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Swindon Town captain Ollie Clarke was banned for seven matches in December for committing fouls on the "private body parts" of two opponents, the Football Association revealed on Monday, Reuters reported. 

An independent FA regulatory commission said in partly redacted written reasons that it considered the midfielder's actions to have been "highly violating and intentional foul play".

"The commission did not accept the player's view that neither of the acts were intentional," it added, according to Reuters. 

Dominik Szoboszlai scored a stunner and gave away a howler which disappointed Arne Slot, as Liverpool beat third-tier Barnsley 4-1 on Jan 12 to set up a home FA Cup fourth-round clash with Premier League rivals Brighton & Hove Albion, Reuters reported. 

The Hungarian opened Liverpool’s account with a long-range screamer in the ninth minute after Barnsley’s Davis Keillor-Dunn had bounced a header off the home upright inside the first 30 seconds.

Right-back Jeremie Frimpong, on his FA Cup debut, unleashed a tremendous left-footed effort in the 36th to put the Reds 2-0 up at a chilly Anfield, according to Reuters. 

FIFA has selected sports AI firm Stats Perform as their first official betting data and betting streaming rights distributor, which includes live streams for all matches at the 2026 World Cup, world soccer's governing body said, Reuters reported. 

The agreement also grants Stats Perform exclusive rights to distribute official betting data and live streams for other FIFA competitions such as the 2027 Women's World Cup, Futsal World Cups, youth World Cups and the Intercontinental Cup.

The three-year agreement will run until 2029, according to Reuters. 

Xabi Alonso has left his job as coach of Real Madrid, only seven months after arriving for his first day at the club’s Valdebebas training ground. A brief statement announced his departure “by mutual consent” on Monday evening after Madrid’s 3-2 defeat in the final of the Spanish Super Cup against Barcelona the previous night, The Guardian reported. 

He will be replaced, at least in the short term, by his former Real Madrid and Liverpool teammate and friend Álvaro Arbeloa, who was coach of Castilla, Madrid’s B team.

Alonso had been on the edge over the last month, with the defeat at Liverpool in the Champions League in early November beginning a run of two victories in eight games which also turned a five-point lead over Barcelona at the top of the La Liga table into a four-point deficit, according to The Guardian.