Budapest (AFP) – A hacker linked to the Football Leaks website that has exposed alleged corruption in the sport will be extradited to Portugal from Hungary, his lawyer said Thursday. A higher court upheld a ruling earlier this month approving Rui Pinto's extradition, Pinto's lawyer, David Deak, told AFP, adding the 30-year-old would be extradited […]

Paris (AFP) – Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, who has twice stood for the FIFA presidency, on Thursday called on world football's governing body to take firmer action against Afghanistan's football chief over allegations of sexual assault on members of the country's women's team. FIFA this week extended the suspension of Afghan Football Federation (AFF) […]

London (AFP) – Huddersfield manager Jan Siewert has backed Philip Billing after the club's Danish midfielder was subjected to "brainless" racist abuse on social media. West Yorkshire Police arrested a 16-year-old boy on Wednesday for sending the abusive message to Billing. Posting a private message to Billing's Instagram account, the supporter wrote: "Leave our f*****g […]

Paris (AFP) – Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti and Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman return to the France squad named on Thursday as the World Cup winners prepare for the start of their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign. Umtiti missed France's last get-togethers in October and November but is fit again after a knee injury and is […]

London (AFP) – Gareth Southgate has no plans to leave the England job before Euro 2020 but admits his future is uncertain after that. Southgate led England to their first World Cup semi-final appearance since 1990 during a memorable run in Russia last year. That was a huge boost to his reputation and England's progress […]

Berlin (AFP) – Michael Ballack says Bayern Munich's exit from the Champions League — meaning not a single Bundesliga club survived the last 16 — mirrors deeper problems within German football. "We (the German national team) went out of the World Cup early, were relegated in the League of Nations and the Champions League has […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid have clinched a deal to sign the Brazilian defender Eder Militao, 21, from Portuguese champions FC Porto from next season, the two clubs announced on Thursday. The centre-back is the Spanish giants' first signing since Zinedine Zidane returned to the club as coach for a second spell this week. Real […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Lionel Messi pledged at the start of the season to bring "that beautiful cup" back to the Camp Nou and on the evidence of Wednesday night, few would bet against him. Barcelona's 5-1 thrashing of Lyon in their Champions League last 16 second leg, a score that overlooked a nervy spell in […]

London (AFP) – Brexit, what Brexit? All four English entrants are still in Europe. For the first time in a decade the Premier League reigns supreme, providing half of the Champions League quarter-finalists for Friday's last-eight draw. Liverpool were the last to book their ticket, with a hugely impressive 3-1 win away to Bayern Munich […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Ousmane Dembele could miss Barcelona's crunch La Liga game against Atletico Madrid after Barcelona confirmed on Thursday he will be out for up to a month with a hamstring injury. Dembele is likely to miss upcoming league matches against Real Betis, Espanyol and Villarreal while he has just under four weeks to […]

Shanghai (AFP) – Rapacious middlemen and coaches with forged or few qualifications are trying their luck in China's fast-growing grassroots football, imperilling its ambitions to become a major force in the sport, insiders warn. At the behest of football-fan President Xi Jinping, for whom it is a soft-power tool, the world's second-biggest economy is throwing […]

Miami (AFP) – The possible expansion of the 2022 World Cup is poised to dominate discussions when FIFA's ruling council meets in Miami on Friday. FIFA president Gianni Infantino wants to increase the number of teams due to take part in the footballing showpiece from 32 to 48, bringing forward by four years an expansion […]

Washington (AFP) – Josef Martinez's 77th-minute strike lifted Atlanta United over Monterrey 1-0 Wednesday but it was the defeated Mexican club that advanced to the CONCACAF Champions League semi-finals. Monterrey won the two-leg aggregate goals series 3-1 over the reigning Major League Soccer champions. Los Rayados scored twice in the last 10 minutes of a […]

Munich (Germany) (AFP) – Niko Kovac says his Bayern Munich side now have to concentrate on winning a German league and cup double after their UEFA Champions League exit at the hands of Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp's Reds went through with a 3-1 win in the last-16 tie at Munich's Allianz Arena on Wednesday after the […]

Munich (Germany) (AFP) – Jurgen Klopp said his Liverpool side proved they are "back on the European stage" after an impressive 3-1 win at Bayern Munich on Wednesday put them into the Champions League quarter-finals. Sadio Mane scored twice at the Allianz Arena to put last season's finalists Liverpool through with a 3-1 aggregate last-16 […]