Madrid (AFP) – Antoine Griezmann was convinced Atletico Madrid were making progress but, 10 months on, he may wonder if he was right to stay after all. Atletico play Barcelona on Saturday at the Camp Nou, where Griezmann could have been walking out behind Lionel Messi, a few weeks from almost certainly winning a La […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich coach Niko Kovac has said that his bruised Bayern Munich team are determined to tilt the Bundesliga title race back in their favour with a win over Borussia Dortmund on Saturday. Kovac's side have endured a tough week in the build-up to their title race showdown with Dortmund at the […]

London (AFP) – Manchester City are strong favourites to take another step towards an unprecedented quadruple of trophies in Saturday's FA Cup semi-final against Brighton at Wembley. A potential 13 more games lie between Pep Guardiola's men and a clean sweep of FA Cup, Premier League and Champions League to add to the League Cup […]

Burton-on-Trent (United Kingdom) (AFP) – England women's manager Phil Neville believes his players must earn the right to be paid as much as their male counterparts by raising their standards on the pitch. FIFA has doubled the total prize money on offer for the 2019 Women's World Cup in France to $30 million, with a […]

London (AFP) – England defender Danny Rose said Friday that he's looking forward to the end of his career after unchecked racism left him completely disillusioned with football. The 28-year-old also blasted the game's rulers for handing out meagre fines to clubs and countries who fail to rein in their fans, comparing the sanctions to […]

Milan (AFP) – Atalanta blitzed Bologna with four goals in the opening 15 minutes to move to within one point of AC Milan and the final Champions League berth with a 4-1 win at home on Thursday. But the side from Bergamo will be without top scorer Duvan Zapata for their clash Sunday against third-placed […]

Burton-on-Trent (United Kingdom) (AFP) – England women's manager Phil Neville believes his players must earn the right to be paid as much as their male counterparts by raising their standards on the pitch. FIFA has doubled the total prize money on offer for the 2019 Women's World Cup in France to $30 million, with a […]

Milan (AFP) – Italy coach Roberto Mancini called for tough measures in Serie A after the "unacceptable" racist abuse of Juventus's Italian international Moise Kean in Cagliari. "We can no longer accept this, we need to act and hard. Racist behaviour must be stigmatised," Mancini told reporters after receiving the Enzo Bearzot Award given annually to […]

Auxerre (France) (AFP) – Japan slipped to a 3-1 defeat to France in an international friendly on Thursday, just two months out from the 2019 Women's World Cup. Valerie Gauvin, Eugenie Le Sommer, with a memorable volley, and Kadadiatou Diani were on target for the World Cup hosts. Rikako Kobayashi scored for Japan, the 2011 […]

Madrid (AFP) – Goals from Roque Mesa and Pablo Sarabia lifted Sevilla back into European contention on Thursday with a crucial 2-0 win over Alaves. The Basque side moved up from seventh to sixth, displacing Alaves to go level on points with fifth-placed Valencia who downed Real Madrid 24 hours earlier. Mesa put Sevilla into […]

Paris (AFP) – Brazilian football legend Pele is "improving" after being hospitalised in Paris for a urinary infection, his spokesman said Thursday, although it was not clear when he would be released. The 78-year-old three-time World Cup winner was admitted for treatment on Wednesday and his entourage had expressed hope he would be out within […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Rangers manager Steven Gerrard and Celtic captain Scott Brown have both been hit with Scottish Football Association disciplinary charges over Sunday's Old Firm derby. The two clubs have also received charges relating to the fracas between both sets of players immediately after Celtic's 2-1 victory to move 13 points clear at the […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool spent £44 million ($58 million) on agents' fees over the past two transfer windows as overall payments to intermediaries by Premier League clubs increased 25 percent to £261 million. For the second consecutive season, Liverpool led the way after the fees involved big-money moves for Alisson Becker, Naby Keita, Fabinho and […]

Buenos Aires (AFP) – Argentine authorities have banned 128 Boca Juniors supporters from football grounds for four years, according to a notice published in the official journal on Thursday. The country's politicians have been wrestling with the problem of football hooligans, or barrabravas, for years. The issue attracted international attention last November when the second […]

London (AFP) – Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne believes England's crop of promising teenage stars makes Gareth Southgate's men favourites to win Euro 2020, alongside world champions France. De Bruyne was part of the Belgium squad that beat England twice at last year's World Cup as both sides reached the semi-finals. The 27-year-old believes […]