Shocking

Barcelona’s 3-1 victory over Napoli on Saturday was a throwback to Barça’s more controlled days with Ivan Rakitić deputizing smartly for the suspended Sergio Busquets and Frenkie de Jong going from strength to strength in midfield.

Napoli couldn’t get close to the 23-year-old Dutch maestro, who hardly put a foot wrong while completing 94% of his passes in the attacking third and going three-for-three in take-ons. He also had a would-be assist contemptuously chalked off after the ball grazed Lionel Messi’s upper arm.

Serie A champions Juventus stunned Italian football on Saturday by naming World Cup-winning midfielder Andrea Pirlo as manager on a two-year contract even though their former player has no previous experience in the role.

Pirlo, 41, was promoted to the senior job one week after being named coach of Juve's under-23 side, who play in the Italian third tier, and without having taken charge of a match. The decision came hours after the Turin club sacked coach Maurizio Sarri following their Champions League last-16 exit to Lyon on away goals on Friday.

Former World Cup winner Ronaldinho moved a step closer to ending his Paraguayan ordeal on Friday when prosecutors said they would not oppose a "conditional suspension" of the case that would allow him to return to Brazil.

The twice World Player of the Year was arrested on March 6 along with his brother and business manager Roberto Assis after they tried to enter Paraguay with adulterated Paraguayan passports.

Serie A club Juventus has sacked title-winning coach Maurizio Sarri after only one season in charge, following the team's elimination from the Champions League in the Round of 16 on Friday, the Turin club said in a statement.

The 61-year-old was dismissed despite leading Juventus to the Serie A title two weeks ago, the club’s ninth in a row.

Aberdeen's Scottish Premiership match away to St Johnstone on Saturday has been postponed after two of the club's players tested positive for COVID-19 and six more are self-isolating.

On Thursday, Aberdeen issued a statement saying the match would go ahead as planned but following a meeting on Friday between Scotland's Minister for Public Health, the Scottish FA and Scottish Professional Football League, the matter has been taken out of their hands.

League One and League Two clubs, representing the third and fourth tiers of English football, have voted in favor of introducing salary caps for their squads, the English Football League (EFL) said in a statement on Friday.

League One clubs agreed to cap total expenditure on player salaries at $3.27 million while those in League Two agreed to an upper limit of $2 million. 

VIENNA — Austrian second-tier side Floridsdorfer AC have apologised for a 9-0 defeat which allowed opponents Ried to win promotion on goal difference, but denied that they behaved improperly.

Ried finished top of Austria's Second League above Austria Klagenfurt, who beat Wacker Innsbruck 6-1 in the final matches on Friday. Ried's goal difference was 34 to Klagenfurt's 29.

Only the champions are promoted to the top flight.

English second-tier club Sheffield Wednesday will begin the 2020-21 Championship season with a 12-point deduction for breaching profit and sustainability rules, the English Football League (EFL) announced on Friday.

Wednesday were charged with misconduct by the league in November 2019 after the club sold the Hillsborough Stadium to their Thai owner Dejphon Chansiri in a bid to ensure they did not breach spending rules.