Gerardo Martino has been hired as coach of Argentina, less than three months after leaving Spanish club Barcelona.

The Argentine Football Association said the 51-year-old Martino will replace Alejandro Sabella, who stepped down after Argentina's loss to Germany in last month's World Cup final.

Luis Suarez damaged the reputation of English football with his serial offending and his departure to the Spanish league is not being mourned, the head of the Premier League said on Wednesday.

"He's done his time here ... I can't say I'm sorry to see him go," was the frank assessment of Richard Scudamore, chief executive of the world's most lucrative league, about one of the best players to have played in England's top division.

Moving on from a frustrating World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo began the new season as the last one ended for Real Madrid — with goals and a trophy.

The Portugal forward netted both goals as the European champions convincingly overcame Europa League winner Sevilla with a 2-0 victory to collect the UEFA Super Cup on Tuesday.

A pitch invader waving a Palestinian flag briefly held up the UEFA Super Cup match between Real Madrid and Sevilla on Tuesday.

The man appeared on the pitch in the closing stages of the showpiece fixture at the Cardiff City Stadium, and was taken away by stewards. European champion Real Madrid lifted the cup after winning 2-0.

In an obscure corner of a park sits a forlorn reminder that, 10 years ago, Athens hosted the 2004 Summer Olympics. The crumbling miniature theater is inscribed with the words "glory, wealth, wisdom, victory, triumph, hero, labor" — and it is where visiting Olympic officials planted an olive sapling that would bear their names for posterity.

Once a symbol of pomp, the marble theater is now an emblem of pointless waste in a venture that left a mixed legacy: a brand-new subway, airport and other vital infrastructure that significantly improved everyday life in a city of 4 million, set against scores of decrepit sports venues built in a mad rush to meet deadlines — with little thought for post-Olympic use.

Manchester United named Wayne Rooney as its new captain on Tuesday shortly after the team beat Valencia 2-1 in manager Louis van Gaal's first home game in charge of the English Premier League club.

Rooney will wear the armband in United's season opener against Swansea City with Darren Fletcher named the vice-captain. The striker takes over the captaincy from Nemanja Vidic who joined Italian club Inter Milan in the offseason.

It started when the small Indian Ocean island of Seychelles refused entry to Sierra Leone's football squad, fearing that the deadly Ebola virus would arrive from West Africa along with the players.

The decision by Seychelles health authorities two weeks ago gave its team no choice but to forfeit the game against Sierra Leone and withdraw from qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations, the continent's main football competition.

David Silva has signed a new five-year contract with Manchester City, the English Premier League champions announced Tuesday.

Spain playmaker Silva, who has won two Premier League titles with City, is now set to stay with the north-west side until the end of the 2018/19 season.

Bayern Munich will not be recruiting any more players before the new Bundesliga season starts, according to coach Pep Guardiola.

"We don't need any new players," Guardiola said ahead of the German Supercup against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday.

Legia Warsaw has appealed to UEFA against losing a place in the Champions League qualifying playoff round for fielding an ineligible player against Celtic.

UEFA says in a statement released on Tuesday that the case will be heard on Wednesday.