Deportivo La Coruna have confirmed that manager Jose Luis Oltra has been sacked over an irreversible run of form.

The Spanish side sit rock-bottom of La Liga with 12 points from 17 matches, though just three points off the tip of the relegation zone.

The former Tenerife boss guided Deportivo back to the top flight in the 2011-12 season but has struggled to string victories together this campaign, and Augusto Cesar Lendoiro insisted that change is necessary.

It s a decision that didn t come today, it was taken before the assembly following the defeat against Espanyol [on December 20], the president told reporters at a press conference on Sunday.

The situation became irreversible. We re not fans of changing the coach, but a shake-up was needed that had t…

Milan star Zlatan Ibrahimovic has no plans to retire while he is feeling fit, insisting ego would not play a part in his decision.

Ibrahimovic made a superb start to the season with Serie A leaders Milan, scoring 11 goals in 10 games, before suffering a hamstring injury last month.

The veteran striker has impressed since returning to the Serie A club at the start of the year, although talk about his future continues after he turned 39 in October.

But Ibrahimovic, who is contracted until the end of the season, said he wanted to continue while he could.

As long as I will continue to feel good. Because when the years go by, we no longer talk about quality, but only about how you are physically, he told Sky Sport. 

If you are physically well you c…

Paris Saint-Germain have hit out at immature criticism of Marquinhos after they allowed him to miss Saturday s match at Montpellier for the birth of his second child.

A discussion on programme L Equipe du Soir involving host Olivier Menard and former Auxerre boss Guy Roux questioned why the Brazil international should miss the Ligue 1 game.

In one exchange, Roux, 81, said: Are the men giving birth now? Is there is no doctor in Paris for this lady to give birth?

Marquinhos, meanwhile, posted on social media to confirm Enrico had been born on Friday, describing his birth as a blessing while calling his wife Carol Cabrino a warrior .

Enrico Cabrino Corrêa 06.12.2019 E o molecão chegou, parabéns mamãe você é a nossa guerreira! Que alegria, quanta emo…

Gareth Bale believes Manchester City s poor performance in the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid was due to their lack of experience at that stage of the competition.

The Wales international was involved in the only goal of the tie in Wednesday s second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, seeing his shot deflect off Fernando and past Joe Hart to seal a 1-0 aggregate win.

Madrid s win puts Zinedine Zidane s team into a repeat of the 2014 final against Atletico Madrid as they – and Bale – eye a second Champions League crown in the last three years.

City only produced one shot on target in the second leg, but Bale thinks that while the Premier League side struggled to cope with the occasion, Madrid also deserve some of the credit.

It s a new occ…

Fatma Samba Diouf Samoura has been appointed as the secretary general of FIFA, becoming the first female to hold the position.

Samoura takes up the position following 21 years working for the United Nations, replacing Jerome Valcke who was sacked in February amid allegations linking him to a scheme that intended to sell tickets for the 2014 World Cup at above their face value.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino believes the Senegalese can help improve the way the organisation operates and support its strive towards greater transparency.

Fatma is a woman with international experience and vision who has worked on some of the most challenging issues of our time, said Infantino during the 66th FIFA Congress in Mexico City.

She has a proven ability to build and…

France captain Wendie Renard is willing to return to international football after participating in a player revolt which led to the sacking of head coach Corinne Diacre.

Last month, Lyon defender Renard announced she would not play at this year s World Cup under Diacre s leadership, a stance which was replicated by forwards Kadidiatou Diani and Marie-Antoinette Katoto.

Diacre subsequently accused her detractors of participating in a destabilisation operation , but the French Football Federation (FFF) removed her from her post following a meeting of its executive committee.

The FFF said a fracture between Diacre and senior players had reached a point of no return which harms the interests of the national team .

In the aftermath of that decision, Renard –…

Market: Watford win

Odds: 7/10 @

Looking to claim back-to-back Championship victories on Saturday afternoon, Watford will welcome Wigan to Vicarage Road.

Starting with the hosts, while many might have been shocked to see Chris Wilder arrive at Vicarage Road earlier in the month, the Hornets were last seen putting in a stellar display. Laying down a play-off marker in midweek as they cruised their way to a 3-0 romp against Birmingham, the former Sheffield United boss will be calling on his new squad to find some recent stability. With their sights still firmly set on trying to secure a Premier League return in 2023, the Hornets should be smelling the chance to claim back-to-back Championship victories here. Drawing a line under their three-match winless run, Wild…

Riyad Mahrez has found a new level since ending his Leicester City exile, according to manager Claude Puel.

Mahrez was heavily linked with a deadline-day switch to Manchester City after an impressive start to the 2017-18 campaign, scoring eight and creating seven in the Premier League.

The reported £60million deal was rebuffed by the Foxes, a decision that saw Mahrez miss a number of training sessions and two league matches.

He eventually returned to the squad for Leicester s trip to Manchester City on Saturday, a game Puel s men lost 5-1, with Mahrez coming off the bench after 62 minutes.

He could make his first start since January 20 in the FA Cup against Sheffield United this weekend, with Puel saying the 26-year-old looks better than ever.

…

Spanish media outlet Diario AS claims that Real Madrid already have a plan set in motion for their first summer signing.

It is being discussed that Los Blancos plan to re-sign Omar Mascarell from Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt.

The 25-year-old defensive midfielder joined the German outfit in 2016 after a couple of loan spells at Derby County and Sporting Gijon but he’s done more than enough to persuade the Los Blancos hierarchy to exercise the buyback clause and bring the Spaniard back to Santiago Bernabeu.

Diario AS claims Real Madrid will activate the €4 million clause as they are confident Mascarell can subsequently be sold for up to €15 million.

Mascarell’s fine performances for Eintracht Frankfurt have attracted interest elsewhere from …

Bundesliga side Stuttgart have moved to confirm reports linking them with a summer move for Groningen winger Filip Kostic.

The Swabians have yet to sign a replacement for Ibrahima Traore, who left the club to join Borussia M gladbach, but they seem to have set their sights on the Serbian starlet.

Stuttgart sporting director Jochen Schneider has confessed that they are indeed keeping close tabs on Kostic.

“Kostic is one of the most interesting players we have on our list,” Schneider .

Filip Kostic joined Groningen from Serbian side Radnicki Kragujevac in the summer of 2012, but had a very poor start to his career in Holland, starting just one Eredivisie fixture during his first season.

However, he has since showed massive improvement and was o…