Women’s football in Scotland has been handed a major new source of funding thanks to a sponsorship deal with ScottishPower.

The energy firm has agreed a deal with both the Scottish Women’s Premier League and Scottish Women’s Football.

The company will sponsor both leagues along with the Scottish Youth Challenge Cups at all three age groups and the Scottish Women’s Highlands and Islands League.

We re delighted to announce that we are now Principal Partner for both

We ll be sponsoring the Scottish Youth Challenge Cups and the Scottish Women s Highlands and Islands League too.

— ScottishPower (@ScottishPower)

Fiona McIntyre, managing director of the SWPL, said: “We’ve just enjoyed one of the most dramatic and entertaining …

Borussia Dortmund boss Marco Rose has revealed that a hip flexor injury will rule out talisman Erling Haaland for the next few weeks.

The striker only returned to action in last weekend s win over Mainz after a muscular problem saw him miss three games for Rose s side.

However, the 21-year-old, who has scored 13 goals in 10 appearances across all competitions this season, is now set for another spell on the sidelines. 

Addressing reporters ahead of Dortmund s trip to Arminia Bielefeld on Saturday, Rose said: Erling Haaland won t play and will be absent for a few weeks with a hip flexor injury.

Haaland has, of course, been down. He was happy to be back and still felt really good after the Mainz game.

Time to focus on my recovery. I’ll be back …

Kaka has no plans to leave Real Madrid, despite AC Milan chief Silvio Berlusconi urging the Brazilian to re-sign for the Serie A club.

Speaking on radio last week, Berlusconi said he would be willing to sign the Real Madrid midfielder.

Kaka is an extraordinary man, Italy s Prime Minister said.

If he wants to come back to Milan we will welcome him with open arms.

The Brazilian’s future at the Bernabeu has been under a cloud as he has struggled for form and fitness since his move from Milan in 2009.

Kaka has been limited to a handful of appearances this campaign after recovering from major knee surgery.

However, the South American seems to have ruled out the possibility of quitting his Spanish club over the summer.

The two yea…

Grant Hanley has withdrawn from the Scotland squad for the friendlies against Netherlands and Northern Ireland as Norwich strive to get the defender back to full fitness.

The 26-year-old has made nine appearances for the Canaries since returning on Boxing Day after eight months out with an Achilles injury.

However, Hanley has missed his club’s last two matches in the Championship after limping out of their defeat at Middlesbrough earlier this month.

Scotland squad update.

OUT: Grant Hanley. |

— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT)

It was confirmed by the Scottish Football Association on Tuesday morning that Hanley will not feature in Scotland’s upcoming friendly double-header, meaning he will not have played for the national team f…

Didier Deschamps said he knows exactly who will be taking to the pitch when France open their FIFA World Cup campaign against Honduras.

France head to the tournament in Brazil keen to banish the ghosts of their performances and behaviour from the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

The French went winless four years ago, finishing bottom of their group behind Uruguay, Mexico and South Africa, while their campaign was marred by a player revolt.

Four years on and France are unbeaten in five games, having scored 18 goals and kept four clean sheets on the back of Sunday s 8-0 rout of Jamaica.

And barring any unforeseen events, Deschamps seems set on his starting XI for Sunday s Group E clash in Porto Alegre.

I know my best line-up, said Deschamps. Even if I always …

Frickson Erazo has urged Ecuador not to despair after opening their FIFA World Cup campaign with a last-gasp defeat to Switzerland.

Haris Seferovic scored deep into second-half stoppage time to hand the Swiss a 2-1 victory on Sunday, after Enner Valencia had given Ecuador a first-half lead.

And, while admitting his disappointment, defender Erazo says his side should take confidence from the 2010 experience of Spain, who went on to lift the World Cup after losing to Switzerland in their first match.

It s a shame, he said. We know that there were millions of Ecuadorians watching and it hurts to lose like that.

But we re not out. Remember that this same Swiss team won in the World Cup to Spain and Spain finished as champions.

Ecuador face a crunch Group E fix…

Former Sevilla forward Julio Baptista insists coach Unai Emery will be a tough act to follow at the Europa League champions following his departure.

The worst kept secret in football was finally confirmed on Tuesday after Emery was appointed coach of French champions Paris Saint-Germain.

Emery guided Spanish outfit Sevilla to three consecutive Europa League crowns in three-and-a-half seasons at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

And Baptista, who made a name for himself during his two years in Seville between 2003-2005, knows replacement boss and former Chile coach Jorge Sampaoli has a difficult task on his hands.

It s a big loss. Emery has shown he can do a very successful job, ex-Brazil international Baptista told Omnisport.

He has got the club to a h…

Sassuolo coach Eusebio Di Francesco has ended months of speculation by signing a new contract, the Serie A club confirmed.

Di Francesco s contract extension will see him remain at Sassuolo until June 2019.

The 46-year-old, who first coached the club in 2012, had been linked with AC Milan and Fiorentina, as well as the Italy job, with Antonio Conte set to vacate the hot seat following Euro 2016.

This agreement confirms the desire of both parties to continue the journey that seen the club grow constantly over these four years and the conviction we can be protagonists in future too, Sassuolo said in a statement.

The project continues, together, to grow and improve. Forza Sasol!!!

Sassuolo are seventh in the Serie A with four matches remaining, fou…

Dani Carvajal said he is happy for former Real Madrid team-mate Alvaro Morata ahead of his move to bitter LaLiga rivals Atletico Madrid.

Morata is poised to swap Premier League side Chelsea for Atletico on an initial 18-month loan deal, with the option to make the move permanent.

The 26-year-old forward left Madrid for Chelsea in 2017, however, the Spaniard has struggled at Stamford Bridge over the past year.

Carvajal has no hard feelings as Morata – who emerged from Madrid s youth system and won two Champions League titles as well as a pair of LaLiga trophies among others – closes in on Atletico.

  They are decisions of each player. I do not judge him, Madrid full-back Carvajal told reporters following Sunday s 4-2 win against Espanyol.

If…

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insisted there is no issue with Paul Pogba amid the flirtation between the French star and Real Madrid.

Pogba said it would be a dream to play for Zinedine Zidane during the international break and the Madrid boss has made no secret of his admiration for the United midfielder.

Rumours of a switch to Madrid – who tried to sign Pogba before he swapped Juventus for United in 2016 – continue to make headlines but Solskjaer is not fazed.

It doesn t really concern me, because my thought of action then is to sit down and speak to Paul, said Solskjaer.

And I ve had my chat with Paul and we re fine. He s going to do his utmost here because he knows I m very fond of him as a player and a person and he s important…