Versailles (France) (AFP) – Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema goes on trial in France on Wednesday accused of complicity in the attempted blackmail of former international teammate Mathieu Valbuena, a case known as the "sextape affair". Benzema, 33, is suspected of helping a group of alleged blackmailers approach Valbuena in an attempt to extort money. […]

Prague (AFP) – Racism will be firmly in the spotlight when Sparta Prague face Lyon in the Europa League on Thursday, two months after UEFA ordered the Czech club to play behind closed doors over racist chants. During a Champions League qualifier in August, Sparta fans aimed monkey chants at Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni when […]

Bruges (France) (AFP) – Phil Foden ran the show for Manchester City in their 5-1 hammering of Club Brugge in the Champions League, but it was the goalscoring cameo of fellow academy graduate Cole Palmer that underlined the club's vast strength in depth. Operating in a false number nine role, Foden tormented the Brugge defence […]

Amsterdam (AFP) – Sebastien Haller scored his sixth Champions League goal in three games as Ajax took firm control of their group with a ruthless display at home as they routed Borussia Dortmund 4-0 on Tuesday. Ajax are on course for the last 16 with three wins out of three European games and Haller remains […]

Paris (AFP) – Real Madrid thrashed Shakhtar Donetsk 5-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday as Karim Benzema scored on the eve of his trial in France on charges of complicity in blackmail. A first-half own goal from Serhiy Kryvtsov put Real on their way before Vinicius Junior scored two superb goals before setting up […]

Paris (AFP) – Lionel Messi scored twice and Kylian Mbappe played a starring role but later missed a penalty as Paris Saint-Germain came from behind to beat RB Leipzig 3-2 in the Champions League on Tuesday. Mbappe had given PSG the lead at the Parc des Princes but a Leipzig side beaten 6-3 at Manchester […]

Milan (AFP) – Inter Milan got their Champions League campaign up and running on Tuesday with a 3-1 win over surprise package Sheriff Tiraspol which boosted their chances of getting to the knockout stage for the first time in a decade. Simone Inzaghi's side were under pressure for a good result after picking up a single […]

Bruges (France) (AFP) – Manchester City delivered a dominant Champions League performance to sweep past Club Brugge 5-1 on Tuesday and re-emphasise their status as major contenders for a first European title. Joao Cancelo gave City a deserved lead on the half-hour and Riyad Mahrez converted a penalty just before the break as Pep Guardiola's […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Celtic breathed new life into their Europa League campaign by beating Ferencvaros 2-0 in front of a crowd of more than 50,000 at Celtic Park despite a 1530 local time (1430GMT) kick-off. The Hungarians were due to travel to Scotland in two weeks' time, but policing requirements for the COP26 global climate […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Everton have been dealt another big injury blow with the news that Abdoulaye Doucoure faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a broken foot. The 28-year-old midfielder suffered the injury during the Blues’ 1-0 defeat to West Ham on Sunday. The Frenchman is undergoing further tests to determine the full extent […]

London (AFP) – A 67-year-old man was on Tuesday accused in a British court of being motivated by money for arranging a flight that killed Argentine footballer Emiliano Sala without the proper licences. David Henderson is alleged to have organised the ill-fated flight, which crashed as Sala was travelling to join Cardiff City from French […]

London (AFP) – Sixty-eight percent of Premier League players have been fully vaccinated against coronavirus, the English top flight confirmed on Tuesday following criticism of hesitancy among footballers. Reports earlier this month suggested only seven of England's 20 top-flight clubs had more than 50 percent of their squads fully vaccinated. Britain has one of the […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is confident he can turn Manchester United's fortunes around as pressure increases on the Norwegian ahead of Wednesday's Champions League clash with Atalanta at Old Trafford. United are five points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea after a 4-2 defeat at Leicester on Saturday They are not certain […]

London (AFP) – The UK and Ireland bid for the 2030 World Cup is not "up in smoke" despite the English FA being sanctioned for the chaos that marred the Euro 2020 final, according to a leading figure at UK Sport. England have been ordered to play one UEFA competition match behind closed doors, with […]

Munich (Germany) (AFP) – World Cup winner Lucas Hernandez is set to play for Bayern Munich at Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday, just two days after appearing before a Madrid court for violating a restraining order in 2017. "I would talk to him if I noticed anything unusual, but that is not the […]