Madrid (AFP) – Zinedine Zidane will make a shock return as coach of Real Madrid after the club decided on Monday to sack Santiago Solari, say reports in the Spanish press. Madrid president Florentino Perez has reportedly met with the board and resolved to dismiss Solari, with Zidane set to be his replacement, nine months […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has again cast doubt on the Premier League champions' readiness to win the Champions League for the first time despite being favourites for the competition. City host Bundesliga strugglers Schalke on Tuesday with a 3-2 first leg lead in their last 16 tie hoping to […]

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel says he has no intention of leaving the French club in the wake of their exit from the Champions League at the hands of Manchester United. "I have a contract and I want to stay here a long time, grow and have success with the club, that […]

Paris (AFP) – Senegalese Sadio Mane was the stand-out African performer in Europe at the weekend, scoring twice for Liverpool as they kept hot on the heels of Manchester City in the title race. Often overshadowed by Egypt striker Mohamed Salah at Anfield, Mane netted the second and fourth goals in a 4-2 win over […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno has revealed Jesse Lingard's extravagant goal celebrations at the Gunners' expense inspired their revenge victory over Manchester United. Lingard infuriated Arsenal's players when he launched into a 'moon-walk' in front of the home supporters to mark his goal in United's 3-1 FA Cup fourth-round win at the Emirates […]

Madrid (AFP) – Spain's tax authorities are investigating the bonus Neymar earned when he extended his contract with Barcelona as well as his world-record transfer to Paris Saint-Germain, daily newspaper El Mundo reported Monday. The authorities are looking into whether the Brazilian paid tax in Spain related to the two deals, the newspaper said. Contacted […]

Madrid (AFP) – Sergio Ramos says he takes the blame for Real Madrid's "deeply disappointing" season but insists the players will have no say on the future of Santiago Solari. Ramos posed a series of questions to himself on social media on Monday in the hope that his answers would be "the most honest way" […]

London (AFP) – Former England striker Alan Shearer has warned that players' lives could be at risk unless urgent action is taken to prevent pitch invaders as the Professional Footballers' Association called for a full inquiry. Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish was punched by a Birmingham fan and Manchester United defender Chris Smalling was confronted […]

Paris (AFP) – Flamboyant French businessman Bernard Tapie went on trial Monday accused of defrauding the state of nearly half a billion euros with a massive 2008 arbitration award that landed IMF chief Christine Lagarde in hot water. The 76-year-old former Socialist minister, who rose from humble beginnings to build up a sporting and media […]

London (AFP) – As Arsenal played out the final stages of a hugely significant 2-0 victory over Manchester United to propel themselves back into the Premier League top four, cries of "Tottenham Hotspur we're coming for you" rang out around the Emirates. A 10-point gap between the north London rivals has been whittled down to […]

London (AFP) – Vincent Kompany has hailed Manchester City teammate Raheem Sterling as one of the best players in the world after his 13-minute hat-trick in the 3-1 win against Watford. The victory at the Etihad on Saturday took the defending champions four points clear of Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table […]

Shanghai (AFP) – Wu Lei's transfer to La Liga is "massive" for Chinese football, says a former international who made a similar journey 19 years ago and helped convince the forward to take the plunge in Europe. Xie Hui knows what it is like to venture out of the relative obscurity of Chinese football and […]

Turin (Italy) (AFP) – Juventus's Champions League hopes are hanging on Cristiano Ronaldo pulling off another sensational comeback as the Italians trail 2-0 to defensive specialists Atletico Madrid going into the last 16, second-leg tie in Turin on Tuesday. "We didn't expect to lose the first leg 2-0, but anything can happen, and we want […]

Berlin (AFP) – Schalke travel to Manchester City for Tuesday's Champions League last 16 return league with head coach Domenico Tedesco barely hanging onto his job and confidence at rock bottom. City needed late goals from Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling to win the first leg 3-2 in Gelsenkirchen three weeks ago when the Germans […]

Madrid (AFP) – Alvaro Morata has made a habit of looking lost and aggrieved during five years wandering Europe's biggest clubs but in Atletico Madrid he may finally have found one to call home. Three goals in two games and another couple ruled out by VAR mean Morata looks a player revived since his January […]