London (AFP) – Marcos Alonso has challenged his Chelsea team-mates to prove they are motivated to arrest their alarming slide in Thursday's League Cup semi-final showdown against Tottenham. Furious with the latest in a growing list of punchless displays, Blues boss Maurizio Sarri launching a scathing attack on his Chelsea stars after Saturday's 2-0 defeat […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola insists he will not crack down on Benjamin Mendy's prolific social media output as the French defender returns to action following a two-month injury layoff. Mendy, who also missed most of last season due to a cruciate knee ligament injury, has become better known for […]

Paris (AFP) – Monaco saw their season take another turn for the worse with a shock 3-1 home defeat by Metz in the French Cup Tuesday on a sombre night for football in the country after the suspected death of former Nantes striker Emiliano Sala. Thierry Henry's struggling principality side, who are winless at home […]

Kingston (Jamaica) (AFP) – Usain Bolt is giving up on his dream of forging a career as a professional footballer following his try-out last year with Australian side Central Coast Mariners. In remarks reported by Jamaican media outlets on Tuesday, the eight-time Olympic sprint champion said he had drawn a line under his hopes of […]

Milan (AFP) – Genoa's Polish international striker Krzysztof Piatek is poised to complete a 35-million-euro ($40 million) move to AC Milan, allowing Argentine Gonzalo Higuain to join Chelsea, according to multiple reports in Italy on Tuesday. The Serie A side have reportedly agreed a five-year deal with the 23-year-old who is set to earn two […]

Paris (AFP) – A collective negligence led to racial profiling at youth-team level inside Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain, French league authorities said Tuesday when fining the club 100,000 euros ($114,000). The affair began when French investigative website Mediapart revealed racial profiling by talent scouts since 2013 where potential youth signings were identified by their […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Mamelodi Sundowns won and Orlando Pirates drew Tuesday in the South African Premiership as the two closest challengers to leaders Bidvest Wits extended long unbeaten runs. Poor defending by hosts Highlands Park helped Sundowns triumph 2-1 near Johannesburg to stretch an undefeated league record to 28 games from last January and spanning […]

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain outcast Adrien Rabiot has won a judgement ordering the club to include him in first-team training, AFP learned on Tuesday evening. In response to a complaint by Rabiot, the French league's legal committee ruled that forcing the contract rebel to train with the reserves, who play in the French fourth […]

Nantes (France) (AFP) – Hundreds of Nantes supporters came together in the city centre to pay tribute to Emiliano Sala on Tuesday, after a light aircraft he was travelling in disappeared over the English Channel. The Argentine striker, signed for Premier League strugglers Cardiff City on Saturday from the French club for a reported fee […]

Abu Dhabi (AFP) – Title-chasing South Korea dodged a bullet to reach the Asian Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday, while Qatar toppled Iraq 1-0 in a full-blooded Gulf clash. The Koreans were taken to extra time by tiny Bahrain in Dubai where a thumping header from substitute Kim Jin-su earned them a 2-1 win and dragged […]

Marseille (AFP) – French side Marseille have finally secured the signing of Mario Balotelli from Nice after agreeing to take on the remaining six months of the Italian striker's contract, sources said on Tuesday. The 28-year-old has a reputation of being difficult to manage but has played for clubs such as Inter Milan, Manchester City, […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – Former United States goalkeeper Tim Howard announced Tuesday that he will retire from the sport after his 2019 Major League Soccer season with the Colorado Rapids. The 39-year-old former Manchester United and Everton stopper, a veteran of three World Cup campaigns, confirmed his decision to hang up his gloves in a […]

Cardiff (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Cardiff City's stunned supporters joined club officials in praying for a miracle on Tuesday with the Premier League club's record signing Emiliano Sala feared dead after his plane disappeared over the Channel Islands. The 28-year-old Argentine striker is one of two people still missing after contact was lost with the […]

Abu Dhabi (AFP) – Qatar beat Iraq 1-0 in a full-blooded contest to reach the Asian Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday as title-chasing South Korea dodged a bullet to secure their progress. The Koreans were taken to extra time by tiny Bahrain where a thumping header from substitute Kim Jin-su dragged the tournament co-favourites through to […]

Dubai (AFP) – Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min told his South Korea team-mates "we're better than that" after they needed extra time to scrape past Bahrain's part-timers 2-1 in the Asian Cup last 16 on Tuesday. Kim Jin-su's diving header at the end of the first extra period was all that separated South Korea's well-paid […]