Kuala Lumpur (AFP) – The owners of Premier League champions Manchester City are eyeing a stake in a Malaysian team to add to their growing portfolio of clubs, a sports official said Friday. Ferran Soriano — chief executive of City Football Group (CFG), which is bankrolled by Sheikh Mansour of the Abu Dhabi royal family […]

Shanghai (AFP) – Her grandmother never wanted her to play football so 11-year-old Liu Chang's father sneaked her out of the house when grandma wasn't looking. China qualified for next month's Women's World Cup for a seventh time in eight editions and boast a record that their men's team can only envy. But you do […]

Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina) (AFP) – As a young girl, Irena Bjelica had to furtively sneak to football training in defiance of a family who thought she would be better suited as a dancer or model. Today the 24-year-old is a defender for one of Bosnia's top women's football clubs, a team that is winning […]

Shanghai (AFP) – Marcello Lippi was back as coach of China on Friday, four months after the World Cup winner quit and following a failed stint by fellow Italian Fabio Cannavaro. The 71-year-old Lippi's return to the top job in Chinese football had been widely tipped in domestic media and will be welcomed by fans. […]

Madrid (AFP) – Damage limitation, and a fifth consecutive Copa del Rey, will be the prize if Barcelona beat Valencia on Saturday as their rejuvenated opponents eye a final flourish to their remarkable comeback season. Victory for Barca would only slightly alleviate the disappointment of failing in the Champions League but another defeat, less than […]

Dubai (AFP) – Two weeks ahead of a potentially game-changing women's World Cup, football remains completely male-dominated in large parts of the Middle East and North Africa, where female fans are still battling for a level playing field. Women fans face obstacles in many parts of the region where rival powers Iran and Saudi Arabia […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Celtic can take their domestic dominance in Scotland to a new level on Saturday as they aim to complete a third consecutive treble against Hearts in the Scottish Cup final. No team apart from Celtic or Rangers have won league title since 1985 but before Brendan Rodgers's arrival as manager in 2016, […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – In a World Cup expected to be dominated by batsmen, South Africa hope to buck the trend with a bowling attack led by the precociously talented Kagiso Rabada. Rabada has topped the International Cricket Council's bowler rankings in both Tests and one-day internationals, making the paceman one of South Africa's key figures […]

Berlin (AFP) – For RB Leipzig coach Ralf Rangnick, winning Saturday's German Cup final against Bayern Munich would mean more than just silverware. Rangnick, who took over as sporting director at Leipzig in 2012 and has since had two spells doubling up as head coach, is the brains behind the club's rapid rise from the […]

Milan (AFP) – Atalanta are on the brink of history with a first Champions League qualification in the club's 111-year history within their grasp in the final match of the Serie A season which they play at home but away to Sassuolo. The Bergamo side's own stadium is being renovated and as a result they […]

Sydney (AFP) – Experienced Dutchman Gertjan Verbeek says he is relishing the challenge of working in Australia's A-League after being appointed head coach of Adelaide United. The 56-year-old brings a wealth of experience, having coached at the highest level in Germany and the Netherlands, including at Feyenoord and FC Nurnberg, with his most recent stint […]

Sydney (AFP) – Experienced Dutchman Gertjan Verbeek says he is relishing the challenge of working in Australia's A-League after being appointed head coach of Adelaide United. The 56-year-old brings a wealth of experience, having coached at the highest level in Germany and the Netherlands, including at Feyenoord and FC Nurnberg, with his most recent stint […]

Burton-on-Trent (United Kingdom) (AFP) – England's female footballers hope to make themselves national heroes by lifting the World Cup in France later this summer, but the pressure they face was put into perspective by a night in the wild with Britain's Royal Marines, according to Arsenal striker Beth Mead. The Lionesses kick off their campaign […]

Berlin (AFP) – Striker Mario Gomez criticised the Stuttgart fans after his team were held to a 2-2 draw at home to second-tier side Union Berlin in the first leg of the Bundesliga relegation play-off on Thursday. The draw means three-time German champions Stuttgart must beat Union in the capital on Monday to avoid relegation, […]

Lausanne (AFP) – FIFA President Gianni Infantino was one of the few advocates of expanding the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to 48 teams and the decision to shelve the plan is a slap in the face for the leader of world football, observers say. The decision taken on Wednesday by FIFA to abandon plans […]