Berlin (AFP) – Ramy Bensebaini, who won the French Cup last season and the African Cup of Nation in July, has joined Borussia Moenchengladbach from Rennes, the Bundesliga club said on Wednesday. The 24-year-old defender was part of the Rennes team that upset Paris Saint-Germain at the Stade de France in April. He started for […]

Dortmund (Germany) (AFP) – Bayern Munich legend Lothar Matthaeus believes under-fire coach Niko Kovac can define an era at the club and walk in the footsteps of managerial greats Ottmar Hitzfeld and Jupp Heynckes. In an interview with AFP ahead of Bayern's Bundesliga opener against Hertha Berlin on Friday, the 1990 World Cup winner said […]

London (AFP) – Celtic were left counting the cost on and off the field after exiting the Champions League in mid-August after a thrilling but agonising 4-3 home defeat to Romanian champions CFR Cluj. The Scottish champions exited the third qualifying round 5-4 on aggregate having thrown away a promising position not just after a […]

Monaco (AFP) – Monaco said on Wednesday that they had bought veteran French striker Wissam Ben Yedder from Sevilla, with young Portuguese attacker Rony Lopes going the other way. According to sources close to Monaco, the transfer is for 40 million euros ($44.7 million), the amount of the Ben Yedder's release clause, with Lopes valued […]

Berlin (AFP) – When David Wagner stepped down as Huddersfield Town manager in January, he was convinced his next job would also be in the Premier League. He was wrong. Half a year on, the 47-year-old German finds himself back in his home country in charge of Schalke, the iconic Bundesliga club with whom he […]

Madrid (AFP) – Zinedine Zidane returned to save Real Madrid and the time has come for results. In a packed-out press conference under the Santiago Bernabeu in March, the club's president Florentino Perez delivered the grandest of re-introductions. "We need to start working on a glorious new era," said Perez. "That is why we welcome […]

Amsterdam (AFP) – Ajax reached the Champions League playoffs on Tuesday after seeing off PAOK Thessaloniki 3-2 in a tense encounter in Amsterdam that saw last year's semi-finalists through 5-3 on aggregate. A Dusan Tadic penalty in each half and Nicolas Tagliafico's late header were enough to give Erik ten Hag's side a chance to […]

Istanbul (AFP) – Liverpool and Chelsea are eyeing some early-season silverware as the Premier League rivals meet in the UEFA Super Cup in Istanbul on Wednesday in what will be the first major men's European encounter to be refereed by a woman, with France's Stephanie Frappart taking charge. Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool have a settled look […]

Doha (AFP) – Akram Afif and Abdelkarim Hassan struck in the first half as Al Sadd beat fellow Qatar giants Al Duhail 3-1 on Tuesday to reach the AFC Champions League quarter-finals. Following a 1-1 draw last week, Al Sadd outclassed Al Duhail to advance 4-2 aggregate and give Xavi a shot at an Asian […]

Istanbul (AFP) – Jurgen Klopp warned his Liverpool team to be wary of a "fresh" Chelsea side under Frank Lampard as the Premier League rivals prepare to clash in the UEFA Super Cup in Istanbul on Wednesday. The Anfield outfit are tipped to lift more silverware by the Bosphorus after ending a seven-year trophy drought […]

Paris (AFP) – Manchester City have been found guilty by FIFA of breaking the rules on international transfer and registration of players aged under 18, world football's governing body announced on Tuesday. The Premier League champions could have faced a transfer ban, but instead FIFA's Disciplinary Committee fined City 370,000 Swiss Francs (339,000 euros or […]

Istanbul (AFP) – Chelsea coach Frank Lampard was set to make a late decision on the fitness of N'Golo Kante for Wednesday's UEFA Super Cup clash with Liverpool in Istanbul, a match he is "optimistic" the London club can win. The France midfielder has been struggling with a knee injury that saw him fly home […]

Istanbul (AFP) – France's Stephanie Frappart has no concerns about the scrutiny she will face in Wednesday's UEFA Super Cup between Liverpool and Chelsea when she becomes the first woman to referee a major men's match in European competition. "I don't think so. We have to prove physically, technically and tactically that we are the […]

Madrid (AFP) – Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa has agreed to pay 1.7 million euros ($1.9 million) to Spain's tax agency which was investigating him for non-payment of taxes on image rights, a Spanish newspaper reported Tuesday. The agency said the 30-year-old hid income earned in 2014 from a sponsorship deal signed with Adidas shortly before […]

London (AFP) – Rafael Benitez says unfulfilled promises from Newcastle owner Mike Ashley played a key role in his decision to quit the Premier League club for Chinese Super League team Dalian Yifang. Benitez left Newcastle when his contract expired during the close-season after a testing three-year spell at St James's Park marred by numerous […]