Ibrahimovic will now miss most of Milan’s title run-in, including matches against Sampdoria, Brescia and Bologna.

A statement released by the Lega Serie A confirmed the 29-year-old striker had been banned for having “insulted the assistant”.

Ibrahimovic received his eighth caution of the season during the game, earning an automatic ban, but was then sent off for abusing the assistant.

The Rossoneri have not confirmed whether they will appeal the ban. They are currently first in Serie A, three points above Napoli.

The stern words were delivered by Italy Football Federation president Giancarlo Abete after Balotelli was left out of the Azzurri’s Euro 2012 qualifier against Slovenia on Friday for breaching the team’s code of conduct while competing for his club.

Abete said: “Balotelli still has some problems and lacks continuity.

“He needs to mature and that has to be a personal choice.

“We hope he grows and that the focus is placed on his technical ability. He is a great champion of Italian football and will return to be a part of the national team.”

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Inter won on away goals, having lost the first leg 1-0 but winning 3-2 last night.

Moratti told the club’s official website: “I would give a 10 (out of 10) to Leonardo. This was a very tough game from a psychological point of view and he was excellent.”

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The Milan derby, also known as Derby della Madonnina, is undoubtedly one of the greatest fixtures of the European football calendar. The match between the two Milan sides, AC Milan and Internazionale,  is set to take place on January 24 at the San Siro.

Both Inter and AC Milan are in good form and the two sides occupy the first and second place respectively in the current Serie A table so this will no doubt be a mouthwatering encounter. AC Milan are eight points behind Inter Milan and there is no doubt that they will be looking to close the gap when the two sides meet at the San Siro in less than two weeks time.

Hundreds of AC Milan vs Inter Milan tickets are currently available to compare online at Tixdaq.com and we can confirm that Milan derby tickets can be found for as little as £65.

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The winter break in Italy is drawing to a close as Serie A gets underway with a round of midweek fixtures.

But it is a match scheduled for the weekend that is drawing the most attention from the media – Juventus v AC Milan.

The two biggest clubs in Italy clash on Sunday with a win vital for both clubs as they bid to deny Inter Milan a fifth straight Scudetto. It is also equally important for both teams to avoid defeat as third-placed Juventus and second-placed Milan find themselves nine and eight points respectively behind Jose Mourinho’s leaders.

Milan may have lost their talisman Kaka to Real Madrid and Carlo Ancelotti to the Chelsea hotseat over the summer but this month sees the return to the club of another icon. David Beckham has re-joined the club on-loan from Los Angeles Galaxy as he bids to demonstrate his fitness and form ahead of the 2010 World Cup and the match at the Stadio Olimpico in Turin could be his first in a Milan shirt since his latest arrival.

Tickets for this mega-clash are still available to compare and buy at tixdaq.com with prices starting from £110.

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Serie A is due to take its customary two-week winter break over the Christmas period.

But before the players can tuck into the turkey and mince pies there is a feast of mouth-watering matches on the final weekend before Santa does his rounds.

Highlights from the weekend of December 20th include:

Fiorentina v AC Milan

Juventus v Catania

AS Roma v Parma

Inter Milan v Lazio

Tickets for all these matches are still available to buy so if you are planning a Christmas holiday in Italy and love your football then check out the price of Serie A tickets on this website.

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After the conclusion of Matchday 6 in the UEFA Champions League the group stage has finally come to an end giving us the names of all the 16 teams that will fight it out in the knockout section of the competition.

No nation is currently dominating the competition though England’s Barclays Premier League and Spain’s La Liga both had three group winners – those teams constituted their total amount of representatives after Liverpool and Atletico Madrid fell at the first hurdle. There are also three teams from Italy’s Serie A left in the competition while France’s Ligue 1 and Germany’s Bundesliga each have two teams  left in the tournament. The final three spots are made up of one team each from Portugal, Russia and Greece.

