Leicester’s Claudio Ranieri and Jamie Vardy have won November’s Premier League Manager and Player of the Month awards respectively. Vardy wins the accolade for the second successive time after sealing October’s prize, having continued his scoring run in consecutive games to break Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s Premier League record and extend it to 11 matches. The 28-year-old forward, who recently made his England debut, has been in superb form this season with 14 goals in all competitions. Ranieri, meanwhile, took Leicester back to the top of the Premier League with victory over Swansea last weekend a position they hit during an impressive unbeaten November which saw them record wins away to Newcastle, at home to Watford, and a 1-1 draw with Manchester United.

Former Super Eagles captain and coach, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi has lost his wife, Kate to the cold hands of death on Wednesday night. In a statement from family spokesman Emmanuel Ado, Kate battled with cancer for three years but finally succumbed to it in the United States of America. A condolence message released by the NFF through its website described the death of the wife of the former coach as a big loss.  “This is devastating. To lose a spouse is the equivalence of a tragedy. I pray that Almighty God will give you and the children the fortitude to bear this huge loss,” NFF president Amaju Pinnick said. “Keshi is a Nigerian hero and we mourn deeply with him at this time. This has come like a big blow, but we pray that he receives divine strength to cope with the situation, and we also pray that the Almighty God will grant the departed eternal rest.” Keshi and Kate were married for 33 years. She is survived by her husband, four children, her mother, brothers and sister.

Presidential candidate, Prince Ali Bin al-Hussein of Jordan has promised to bring developments to African football if he wins the FIFA election next year. Hussein who flew into Nigeria to consult with NFF President Melvin Amaju Pinnick said that Africa was key in his developmental plans and would fulfill his promises if he gets elected. ‘’When I make a promise I fulfill it. I am driven by passion and love of the game. I am young and energetic and indeed we need a young man who can withstand the rigours of travelling the length and breadth of all the countries that make up FIFA. He also promised borrow a leaf from Nigeria’s Football Federation President Pinnick in building human capacity for the good of the game. ‘’I’m impressed with the work my friend Pinnick is doing with builing human capacity. It’s important we do this and give scholarships to help grow the game especially among all the developing countries’’.

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Michel Platini has lost his appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to have his 90 day provisional suspension from football overturned, but Fifa have been ordered not to extend it. In a statement, the panel said they “determined that maintaining the provisional suspension for the remainder of the 90 days does not cause irreparable harm to Michel Platini”  His longtime ambition of becoming FIFA president now seems a tall order.

Karim Benzema has been suspended from the France team until an investigation into his alleged part in a blackmail and sex tape case has been resolved. The 27-year-old striker could miss Euro 2016, which starts in France in June. Benzema has been placed under formal investigation by a French judge over an alleged bid to blackmail France team-mate Mathieu Valbuena over a sex video. The Real Madrid forward denies any wrongdoing but if found guilty, could face a minimum of five years in prison. France Football Federation president Noel le Graet, who had previously supported Benzema, said it was a “heart-breaking” decision to suspend him. But he added: “I have decided that he is not available for selection.” According to French media, Benzema mentioned the tape to Lyon midfielder Valbuena, 31, during a national team training session at Clairefontaine on 5 October. Benzema, who scored a hat-trick for Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday, told police he was advising a friend about what to do in a difficult situation. But he could face charges for complicity in attempted blackmail and participation in a criminal conspiracy by the judge in November. When a suspect is placed under formal investigation, a judge will then determine whether there is sufficient evidence for the suspect to be formally charged.

Honduran international footballer Arnold Peralta has been shot dead while on holiday in his hometown. He was killed in the car park of a shopping centre in La Ceiba, on the country’s Caribbean coast. The motive for the attack is unclear. The 26-year-old midfielder for Olimpia, in the capital Tegucigalpa, played for Scottish giants Rangers until January. Honduras is plagued by gang violence and has one of the highest murder rates in the world. Osman Madrid, director of the Honduran football federation, said it was a “tragic death that the national sport mourns”. No arrests have been made. Police ruled out robbery as a possible motive because Peralta had not had his belongings taken. He represented Honduras at the 2012 Olympic Games in London but was ruled out of the 2014 Brazil World Cup squad through injury. He had been due to play for the national team in a friendly against Cuba next week.

