Everton’s David Moyes (r.) will be the next Manchester United manager. (John Peters/Manchester United).

Everton manager David Moyes will succeed long-time Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson after this season, reports James Ducker of The Times. 

Ferguson officially announced his retirement Wednesday morning — reports of it leaked Tuesday — after more than 26 seasons with the club. He led Manchester United to 13 Premier League championships, two Champions League titles and five FA Cups and is considered among the sport’s best coaches.

Moyes’ contract with Everton expires at the end of the season, and he immediately emerged as the favorite for the job. Ducker reports the announcement will be made in the next 24 hours.

WAHL: Sports world won’t be same without Sir Alex

At least eight gay players in the English Premier League have revealed their sexuality to their teammates, but have refused to go public because they fear backlash from fans and media, according to The Guardian.

The last British professional soccer player to come out and continue his career was Justin Fashanu in 1990. Fashanu played for four years before committing suicide at age 37, citing the “heavy damage” the backlash to his coming out caused him.

The eight players have approached Professional Footballers’ Association chairman Clarke Carlisle to reveal their sexuality and have gained support from their teammates, according to the report.

From The Guardian’s Mark Townsend:

Chris Basiurski, chair of the Gay Football Supporters’ Network, said that, although progressive attitudes had begun to infiltrate the dressing room, the fear of how supporters would react remained a problem.

“The danger is not so much coming out, but what happens next,” he said. “One of the problems Justin Fashanu found was that he was the first black millionaire player, and a lot of things were expected of him on the pitch at Nottingham Forest and it didn’t really work out. When that happened, the dressing room and the management used his sexuality as a thing to bash him with.”

Basiurski said the organisation had heard reports of professional players whose sexuality was a secret guarded inside the game: “We have anecdotal evidence that players are out within their clubs and don’t have a problem. But we are trying to create an atmosphere for people to come out safely, but at the moment there is a big barrier. The fact is, we have never really tested the fans, both home or away, on this.

“The danger is what happens when a player comes out and gets loads of support and attention, but then start playing badly. The worry is that fans will start getting on their backs and they may lose the confidence of their manager and it could be connected to their sexuality.”

The news comes less than a week after the NBA’s Jason Collins became the first active player in U.S. pro sports to come out.

Liverpool’s Luis Suarez has been suspended 10 games for biting an opponent. (Andrew Yates/AFP)

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has been suspended 10 games for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic during an English Premier League match Sunday, the Football Association announced Wednesday.

Suarez apologized for the incident but argued that he should receive the standard three-game suspension for violent conduct — something the association said would be “clearly insufficient.” Suarez had said he planned appeal if the suspension was longer than three games. He has until Friday to do so.

His actions Sunday even caught the attention of Prime Minister David Cameron, who called for a significant ban for the striker. Suarez, from Uruguay, will miss the last four games of this season and the first six games of next season.

This wouldn’t be his first lengthy suspension, though. In 2010, he was suspended seven games for biting an opponent’s shoulder. In 2011, he was suspended eight games for “racially abusing” a Manchester United player.

GRAHAM: Other biting incidents in sports history | Internet responds

Italian striker Mario Balotelli will head from Manchester City to AC Milan, pending a physical. (Paul Ellis/AFP/Getty Images)

Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli is heading for AC Milan, according to a report from the BBC. The 22-year-old will have a physical on Wednesday before officially signing the contract, a four-and-a-half-year deal worth nearly $27 million (plus bonuses and add-ons).

Balotelli is from Palermo, Italy and previously played for Inter Milan. While with Man City, Balotelli scored 20 Premier League goals.

The loss of Balotelli leaves Man City with only three recognized strikers — Carlos Tevez, Sergio Agüero and Edin Dzeko. The team is currently in second place behind Manchester United in the Premier League. AC Milan is fifth in Serie A standings.

Manchester United is the world’s most valuable sports franchise, worth $3.3 billion. (Clive Mason/Getty Images)

Perennial soccer powerhouse Manchester United is the first sports franchise in the world to be worth more than $3 billion, reports Forbes Magazine. 

Manchester United, owned in part by the Glazer family and investor George Soros, are worth $3.3 billion thanks to an increase in stock performance.

With a value of $2.1 billion, the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League are the second most valuable sports team.

Shares of the English soccer team, which were offered to the public last August at $14, did poorly at first but have soared the past few days. Last seen at just under $17, Manchester United’s stock has outperformed the S&P 500 since its IPO and made the controlling Glazer family and legendary investor George Soros, who bought a big stake in the team shortly after it went public, wealthier.