Here are the latest stories for Friday.
FIFA: Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will resume their annual battle for glory after both were named on the three-man shortlist, alongside Antoine Griezmann, for FIFA's Best Men's Player award.
- Leicester City's Claudio Ranieri, Portugal's Fernando Santos and Real Madrid's Zinedine Zidane are on the FIFA coach of the year award shortlist.
- Corinthians attacking midfielder Marlone, Daniuska Rodriguez and Mohd Faiz Subri are the three nominees for the FIFA Puskas award 2016 for the best goal of the year.
- The list of nominees for the 2016 FIFPro World 11 is out, with 31 of the 55 players named having played for Barcelona, Bayern Munich or Real Madrid over the past year.
- The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will announce its decision on former FIFA president Sepp Blatter's appeal against a six-year ban from football on Monday.
ARSENAL: RB Leipzig coach Ralph Hasenhuttl has confirmed a report saying he could be Arsene Wenger's successor at Arsenal, telling a news conference: "It was a well-researched story."
- Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil has suggested he might be open to return to Real Madrid -- saying "in football you never know what might happen in the future."
- Arsene Wenger says Santi Cazorla's three-month injury layoff is "very bad news" for Arsenal, while Mathieu Debuchy is facing up to six weeks on the sidelines.
- Cazorla will undergo foot surgery that will rule him out for three more months, dealing a major blow to the Gunners' title hopes.
CHELSEA: Former Chelsea player Gary Johnson has told the Daily Mirror he was paid £50,000 by the Premier League club not to go public with allegations that he was sexually abused by the club's former chief scout, Eddie Heath.
- Antonio Conte admits it is a pity that "fantastic" Kevin De Bruyne is playing for Manchester City rather than Chelsea, and hopes that the Belgian will not make his former club pay when the two teams meet on Saturday.
ENGLAND: Sammy Lee has lost his job as England assistant manager as Gareth Southgate overhauls the setup, sources close to the former Liverpool midfielder have told ESPN FC.
CRYSTAL PALACE: Crystal Palace defender Pape Souare has raised doubts about whether he will be able to play again following the motorway crash that left him hospitalised in September.
BARCELONA: Former Barcelona president Joan Laporta has said that the club could have signed Cristiano Ronaldo before he swapped Sporting Club for Manchester United in 2003.
- Inter Milan legend Luisito Suarez claims he has paperwork in his possession which confirms that Lionel Messi was on the verge of joining the Nerazzurri.
- Real Madrid will not be weakened by the absence of Gareth Bale because they have world class players in every position, Barcelona coach Luis Enrique has said.
REAL MADRID: Real Madrid president Florentino Perez says Cristiano Ronaldo gives back more to the club than what they pay him.
- Real Madrid president Florentino Perez says Saturday's Clasico at Barcelona's Camp Nou is a "global event" comparable to a "World Cup final."
MAN CITY: Pep Guardiola has hailed Antonio Conte as "one of the best coaches in the world" after making a huge impact at Chelsea in his first few months in charge.
- Torino's sporting director Gianluca Petrachi believes that Joe Hart would like to stay with the Serie A club when his season-long loan deal ends in the summer.
MAN UNITED: Jose Mourinho has opened the door for Bastian Schweinsteiger to remain at Manchester United beyond the January transfer window after praising the German's determination to prove a point at Old Trafford.
- Michael Carrick has claimed Manchester United are finally showing signs of emerging from the club's post-Sir Alex Ferguson hangover.
- Morgan Schneiderlin is a target for Everton and West Bromwich Albion in the January transfer window, sources close to the club have told ESPN FC.
TOTTENHAM: Tottenham Hotspur defender Jan Vertonghen has signed a new contract that runs until 2019, the Premier League club have announced.
Harry Kane is a "special" type of modern footballer who plays for love over money, according to Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino.
- Pochettino has said it was a "shame" Gylfi Sigurdsson was sold because the Swansea midfielder would have been "perfect" for his team.
LIVERPOOL: Jurgen Klopp has said Adam Lallana and Roberto Firmino are back in Liverpool training but ruled Daniel Sturridge out of Sunday's trip to Bournemouth.
LEICESTER: Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri has defended the Foxes' recruitment policy as the champions battle relegation. The Premier League winners are just two points above the bottom three despite spending over £60 million in the summer.
CHAPECOENSE: Former Barcelona and Brazil great Ronaldinho is willing to help Chapecoense following the plane crash in Colombia that killed most of the team members, according to his agent.
- Brazil club Chapecoense have confirmed that they will hold a tribute on Saturday at Arena Conda to honour the 71 victims of Monday's plane crash.
- Brazil legend Pele has been left devastated by the Chapecoense air tragedy just like the rest of the world.
- The widow of deceased Chapecoense player Cleber Santana said she and several other player wives had identical tattoos of an airplane tracing a heart done on their left shoulders last month in preparation for a Dec. 9 vacation to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
LIGUE 1: New Marseille owner Frank McCourt hopes to rival Paris Saint-Germain, but has told the BBC that trying to "outspend" the Ligue 1 champions "would be a mistake."