London (AFP) – Leeds extended their lead at the top of the Championship with a 2-0 win over Derby, but victory was marred by manager Marcelo Bielsa's admission he was responsible for a spying scandal that left Derby boss Frank Lampard furious. Derby released a statement earlier on Friday saying police had been called to […]

Paris (AFP) – Lille were quick out of the blocks after the Ligue 1 winter break on Friday, overcoming a late sending off to beat Caen 3-1 and consolidate second place behind Paris Saint-Germain. Ivory Coast international Nicolas Pepe was at the heart of this 11th league success of the season, scoring in the eighth […]

Al-Ain (United Arab Emirates) (AFP) – South Korea and China ensured their places in the Asian Cup last 16 on Friday after continuing their perfect starts, as Australia reignited their title defence with a vital win over Palestine. The Koreans, runners-up in 2015, squeezed past Kyrgyzstan 1-0 thanks to Kim Min-jae's strike just before half-time, […]

Nice (France) (AFP) – A Chinese-American group of investors are set to fully take over as owners of French Ligue 1 side Nice at the end of the season, the club's president Jean-Pierre Rivere announced on Friday. Rivere as well as sporting director Julien Fournier will sell their remaining 20% stake in the outfit coached […]

Abu Dhabi (AFP) – Sour Swede Sven-Goran Eriksson scrapped dinner plans with old foe Marcello Lippi after China thrashed his Philippines side 3-0 on Friday to reach the last 16 of the Asian Cup. China's star striker Wu Lei fired a brilliant double against the Filipino 'Street Dogs' in Abu Dhabi as Lippi emerged victorious […]

Monaco (AFP) – Cesc Fabregas has completed his move to from Chelsea to Ligue 1 strugglers Monaco, a source close to the deal confirmed to AFP on Friday. Fabregas put pen to paper on a three-and-a-half-year deal at the Stade Louis II after passing a medical earlier in the day, as he teams up with […]

London (AFP) – Mauricio Pochettino says his focus is solely on defeating Manchester United on Sunday to further Tottenham's Premier League title chances rather than his own prospects of taking over at Old Trafford next season. The Argentine is the bookies' favourite to take over as United's next permanent manager despite Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's perfect […]

Abu Dhabi (AFP) – Sour Swede Sven-Goran Eriksson scrapped dinner plans with old foe Marcello Lippi after China thrashed his Philippines side 3-0 on Friday to reach the last 16 of the Asian Cup. China's star striker Wu Lei fired a brilliant double against the Filipino 'Street Dogs' in Abu Dhabi as Marcello Lippi emerged […]

London (AFP) – Southampton striker Manolo Gabbiadini has joined Italian side Sampdoria in a deal worth a reported £12 million ($15 million), the Premier League club announced on Friday. Italy international Gabbiadini scored just 12 goals in 60 appearances for Southampton despite making an impressive start after arriving from Napoli in January 2017, and hadn't […]

Abu Dhabi (AFP) – Star striker Wu Lei fired a brilliant double as China beat the Philippines 3-0 on Friday to virtually assure their place in the last 16 of the Asian Cup. Marcello Lippi emerged victorious against old foe Sven-Goran Eriksson in a heavyweight coaching clash despite spirited early resistance from the Filipino 'Street […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Pep Guardiola insisted on Friday he will be happy if Manchester City have no time for a mid-season break, because it will mean they are still competing for every trophy. City's rivals Manchester United took the opportunity this week for a warm-weather training trip to Dubai, allowing boss Ole Gunnar […]

London (AFP) – Derby's clash with Championship leaders Leeds on Friday has been shrouded in a spying storm after a Leeds employee was caught "acting suspiciously" around Derby's training ground. Police were called on Thursday to deal with the incident and a man was questioned before being released. "Derby County Football Club can confirm that […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp denied on Friday that his Premier League leaders will have the upper hand over Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur in the title race despite a lighter schedule after crashing out of both domestic cup competitions. City trail Klopp's men by four points, with Tottenham two points further back, […]

Dubai (AFP) – Coach Graham Arnold warned Australia would get "better and better" as the defending champions swamped Palestine 3-0 to move within sight of the Asian Cup last 16 on Friday. Goals from Hibernian striker Jamie Maclaren, Awer Mabil and substitute Apostolos Giannou banished memories of the shock opening defeat to Jordan as Australia […]

London (AFP) – Maurizio Sarri has lashed out at Bayern Munich for their "unprofessional" behaviour after the Bundesliga club publicly expressed their interest in Chelsea starlet Callum Hudson-Odoi. Chelsea boss Sarri is furious that Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic said this week that they "definitely" want to sign Hudson-Odoi during the January transfer window as […]