Manchester United midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger will be banned for three matches after accepting a Football Association charge of violent conduct. He was charged after catching West Ham’s Winston Reid with his left arm as they waited for a free-kick in Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Old Trafford. The incident was not seen by the match officials but was caught on video. Schweinsteiger, 31, will miss games against Bournemouth, Norwich and Stoke, and return in time to play Chelsea. Referee Mark Clattenburg spoke to both players after the incident, but did not mention it in his post-match report. A panel of three former elite referees each reviewed the video footage independently of one another and unanimously decided it was a sending-off offence. “He knows what he’s done – he’s elbowed me in the face,” Reid said following the match. West Ham manager Slaven Bilic said it was “a clear red card – a straight red without any doubts”. He added: “It was a moment of madness. He deserved to be sent off, but the referee told me he didn’t see it. Fair enough, I believe it. It was an elbow.”

Real Madrid have taken their appeal against expulsion from this season’s Copa del Rey to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The 19-time winners were thrown out of the tournament for fielding the ineligible Denis Cheryshev in the first leg of their last-32 tie with Cadiz. Cheryshev scored in a 3-1 win, but he should have been serving a ban, imposed while he was on loan at Villarreal. Real Madrid claimed the winger was not personally told that he was suspended. Osasuna were thrown out of last season’s draw for a similar offence. Real’s initial appeal to the Spanish football association was rejected and after they had been thrown out of the competition, Real Madrid said they were sure “the final resolution will be favourable to the club”. They had still been advertising tickets to the return leg in the run-up to their appeal hearing.

Sunderland AFC’s Duncan Watmore graduated yesterday with first-class honours in Economics and Business. Amazing how he combined his footballing career with his studies to the extent he had a distinction. Congrats to him.

Barcelona’s Neymar Jr has a minor groin strain, as had already been diagnosed on Tuesday. The Brazilian’s presence in the next few matches will depend on how the injury progresses. The player suffered the injury during the training session at the BayArena prior to the Champions League match with Bayer Leverkusen. Neymar is top scorer in La Liga with 14 goals.

Liberia FA president Musa Bility is to appeal against FIFA’s decision to prevent him from standing in its presidential election in February. Bility failed an integrity check carried out by the ethics commission of world football’s governing body. He is appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to allow him to stand in the election and a hearing could take place before Christmas. Bility was given a six-month ban from all football activities in 2013. The ban was imposed by the Confederation of African Football for using confidential documents from the governing body in a legal challenge against its president, Issa Hayatou. Bility said in November he had been informed by FIFA that his candidacy was “principally rejected” because of the ban. He would have been the sole contestant from Africa.

Former Chelsea striker Adrian Mutu looks to be pulling no punches in his assessment of the predicament the Blues and manager Jose Mourinho currenrly find themselves. “He [Mourinho] has been a great coach in the past, but as a person, he is fake.” says Mutu. “He only looks after himself, and has no consideration for how his players are feeling and thinking. You could not go and talk to him. “As a coach, he is finished. There is no way back for him. How do you come back from something like this [current form]?” Mutu was sacked by the Blues in 2004 after testing positive for cocaine.

Jersey is to make a bid to join UEFA and play international football. The Channel Island, which has a population of around 100,000, is hoping to follow Gibraltar and take part in European Championship qualifiers. Jersey is currently classed as a county by the English Football Association. Under UEFA rules, non-sovereign nations cannot be members, but the Jersey FA said earlier this summer it was hopeful of changing the European football governing body’s mind.

