London (AFP) – Liverpool are increasingly confident Roberto Firmino will be fit to face Barcelona at the Camp Nou in Wednesday's first leg of their Champions League semi-final against the La Liga giants. The Brazil forward missed Friday's 5-0 Premier League win over Huddersfield with a small muscle tear, but was still included in the […]

London (AFP) – Black referees are failing to get into the upper reaches of English football because of the way they are assessed, a campaigner said Tuesday. Reuben Simon, an ambassador for black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) officials at Ref Support UK, said overt racism at worst and unconscious bias at best were both […]

London (AFP) – Former Manchester United defender John O'Shea will retire at the end of the season, Championship club Reading announced on Tuesday. The Republic of Ireland international won five Premier League titles at Old Trafford, as well as the FA Cup and the Champions League. On Tuesday, his 38th birthday, O'Shea announced his retirement, […]

London (AFP) – English Premier League club West Ham United have joined Italian giants Juventus and French champions Paris Saint-Germain in bringing cryptocurrency opportunities to their fans worldwide by partnering with Malta-based Socios.com. The move will "give fans the best experience possible, whether they live within a mile of the stadium or thousands of miles […]

Prague (AFP) – Former Czech footballer Tomas Repka, who played for Fiorentina and West Ham, was sentenced Tuesday to two years in prison for fraud. An appeals court added nine months to the 15-month sentence originally handed down in February against Repka, 45, for selling a Mercedes Benz car that he had leased. Court president […]

Shanghai (AFP) – Marek Hamsik says that he is struggling to settle in Chinese football and admitted he has problems communicating with his Dalian Yifang team-mates. The 31-year-old, Napoli's all-time leading goal-scorer, left Serie A for the Chinese Super League (CSL) in February but has failed to find the net or provide an assist in […]

London (AFP) – John Stones says the experience in the Manchester City dressing room will be vital as they aim to finish ahead of Liverpool in the thrilling race for the Premier League title. City will retain the Premier League crown if they win their final two games against Leicester at home and Brighton away, […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool have grown used to seeing their prized assets snatched away by Spanish giants over the past decade, but the sale of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona has helped lay the foundations for a successful rebuild at Anfield. Coutinho, who has struggled to match the expectations of his £142 million ($183 million) price […]

London (AFP) – Neither Trent Alexander-Arnold nor Andrew Robertson have Lionel Messi's star power, but the buccaneering Liverpool defenders could play just as vital a role as the Barcelona captain in their mouth-watering Champions League semi-final. Virgil van Dijk has hogged the spotlight among Liverpool's defenders with a superb campaign that earned the Dutch centre-back […]

Milan (AFP) – Midfielders Marten de Roon and Mario Pasalic scored late as Atalanta beat Udinese 2-0 to surge back into the top four in Serie A on Monday. The side from Bergamo move ahead of Roma into the final Champions League spot days after booking their ticket to the Coppa Italia final on May […]

Barcelona (AFP) – It was ten years ago Alex Ferguson dubbed them the best team he had ever faced but those left from Barcelona's iconic generation still have work to do. Three remain and when Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Gerard Pique line up against Liverpool on Wednesday, they may wonder if this could be […]

London (AFP) – Gareth Bale is still "100 per cent" committed to Real Madrid despite speculation over his future, the Wales star's agent insisted on Monday. Former Tottenham winger Bale has been linked with a return to the Premier League after a difficult season with the troubled Spanish club. The 29-year-old has had to endure […]

Milan (AFP) – Lazio have been handed a one-match stand closure penalty which is suspended for a year due to racist chants by their fans during last week's Italian Cup semi-final against AC Milan, the Lega Serie A announced on Monday. AC Milan players Tiemoue Bakayoko and Franck Kessie were targeted by 'monkey chanting' by […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham midfielder Harry Winks has had surgery on a groin injury that is likely to rule him out for the rest of the season. Winks hasn't played since coming off in the closing stages of Tottenham's Champions League quarter-final first leg win against Manchester City. The England international has featured just three […]

Amsterdam (AFP) – Clever recruitment allied with a successful youth academy has turned Ajax into a European force again as they prepare to take on Tottenham Hotspur in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday. They may not be able to maintain this level of success as richer teams circle like vultures […]