London (AFP) – Tottenham announced on Wednesday they will stay at Wembley until at least the end of February as their frustrating wait to move into their new stadium goes on. The Premier League home games against Watford, Newcastle and Leicester will all be at the national stadium as the finishing touches are put on […]

Milan (AFP) – Eight police officers were injured after celebrations to mark Lazio's 119th anniversary in the centre of Rome turned violent, police told Italian media on Wednesday. The skirmishes took place at Piazza della Liberta in the centre of the Italian capital where up to 2,500 Lazio fans gathered late Tuesday at the spot […]

London (AFP) – Pep Guardiola says he welcomes Manchester City's multi-pronged trophy assault, even though title rivals Liverpool have only the Premier League and Champions League to focus on. City face Burton in the semi-finals of the League Cup on Wednesday, days after demolishing Rotherham 7-0 to advance to the fourth round of the FA […]

Doha (AFP) – French World Cup winning defender Benjamin Pavard will join Bayern Munich from Stuttgart on a five-year contract as of July 1, the defending German champions revealed Wednesday. Media reports in Germany put the transfer at 35 million euros ($40 million) for the 22-year-old who can play at right-back or centre-back. "He is […]

Milan (AFP) – Inter Milan will not appeal their two-match stadium closure imposed after racist chanting directed towards Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly, the Serie A club confirmed on Tuesday. Inter were ordered to play two domestic matches behind closed doors for the abuse of Koulibaly during their Serie A clash on December 26. The club […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham Hotspur head coach Mauricio Pochettino said he was "unhappy" to see his side beat Chelsea 1-0 in the first leg of their English League Cup semi-final via a disputed penalty awarded by VAR. Harry Kane scored the only goal of the all-London tie at Wembley after 26 minutes with a spot-kick […]

Milan (AFP) – AC Milan striker Gonzalo Higuain needs to knuckle down and start working, sporting director Leonardo said on Tuesday, amid reports linking the unsettled Argentine international with Chelsea. Higuain, 31, joined Milan on a season-long loan from Juventus in July following the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo in Turin but has struggled to settle […]

Paris (AFP) – Lyon suffered a surprise exit from the French League Cup on Tuesday as Bruno Genesio's side were beaten 2-1 at home by Strasbourg in the quarter-finals. The hosts, who sit third in the Ligue 1 table behind runaway leaders Paris Saint-Germain and Lille, fell behind to an early Ludovic Ajorque spot-kick. Nabil […]

London (AFP) – Harry Kane fired Tottenham a step closer to the League Cup final as his penalty sealed a 1-0 win over Chelsea in the semi-final first leg on Tuesday. Mauricio Pochettino's side are chasing their first trophy since winning the 2008 League Cup at the expense of Chelsea. Kane's first-half spot-kick, awarded via […]

London (AFP) – Everton chief executive Denise Barrett-Baxendale has set the Toffees a target of winning the Premier League and playing Champions League football in their new stadium during the next decade. The Liverpool club have never lifted the Premier League trophy — they were last crowned champions of England in 1986/87 when they took […]

Dakar (AFP) – Mohamed Salah completed a memorable day for Egyptian football by retaining his African Player of the Year title in Senegal Tuesday. The 26-year-old Liverpool star finished first with club-mate Senegalese Sadio Mane and Arsenal and Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang the other finalists. It was an identical outcome to last year when […]

Helsinki (AFP) – Finnish forward Riku Riski missed Tuesday's friendly win against Sweden in Qatar after pulling out of the team's winter training trip to Doha in protest at the Gulf state's human rights record. Finland beat Sweden 1-0 in Doha thanks to a first-half goal by Eero Markkanen, one of two friendlies the team […]

Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Brazil's former football star Ronaldinho on Tuesday left his footprints in the Hall of Fame in Rio's legendary Maracana Stadium, one year after retiring from the sport. "This is one of the biggest trophies of my career," the 38-year-old — full name Ronaldinho de Assis Moreira — told reporters as […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Jermain Defoe is looking forward to linking up with former England team-mate Steven Gerrard in a bid to create "something special" at Scottish giants Rangers. Gerrard, now the manager of Rangers, has signed veteran forward Defoe on an 18-month loan deal from English Premier League club Bournemouth. Defoe, who won 40 of […]

San Juan de Marcona (Peru) (AFP) – Frenchman Sebastien Loeb claimed victory in the second stage of the Dakar Rally raced across challenging desert dunes Tuesday, as main rivals Stephane Peterhansel and Nasser Al-Attiyah had days to forget. Nine-time world rally champion Loeb, driving a private Peugeot entry after the French car manufacturer's decision to […]