The list of qualifers for the second round in full:

Bordeaux (FRA)

Manchester United (ENG)

Real Madrid (ESP)

Chelsea (ENG)

Fiorentina (ITA)

Barcelona (ESP)

Sevilla (ESP)

Arsenal (ENG)

Bayern Munich (GER)

CSKA Moscow (RUS)

AC Milan (ITA)

FC Porto (POR)

Lyon (FRA)

Inter Milan (ITA)

Stuttgart (GER)

Olympiacos (GRE)

The draw for the second round will take place on December 18.

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The term ‘Group of Death’ always sounds as if it should be the title of a particularly dire Steven Seagal movie but instead is attributed on a quadrennial basis to an individual FIFA World Cup group. 2002 saw England draw Argentina, Sweden and Nigeria – with the South Americans exiting the tournament – while the Albicelestes then found themselves alongide Ivory Coast, Holland and Serbia-Montenegro in 2006.

This time it is their arch rivals Brazil that find themselves in a pickle as they have been pitted against Portugal, Ivory Coast and North Korea. The five-time winners should still be relevantly confident of going through but must be cursing England and Italy’s luck who arguably got the most plum draws of all the seeded teams. The grace of Kaka, the thrust of Maicon and the penetration of Luis Fabiano should see them safely through to the next round but they will need to maintain their concentration throughout.

Portugal will be even more disappointed. After a troubled qualifying campaign that only just saw them overhaul Sweden to claim second place they were then drawn against the free-scoring Bosnia-Herzogovina in their playoff. They squeaked through with a 2-0 aggregate win but will have to improve massively if they are to make an impact on the tournament. Able to call on the sublime skills of Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo and an experienced back four, they will need big performances from them all to guarantee their place in the next round.

Ivory Coast must have spent the last four years routinely trashing every mirror they have come across as they find themselves in a horrible group for the second tournament in succession. Chelsea’s Didier Drogba will need to be fresh and firing for them to have any hope of progressing but if he is then he might just be a contender for the Golden Boot. The Toure brothers and Didier Zokora will be names familiar to most but they do have a talented squad. They will definitely need it.

North Korea have made it to their first finals since 1966 where they famously dumped Italy out of the competition before being eliminated by Portugal in the quarter-finals by a 5-3 scoreline despite taking a 3-0 lead. There is no chance of them recreating this adventure – and you can quote me on that – but just being there will hopefully bring a bit of joy to a people that have lived under a brutally oppresive regime for more than half a century.

Prediction: Brazil to top the group with Ivory Coast bringing tears to Ronaldo’s eyes.

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While seeded teams such as Brazil and Germany have been placed in taxing groups for the FIFA World Cup, the same cannot be said about Italy.

The reigning world champions and their manager Marcello Lippi must have punched the air once the draw for Group F was concluded with their passage to the knockout stages  – force majeur notwithstanding – all but guaranteed. Having gone unbeaten throughout their qualifying campaign despite being pushed all the way by Ireland, they will have to navigate past Paraguay, New Zealand and Slovakia to book their place in the second round and it would take a brave man to bet against that happening.

Slovakia though will be no pushovers. On the road to South Africa they topped their group ahead of fellow World Cup qualifiers Slovenia, forcing the Czech Republic to watch the tournament from the sofa. They will field Liverpool’s Martin Skrtel in central defence while Napoli’s Marek Hamsik will be putting himself in the shop window with a number of high profile European clubs having already registered an interest in acquiring his services.

Paraguay qualified in impressive style by collecting a record haul of points from their 18 matches. They still only finished third in the oversized CONMEBOL group but they did clinch their place in South Africa by beating Diego Maradona’s Argentina. They found themselves in England’s group in Germany 2006 and failed to make it to the second round. If Manchester City striker Roque Santa Cruz can get some playing time under his belt before the World Cup they might feel that they have a good chance of improving on that.

