Shanghai (AFP) – Former Barcelona and Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has landed in China on a trial with second-tier Qingdao Huanghai, the club told AFP on Friday. The 36-year-old has been without a team since December after an unsuccessful three-month spell at Olympiakos in Greece. There were suggestions that the former Ivory Coast international […]

London Colney (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Watford's Abdoulaye Doucoure is a wanted man after a second stellar season in the Premier League, but wants to make history for the Hornets if Saturday's FA Cup final against treble-chasing Manchester City is to be his last game for the club. The Frenchman has travelled far to get […]

London (AFP) – Manchester City are on the brink of a domestic treble, with only Watford standing in their way in Saturday's FA Cup final, but a potentially historic season risks being overshadowed by several probes into the club's off-field conduct. City became the first side in a decade to retain the Premier League title […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich coach Niko Kovac and his Borussia Dortmund counterpart Lucien Favre both face a trip down memory lane on Saturday as the Bundesliga braces itself for the most nail-biting season finale in years. Both Kovac and Favre will face their former clubs on a much-anticipated final day, as the title race goes […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek will undergo Achilles tendon surgery which will rule him out of the Europa League final, the Premier League club said Thursday. The 23-year-old England international suffered the injury during the 3-0 friendly win over New England Revolution in Boston on Wednesday. "Ruben has seen a specialist today and […]

Al Wakrah (Qatar) (AFP) – Qatar inaugurated its first purpose-built stadium for the 2022 World Cup on Thursday, staging a prestigious domestic cup final in the $575 million, 40,000-capacity Al-Wakrah venue. The ground, designed by late British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid and located in a coastal town south of Doha, erupted into cheers as Emir Cup […]

Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Veteran Brazilian stars Marta, Formiga and Cristiane are among the 23-strong Brazilian squad selected for the women's World Cup in France next month, coach Vadao said Thursday. Chasing their first World Cup trophy, Brazil will face Jamaica in their opening Group C match in Grenoble on June 9, before taking […]

Abuja (AFP) – John Obi Mikel's recall to Nigeria's provisional squad for next month's Africa Cup of Nations will inspire an ambitious young side lacking experience, the team's coach and ex-players said Thursday. The Super Eagles were the youngest team at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and they will be even younger at the […]

Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has indicated Ernesto Valverde's position as coach is safe, regardless of what happens in the Copa del Rey final. Barca play Valencia in Seville on May 25, when victory would secure them a second domestic double in as many seasons. But their collapse at the hands of […]

London (AFP) – England captain Harry Kane was included by Gareth Southgate in his provisional squad for next month's Nations League finals despite facing a race against time to recover from injury. Kane has not played since injuring ankle ligaments in the first leg of Tottenham's Champions League quarter-final with Manchester City on April 11. […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal have branded the decision for Azerbaijani capital Baku to host their Europa League final with Chelsea as "unacceptable" as fans struggle with the logistics and cost of attending the game on May 29. The London clubs were given 6,000 tickets each by European football's governing body for the match at the […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward vowed that manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be backed in the transfer market despite a bitterly disappointing end to the season. Solskjaer was only appointed on a permanent basis in March but is already under pressure after United won just two of their final 11 games […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich coach Niko Kovac has hinted that departing veterans Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery will not be in the starting eleven for their final Bundesliga appearance against Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday. Bayern need to avoid defeat against Frankfurt if they are to secure a seventh successive Bundesliga title, and Kovac suggested […]

Berlin (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund coach Lucien Favre says "everything is possible" as his side prepare to make one desperate final bid for the Bundesliga title against Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday. Dortmund are two points behind league leaders Bayern Munich ahead of the last day of the season, and can only be crowned champions on […]

Lisbon (AFP) – FC Porto want to keep goalkeeper Iker Casillas on staff despite the Spanish veteran suffering a heart attack in training. "Casillas still has a year left on his contract and we want him to remain part of FC Porto's structure, and not only for one year," club president Jorge Nuno Pinto da […]