The two standout matches in the big European leagues on Sunday were Chelsea's encounter with Arsenal and Roma's visit to Fiorentina. In both games, pragmatism triumphed over style. Didier Drogba, so often Arsenal's tormentor, scored two first-half goals to earn Chelsea a 2-0 win, while Roma struck late through Mirko Vucunic to win 1-0 in Florence.

The draw for Euro 2012 qualifying was announced today in Warsaw. The full draw is below and all seem pretty tough showing the strength of European soccer. Group A: Germany, Turkey, Austria, Belgium, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan Group B: Russia, Slovakia, Ireland, FYR Macedonia, Armenia and Andorra Group C: Italy, Serbia, Northern Ireland, Slovenia, Estonia and Faroe Islands Group D: France, Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Belarus, Albania and Luxembourg Group E: Holland, Sweden, Finland, Hungary, Moldova and San Marino Group F: Croatia, Greece, Israel, Latvia, Georgia and Malta Group G: England, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Wales and Montenegro Group H: Portugal, Denmark, Norway, Cyprus and Iceland Group I: Spain, Czech Republic, Scotland, Lithuania and Liechtenstein Tags Euro 2012 football

FIFA have named England and Germany as two of the many culprits that continue to portray South Africa in a negative light ahead of the World Cup.

Over 15,000 people have applied to be volunteers for the World Cup, which kicks off in less than a year and you still have a chance to apply if you are interested in getting up close to the event. If you are interested in volunteering for the 2010 World Cup you can either ring 0800 52 52 52, if you are in South Africa or you can email volunteerprogramme@2010oc.com (mailto:volunteerprogramme@2010oc.com) for further information and details on how to apply.

Manchester City are set to hand home debuts to Patrick Vieira and Adam Johnson as they look to revive their faltering Premier League campaign against Bolton on Tuesday.

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As a South African and a fan of football I was overjoyed when FIFA awarded my home country the rights to host the 2010 World Cup. As a football journalist with a thorough knowledge of the inner workings of FIFA and a curmudgeonly old pessimist to boot, I knew one thing for certain the moment [...]

If you’ve ever caught any clip of French football commentary (in French), chances are that you’re familiar with the rough, enthusiastic voice of Thierry Gilardi. For more than twenty years he provided commentary for French football and rugby. His voice is inseparable for me from French football in general, and in particular inseparable [...]

Andriy Shevchenko has announced to Chelsea management that he wants to return to Italy at the end of the season. Italian press claims that he met with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and that little resistance was offered to the suggestion. Former Real Madrid striker Ronaldo was the last wash-up to land on the shores of Italy, after a lackluster spell, it appears his career may be over due to injury. For Shevchenko the loss of Ronaldo leaves an opening for a cut rate return to his former club. He should have better luck there with Alberto Gilardino a world class flop and only Pato to compete with for a place. The Shevchenko's have apparently already been house hunting in their old stomping grounds. Wouldn't it be comedy to see Mourinho take over at Milan now?