London (AFP) – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has insisted he has no interest in celebrating when a rival team drops points and cannot understand why anyone else would. Premier League leaders Liverpool went five points clear of second-placed reigning champions Manchester City after a 1-1 draw with Leicester on Wednesday. But many felt it was […]

Munich (Germany) (AFP) – A thumb injury has ruled Bayern Munich captain and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer out of Saturday's Bundesliga match at Bayer Leverkusen with the defending champions chasing an eighth straight league win. "The captain of Germany's record champions suffered an injury to his right hand in training and therefore stayed in Munich on […]

Abu Dhabi (AFP) – Qatar stunned Japan 3-1 to win their first Asian Cup on Friday sparked by a moment of magic from record-breaker Almoez Ali and after nail-biting late drama. Sudan-born striker Ali scored with an acrobatic bicycle kick after just 12 minutes before Abdelaziz Hatim curled in a superb second and Akram Afif […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham Hotspur are "happy" with Harry Kane's recovery process following an ankle injury but manager Mauricio Pochettino does not know if he will be back in action ahead of schedule. The England captain was ruled out until early March after sustaining ligament damage in the 1-0 defeat by Manchester United on January […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United announced on Friday that midfielder Marouane Fellaini has left the club to join China's Shandong Luneng on a permanent transfer. The Belgium international arrived at Old Trafford from Everton in August 2013 and went on to make 177 appearances throughout five-and-a-half seasons at United, scoring 22 goals. "Everybody at United […]

London (AFP) – Everton manager Marco Silva expects Idrissa Gana Gueye to produce his best football again despite the Toffees turning down a bid for the Senegal star from Paris Saint-Germain. Silva said the 29-year-old midfielder may well be "disappointed" by Premier League club Everton's refusal to have anything to do with a reported £21 […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Pep Guardiola is not concerned about the way his Manchester City players use social media, despite a post from Kyle Walker that appeared to mock Premier League title rivals Liverpool. Walker posted a picture of Harry Maguire on Twitter after the Leicester defender’s equaliser secured a 1-1 draw at Anfield […]

London (AFP) – Maurizio Sarri arrived at Chelsea hailed for his spectacular style of play but seven months later the beleaguered Blues boss is on thin ice after responding to his team's troubles by stubbornly refusing to change his ways. On a freezing Friday at Chelsea's snow-covered training centre outside London, Sarri responded to reports […]

London (AFP) – Cardiff manager Neil Warnock says some players did not want to join the club in the January transfer window after the disappearance of the plane carrying new signing Emiliano Sala. Sala and pilot David Ibbotson remain missing after the light aircraft carrying them over the Channel disappeared on January 21, two days […]

Berlin (AFP) – Hertha Berlin boss Pal Dardai has banned any talk of Bayern Munich's looming cup visit to keep his side focused on Saturday's Bundesliga match at home to Wolfsburg. Hertha host German giants Bayern next Wednesday at the Olympic Stadium in a plum German Cup last-16 tie and Dardai is so fed up […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid will face defending champions Barcelona in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey. The draw made on Friday means there will be back-to-back Clasicos, with the second leg due to take place in the last week of February, before Madrid host Barca in La Liga on March 2. The first […]

Paris (AFP) – Despite being one of the biggest spenders in Europe in the January transfer window, Paris Saint-Germain have lost Neymar to injury at a crucial point in the season and risk being undermined by tensions behind the scenes. In what was a quiet window on the whole, the capital club spent a reported […]

Abu Dhabi (AFP) – Asia's football body dismissed a protest claiming two Qatari players, including Asian Cup top-scorer Almoez Ali, were ineligible to play just hours before the final on Friday. The decision, which follows a protest lodged by Asian Cup hosts the United Arab Emirates, was announced as Qatar prepared to take the field […]

London (AFP) – Premier League clubs were reluctant to plunge into the inflated January marketplace this season — in stark contrast to last year, when they splashed out a record £430 million on transfer fees. Just £180 million ($235 million) was spent last month, according to finance experts at Deloitte, with the "Big Six" notably […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has challenged Anthony Martial to fulfil his potential at Manchester United by following Cristiano Ronaldo's example. United announced on Thursday that the France striker had signed a new contract that commits him to the club until at least June 2024, with the option for a further year. […]