Spain has apologised to France after former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy sparked a racism row by questioning the “Frenchness” of France’s national football team ahead of Tuesday’s FIFA World Cup semi-final.

Harry Kane said England will not be distracted by the emotional baggage surrounding their blockbuster World Cup semi-final against Argentina on Wednesday.

Arsenal have reached an agreement to sell Belgian forward Leandro Trossard to Turkish side Besiktas, bringing an end to his three-and-a-half-year spell at the Emirates Stadium.

“We had just been through a battle. It was really tough out there. It is easy to try and create this division. It seems like an English mentality, an English thing to do at these major tournaments.

England’s World Cup semi-final against Argentina has been classified as the tournament’s highest-risk fixture, prompting heightened security measures involving the FBI, FIFA and local law enforcement.

A 2022 Argentina jersey signed by star player Lionel Messi is being auctioned too, as well as a US jersey signed by the United States’ men’s team.

The 41-year-old NBA all-time scoring leader has said he will not return to the Los Angeles Lakers but wants to play a 24th season with another club.

Jose Mourinho’s first La Liga game in charge of Real Madrid in his second spell at the club will be away at Espanyol on August 22 after Los Blancos’ original opener was pushed back on Tuesday.

Aston Villa have entered the race to sign Switzerland midfielder Johan Manzambi, with Unai Emery’s side working to hijack Newcastle United’s proposed £50 million move for one of the breakout stars of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

“I don’t want to add extra pressure to (Spain coach) Luis (de la Fuente) and their team — he knows very well that people are expecting great things of Spain.