Football Association

England will play Turkey on May 22, Australia on May 27 and Portugal on June 2 in warm-up friendlies before Euro 2016, the Football Association has announced.

The fixture against Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal will give Roy Hodgson's side a Wembley send-off just nine days before their Euro 2016 campaign kicks-off against Russia.

Here are the details of England's summer schedule, beginning with the friendly against Turkey on May 22nd and ending with the final group stage fixture against Slovakia on June 20th:

• Sunday 22 May - England v Turkey at the Manchester City Stadium
• Friday 27 May - England v Australia at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland
• Thursday 31 May - UEFA deadline for all competing nations to submit a squad of 23 players for Euro 2016
• Thursday 2 June - England v Portugal at Wembley Stadium
• Monday 6 June - England depart for France 2016
• Saturday 11 June - England v Russia, Stade Velodrome, Marseille
• Thursday 16 June - England v Wales, Stade Bollaert-Delelis, Lens Agglo
• Monday 20 June - Slovakia v England, Stade Geoffroy Guichard, St Etienne.

The Football Association has branded the English fixture schedule "overcrowded and untenable" after being forced to schedule the FA Cup fifth-round replay between Hull and Arsenal on a Champions League night.

The FA said it had spoken to UEFA before deciding to arrange the match at the KC Stadium for Tuesday March 8 at 7pm.

On the same night Real Madrid play Roma and Wolfsburg meet Gent in the second legs of their Champions League last-16 ties.

The FA said in a statement: "In-depth and exhaustive discussions have taken place over the last 72 hours with all associated parties to determine the scheduling of this fixture and the FA recognises that this is not an ideal solution for everyone.

"However, it does strengthen the case for footballing bodies to work closely together in a positive, collaborative way to resolve the overcrowded and untenable fixture schedule."

Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini could face even longer bans after Fifa's ethics investigatory chamber confirmed it is appealing to increase the eight-year suspensions handed down to the two most powerful people in world football.

Blatter and Platini have themselves appealed against the eight-year bans imposed by the ethics committee's adjudicatory chamber last month, but now face a counter-appeal from the investigators who had originally sought a lifetime ban.

The bans were imposed over a £1.3m payment made to Uefa president Platini, signed off by Fifa president Blatter, in 2011 which they said was to settle a verbal agreement made 13 years beforehand.

A spokesman for Fifa's ethics investigatory chamber told Press Association Sport: "I can confirm that we intend to appeal."

Fifa's appeal committee will hear the appeals from Blatter, Platini and the investigatory chamber. The case can then go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.