New Zealand have made it to their first World Cup finals since 1982 and that itself is a reason for celebration. The All Whites took advantage of Australia’s decision to defect to the Asia qualifying zone and booked their passage with a nervy 1-0 aggregate victory over Bahrain in a trans-federation playoff for the final place in South Africa. Nothing is expected of them except to show commitment in each of their games and they will rely on Blackburn’s Ryan Nelsen to provide the experience that they will need to compete. It’s certainly one of football’s more romantic stories but don’t expect the dream to continue into the second round.

Prediction: Italy to stroll through with Paraguay edging into second place.

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There has been a global surge in ticket applications to see if Italy can successfully defend their trophy in the 2010 FIFA World Cup following the draw on Friday evening. The third ticketing phase  began the following day and 219,162 ticketing requests haveso far been received via FIFA.com.

The prices for group matches range from USD 20 to USD 160 (opening match: USD 70 – USD 450; final: USD 150 – USD 900). Category 4 tickets, the most affordable, have been exclusively set aside for South African residents.

All 32 participating member associations are allocated 12 per cent of all purchasable tickets in the stadiums where their three group games will be played. These tickets were made available as from 6 December 2009 through specified websites operated by the 32 participating member associations.

The matches will be hugely over-subscribed and the tickets will be allocated via a ballot meaing alternative methods of obtaining a tickets will be sought by those not fortunate enough to get picked out of the hat.

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Two titans of European football clash on Tuesday night in the UEFA Champions League as Juventus host Bayern Munich in a ‘winner takes all’ encounter.

The teams lie second and third respectively in Group A and with Bordeaux having already qualified for the next stage as group winners, the final spot is up for grabs in Turin.

The pressure is certainly on Bayern who have endured a torrid season both domestically and abroad and the inus will be oin them to get the victory seeing as they currently trail their rivals by a single point.

Juventus need just a draw to go through to the second round but know that playing for such a result can be extremely risky and manager Ciro Ferrara – a seasoned veteran in European competition – will be well aware of the pitfalls.

The Turin club will be full of confidence going into the game after beating Serie A leaders Inter Milan 2-1 at the weekend to put themselves back in the title race. Bayern will also take to the field on the back of a win after defeating Borussia Monchengladbach 2-1 at the Allianz Arena.

It promises to be a night of high drama in northern Italy.

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Fulham face CSKA Sofia in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday knowing that it is imperative that they come away with all three points.

Late goals and unfortunate red cards in both fixtures of their double-header with AS Roma have left the west London club with it all to do if they are to qualify for the next round of the tournament.

CSKA Sofia have picked up just one point from their four matches so far though that point was gained from their opening day 1-1 draw with Fulham. With second-place Roma at home to leaders Basle in the other match in Group E it is hard to know what result manager Roy Hodgson will be hoping for in the Stadio Olimpico but whatever happens in Italy three points at Craven Cottage is a must.

Fulham are without a host of first team players including Erik Nevland, Jonathan Greening and Paul Konchesky but with key performers Danny Murphy and Bobby Zamora returning to full fitness the Cottagers will be expected to get the result they so desperately need.

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David Beckham will be returning to the San Siro to play for AC Milan once the MLS season has reached his conclusion.

An arrangement has been reached between his parent club Los Angeles Galaxy and the Serie A giants to replicate the loan deal that took place last season. England manager Fabio Capello has always said that his players must play first team football in a well-regarded league in order to be eligible for selection and in a World Cup year that becomes even more important.

In his previous stint in northern Italy Beckham proved to be something of a revelation scoring two goals in his eighteen appearances for the Rossoneri scotching accusations that he was only recruited for marketing purposes. He also demonstrated his trademark work ethic as well as his astute football brain to become a firm crowd favourite.

The move means ‘Goldenballs’ will be able to play in the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League assuming that Milan qualify from Group C. He will also renew acquaintances with a star-studded midfield that includes the likes of Andrea Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf and Gennaro Gattuso – a far cry from the likes of Leonard Griffin and Chris Birchall with whom he shares the middle of the park at the Galaxy.

Providing Beckham is he shlould be in line for an appearance against Serie A Leaders Internazionale in the Milan derby an occasion for which tickets are still available via this website.

