London (AFP) – Southampton striker Charlie Austin has been suspended for two matches after making an offensive gesture towards Manchester City fans. Austin admitted making the two-fingered action as he was substituted in the second half of Southampton's 3-1 defeat against City at St Mary's in December. "The striker admitted his gesture in or around […]

Milan (AFP) – Dutch defender Marvin Zeegelaar has joined Serie A side Udinese on loan from Watford, just days after the arrival of striker Stefano Okaka from the Premier League club. The Italian side on Thursday confirmed the deal until June 30, 2019, without revealing whether there was an option to buy. Both Watford and […]

Abu Dhabi (AFP) – Hosts United Arab Emirates threw off the shackles at the Asian Cup on Thursday, surviving a hairy start to dispatch India 2-0 and close in on a place in the last 16. Jordan earlier became the first side to book their place in the knockout stages after winning a bruising derby […]

Monaco (AFP) – Thierry Henry's struggling Monaco have moved to further strengthen their defence in the January transfer window with the signing of France under-21 international left-back Fode Ballo-Toure from Ligue 1 rivals Lille. Ballo-Toure, 22, leaves the team in second place in France's top flight for a Monaco side who lie second from bottom. […]

Abu Dhabi (AFP) – Khalfan Mubarak and Ali Mabkhout were on target for United Arab Emirates as the Asian Cup hosts beat India 2-0 on Thursday to close on a spot in the last 16. The Emirates, who salvaged a 1-1 draw in their curtain-raiser against Bahrain after a controversial late penalty last weekend, went […]

Cairo (AFP) – Chosen to host the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt faces a race against time to get ready for the event in five months, but experts say it will meet the challenge. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Tuesday said it selected Egypt ahead of South Africa to stand in for […]

London (AFP) – West Ham insist star forward Marko Arnautovic is not for sale despite interest from the Chinese Super League in the Austrian. Arnautovic was the subject of a reported £35 million ($44 million) offer from an unnamed Chinese club this week. The player's agent and brother Danijel Arnautovic told talkSPORT on Thursday it […]

Al-Ain (United Arab Emirates) (AFP) – Jordan won a bruising derby with Syria 2-0 to become the first team to reach the Asian Cup knockouts on Thursday, while talisman Chanathip "Messi Jay" Songkrasin hauled crisis-hit Thailand back on track. In a rowdy atmosphere at a packed Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium, first-half goals from Mousa Mohammad […]

London (AFP) – Claudio Ranieri says Premier League strugglers Fulham need to sign a "leader" if they are to avoid an immediate return to the second-tier Championship. The 67-year-old Italian has not engendered a major revival in Fulham's fortunes since he replaced the sacked Slavisa Jokanovic in November. The London club lie second from bottom, […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund are reportedly looking to invest the £58 million ($74m) made from selling US international Christian Pulisic to Chelsea on both Belgium winger Thorgan Hazard and Argentine defender Leonardo Balerdi. Chelsea signed the 20-year-old Pulisic — regarded as one of the hottest properties in European football — on a […]

London (AFP) – West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini insists he wants to keep Marko Arnautovic amid reports of a bid from a Chinese Super League team. Arnautovic was the subject of a reported £35 million ($44 million) offer from an unnamed Chinese club this week. It was suggested that Shanghai SIPG are the side interested […]

London (AFP) – Gabriel Jesus insists Manchester City have no reason to apologise after they crushed minnows Burton 9-0 in the League Cup semi-finals. Jesus scored four times as City refused to take their foot off the gas in a ruthless demolition job at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday. Pep Guardiola's side were four up […]

Dubai (AFP) – Blond talisman Chanathip "Messi Jay" Songkrasin fired Thailand to only the second Asian Cup win in their history on Thursday as they beat Bahrain 1-0 to reignite their campaign. The Consadole Sapporo midfielder's second-half strike was golden for the Thais, who had seemed in disarray when they sacked their coach Milovan Rajevac […]

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain were seen as heavy favourites to beat Manchester United when the sides were drawn together in the last 16 of the Champions League less than a month ago, but fans of the French giants may not be so confident right now. While United fired Jose Mourinho in the wake of […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey is set to seal a money-spinning move to Italian champions Juventus when his contract expires with the Gunners in the summer, according to reports on Thursday. The Welsh international will bring to an end 10 years at Arsenal at the end of the season after talks over a […]