London (AFP) – Chelsea signed Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain on loan from Juventus until the end of the season on Wednesday as boss Maurizio Sarri looks to ignite his spluttering attack. Higuain will be reunited with Sarri, who managed the 31-year-old at Napoli and made him his top target in the January transfer window. After […]

Paris (AFP) – Caen ended the run of plucky sixth-tier amateurs Viry-Chatillon with a 6-0 rout in the last 32 of the French Cup on Wednesday, while Dijon thumped top-flight rivals Saint-Etienne 6-3 in the snow. Viry-Chatillon had upended Ligue 1 outfit Angers in the previous round, but they were thrashed by Caen as Yacine […]

Paris (AFP) – Caen ended the run of plucky sixth-tier amateurs Viry-Chatillon with a 6-0 rout in the last 32 of the French Cup on Wednesday, while Dijon thumped top-flight rivals Saint-Etienne 6-3 in the snow. Viry-Chatillon had upended Ligue 1 outfit Angers in the previous round, but they were thrashed by Caen as Yacine […]

Paris (AFP) – As searchers offered little hope on Wednesday of finding Emiliano Sala alive, some in football posed the first sensitive questions over insurance and the fee Cardiff had just agreed to pay for the Argentine striker. Sala signed with the Premier League club on Saturday from French Ligue 1 club Nantes for a […]

London (AFP) – Crystal Palace goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey has been charged by the Football Association after allegedly making a Nazi salute. In a picture posted on Instagram by his German Palace team-mate Max Meyer, Hennessey was seen making what was interpreted as the Nazi gesture as Eagles players celebrated their FA Cup win against Grimsby […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bundesliga side RB Leipzig confirmed Wednesday they have signed 19-year-old Austrian midfielder Hannes Wolf from sister club Red Bull Salzburg as of July 1 — after he twice helped beat them in the Europa League. The teenage Austria Under-21 international, who won the UEFA Youth League title in 2016-17 with Salzburg, has […]

St Peter Port (Guernsey) (AFP) – Hopes all but vanished of finding new Cardiff City striker Emiliano Sala alive as British, French and Channel Islands rescuers on Wednesday suspended a second day of searches after the plane he was flying in disappeared at sea. The Argentine footballer had sent relatives a desperate message shortly before […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Barcelona have won the race to sign highly-rated Ajax midfielder Frenkie de Jong, the Spanish club announced on Wednesday. The 21-year-old will join Barca on July 1 for 75 million euros ($85 million), with a further 11 million euros due to Ajax in additional payments. De Jong, who is considered one of […]

Berlin (AFP) – Six months after successfully making it's World Cup debut in Russia, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system remains a 'work in progress' which keeps sparking controversy across Europe's top leagues. "The VAR is like an airbag: it can help in case of emergency, but only in case of a real emergency," was […]

London (AFP) – French striker Aboubakar Kamara has been indefinitely suspended by Fulham after being arrested on suspicion of actual bodily harm and criminal damage following a fight at the club's training ground. "Police were called to a training ground in New Malden, shortly after 17.00hrs on Monday, 21 January to reports of a fight," […]

Doha (AFP) – Rui Faria said on Wednesday he did not seek advice from Jose Mourinho before deciding to take his first head coach job at Qatar Stars League side Al Duhail. The man who was Mourinho's assistant for 17 years at some of the world's biggest clubs was officially unveiled at a press conference […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal manager Unai Emery says Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has made Manchester United a much more dangerous team since taking over from Jose Mourinho. Emery's side host United in the FA Cup fourth round on Friday and the Spaniard expects a stern test from Solskjaer's revitalised team. Arsenal drew 2-2 with United at […]

Marseille (AFP) – Marseille have completed the signing of Italy striker Mario Balotelli from their French rivals Nice, the Ligue 1 club confirmed on Wednesday. Balotelli, 28, has signed for the former European champions until the end of the season after being released from the remainder of his contract by Nice and passing a medical […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino says the club will not change their transfer strategy despite potentially costly injuries to striker Harry Kane and midfielder Dele Alli but are open to making signings this month. Both players have been ruled out until March — Kane with ankle ligament damage sustained in the recent loss […]

Abu Dhabi (AFP) – Carlos Queiroz says his in-form Iran side should not be labelled favourites to win their Asian Cup quarter-final with China on Thursday, a match he described as "the game of our lives". Asia's top-ranked side, Iran have played by far the tournament's slickest football to date and appear on track to […]