.

According to O Jogo, the 27-year-old has agreed a long-term deal with Porto and he will join his new club when his current deal expires at the end of the season.

The Dragons boss Julen Lopetegui is well aware of the forward s qualities having coached him at Real Madrid Castilla and he has been impressed with Bueno s form this season.

The talented footballer has scored 16 goals in 28 La Liga outings this term despite playing for a relegat…