Football fever swept Spain and the Netherlands Saturday as fans desperate to taste World Cup success for the first time painted the streets red and orange.

Euro 2008 champions Spain are favourites to lift the trophy for the first time in Sunday s clash at Johannesburg s Soccer City stadium but the Dutch, twice defeated finalists, are confident they can win.

Throughout the Netherlands entire streets are lined with orange flags and some homes have been covered with plastic sheets in the national colour.

Flags prematurely declaring Holland, ranked fourth in the world, the 2010 football World Cup champions are selling like hot cakes.

Sales of televisions, barbecue sets and orange accessories are expected to reach a peak on Saturday, according to a spokeswoma…

Wayne Rooney labelled Alex Ferguson as the greatest manager of all time as he attempted to bury the hatchet with the former Manchester United boss.

Rooney became disgruntled during Ferguson s final year in charge at Old Trafford, following Robin van Persie s arrival from Arsenal in 2012-13.

The England international was played out of position and dropped for United s return leg against Real Madrid in their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie that season.

Rooney attempted to leave the club for a second time, with Premier League rivals Chelsea interested, before signing a new contract upon David Moyes appointment the following campaign.

But Rooney now captain of United and England said he had no regrets about the feud.

I don t know if anyone knows ho…

West Ham forward Dylan Tombides has died at the age of 20 following a battle with cancer, the Premier League club have announced.

The Australian was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2011, after a random drugs test at the Under-17 World Cup had uncovered a tumour.

After undergoing surgery and chemotherapy, Tombides was able to return to action and made his senior West Ham debut in a League Cup tie with Wigan Athletic at Upton Park in September 2012.

He also represented his country this January in the AFC Under-22 Championship in Oman.

However, his illness then returned and Tombides passed away on Friday with his family by his side.

A statement from West Ham hailed the courage and bravery of a player who had been tipped to enjoy a successful career in prof…

Monaco coach Thierry Henry insisted his team are not scared of relegation after their poor run in Ligue 1 continued on Saturday.

Mathieu Cafaro s first-half goal helped Reims edge Monaco 1-0 in a clash which saw both teams finish with 10 men.

The result has left the 2016-17 champions with just one win from 12 league games this season and three points adrift of the relegation play-off spot.

Henry, who took charge last month, said there was no fear from his team, but he lamented their performance.

I don t think the team are scared [of being relegated] but it is difficult mentally. It s a tough situation the one we are facing, he told a news conference.

Now, as I said a lot of times, there is still plenty of points to take. But, of course, if there…

Joshua Kimmich has expressed his dissatisfaction over a lack of playing time at Bayern Munich.

Kimmich enjoyed a breakthrough campaign at Bayern last season, deployed across midfield and defence by then-boss Pep Guardiola, before winning a place in Germany s Euro 2016 squad and ending the tournament as the world champions   starting right-back.

The 22-year-old continued his rich vein of form into the start of this term and had eight goals for club and country by mid-October.

However, Kimmich has taken a back seat over recent weeks and has not started a match since the 1-1 draw at Hertha Berlin on February 18.

Asked whether he understood why head coach Carlo Ancelotti left him as an unused substitute during Saturday s 3-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt, Ki…

Thiago Silva is eager to end his trophy-laden eight-year spell at Paris Saint-Germain with Champions League success before finalising a decision over his next career move.

The centre-back signed a contract extension to stay at the club until the end of their 2019-20 campaign, which will conclude on Sunday in PSG s first European Cup final.

Silva helped keep a clean sheet in Tuesday s 3-0 semi-final win over RB Leipzig and is aiming to bow out on the ultimate high by lifting the most famous club trophy of them all.

However, the Brazil international who has won 23 trophies during his time in the French capital has yet to decide which club he will join next.

I don t want to talk about that because it is not going to help us, but I want us to celebrate all t…

England defender Harry Maguire is focused on Leicester City, but said he wanted to play in the Champions League.

Maguire, 25, has been linked with a move to Manchester United, having helped England reach the World Cup semi-finals in Russia.

While the centre-back said he simply wanted to keep performing for Leicester, Maguire has a desire to play in Europe s elite club competition.

I m an ambitious player, he told The Premier League Show.

If you re not an ambitious footballer, you re in the wrong game really.

Everyone wants to play at the top level, everyone wants to play in the biggest tournaments in the world, so obviously the Champions League is one.

— Leicester City (@LCFC)

Maguire arrived at Leicester from Hu…

Roberto Mancini s first European campaign as Manchester City coach begins in earnest on Thursday, when they visit Red Bull Salzburg in their opening Europa League group phase fixture.

Having failed to qualify for a place among the Champions League heavyweights last season, City have had to content themselves with the more understated glamour of the continent s second-tier cup competition.

Progress in the Europa League will bring with it increased global exposure, however, and City s mega-rich owners will be expecting to see some return on the 325 million pounds (389 million euros) they have invested in new players since buying the club in September 2008.

City have started the domestic season in irregular fashion, beating Liverpool 3-0 in their first home game bu…

After tapping Polish-origin players from Germany and France to freshen up their squad, Euro 2012 hosts Poland could turn to Brazilian Thiago Cionek, a star in the Polish top flight.

Right now, he s one of the best defenders in the league, said Michal Probierz, manager of Jagiellonia Bialystok, who signed Cionek in 2008 from Brazil s third division.

Would he be useful for the national team? From where I m standing, it s a yes, Probierz told the daily Fakt, acknowledging that the final decision lay with Poland manager Franciszek Smuda.

Cionek, 24, has already applied for citizenship, which his Polish ancestry makes easier to obtain.

To be eligible to play, he would need a green light from world football s governing body, FIFA, which oversees nationality …

Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi resigned after his team s FIFA World Cup exit at the hands of France on Monday.

Keshi s men fought hard but were beaten 2-0 by France in Brasilia, ending their campaign at the round of 16.

Afterwards, the 52-year-old, who took over in 2011 and led Nigeria to Africa Cup of Nations glory last year, announced he would be stepping down.

Friends, it has been a good run and I have enjoyed every moment. It s been an honor (sic) coaching the SuperEagles. It is however time to bow out, Keshi tweeted from his official account.

The federation s official account retweeted a story posted by FIFA which said Keshi announced he was stepping down.

Keshi quit Nigeria after their Cup of Nations win last year, only to reverse his decision…