London (AFP) – Roman Abramovich rose from a penniless background in Russia's frozen north to become a multi-billionaire and a celebrity football tycoon who transformed the fortunes of one of England's most famous clubs. But his empire was left teetering after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which raised questions about his closeness to the Kremlin, as […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – Major League Soccer's Houston Dynamo said Wednesday that Mexico captain Hector Herrera will join them later this year after his contract with La Liga champions Atletico Madrid expires. "On behalf of the City of Houston and our loyal, passionate soccer fans, I'm honored to welcome Hector Herrera to Houston Dynamo FC," […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea survived a major FA Cup scare to reach the quarter-finals with a 3-2 win at Luton just hours after Roman Abramovich put the club up for sale on Wednesday. Thomas Tuchel's side took to the Kenilworth Road pitch for the fifth round tie with their heads still spinning from Abramovich's bombshell […]

London (AFP) – Roman Abramovich's decision to sell Chelsea has sent shockwaves throughout English football but he leaves with the club firmly established as one of the giants of the European game. The billionaire, alleged to have close links to Russian President Vladimir Putin, has not so far been named on a growing British sanctions […]

London (AFP) – Everton's Ukraine defender Vitalii Mykolenko will play in Thursday's FA Cup tie against Boreham Wood just 48 hours after his fierce criticism of Russia captain Artem Dzyuba over the invasion of his country. Mykolenko, who joined Everton from Dynamo Kyiv in January, used an expletive-filled social media post to strongly condemn Dzyuba […]

Hanover (Germany) (AFP) – Christopher Nkunku continued his hot streak by scoring twice on Wednesday as Leipzig cruised into the German Cup semi-finals with a 4-0 victory at second-division Hanover. Also on Wednesday, Hamburg fought back from two goals down to beat Karlsruhe on penalties in a battle of fallen giants. Frenchman Nkunku has scored […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea's Russian owner Roman Abramovich on Wednesday confirmed he is to sell the Premier League club, pledging that proceeds will go to victims of the war in Ukraine. The billionaire believes it is in the "best interest" of the Champions League holders if he parts ways with the club he has transformed […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich on Wednesday confirmed he will sell the Premier League club amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Russian billionaire Abramovich has decided it is in the "best interest" of the Champions League holders if he parts ways with the club he has transformed since his purchase in 2003. "As I […]

Berlin (AFP) – Former Ukraine international and Liverpool forward Andriy Voronin has quit his coaching role at Dynamo Moscow over Russia's invasion of his home country. The 42-year-old gave up his job as assistant coach and flew with his family to Germany. "I can't live in a country that's at war with my country," he […]

Monaco (AFP) – Amid all the focus on Roman Abramovich's stewardship of Chelsea, there is another prominent European football club in the hands of a discreet billionaire Russian owner about whom questions are being asked. Dmitry Rybolovlev is the president and majority shareholder of Monaco, the famous club from the glamorous principality having been in […]

London (AFP) – Boreham Wood manager Luke Garrard wants to stun Everton in the FA Cup on Thursday, but if the non-league side cannot cause an upset he will settle for going home with Frank Lampard's shirt. National League club Boreham Wood head to Goodison Park for a fifth round date with Lampard's Everton dreaming […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bundesliga football club Borussia Dortmund said Wednesday they have withdrawn honorary membership from Germany's former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder because of his links to Russia. In a statement, Dortmund said club president Reinhard Rauball informed Schroeder "in a personal meeting" that his membership has been revoked. The decision was taken by the club's […]

Paris (AFP) – FIFA is in "advanced discussions" to suspend the Russian national team from international competitions including the World Cup following the invasion of Ukraine, a source with knowledge of the talks told AFP on Monday. The source said Russia would be expelled from the World Cup "unless the situation improves". The Russian team […]

Paris (AFP) – Versailles might be far better known for its spectacular chateau than for its football team but the flourishing local club find themselves just 90 minutes away from a place in the French Cup final. The fourth-tier outfit from just outside Paris face Nice in the semi-finals on Tuesday as they dream of […]

Milan (AFP) – Gianluigi Buffon signed a new deal with Parma on Monday that will keep the veteran former Italy captain at the Serie B club until 2024. The one-year extension to his deal means Buffon, who is Parma's first choice goalkeeper, will continue as a professional footballer until beyond his 46th birthday. "Gigi is […]