Author: Sean Kearns
Getty ImagesSean KearnsBBC Sport1 hour ago215 CommentsPortugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo says he will not play at this month’s Club World Cup after turning down offers from participating teams. The 40-year-old is out of contract with Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr at the end of June.In May, Fifa president Gianni Infantino raised the prospect of Ronaldo joining a team involved at the Club World Cup after Al-Nassr’s failure to qualify. “I will not be at the Club World Cup,” said Ronaldo. “Some teams reached out to me. Some made sense and others did not, but you can’t try and do everything. You can’t catch every ball.”Ronaldo posted on social media that “the chapter is over” following Al-Nassr’s final league game of the season in May, leading to speculation he was set for a move.However, sources have told BBC Sport that the club are confident of extending Ronaldo’s deal. Speaking before Portugal’s Nations League final against Spain on Sunday (20:00 BST), Ronaldo said a decision on his future was “almost final”. The striker joined Al-Nassr in 2023 after the termination of his deal with Manchester United.He has scored 99 goals in 111 appearances for the club, including 35 times in 41 matches last term. Ronaldo scored the winner in a 2-1 victory against Germany on Wednesday to book Portugal’s spot in the Nations League final. Related topicsFootball
Getty ImagesSean KearnsBBC Sport5 hours agoLyon midfielder Nemanja Matic has been handed a two-match ban after covering an anti-homophobia message on his shirt with tape.The Serb, 36, concealed an anti-homophobia display on his sleeve during Lyon’s 2-0 win over Angers on 17 May.The anti-homophobia message is part of a Ligue 1 campaign which is now in its fifth year. Typically, players are asked to wear rainbow-coloured symbols while banners are also displayed in stadiums.However, former Manchester United and Chelsea midfielder Matic and Le Havre striker Ahmed Hassan, 32, both covered the messages on their sleeves with tape. Ligue 1 issued the pair with two-match bans and a further two matches suspended. Matic’s contract with Lyon expires at the end of June and he is yet to agree new terms with the French club.The annual awareness campaign has been met with resistance in recent years, with some players citing religious beliefs for choosing not to take part.Nantes and Egypt forward Mostafa Mohamed, 27, withdrew from his side’s crunch relegation-decider against Montpellier on the final day of the season.”I believe in mutual respect – the respect we owe others but also the respect we owe to ourselves and our beliefs. For me, there are deep-rooted values linked to my background and my beliefs that make my participation in this initiative difficult,” Nantes’ Mohamed said on Instagram before the match.Last season, the then-Monaco midfielder Mohamed Camara, 25, was banned for four matches for taping over an anti-homophobia logo on his shirt.Some Toulouse players missed a match in 2023 with the club saying they had “expressed their disagreement with the association of their image with the rainbow colours representing the LGBT movement”.Related topicsLyonEuropean FootballFrench Ligue 1Football