Abu Dhabi (AFP) – They may not be able to bend it quite like David Beckham, but Sven-Goran Eriksson's Philippines have made an instant impact in their first appearance at the Asian Cup. Ranked a lowly 116th in the world, the Azkals (street dogs) bared their teeth against South Korea in Abu Dhabi this week, […]

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) – The Football Association has reached a financial settlement with former England women's national football coach Mark Sampson, sacked in 2017 for "inappropriate" conduct in a former job. Sampson had brought a case for unfair dismissal — which had been due to be heard this week — against the FA after they ended […]

Doha (AFP) – Franck Ribery has been ruled out ahead of the resumption of the Bundesliga season, Bayern Munich revealed on Thursday, as the winger reels from his golden steak scandal. The 35-year-old, who is out of contract in June, tore his right hamstring at Bayern's winter camp in Doha ahead of the German champions' […]

Al-Ain (United Arab Emirates) (AFP) – AFP Sport looks at five things we learned from the opening round of group games at the Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates: – Home advantage counts – It has been a long time since Iran or Saudi Arabia were kings of Asia but with the tournament back […]

Paris (AFP) – Dijon have appointed Antoine Kombouare as their new coach following the dismissal of Olivier Dall'Oglio at the end of last year, the struggling Ligue 1 club announced on Thursday. In a statement, Dijon said that former Paris Saint-Germain coach Kombouare, 55, would take the reins until the end of the season, with […]

London (AFP) – Jose Mourinho is available for a dramatic return to Real Madrid after Manchester United paid him a reported £15 million ($19 million) in compensation following his sacking last month, according to British media on Thursday. The Daily Mail reports that a source close to Mourinho — whose contract was due to run […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – A number of popular African clubs who have not won a continental competition for a long time will be in CAF Confederation Cup play-offs first-leg action this weekend. It is 42 years since Nigerians Enugu Rangers won the now defunct African Cup Winners Cup and Ghanaians Asante Kotoko lifted the African […]

Girona (Spain) (AFP) – Vinicius Junior starred and Real Madrid steadied the ship as a 3-0 win over Leganes on Wednesday put them on the brink of the Copa del Rey quarter-finals. Vinicius, the 18-year-old Brazilian signed by Madrid last summer, capped an electric display at the Santiago Bernabeu with a stunning volley, his third […]

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain saw their 43-match winning run in domestic cup competitions come to an end as Thomas Tuchel's men suffered a shock 2-1 home defeat by Ligue 1 bottom club Guingamp in the French League Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday. The visitors were awarded three penalties at the Parc des Princes in a […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Holders Manchester City can look forward to defending the League Cup in next month's final at Wembley as Gabriel Jesus struck four goals in a 9-0 thrashing of Burton Albion in their semi-final, first leg on Wednesday. Kevin de Bruyne, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Phil Foden, Kyle Walker and Riyad Mahrez were also […]

Bogota (AFP) – The president of Colombian football team Deportes Tolima apologized on Wednesday for describing the women's game as "a tremendous lesbian breeding ground." Gabriel Camargo, whose team won the Colombian Apertura title in 2018, also branded female players as alcoholics and women's football as economically unviable. "I declare it wasn't my intention to […]

Girona (Spain) (AFP) – Antoine Griezmann helped Atletico Madrid edge towards the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday as they took a valuable away goal from a 1-1 draw with Girona. Griezmann's early shot squirmed its way in off both the crossbar and then goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz but Girona hit back before half-time […]

Paris (AFP) – Monaco goalkeeper Loic Badiashile scored the winning penalty as Thierry Henry's struggling side edged a marathon shootout against Rennes to reach the French League Cup semi-finals on Wednesday. The principality club, runners-up in the past two seasons, salvaged a 1-1 draw after normal time thanks to Rony Lopes' second-half equaliser, before Badiashile's […]

Al-Ain (United Arab Emirates) (AFP) – Lebanon coach Miodrag Radulovic said his team were playing "against 12 or 13" as he slammed the referee in an extended rant after Wednesday's Asian Cup defeat by Qatar. Radulovic said Chinese referee Ma Ning had ruined Lebanon's chances by ruling out a first-half goal which would have put […]