Andriy Yarmolenko said he was grateful for the support being shown to himself and the Ukrainian people after scoring West Ham s opener in a 2-1 win over Aston Villa.
The winger, who is second to Andriy Shevchenko (48) in Ukraine s all-time goalscoring charts after netting 44 goals for his country, poked into the bottom corner on 70 minutes to set the Hammers on their way to victory at the London Stadium.
Yarmolenko was making his first appearance since being granted a period of leave by West Ham boss David Moyes after Russia invaded his homeland last month and was welcomed with a standing ovation when introduced from the bench in the second half.
After marking the occasion in the perfect manner with his goal, the winger expressed gratitude for the support he has …
West Ham have announced their first signing of the Julen Lopetegui era, with young Brazilian winger Luis Guilherme set to sign from Palmeiras on Friday.
The 18-year-old, who will complete his move when the transfer window officially opens, has put pen to paper on a five-year deal at the London Stadium.
The Brazil under-20 international will join the Hammers with plenty of experience already under his belt, having won a Brazilian Serie A title with Palmeiras and played in the Copa Libertadores.
Widely regarded as one of the most exciting young talents in South America, he is delighted to fulfil his boyhood dream by making the move to England.
From the east coast of Brazil to east London
— West Ham United (@WestHam)
I m very happy to be…
Premier League teams will wear black armbands and partake in a minute s silence before all matches across the coming weekend in memory of Brazil great Pele.
The three-time World Cup winner died at Sao Paulo s Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital on Thursday.
Pele had been admitted to hospital earlier this month amid reports his body had stopped responding to treatment for colon cancer. He was 82.
Tributes flooded in from across the sporting world for the man many consider to be the greatest footballer of all time and among the sport s most iconic figures.
Brazil declared a three-day period of national mourning ahead of Pele s funeral, which is set to take place on Monday.
The world of football will continue to commemorate the Brazil legend over the …
Mario Gotze has failed to live up to his potential says Michael Ballack, but the Borussia Dortmund midfielder has found an ally in the great Luis Figo.
Gotze rose through the ranks at Dortmund and won back-to-back Bundesliga titles in 2011 and 2012, before departing in acrimonious circumstances for rivals Bayern Munich in 2013.
He seemingly had the world at his feet when scoring the winning goal in Germany s 2014 World Cup final win over Argentina, but Gotze struggled for playing time at the Allianz Arena under Pep Guardiola and saw his career stall.
A close-season return to Dortmund followed, but as yet Gotze has failed to hit the heights that saw him impress so much during his first spell at Signal Iduna Park and he has just one goal in nine league starts this …
Both TP Mazembe and V.Club secured their place in the last four of the CAF Champions League with wins in Group A on Sunday.
Champions in 2009 and 2010, Mazembe defeated Al Hilal Omdurman 3-1 to ensure their challenge for a third title in six years continued apace.
Al Hilal came into the game under the guidance of Al-Tag Mahgoub following the sacking of Paulo Campos for his behaviour towards match officials last time out against V.Club.
Mahgoub was unable to inspire his side to victory, however, as Rainford Kalaba put the Congolese outfit ahead in the 27th minute after being set up by Solomon Asante, who doubled the advantage on the hour mark.
Adama Traore put the result beyond doubt 14 minutes from the end, with Mudather El Tahir s stoppage-time consolati…
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu will stand trial over allegations of fraud and corruption in relation to Neymar s transfer from Santos after his appeal to the Spanish High Court was rejected.
Bartomeu will now be called upon to give testimony in the case raised by Brazilian investment company DIS following Neymar s move to Barca in 2013.
The court deemed Bartomeu held management responsibilities in line with then-president Sandro Rosell, who resigned when the lawsuit was accepted in 2014, despite only being vice-president at the time an alleged deal with Neymar was struck in 2011.
That supposed agreement was deemed to have altered the free market for player signings, which prevented the player from entering the market in accordance with the rules of free…
Alberto Colaco, the former general secretary of the All India Football Federation, has been banned by FIFA for accepting a bribe.
World football s governing body confirmed on Thursday that Colaco will be barred from taking part in any kind of football-related activity at national and international level for a period of three years .
The ban comes into effect immediately, following a decision taken by the adjudicatory chamber of FIFA s Ethics Committee, chaired by Hans-Joachim Eckert.
A FIFA statement explained the reasons for Colaco being punished.
It read: Mr Colaco accepted a payment in the context of the elections for the FIFA Executive Committee at the AFC Congress in May 2009 – won narrowly by Mohamed bin Hammam – while he was serving as the gene…
FIFPro s chief medical officer believes Clarke Carlisle s admission that he attempted suicide could have a positive effect in the future.
Clarke Carlisle s decision to speak out about his suicide attempt could have a positive effect on professional sports people in the future, according to FIFPro s chief medical officer.
Former Professional Footballers Association chairman Carlisle was hospitalised for six weeks after being hit by a lorry on the A64 near Bishopthorpe, York on December 22.
Carlisle, who enjoyed spells with Burnley, Leeds United and QPR during his playing career, was seriously injured in the incident, which came days after he was told he would lose his role as a TV pundit and charged for drink driving.
The 35-year-old, who has openly…
The amount of money paid by Premier League clubs to agents rose year on year to £129,857,560 between October 2014 and September 2015.
Clubs have been obligated to reveal the amount they spent on representatives during this period which includes two transfer windows since 2008, with the 2015/16 results confirming a rise.
The collective outlay grew from £115,261,136 to £129,857,560, with Liverpool spending the most on agents in the last two windows.
The Anfield club spent £14,301,464 this year down slightly from last year while Premier League new boys Watford spent the least with a bill of just £1,620,229.
Champions Chelsea spent £4,810,122 less on agents in the windows either side of their title success when compared to the previous year, with Manche…
Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi spoke cautiously after the French giants were paired with Bayern Munich in the group stages of the Champions League.
The €222million signing of Neymar means PSG are now being considered among the favourites for the trophy, despite last season s astonishing capitulation as they lost 6-5 on aggregate to Barcelona in the first knockout round.
Anderlecht and Celtic were also drawn into Group B, from which PSG and Carlo Ancelotti s Bayern will be favourites to advance.
PSG have not progressed beyond the quarter-finals since being taken over by the Qatar Investment Authority in 2011, and Al-Khelaifi is expecting more tough tests in 2017-18.
He was quoted by beiIN Sports are saying: I think it s not an easy draw…