Johannesburg (AFP) – A South African court on Tuesday handed Uganda's national football coach Milutin "Micho" Sredojevic a three-year suspended sentence for two charges of sexual assault, prosecutors said. The Serbian national returned to the "Cranes" in July. The offences were committed last year when he was coaching Zambia. "Earlier this morning, the Port Elizabeth […]

Milan (AFP) – Alvaro Morata could start for Juventus in this week's Champions League trip to Zenit Saint Petersburg after recovering from a thigh injury, coach Massimiliano Allegri said on Tuesday. Spain forward Morata had been out of action since picking up the knock against Sampdoria towards the end of last month but after playing […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Barcelona will have to beat Dynamo Kiev to have any chance of reaching the knock-out stage of the Champions League, coach Ronald Koeman said on Tuesday. After losing 3-0 to both Bayern Munich and Benfica, Barca sit bottom of Group E with two games against Kiev up next, the first at Camp […]

London (AFP) – Premier League clubs have voted to temporarily block teams from striking lucrative deals with businesses that have links to their club's owners after the Saudi Arabia-backed takeover of Newcastle. The Guardian newspaper reported 18 clubs voted in favour of the ban at an emergency meeting on Monday, with Newcastle voting against and […]

Hayes (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Racism could be eradicated from football if the authorities cared enough, Les Ferdinand, the former Newcastle and England forward and now director of football at London club QPR, has told AFP. The 54-year-old affectionately known as "Sir Les" was one of the most feared marksmen in his days at Queens […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was left with no excuses in his quest to end the club's four-year trophy drought when Cristiano Ronaldo headlined starry transfer window. But the Norwegian has failed to match expectations and Saturday's 4-2 loss at Leicester left United five points adrift in the Premier League […]

Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona want to build for the future with the tantalising prospect of another group of teenage talents emerging together, but for now reality still bites. After successive 3-0 losses to Bayern Munich and Benfica in Group E, another loss at home to Dynamo Kiev on Wednesday would leave them on the brink […]

Berlin (AFP) – After he was mercilessly whistled by Bayern Munich fans in August, Leroy Sane has beefed up his defence to silence disgruntled supporters and justify his 45 million euros ($52 million) transfer from Manchester City. Sane is set to start away to Benfica in Lisbon on Wednesday with visitors Bayern chasing a third […]

London (AFP) – Patrick Vieira nearly enjoyed a dream return to Arsenal but Alexandre Lacazette's 96th minute equaliser salvaged a 2-2 draw for the Gunners against Crystal Palace on Monday. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's seventh-minute strike gave the hosts the perfect start. But a five-game unbeaten that had lifted the mood around the Emirates looked set to […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric has criticised FIFA's plans for a biennial World Cup and expressed dismay that players have not been consulted. World football's governing body announced on Monday that it will hold talks with national team coaches this week over the controversial idea, which has been met by opposition from […]

Cardiff (United Kingdom) (AFP) – A 66-year-old man has pleaded guilty to a charge in relation to the death of Argentine footballer Emiliano Sala in a light-aircraft crash in 2019, a British court heard on Monday. David Henderson admitted one count of attempting to discharge a passenger without valid permission or authorisation, before a trial […]

Madrid (AFP) – Ronald Koeman said on Saturday Barcelona will have a team to win La Liga once their injured players have recovered. Barca sit ninth in the table ahead of a crunch week that includes league games against Valencia on Sunday and Real Madrid next weekend, with a Champions League match at home to […]

Newcastle (United Kingdom) (AFP) – A new era beckons for Newcastle on Sunday when a packed St James' Park will witness the Magpies' first match since a takeover led by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund took control of the club. Amanda Staveley, one of Newcastle's new directors, says the consortium's ambition is to turn the […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes it is time for Marcus Rashford to focus on football after winning widespread plaudits for his anti-poverty campaigning. The 24-year-old forward hasn't played since suffering a shoulder injury following England's Euro 2020 final loss to Italy in July. However, he could make his first appearance […]

Paris (AFP) – Kylian Mbappe converted a soft late VAR penalty award to give a Paris Saint-Germain side missing Lionel Messi and Neymar a 2-1 win over Angers in Ligue 1 on Friday. PSG had to come from behind, with Danilo Pereira heading in the equaliser midway through the second half after Angelo Fulgini had […]