SportMate™ 2010 / 2011 Global Edition

Gianluigi Buffon has said he and Juventus are in no rush work out an extension to his current deal - which runs until June 2013, saying that it will be easily be organised once matters on the field are settled with.

Javier Zanetti has apologised to Inter Milan fans after their 4-0 rout at the hands of Roma, with the Nerazzurri captain saying it is a performance they can never repeat.

Bayern Munich's honorary president Franz Beckenbauer has said Bundesliga champions, and current league leaders, Borussia Dortmund are favourites to win the title again after moving two points clear of Bayern.

Basel were held to a draw by FC Sion, but it was still enough for the leaders to extend their lead of Lucerne to seven points, while fourth-placed Young Boys beat Servette 3-1.

The FIFA President attended CONMEBOL’s Extraordinary Congress in the Paraguayan capital Asuncion, where between 3 and 5 February 2012 he took part in a variety of events. 

Udinese were left ruing their luck, and a fine performance by Fiorentina goalkeeper Artur Boruc, after two penalties converted by Stefan Jovetic saw the title-chasers lose ground with a 3-2 defeat.

Fabio Borini's double either side of half-time provided the killer blow to Inter Milan as Roma ran out comfortable 4-0 victors at the Stadio Olimpico, with Juan and Bojan Krkic scoring either side of the Italian's double.

Papiss Demba Cisse scored a stunning winner in front of his new fans to mark the perfect debut for Newcastle, as his half-volley from the edge of the box gave his new side the edge in a 2-1 win over Aston VIlla.

Utrecht took advantage of an injury-ravaged Ajax side as they left the Amsterdam ArenA with all three points, with Edouard Duplan getting both goals in a 2-0 win.

Heve Renard has said Zambia's 3-0 win over Sudan in the CAF Africa Cup of Nations was their toughest test so far, and now they have reached the semi's he feels they have every right to be targeting a medal.

Genoa pulled off a surprise in today's early match in Serie A, beating a Lazio side whose title tilt is firmly on the rocks, but the hosts almost let a three goal lead slip, with the Romans rallying, albeit futilely, to a 3-2 defeat.

Arsene Wenger has called for his Arsenal side to replicate their 7-1 demolition of Blackburn Rovers by eclipsing their poor start to 2012 and finding some consistency.

Sidney Sam's return to the Bayer Leverkusen squad looks to have been a short-lived one as the German forward suffered what is believed to be a muscle tear, having just recovered from a similar injury.

Marco Reus has apologised for missing a gilt-edged chance in Borussia Monchengladbach's 0-0 draw with Wolfsburg, but coach Lucien Favre has told the star he has nothing to be sorry about.

Holger Stanislawski has laid into his Hoffenheim side after their 'low-standard amateur' performance in the 2-2 draw with Augsburg yesterday, saying they are very much in a relegation battle now.

Thomas Muller has bemoaned Bayern Munich's dropped points against Hamburg, saying that the Bundesliga giants expect to win every game.

Sydney FC were on the wrong end of a five-goal haul as Newcastle Jets left the SFS with a 5-2 victory, with Nikolai Topor-Stanley opening the scoring and Jeremy Brockie both claiming a brace.

Santos Laguna remained top of the Torneo Clausura after a 2-1 win at Unam Pumas, despite Rodolfo Salinas scoring at both ends, while Atlante moved within three points of them after beating Queretaro.

FIFA.com is once again looking forward to another week of footballing birthdays, with two hot shots from Madrid in Cristiano Ronaldo and Radamel Falcao alongside Barcelona legend Hristo Stoichkov in line for a celebration.

The race for La Liga's title remains as it was as slender wins for both Real Madrid and Barcelona saw the gap between the leading pair remain at seven points, while Athletic Bilbao were held to a six-goal draw by Espanyol.

Lionel Messi was the difference as Barcelona beat Getafe, with the Argentinian star converting one of a number of chances after feeding Cristian Tello to score on his full debut in a 2-1 win.

Wins for Ligue 1 title-challengers PSG & Montpellier mean the two-way race continues, as 3-1 and 1-0 wins respecitvely kept them both on track, while Valenciennes got their first away win of the season at Dijon.

Excelsior won the battle at the bottom of the Eredivisie as they heaped more woe on VVV-Venlo with a 3-1 win to move them off the foot of the table, while Vitesse managed a 1-0 win over NAC Breda.