Football

Robin van Persie is a doubt for Wednesday's World Cup semi-final against Argentina after coming down with stomach problems, coach Louis van Gaal said.

"We will face a team that is experienced and very hungry to win after losing the last World Cup final. We will not expect an easy match," Mascherano said.

Neymar helped Brazil get this far at the World Cup. Now it's up to the rest of the team to win for injured star, coach Scolari said.

Pele hopes that Brazil will win the World Cup without star striker Neymar, who has been ruled out of the tournament with a fractured vertebrae.

Higuain fired home Di Maria's deflected pass just inside the area in the eighth minute to take Argentina to their first semifinal in 24 years.

The irresistible fairytale of Costa Rica faces a day of reckoning against Louis van Gaal's hard, calculating Netherlands side in the quarter-final.

Neymar was kneed in the back by Colombia defender Juan Camilo Zuniga late in the second half of Brazil's 2-1 win.

Jerome Valcke acknowledged that "maybe there were too many people who were drunk" at the matches and pointed to the connection between inebriation and violence.

Barcelona officials will meet their Liverpool counterparts in London on Wednesday to open negotiations on a possible deal for disgraced Anfield striker Luis Suarez, according to British media reports.

Barcelona have praised Suarez for "acknowledging his mistake" after the Uruguay forward bit Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini.

Mexican Javier Aguirre is set to become Japan's new coach following the resignation of Alberto Zaccheroni.

Dutch coach Louis van Gaal said that his team changed tactics in the second half to win the crucial game against Mexico.

Greece's World Cup exit came as no real surprise after they again struggled for goals in a major international tournament, netting only three time in four games.

France will meet Nigeria on Monday in the Round of 16 at the Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha.

"We need to constitute a commission to shine the light on Ghana's World Cup campaign," Mahama told reporters in Equatorial Guinea at a summit of African leaders.

The Uruguay striker writes in Spanish that "in no way it happened how you have described, as a bite or intent to bite".