Doha (AFP) – Qatar giants Al Sadd and Al Duhail produced a tense 1-1 draw as they squared off for the very first time in the AFC Champions League on Tuesday. The round of 16 match was played at the brand new Al Janoub Stadium built for the 2022 World Cup. It saw Spain and […]

Brussels (AFP) – Manchester United forward Romelu Lukaku trained with his boyhood club Anderlecht on Tuesday, a source close to the Belgian side confirmed to AFP, amid speculation over his exit from Old Trafford. The Belgium striker has not played a single minute of United's pre-season campaign with talk of a transfer to Serie A. […]

London (AFP) – Wayne Rooney said his long-term desire to go into management spurred his decision to leave DC United as the former England captain agreed a surprise deal to become player-coach of Championship side Derby on Tuesday. The record goalscorer for both England and Manchester United signed an 18-month contract with Derby and will […]

London (AFP) – La Liga president Javier Tebas says Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain represent "a danger that football has not seen before" as he stepped up his attacks on the big-spending superpowers. Tebas, who has strongly criticised City before, said the money pumped into the Premier League champions and Ligue 1 winners PSG by […]

London (AFP) – Former England captain Wayne Rooney is to leave Washington-based DC United after agreeing a deal to become player-coach of Championship side Derby County, the clubs announced on Tuesday. The 33-year-old — the record goalscorer for both his country and Manchester United — signed an initial 18 month contract with the ambitious second […]

Bordeaux (AFP) – Arsenal captain Laurent Koscielny completed a return to France on Tuesday after agreeing a deal with Ligue 1 club Bordeaux on a reported three-year deal. The French defender, 33, made clear his desire for a move last month when he refused to travel on Arsenal's pre-season tour of the United States. His […]

London (AFP) – Young hopefuls at Premier League giants Chelsea were abused for years by a "prolific and manipulative" coach as staff at the club "turned a blind eye", an independent report said Tuesday. The report, led by lawyer Charles Geekie, found that the club's former chief scout Eddie Heath, who died in 1983, was […]

London (AFP) – Former England captain Wayne Rooney is to leave Washington-based DC United after agreeing a deal to become player-coach of English Championship side Derby County, the clubs announced on Tuesday. "Following the conclusion of the 2019 MLS season, star forward Wayne Rooney will be departing the club to continue his career in England […]

Lausanne (AFP) – Swiss prosecutors said Tuesday they had charged three former German Football Association (DFB) officials, including ex-president Theo Zwanziger, with fraud relating to the 2006 World Cup. In a statement the attorney general's office said the accused "are alleged to have fraudulently misled the members of a supervisory body of the DFB organising […]

London (AFP) – Wayne Rooney could be on his way to Championship side Derby after owner Mel Morris confirmed on Tuesday that the club were attempting to finalise a move for the former England captain. The 33-year-old has been linked with a player-coach role at Pride Park, where his former England teammate Frank Lampard was […]

Lille (France) (AFP) – Lille have paid a club record 16.5 million euros ($18.4 million) for Trabzonspor's Turkey attacking midfielder Yusuf Yazici, the French outfit announced on Tuesday. The fee for 22-year-old Yazici, who has made 14 international appearances since his debut in 2017, beats the 14 million euros the Ligue 1 side spent on […]

Lausanne (AFP) – Swiss prosecutors said Tuesday they had charged three former German Football Association (DFB) officials, including ex-president Theo Zwanziger, with fraud relating to the 2006 World Cup. In a statement the attorney general's office said the accused "are alleged to have fraudulently misled the members of a supervisory body of the DFB organising […]

Paris (AFP) – Champions Paris Saint-Germain are clear favourites to lift the French title for a seventh time in eight seasons after their nearest rivals Lille and Lyon sold key players over the summer. While Thomas Tuchel's men have strengthened in midfield and kept hold of Neymar, Lille saw leading scorer Nicolas Pepe depart for Arsenal […]

London (AFP) – Breaking into the Premier League's top six has been a tough task for the teams outside the elite group of Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United. But with questions over United, Arsenal and Chelsea, there could be a rare vacancy to fill this season. AFP Sport looks at the […]

London (AFP) – Manchester City have quietly gone about their business in the close-season in the knowledge they do not need radical surgery after amassing 198 Premier League points in the last two campaigns. Champions City, who have dropped only 30 points over that period of sustained domestic dominance, were pushed all the way by […]