News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
England soccer captain Harry Kane received the MBE award on Thursday for services to football after leading the national team to the World Cup semi-final in Russia last summer.
Prince William, the president of the English Football Association, presented the 25-year-old Tottenham striker with his medal at BuckinghamPalace after Kane was included in Queen Elizabeth's 2019 New Year's honours list.
He was top scorer with six goals in Russia but the team was knocked out after a 2-1 loss to Croatia in the semi-finals.
Kane attended the ceremony with his fiancee and his parents. "A real honour and an enormously proud day for me and my family," he tweeted.
"A massive thanks to my England teammates and coaching staff."
Higuain announces Argentina retirement
Chelsea striker Gonzalo Higuain has retired from the Argentina national team with immediate effect, ending an eventful international career which included three losing major final appearances.
"My cycle with the national team is over, now I'm watching things from the outside, to the joy of many people," Higuain said in an interview with Fox Sports on Thursday.
"I spoke with (Argentina coach Lionel) Scaloni and gave him my point of view, the decision has been taken, it's what I think is the best thing for me."
The 31-year-old made 75 appearances for Argentina, scoring 31 goals. His last appearance was in the 2-1 win over Nigeria in the 2018 World Cup.
Higuain, who joined Chelsea on loan from AC Milan in January, began his career with River Plate and has since played for Real Madrid, Napoli and Juventus.
Yet he has had to shoulder fierce criticism for his performances with Argentina.
The striker missed a clear opportunity to open the scoring in the 2014 World Cup final, which Argentina lost to Germany.
He also spurned a goalscoring chance in the 2015 Copa America final against Chile and missed a penalty in the shootout which his side lost.
He also performed disappointingly in the 2016 Copa America Centenario final against Chile, where his side also lost on penalties.
Higuain defended his performances for his country and pointed to his goal in the 1-0 win over Belgium in the 2014 World Cup quarter-finals.
"People remember the goals I missed and not the ones I scored. I'm sure everyone celebrated the goal against Belgium," he said.
"When you criticise someone maliciously it hurts everyone. I saw how much my family suffered, but I gave everything for the national team.
"It's one thing to say that the national team did not achieve our objectives, but when people talk about failure it's very hard."
Former Australia captain Cahill ends playing career
Former Australia captain Tim Cahill has announced his retirement from football at the age of 39 to focus on a career in media and coaching.
Cahill, who spent 15 seasons in England playing for Millwall and Everton, ended his international career after last year's World Cup in Russia as his country's top scorer with 50 goals.
He came out of international retirement in November for a farewell match against Lebanon, a month after signing for Indian Super League side Jamshedpur FC.
"No, I'm an old man now in football years," Cahill told Australia's Optus Sport when asked if he wanted to keep playing at club level.
"I'd love to keep playing... but I'm interested in TV. I'm going to start my (coaching) A license, spend quality time with my family and chill out for a bit."
After playing for Everton in the Premier League, Cahill spent three seasons with Major League Soccer side New York Red Bulls before moving to the Chinese Super League, where he played for Shanghai Shenhua and Hangzhou Greentown.
He moved to Australian A-League side Melbourne City in 2016 before rejoining Millwall in January last year, but was released by the second-tier English side at the end of the season.
"It was amazing to play in four big continents," added Cahill, who made more than 500 club appearances during his 21-year career. "I had a great career and I'm really thankful.
"I'm someone that massively respects the game and I'll take my time to learn more. Coaching is something that's definitely going to be on the horizon."
UEFA charge Ireland over tennis ball protest
UEFA opened disciplinary proceedings against Ireland on Thursday after supporters hurled tennis balls onto the field during their European Championship qualifier against Georgia.
The match in Dublin on Tuesday was held up for up to three minutes as Ireland fans threw dozens of tennis balls in protest at chief executive John Delaney's continued role at the Football Association of Ireland (FAI).
Delaney stood down as the FAI's chief executive last week, days before he was due to appear before lawmakers over a 100,000 euro ($112,450) loan provided to the governing body.
However, the FAI created a new position of executive vice-president for Delaney, who will remain with the association he led since 2005.
The Irish FA could not be immediately reached for comment.
The case will be dealt with by the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary panel on May 16.
