Nantes (France) (AFP) – Nantes coach Vahid Halilhodzic admitted the disappearance of striker Emiliano Sala, whose plane came down in the English Channel, had left him "completely shocked" while fans said on Thursday they felt as if they had lost "someone from our own family". Sala had been on his way from the French club […]

London (AFP) – Everton winger Yannick Bolasie career at Goodison Park is in the balance after curtailing his loan spell at Aston Villa without first consulting Toffees manager Marco Silva. Asked Thursday whether he had spoken to Bolasie, who has played just 32 times for Everton since his £25 million (29 million euros) signing from […]

Abu Dhabi (AFP) – Iran fired an Asian Cup warning by dispatching China 3-0 in ruthless fashion to reach the semi-finals on Thursday while a landmark VAR-assisted penalty sent Japan through. Ritsu Doan scored from the spot in Japan's 1-0 win over Vietnam as the video assistant referee system marked its tournament debut with a […]

Lisbon (AFP) – Portugal is considering pulling Cristiano Ronaldo's public honours after he was fined millions by Spain for committing tax fraud while at Real Madrid, the country's president said on Thursday. Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo was awarded the Grand Cross of the Portuguese Order of Merit in 2016, when the national team won […]

St Peter Port (Guernsey) (AFP) – Police on Thursday ended their search for Premier League player Emiliano Sala, saying the chances of finding the Argentinian alive three days after his small plane went missing over the Channel were "extremely remote". Their decision was met with anguished disbelief by the forward's sister Romina, who, speaking through […]

St Peter Port (Guernsey) (AFP) – Police on Thursday ended their search for Premier League player Emiliano Sala, saying the chances of finding the Argentine alive three days after his plane went missing over the Channel were "extremely remote". The light aircraft transporting the 28-year-old striker, who signed for Cardiff City at the weekend, disappeared […]

Dubai (AFP) – Ritsu Doan scored the Asian Cup's first penalty awarded through the video assistant referee (VAR) as Japan beat Vietnam 1-0 to reach the Asian Cup semi-finals on Thursday. As VAR made an eventful Asian Cup debut, Maya Yoshida had a headed goal ruled out on review before Doan was adjudged to have […]

Al-Ain (United Arab Emirates) (AFP) – Australia coach Graham Arnold said the defending champions "belong in Asia" as Arab support looked set to swing behind hosts UAE for their crunch Asian Cup quarter-final. Pockets of dissent still remain over Australia's 2006 shift from Oceania to the Asian confederation, and could give Friday's clash an underlying […]

Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) (AFP) – Brazilian football star Neymar said on his Instagram feed Thursday that he was leaving everything in God's hands after his club Paris Saint-Germain announced he had suffered fresh injury to his right foot. "Your will be done, God," the forward wrote, next to a photo of one of his […]

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain talisman Neymar suffered a fresh injury to his right metatarsal in the holders' French Cup win over Strasbourg, the club said Thursday. A fractured metatarsal curtailed the Brazilian's campaign last season, and the recurrence comes just three weeks ahead of the first leg of PSG's crunch Champions League clash against […]

Abu Dhabi (AFP) – South Korea coach Paulo Bento has dismissed concerns over captain Son Heung-min's fitness, calling on his supporting cast to step up in Friday's Asian Cup quarter-final against Qatar. The Koreans, who have mysteriously gone 59 years without winning Asian football's most coveted prize, have already lost Newcastle midfielder Ki Sung-yueng to […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool's record goalscorer Ian Rush is not concerned by the lack of title-winning experience in Jurgen Klopp's side as they seek to fend off Manchester City and end a 29-year drought. The Reds, who have not been English champions since 1990, lead the Premier League by four points from Pep Guardiola's side, […]

London (AFP) – A footballer with refugee status who has been detained in Thailand for nearly two months over his alleged role in Bahrain's Arab Spring protests is "losing hope", according to a global players' union. Hakeem Alaraibi, 25, who played for the gulf state's national youth team, fled his homeland and was granted asylum […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hopes Anthony Martial will agree a new contract with Manchester United in the coming weeks as the club look to tie down a clutch of top players. France forward Martial and goalkeeper David de Gea are both out of contract at the end of next season after […]

St Peter Port (Guernsey) (AFP) – Rescue workers on the British island of Guernsey resumed the hunt Thursday for a missing plane carrying new Premier League player Emiliano Sala, who is feared dead after two days of fruitless searches. The light aircraft carrying the Argentine striker, who signed for Cardiff City at the weekend, disappeared […]