According to Hibernian manager Neil Lennon, the scourge of illegal transfer payments that is tearing through English soccer has not infiltrated the Scottish game. Lennon, who left Bolton in March after serving as its manager for nearly a year and a half, told the BBC he was aware of situations such as those being unveiled by an extensive investigation conducted by the Daily Telegraph. His playing career included stints with Manchester City, Crew Alexandra, Leicester City, Nottingham Forest, and Wycombe Wanderers in addition to six seasons at Celtic, to which he returned to manage …

Former England star Alan Shearer says Sam Allardyce's dramatic exit as England national team coach has made English soccer a laughing stock. But the problems Allardyce danced around in the Daily Telegraph's sting are no laughing matter.

The England media, it seems, are in love with the idea of Arsene Wenger taking over as England national team coach for disgraced Sam Allardyce. For one, none of the English candidates inspires confidence. For two, the Frenchman is unlikely to embarrass the FA like Allardyce did. But that ignores the question, why would he want the England job in the first place?

The names in scoring summary for Tuesday's Borussia Dortmund-Real Madrid game include Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, a World Cup winner, an African Player of the Year -- and an 18-year-old American.

Sam Allardyce's reign as England national team coach could be over after all of one game. He has a lot of answering to do -- and quickly -- after being caught on tape by undercover reporters for the Daily Telegraph negotiating a deal with men he thought were representing a Far East firm interested in getting involved in the Premier League's transfer market and advising them they could bypass the EPL's transfer rules.

This just in: Earning big and spending big doesn't guarantee winning big. Just ask Manchester United, which for the third straight year has reported record revenues and on the field has already lost three straight games. Three times the managerial chair has spun since the end of the 2013 season.

The first Law in the Laws of the Game is the "Field of Play." Law 1 defines the field surface, field markings, dimensions of the field, different areas of the field, goals, commercial advertising, etc. The field of play or the pitch is one of the most important building blocks of both elite and recreational soccer. Good and standard playing surfaces help both the professional and developmental game.

Barcelona got bad news on Wednesday as it lost star Lionel Messi, who limped off with a groin injury during its game against Atletico Madrid and will be sidelined for three weeks.

Wayne Rooney's woeful performance in Manchester United's 3-1 loss at Watford on Sunday sparked a slew of speculation about the club icon's status at Old Trafford, with many suggesting this created a conundrum for Jose Mourinho, but Rooney's struggles should make things easier for the new coach to make better decisions.

What's the best way of ending Bayern Munich's four-year reign as German Bundesliga champion? If you can't beat Bayern in the 34-game league championship, how about getting a second shot in the playoffs?

The pending debut of David Luiz for Chelsea after his return in a $44.2 million transfer dominated the buildup to a Friday match against Liverpool, and his performance in a 2-1 loss, not surprisingly, featured prominently in every match report and analytical summation. Yet running as a intriguing subplot to the new regime of manager Antonio Conte is the saga of midfielder Cesc Fabregas, praised by Conte for his abilities but mostly ignored in the process of allocating match minutes.

Watching Christian Pulisic break through with Borussia Dortmund reminded me of the time Paul Caligiuri played against Jurgen Klinsmann.

It would be like the New York Yankees leaving Yankee Stadium. Or the Boston Celtics abandoning the Garden. You pick the team and hallowed home. Mexico might not play at Mexico City's Azteca Stadium in the 2016-17 Hexagonal.

UEFA will elect a new president on Wednesday in Greece to replace barred Michel Platini. The heavy favorite is Slovenian Aleksander Ceferin, but he is unhappy how Europe's governing body caved in to demands of clubs from Europe's big four leagues.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic departed Paris St. Germain after the 2015-16 season following its fourth straight championship. There were a lot of reasons for PSG's runaway success -- it won last season's Ligue 1 title by 31 points and captured all four French trophies in the last two seasons -- beginning with the financial resources offered by Qatar Sports Investments since its takeover in 2012.