St Peter Port (Guernsey) (AFP) – Hopes faded on Wednesday of finding a missing plane carrying Cardiff City's record new signing Emiliano Sala, as it emerged the Argentine striker had sent relatives a desperate message shortly before the light aircraft disappeared over the Channel. Floating objects have been found in the water, and police on […]

London (AFP) – Eden Hazard must deliver more to realise his full potential and help dig Chelsea out of a slump in form, manager Maurizio Sarri said on Wednesday. Sarri heavily criticised his side's mental strength after they slipped to a 2-0 Premier League defeat at Arsenal on Saturday, labelling his players "difficult to motivate". […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea are in final talks to sign Juventus striker Gonzalo Higuain, head coach Maurizio Sarri said on Wednesday as he looks to bolster his team's firepower. Sarri previously coached Higuain at Napoli when he scored a Serie A record 36 goals in a league campaign in 2015/16. That sort of goalscoring prowess […]

Madrid (AFP) – Gareth Bale is close to a return after recovering from a calf strain, according to Real Madrid coach Santiago Solari. Bale has not played since injuring his calf against Villarreal on January 3 but the Welshman has resumed light training this week. "Toni Kroos, Marcos Llorente, Mariano Diaz, Marco Asensio and Gareth […]

Berlin (AFP) – Marco Reus has insisted he will return for Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund at strugglers Hanover on Saturday after missing their first game of 2019 with a twisted ankle. The 29-year-old Dortmund captain was forced out of their 1-0 win at RB Leipzig on Saturday after picking up a knock in training the […]

Al-Ain (United Arab Emirates) (AFP) – AFP Sport's guide to the Asian Cup quarter-finals, which begin on Thursday and will see the video assistant referee (VAR) system used in the tournament for the first time. – Vietnam v Japan – Japan should brush Vietnam aside but the four-time champions have been so unconvincing that a […]

London (AFP) – David Beckham has bought a stake in English non-league side Salford City, following in the footsteps of his former Manchester United teammates in the "Class of 92". The 43-year-old has joined former United teammates Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Phil Neville, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt and secured a 10 percent stake in […]

London (AFP) – Emiliano Sala made his own arrangements to travel to Cardiff, the chairman of the Premier League club said on Wednesday as the search resumed for the player's missing plane. Sala, who signed for Cardiff City on Saturday from French Ligue 1 club Nantes for a reported fee of 17 million euros ($19.3 […]

Cairo (AFP) – Fans were left baffled on Wednesday after Liverpool's star Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah appeared to have deleted all of his social media accounts where his followers number in the millions. The Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts of Salah, who is idolised in Egypt and Liverpool, went offline without warning a day after […]

St Peter Port (Guernsey) (AFP) – Rescuers searched Wednesday for a missing plane carrying Cardiff City's record new signing Emiliano Sala, as it emerged the Argentine striker had sent relatives a desperate message shortly before the light aircraft disappeared over the Channel. Floating objects have been found in the water, and police on the British […]

Abu Dhabi (AFP) – Football managers used to screaming themselves hoarse during games are finding little need to reach for a post-match lozenge at the Asian Cup — where their voices echo around sparsely-populated stadia. This month's tournament in the United Arab Emirates has struggled to attract crowds, with some coaches grumbling about the swathes […]

St Peter Port (Guernsey) (AFP) – The search resumed Wednesday for a missing plane carrying Cardiff City's record new signing Emiliano Sala, as it emerged the Argentine striker had sent relatives a desperate message shortly before the light aircraft disappeared over the Channel. Floating objects have been found in the water, and police on the […]

Dubai (AFP) – South Korea's Son Heung-min said he was blocking out thoughts of being tired as he slogs it out at the Asian Cup on the back of a frantic spell of football in recent months. The World Cup, Asian Games and Premier League have all taken their toll, and talk of fatigue drew […]

Sao Paulo (AFP) – They may boast seven World Cup victories between them and two of the game's biggest stars in Lionel Messi and Neymar, but Argentina and hosts Brazil will be under immense pressure when the Copa America begins in June. First they have a nerve-wracking wait ahead of Thursday's draw in Rio de […]

Nantes (France) (AFP) – Cardiff City's record new signing Emiliano Sala expressed concern about his plane shortly before the light aircraft disappeared over the Channel, according to an audio message sent to friends and relatives. The Argentine striker, signed on Saturday from French club Nantes for a reported fee of 17 million euros ($19.3 million), […]