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Key injuries are threatening to disrupt the so-called Big Four clubs as they prepare to embark on the most gruelling part of the season.

Liverpool have had a torrid time this campaign and much of it can be put down to the unavailability of vital personnel. Their talismanic captain Steven Gerrard has not played a full ninety minutes since the 2-0 defeat at Chelsea in early October and though he looks to be on his way back to fitness it may take some time for him to regain match sharpness.

Fernando Torres is still out with a groin injury and they have struggled for goals in his absence. Rafael Benitez is unsure whether his star striker will be available for the Merseyside derby on November 29^th but hopes to have him back in time for their trip to Portsmouth on December 19^th.

Leaders Chelsea will have to do without their midfield general Frank Lampard as he picked up a thigh injury while on duty with the England national team and will almost certainly miss the huge match with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium along with former Gunner Ashley Cole who has a depressed fracture of the tibia.

Arsenal themselves will be without the services of Robin Van Persie for that match after he tore ankle ligaments following a challenge from Giorgio Chiellini in the friendly match between Holland and Italy. Croatia striker Eduardo will lead the line in his absence.

Champions Manchester United have had defensive problems all season which have not been helped by injuries to their first-choice central defensive pairing of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic. The injury to Ferdinand is particularly perplexing as it seems to keep rearing its ugly head and it looks like keeping him out the match at his former club West Ham United. Happily for United Vidic appears to be returning to full fitness.

Such injury woes might leave the door open for a Manchester City or Tottenham to force themselves up the table though Carlo Ancelotti, Arsene Wenger, Sir Alex Ferguson and Rafa Benitez will be hoping their large squads will prevent too much damage.

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The 2009/10 Serie A season is hotting up nicely with most of the usual suspects rising to the top of the table.

Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan are going for their fifth consecutive scudetto and currently sit top of the tree in Italy. City rivals AC Milan have recovered from a dreadful start to the season to sit in third place in the table but will take a lot of heart from their 3-2 win in the Bernabeu against Real Madrid in their UEFA Champions League group match.

Juventus appointed their former defender Ciro Ferrara to the manager’s hot-seat following the dismissal of Claudio Ranieri and the rookie has surpassed expectation by sitting in a creditable second position with almost a third of the season gone.

Sampdoria made a flying start but their challenge has wilted of late while Fiorentina are chugging along nicely with their potent strikeforce of Adrian Mutu and Alberto Gilardino causing headaches for opposing defences.

The teams from the capital are both struggling though AS Roma are slowly climbing the table following the arrival of local man Ranieri. Lazio, however, are still looking down rather than up as they sit precariously above the relegation zone.

There are thousands Serie A tickets available throughout the rest of the season so compare and buy Serie A tickets online now.

Individual bids have been received from France, Italy and Turkey while a joint proposal has been put forward from Sweden-Norway to host the UEFA’s 2016 European football championships.

UEFA said in a statement Tuesday it would consider ‘any previous experience of relevant member associations, cities and venues in organizing multi-venue sports events’ before confirming an official list of bidders in the next month.

Each of the candidates must prepare a bid dossier by February 2010 followed by UEFA’s executive committee decision which will announced May 2010.

The 2016 tournament will see a shift in the tournament’s format and size. Euro 2016 will feature 24 teams after UEFA decided last year to increase the field from 16. UEFA requires the 2016 host to provide nine stadiums each holding at least 30,000 spectators. A 50,000-capacity stadium is needed for the final.

France last hosted the Euros in 1984 when current UEFA president Michel Platini captained the home team to the first of its two European titles. Italy staged the eight-team tournament in 1980, after the finals were expanded into a single-venue event with a group stage and knockout matches for the first time.

Sweden hosted the Euros in 1992 when just four stadiums were needed. Norway has never hosted a European championship and has qualified only once. While Turkey would also be hosting a European championship for the first time. Last year the Turkish government offered to host Euro 2012 if Poland and Ukraine were unable to meet their deadlines to complete preparations.