London (AFP) – England captain Harry Kane insists the Three Lions' squad are too united to be divided by the tension surrounding the Premier League title race and upcoming Champions League ties. Four English sides have reached the last eight of Europe's premier club competition for the first time in a decade with Tottenham striker […]

Berlin (AFP) – Rising Eintracht Frankfurt star Luka Jovic is hoping to maintain his superb form when he lines up for Serbia against Germany in a friendly this Wednesday. Jovic, 21, is set to make only his fourth international appearance in Wolfsburg against the Germans, but for Frankfurt fans, he is already a superstar. The […]

London (AFP) – Everton manager Marco Silva has been fined £12,000 ($16,000, 14,000 euros) for confronting match officials on the pitch following his side's 3-2 defeat at Newcastle earlier this month, the Football Association announced Tuesday. "The Everton manager accepted an improper conduct charge from the FA, which resulted from his behaviour on the field […]

London (AFP) – Ryan Giggs has responded to Zlatan Ibrahimovic's criticism of the "Class of 92" by insisting players with "over 2,000 games between us" are entitled to have an opinion about Manchester United. Former United striker Ibrahimovic claimed in a newspaper interview that the ongoing loyalty of Giggs and other pundits such as Gary […]

Paris (AFP) – France's World Cup-winning coach Didier Deschamps has told AFP he would like to remain in his job until the 2022 finals in Qatar. The 50-year-old Deschamps, who took charge of France in 2012, guided Les Bleus to a second World Cup title in Russia, two decades after lifting the trophy as captain on […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Young Africans on the books of clubs in top European leagues have been called up for Olympic Games qualifying duty with 26 matches scheduled between Wednesday and next Tuesday. Among them are two goalkeepers, Congolese Will-Cesaire Matimbou from Paris Saint-Germain and Ivorian Nicolas Tie from Chelsea. Defender Hamza Mendyl from Schalke 04 […]

Prague (AFP) – Sevilla 'keeper Tomas Vaclik has been ruled out of the Czech team for their opening Euro 2020 qualifying clash against England at Wembley on Friday after tearing a muscle last week. Doctors said the 'keeper would also sit out their friendly with Brazil in Prague on March 26 and will likely be […]

Lisbon (AFP) – Former Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas wants to end his career at Porto and continue playing until he's 40, he told Spanish television. "This week I think I'll extend my contract until I'm 40. I'll be 38 soon and I'll most likely finish my career with FC Porto," the 37-year-old Spaniard said […]

Paris (AFP) – "I don't really think about the past and what happened," says Nadia Nadim, the daughter of an executed Afghan general who spent years playing football in the fields beside her refugee camp before becoming a Denmark international. "I am fortunate to be in a situation where I can play football and love […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United forward Alexis Sanchez is determined to succeed at the club and says he still believes in himself despite a disappointing first year at Old Trafford. The Chile international, who is likely to be sidelined for another month with a knee injury, has endured a frustrating time since his move from […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich forward Thomas Mueller has warned title rivals Borussia Dortmund that they cannot afford to slip up as a nail-biting Bundesliga title race enters the final stretch. "They know they can't afford to make any mistakes, because we are in really good shape," Mueller told Germany's top-selling newspaper Bild on Tuesday. […]

London (AFP) – Ryan Giggs is determined to win over his doubters and believes that the 2020 European Championship campaign will define his time as Wales manager. Wales start their Euro 2020 qualifiers at home to Slovakia on Sunday, with the jury still out on Giggs's 14 months in charge since he succeeded Chris Coleman. […]

Doha (AFP) – FIFA President Gianni Infantino's plan to expand the Qatar World Cup to 48 teams and increase the number of host countries risks worsening existing Gulf diplomatic tensions, claim analysts. The ambitious expansion proposal — which Infantino has optimistically stated might help Middle East peace — could see the extra matches hosted in […]

Shanghai (AFP) – Fabio Cannavaro's first task as China coach may be to win over a sceptical public after his appointment was met with criticism and even anger. Former players and state media questioned the credentials of the 2006 World Cup winner and world player of the year, who is yet to claim a major […]

Berlin (AFP) – At 75, former footballer Baerbel Wohlleben still clearly remembers the moment in 1974 when a journalist asked, "but when you head the ball, doesn't it mess up your hair?" At that time, Wohlleben had already turned 30, but was only officially three years into her career as a footballer, because until 1971 […]