Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona announced the signing of Antoine Griezmann on Friday for 120 million euros ($135 million), sparking a furious reaction from Atletico Madrid over the amount the La Liga champions paid for the World Cup winner. In a statement, Barca revealed that they had paid the 120 million euros to activate the Frenchman's […]

Lyon (AFP) – Lyon have completed the signing of Danish defender Joachim Andersen from Serie A side Sampdoria on a five-year deal for a fee rising to a club record 30 million euros ($33.7m), the French outfit announced on Friday. OL said in a statement they had agreed to pay Sampdoria an initial 24 million […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Barcelona announced the signing of Antoine Griezmann on Friday after the Spanish champions paid La Liga rivals Atletico Madrid the 120 million euro ($135 million) release clause required to sign the World Cup winner. "The player will sign a contract with his new club for the next five seasons, through to 30 June […]

London (AFP) – Former England striker Peter Crouch on Friday announced his retirement from football at the age of 38 after two decades as a professional. The much-travelled Crouch, who spent the second half of last season at Burnley, made his English league debut in 2000 at QPR and also played for Liverpool, Tottenham and […]

Tokyo (AFP) – Japanese attacking midfielder Hiroki Abe said Friday he was moving to Barcelona, becoming the second Japanese player in a month to join one of La Liga's big two clubs. J-League outfit Kashima Antlers, where 20-year-old Abe was spending his third season as a professional, confirmed the move. Abe is expected to play […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool striker Rhian Brewster has been told by manager Jurgen Klopp that he has an important role to play this season after scoring twice in a 6-0 pre-season friendly win against Tranmere. The 19-year-old has been lined up to fill the boots vacated by Daniel Sturridge as the team's third-choice centre-forward after […]

Paris (AFP) – Two stores near the Champs-Elysees in Paris were looted on Thursday night, on the sidelines of celebrations marking Algeria's latest win in the Africa Cup of Nations. Several thousand people gathered at the famous landmark in the French capital after the north African country's victory against Ivory Coast, which sent the team […]

Cairo (AFP) – Madagascar coach Nicolas Dupuis conceded it would be difficult for the Africa Cup of Nations debutants to eclipse their run to this year's quarter-finals in future tournaments. The Indian Ocean islanders saw their dream run finally halted by Thursday's 3-0 loss to Tunisia, a country ranked 83 places above them in the […]

Cairo (AFP) – Tunisia ended Madagascar's fairytale Africa Cup of Nations run in the quarter-finals on Thursday with a 3-0 win over the tournament debutants in Cairo. Ferjani Sassi's heavily deflected strike gave Tunisia the lead early in the second half at Al Salam Stadium and Youssef Msakni squeezed home a second on 60 minutes. […]

Paris (AFP) – Atletico Madrid's World Cup winner Antoine Griezmann is nearing a transfer to Barcelona, according to reports on Thursday in his native France and in Spain. Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo says the Catalans will pay Griezmann's release clause of 120m euros ($135m) and the 28-year-old has signed a five-year deal at the Camp […]

Suez (Egypt) (AFP) – Africa Cup of Nations title favourites Algeria defeated the Ivory Coast 4-3 on penalties in Suez Thursday to the relief of Baghdad Bounedjah and set up a semi-final showdown with Nigeria. The quarter-final finished 1-1 after extra time with Sofiane Feghouli giving Algeria a 20th-minute lead that was cancelled by […]

New York (AFP) – Former FIFA vice president and North American regional football president Jack Warner has been ordered to pay $79 million in damages by a federal judge. US District Court Judge William Kuntz issued the ruling by default after Warner did not on Tuesday contest a 2017 civil suit claiming he embezzled millions […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal captain Laurent Koscielny has refused to travel for the club's pre-season tour in the United States. The Gunners released a statement on Thursday highlighting their disappointment at the 33-year-old Frenchman, who has been at the club since 2010. "Laurent Koscielny has refused to travel to the US for our pre-season tour," […]

Madrid (AFP) – Spain international goalkeeper Pau Lopez has completed his move from Real Betis to Serie A giants Roma, the two clubs announced late on Wednesday. The 24-year-old has signed a five-year deal with Roma paying 23.5 million euros ($26.48 million). "It is almost impossible to say no to a club like Roma. It […]

London (AFP) – Frank Lampard was denied a winning start in his first match in charge of Chelsea as Bohemians struck late to earn a 1-1 draw in a friendly on Wednesday. Lampard named two separate line-ups for the first and second half in Dublin with a host of youngsters from the club's academy given […]