Berlin (AFP) – Borussia Moenchengladbach head coach Dieter Hecking will step down at the end of this season, the club announced on Tuesday. "We will not extend our cooperation with Dieter Hecking beyond the summer and we will go into the new season with a new head coach," the club said in a tweet. Hecking, […]

Berlin (AFP) – The president of the German Football Association (DFB) Reinhard Grindel confirmed on Tuesday that he had stepped down with immediate effect, ending three controversial years in charge. The 57-year-old has been under growing pressure following controversies culminating in a newspaper report on Monday that he had accepted the gift of a 6,000 […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid president Florentino Perez said on Tuesday the club hope to begin the revamp of the Santiago Bernabeu as soon as the current season finishes. The new design of Madrid's stadium will cost around 500 million euros ($560 million) and includes a retractable roof and pitch, as well as a metal […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid could sell Thibaut Courtois or Keylor Navas this summer after head coach Zinedine Zidane said on Tuesday the club will have a clear first-choice goalkeeper next season. Zidane also defended his choice to play neither keeper against Huesca on Saturday, instead handing his 20-year-old son Luca only his second competitive […]

Berlin (AFP) – Berlin's latest zoo celebrity, a fluffy polar bear cub, has been named "Hertha" after the capital's football club, it was announced Tuesday. "Berlin has a new darling and we have adopted her," the Bundesliga club Hertha Berlin said on its Twitter account. Hertha was born on December 1 in the city's Tierpark […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich defender Mats Hummels has warned his team not to underestimate second tier minnows FC Heidenheim in Wednesday's German Cup quarter-final clash. Bayern are expected to stroll into the semi-finals when they host Heidenheim on Wednesday evening, just three days before their key Bundesliga meeting with title rivals Borussia Dortmund. Yet […]

London (AFP) – Four-time African footballer of the year Yaya Toure says football authorities should be more proactive when it comes to racism. The 35-year-old former Ivory Coast great — who also starred for Barcelona and Manchester City — said football's governing bodies only reacted once incidents had already occurred, as in the case of […]

London (AFP) – England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford is under investigation by his club Everton about his alleged involvement in a brawl in Sunderland on Sunday. The 25-year-old — who shone at last year's World Cup — is believed to have reacted when revellers in a bar directed derogatory remarks at his fiancee Megan, who recently […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham throw open the doors of their new 62,000-capacity stadium on Wednesday, hoping it will give them the financial firepower to compete with the Premier League and European elite. Mauricio Pochettino's men will also banking on a short-term boost, with a dire run of results threatening to leave Spurs without Champions League […]

Burton-on-Trent (United Kingdom) (AFP) – England women's manager Phil Neville has urged the Premier League's biggest clubs to "blow the rest of Europe away" by opening their grounds to host women's matches in the manner Atletico Madrid and Juventus have in recent weeks. Over 60,000 spectators saw England international Toni Duggan score in Barcelona's 2-0 […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says he has been assured by star midfielder Paul Pogba that the Frenchman does not want to leave Manchester United despite mounting speculation over a switch to Real Madrid. United midfielder Pogba last week described Madrid, managed by France great Zinedine Zidane, as a "dream club for […]

London (AFP) – Aaron Ramsey lifted Arsenal into third place in the Premier League as the Wales midfielder's clinical finish inspired a 2-0 win against Newcastle on Monday. Ramsey's first half strike was followed by Alexandre Lacazette's killer second in the closing stages at the Emirates Stadium, maintaining Arsenal's impressive progress under Unai Emery. Emery's […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Leaders Mamelodi Sundowns retained a three-point advantage in the South African Premiership and Orlando Pirates climbed one place to second after they drew 0-0 in Soweto Monday. Defending champions Sundowns have 44 points with six rounds remaining, Pirates and Bidvest Wits 41 each, Cape Town City 40 and SuperSport United 39. "My […]

Lisbon (AFP) – Rui Pinto, the hacker linked to the Football Leaks website, who is being held in Portugal awaiting trial, wants to continue aiding investigations in other European countries, his lawyers said on Monday. Pinto, who is Portuguese, was involved with a series of leaks that exposed murky dealings across European football. He was […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Lionel Messi will probably play against Villarreal in La Liga this week, because "there's no suitable scenario for resting" the Argentine superstar, Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde said on Monday. Barcelona are 10 points clear at the top of the Spanish League ahead of Tuesday's away game, followed by a home tie with […]