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Nigeria’s U-23 team, Dream VI on Wednesday qualified for next year’s Olympic Games soccer event after defeating hosts Senegal 1-0 in the semi final of the CAF U-23 championship in Dakar. Etebo Oghenekharo’s 77^th minute penalty separated the two West African nations in the match played at Leophold Senghor Stadium in Dakar, Senegal. Goalkeeper Emmanuel Daniel was the hero for Nigeria after he  saved a Senegalese penalty in the first half stoppage time. Daniel has been outstanding in goal and has contributed hugely to his team’s success in the tournament. U-17 world cup goal king Victor Osimhen made his first appearance in today’s game as a second half substitute. The Coach Samson Siasia tutored team will play the winner of the second semi final between Algeria and South Africa in Saturday’s final in Dakar.

Swansea City have parted company with manager Garry Monk after one win in 11 Premier League games. The 36-year-old had been with the club for over 11 years, first as a defender and then manager since February 2014, when he replaced Michael Laudrup. Saturday’s 3-0 home defeat by Leicester City was his last game in charge, and left them 15th in the table. “The decision has been made very reluctantly and with a heavy heart,” chairman Huw Jenkins said. He added in a club statement:  “To find ourselves in our current situation from where we were in the first week of September, and considering the drop of performance levels and run of results over the last three months, it has brought us to this unfortunate decision. “We hope to appoint a replacement as soon as possible.”

Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo has posted a picture on Instagram from his hospital bed after undergoing shoulder surgery. The 25-year-old Argentina international said: “My operation was a success. Thank you to my beautiful wife, always with me. Thank you everyone for your messages of love and support.”

Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge will be out for several weeks after suffering a hamstring injury during Sunday’s defeat by Newcastle. He felt a problem after coming on as a second-half substitute at St James’ Park and a scan showed a strain. It is the latest in a long line of injury absences for the 26-year-old, who had just returned to action after knee and foot problems. Sturridge has made six appearances so far this season, scoring four goals. Having scored 28 times for Liverpool and England in 2013-14, he was restricted to just 18 appearances last season because of thigh, calf and hip injuries. After recovering from a hip operation in May, Sturridge played three games at the start of this term but then did not feature from 4 October until 29 November. He scored twice in the 6-1 League Cup quarter-final win at Southampton last Wednesday but was hurt at Newcastle after coming on in the 62nd minute. When a foot problem picked up in training forced him to miss the Reds’ Europa League win over Bordeaux on 26 November, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said Sturridge had to learn “what is serious pain and what is only pain”.

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Manchester City had always crashed out of group stages of Champions League but this year they qualified in style be topping their group. They came back dramatically to beat Borussia Monchengladbach and pip Juventus to the top of Group D. David Silva finished a fine team move but goals from Julian Korb and Raffael put the Germans ahead at the break. Crucially, Juventus fell behind at Sevilla and Raheem Sterling poked in to give City hope of the win they needed. Sterling then raced clear to curl Manuel Pellegrini’s side ahead and substitute Wilfried Bony converted from six yards to cap an exhilarating night.

Raoul Savoy has insisted that he quit as coach of The Gambia for personal reasons and was not sacked. The Gambia Football Federation (GFF) said on Saturday: “We have a mutual agreement amongst the stakeholders to terminate the services of Raoul.” But Savoy told BBC Sport: “I met with the [sports] minister last Tuesday and after a long meeting I decided to stop. “I decided to stop because I can’t continue due to personal reasons – the GFF never decided to sack me.”

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Cristiano Ronaldo scored four times as Real Madrid demolished Malmo to equal the biggest victory in the history of the Champions League group stage. The Portuguese hit three in 11 minutes either side of half-time before adding his 88th Champions League goal. Karim Benzema scored the last goal and the opening two for a hat-trick, with Mateo Kovacic also netting. The result equals Liverpool’s 8-0 win against Besiktas in 2007 – when Madrid manager Rafael Benitez was in charge. Ronaldo – the all-time highest Champions League scorer – becomes the first player to score more than 10 goals in the group stages with his 11 in six games. Spanish club Madrid had already qualified for the knockout stages as Group A winners, while Malmo of Sweden finish bottom.