The Abidjan-born midfielder who was raised in Canada is eligible to represent any of the countries, despite playing for the North American nation at U17 and U20 level. Following his move to Barcelona in January, Ballou is focused on his time with the team’s B side in the Spainish second tier, having made six league appearances so far. “It’s a big decision for me. I am proud when I hear about him[Drogba], when people talk about him, because when people talk about him they talk about Ivory Coast,” Ballou told ESPN FC....

The striker was expected to miss over a month when he sustained the problem in the second leg of Barcelona’s Supercopa de Espana defeat to Real Madrid in August but was cleared to play for Uruguay just a fortnight later. Barcelona 13/2 to win the Champions League A draw against Argentina and a victory over Paraguay in that round of fixtures proved important to Oscar Tabarez’s side qualifying for next year’s World Cup, but they will be without Suarez as they continue their preparations next month....

All fans should cherish Messi & Iniesta The Camp Nou club had been appealing to CAS having received fines totalling €70,000 for their supporters flying pro-Catalan independence flags in Champions League games, but have now withdrawn that action. In return, UEFA will review its disciplinary rules and set up a working group in a bid to ensure any future punishments are more flexible and not perceived as unfair. Mbappe reveals Real Madrid snub...

The Uruguayan Football Federation made the decision to postpone all scheduled matches on Sunday, after spectators attacked two officials, one of them a woman, during an Under-19 game 24 hours prior. Suárez 9/4 to score 1st vs. Sporting Five First Division matches were subsequently affected, and Suarez, the country’s star striker, has urged supporters to take action to ensure that such postponements do not become commonplace. “No more violence in football,” the Barca superstar wrote on Twitter....

Luis Enrique’s side were torn apart in the first half of their round-of-16 first leg, as goals from Angel Di Maria and Julian Draxler gave Paris Saint-Germain a 2-0 lead at half-time. Koscielny: Arsenal are capable of beating Bayern It was the first time Barcelona have conceded more than once in a half of Champions League knockout football in nearly 10 years. And the prospects of a second-half comeback looked pretty bleak as well, at least judging from history....

Former UFC fighter Bec Rawlings won the Bare Knuckle FC diamond title Saturday, defeating Britain Hart via split decision in the main event of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships 2 at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Miss. “The Queen of Bare Knuckle” made good on her nickname with a dominant performance in her second fight under the BKFC banner. The split decision was egregious; Rawlings dominated from the opening bell with effective boxing, sound defense and a thudding right hand....

Trotz, the only coach in franchise history, will not return for a 16th season in Nashville, the team confirmed. The Predators (38-32-12) finished 2013-14 with wins in nine of their last 12 games, but still missed the playoffs for a second straight season, largely because of a long-term injury to goalie Pekka Rinne and a group of forwards that is short on skill. MORE: NHL playoff schedule, TV info, matchups...

So, on Thursday night, when Colon doubled in the third inning of the Mets’ 6-4 win over the Pirates, it was notable — Colon’s career-high second extra-base hit of the season, and the third double of his career, all since turning 40. MORE: Worst fielders at every position | Best front offices in baseball “Anytime you’re entertained, it helps,” Mets manager Terry Collins said. “He’s entertaining. So we just didn’t want him to blow out running around those bases....

“Today’s social and political waters are especially choppy. Sensitivities are at 11, and every discussion remotely related to politics, advocacy, or society at large quickly spins away from pleasant. You shouldn’t have to wonder if staying out of it means you’re complicit, or wading into it means you’re a target. These are difficult enough waters to navigate in life, but significantly more so at work,” Basecamp CEO and co-founder Jason Fried wrote Monday in a company blog post....

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Marc J. Spears, these five men are in the Class of 2019: Al Attles, Vlade Divac, Bobby Jones, Sidney Moncrief and Paul Westphal. Attles, who coached the Golden State Warriors to their first NBA championship, was elected as a contributor; Divac received his honor from the Hall’s International Committee. Together, the five earned 16 All-Star berths and 10 All-NBA selections. DEVENEY: Steve Kerr still learning how to coach these Warriors...

To celebrate The Dark Knight’s exploits, there are events taking place around the world with special gifts and freebies to get your Batclaws on. Newsweek has rounded up what you need to look out for this weekend if you’re a true Batman fan. Why is Batman Day on a different day each year? Batman Day commemorates the debut of Batman in the DC comic universe. He made his first appearance in Detective Comics #27 in May 1939....

Named in Bauza’s starting XI on Monday, captain and five-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi was banned by FIFA on the day of Argentina’s 2-0 World Cup qualifying defeat in Bolivia. Messi was forced to watch from the sidelines on Tuesday after insulting a match official in last week’s win over Chile and Bauza was less than impressed. Argentina could miss the World Cup “What surprised us was the little time we were given to release a legal response,” Bauza said....

Acting as the show's "expert," Beadle asked Baxter to select which team would be crowned the eventual champions. Unsurpringly, Baxter selected his fellow canines, the Huskies, to win it all. What a homer. As Burgandy once said to him on screen: "You're so wise. You're like a miniature Buddha, covered in hair."

Supporters threw rolls of mock-up €500 bills at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium in protest against the high cost of tickets. They also held a banner apparently criticising UEFA for their pricing policy, which read: ‘Is your gr€€d now finally satisfied?’. Travelling fans were angered after some reportedly paid as much as €100 for match tickets. European football’s governing body has decided to fine them after they were charged with throwing objects and displaying illicit banners....

Costa arrived at the Allianz Arena from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2015 for €30 million, signing a five-year contract. Bayern Munich 6/1 to win Champions League But just two years into that deal, with his first-team opportunities reduced under Carlo Ancelotti, the winger was sent on loan to Juventus, who have the option to make the switch permanent at the end of this season for €40m. And Hoeness was not sorry to see Costa go, claiming the 26-year-old was not popular among the club’s hierarchy....

The 25-year-old Brazilian moved from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain last week in a world-record €222 million deal, but he could have linked up with the German side seven years ago for a much smaller sum. PSG 2/1 to win Champions League by 2020 In an interview with Novi list, Racki said that he attempted to facilitate a transfer for Neymar in 2010, but the Germans balked at the asking price at the time....

The 34-year-old moved to the Camp Nou this summer after forcing his way out of the German side. While Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic asked fans not to boo Lewandowski, as he “won everything with us,” it will be interesting to see how the Bavarian faithful react after the player’s contentious departure. Lewandowski is off to a roaring start in Bundesliga play, and bagged a hat-trick in his Champions League debut with the club against Viktoria Plzen last week....

Guardiola: Yaya is an amateur Boateng has yet to feature for Bayern in the second half of the season due to a shoulder problem and is still some way off making his comeback. Nevertheless, Ancelotti expects him to resume squad training by the end of the month. “We are satisfied with Jerome’s recovery,” Ancelotti said at a news conference ahead of Saturday’s encounter with Schalke. “He is very focused....

The duo will be out of contract at the end of the campaign, with Robben, who turns 34 in January, stating last month that retirement could be an option for him. Ribery, meanwhile, has expressed a desire to keep playing for up to three more years and to retire at Bayern, though he would likely have to be content with a squad role should he remain at the Allianz Arena....