London (AFP) – Liverpool legend Tommy Smith, one of the key figures in the club's first golden era, died on Friday at the age of 74. Smith's no-nonsense performances at the heart of Liverpool's defence saw him nicknamed the 'Anfield Iron' during his 18-year spell on Merseyside. Making 638 appearances for the Reds between 1960 […]

Paris (AFP) – Friday's French Ligue 1 game between Dijon and Amiens was temporarily suspended after the visitors' captain Prince Gouano complained he was racially abused. The game was stopped in the 78th minute as players from both sides headed towards the touchline of the Stade Gaston-Gerard after Gouano said he heard insults from behind […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal have started an investigation after a social media video appeared to show a fan racially abusing Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly during the Europa League quarter-final. The incident occurred during the Premier League side's 2-0 win in Thursday's first leg at the Emirates Stadium. "We utterly condemn use of this type of […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Pep Guardiola says he "absolutely" does not agree with midfielder Ilkay Gundogan's scathing assessment of Manchester City's performance in their midweek Champions League defeat to Tottenham. City face Spurs twice more in the next week, in the return leg of the European quarter-final and in a home league game, as […]

London (AFP) – Jurgen Klopp has condemned "disgusting" racist abuse aimed at Mohamed Salah and called for lifetime bans for the Chelsea fans accused of taunting the Liverpool star. A video circulated on social media ahead of Chelsea's Europa League match at Slavia Prague this week showed a group of six supporters chanting "Salah is […]

London (AFP) – Mauricio Pochettino said it will be "difficult" for Harry Kane to play for Tottenham again this season after the forward suffered an ankle injury during their Champions League win over Manchester City. The England captain, who suffered a "significant lateral ligament" injury in the 1-0 victory on Tuesday, is susceptible to ankle […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich coach Niko Kovac on Friday confirmed reports Robert Lewandowski and Kingsley Coman were involved in a fist-fight during training, but ruled out any sanctions. Kovac admitted the forwards traded blows following an argument at a training session behind closed doors on Thursday while preparing for Sunday's league game away to […]

Madrid (AFP) – Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone believes Diego Costa's eight-match ban is harsh and has dismissed suggestions the striker could be sold in the summer. Costa was handed the lengthy suspension by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) on Thursday for directing a crude insult towards referee Gil Manzano during the first half of […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham forward Harry Kane may have to consider surgery on his injured ankle, a leading surgeon has said. Kane suffered a "significant lateral ligament" injury to his left ankle during Spurs' 1-0 Champions League win over Manchester City on Tuesday and is unlikely to play again this season. The England captain is […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Ander Herrera's lack of certainty over his future may have contributed to his ongoing injury problems, Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said on Friday. The midfielder has managed just 134 minutes of football since suffering a hamstring problem during the 0-0 draw against Liverpool on February 24. Herrera came […]

London (AFP) – Danny Rose insists the feelgood factor sparked by Tottenham's new stadium can maintain their momentum against Huddersfield on Saturday despite damaging injuries to Harry Kane and Dele Alli. Kane sustained a "significant lateral ligament injury to his left ankle" while making a rash challenge on Manchester City's Fabian Delph during Tuesday's Champions […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – The Ole Gunnar Solskjaer feelgood factor at Manchester United has been replaced by a fear factor as the club face the real prospect of missing out on next season's Champions League. United's popular new boss has little margin for error after a damaging run that has seen his side lose […]

Paris (AFP) – Since forcing a second ballot in the 2015 election that ushered in the scandal-plagued Sepp Blatter's brief final term as FIFA president, Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein of Jordan has focused on a different campaign. Ali remains president of the Jordanian Football Association and of the West Asian Football Federation, which he founded. He […]

Berlin (AFP) – Before every home game, fans of Union Berlin belt out their team's anthem, by East German punk rock legend Nina Hagen. One line at the end of the first verse is sung with particular gusto: "Who will never be bought by the West?!", scream the "Unioners". Berlin's second biggest club, behind top-tier […]

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain have another chance to wrap up the French Ligue 1 title on Sunday as Thomas Tuchel's side travel to second-placed Lille requiring just a point to finish the job. PSG could have been crowned champions in record-equalling time last weekend with a win at home to Strasbourg, but an extraordinary […]