Michael Ballack carries a wreath at Robert Enke's funeral

Michael Ballack: Football must learn from Robert Enke death

Michael Ballack has spoken of his feeling of helplessness over the death of Germany team-mate Robert Enke and urged the football world to learn lessons from the tragedy.

The death of Robert Enke has raised questions about the mental well-being of footballers

Löw hails resilient Germany on emotional night

Germany coach Joachim Löw praised his side for their performance in Wednesday night's 2-2 draw with the Ivory Coast in what were difficult circumstances just days after Robert Enke was laid to rest.

Germany 2-2 Ivory Coast: Emotional night

Lukas Podolski scored twice, including a 93rd-minute equaliser, as Germany's first match since the death of Robert Enke ended in a draw against Ivory Coast.

Fabio Capello in David James warning

Fabio Capello has warned David James he will bring his World Cup dream to an end unless the goalkeeper can prove his fitness.

Russia 2-1 Slovenia: Bilyaletdinov at the double

A double by Diniyar Bilyaletdinov powered Russia to a 2-1 win over Slovenia in the first leg of their World Cup playoff on Saturday.

Nilmar nets winner to beat England in Doha

Wayne Rooney's first game as England captain ended in defeat as a severely depleted side were beaten by five-time world champions Brazil in Qatar.

Proud skipper Rooney admits Brazil the better side

England's stand-in captain Wayne Rooney conceded Brazil were the better team in their 1-0 friendly defeat in Qatar but admitted the defeat still hurt.

Bent likely to start as Capello relishes litmus test

Darren Bent will likely make his first England start for nearly four years on Saturday with Fabio Capello eager to assess another striking option in the ultimate test conditions - against the world's best team, Brazil.

Robert Enke's death has raised questions about players' mental health

Blazevic seeks Croatian inspiration

David Davutovic explains how Bosnia coach Miroslav Blazevic will be drawing inspiration from Croatia in the play-offs.

Johnson withdraws from England squad

Liverpool right-back Glen Johnson has pulled out of the England squad to face Brazil on Saturday after picking up a slight injury in his club's Premier League draw against Birmingham City.

Capello issues warning to unfit England players

Rio Ferdinand, David James and Steven Gerrard have been given a stark warning to sort out their fitness issues if they want to be in Fabio Capello's squad for the World Cup finals.

Slovenia can be sneaky good

Russia will rely on the audacious talents of playmaker Andrei Arshavin as it hopes to overcome an in-form and underrated Slovenia squad.