London (AFP) – Alvaro Morata scored twice as holders Chelsea began their FA Cup defence with a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest in a match where a tearful Cesc Fabregas appeared to bid farewell to English football. The third round is the stage where top-flight clubs enter the world's oldest senior knockout football tournament and […]

Abu Dhabi (AFP) – Hosts United Arab Emirates survived a scare to salvage a controversial 1-1 draw in their Asian Cup curtain-raiser against Bahrain on Saturday. Substitute Ahmed Khalil smashed home a late penalty harshly awarded for a handball after Mohamed Alromaihi had given Bahrain a shock lead in Abu Dhabi. "The crowd was like […]

Blackpool (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Arsenal's FA Cup tie at Blackpool got off to a bizarre start Saturday when a fan of the home side staged a sit-down 40-minute protest — on the roof of the Premier League giants' luxury team bus. The demonstration forced Unai Emery's men to travel to the third division club's […]

Abu Dhabi (AFP) – Hosts United Arab Emirates salvaged a controversial 1-1 draw in their Asian Cup curtain-raiser against Bahrain on Saturday. Substitute Ahmed Khalil smashed home a late penalty harshly awarded for a handball after Mohamed Alromaihi had given Bahrain a shock lead in Abu Dhabi. The Emirates scored after just 14 seconds when […]

London (AFP) – Alvaro Morata scored twice as holders Chelsea began their FA Cup defence with a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest in a match where a tearful Cesc Fabregas appeared to bid farewell to English football. The third round is the stage where top-flight clubs enter the world's oldest senior knockout football tournament and […]

Berlin (AFP) – French football star Franck Ribery on Saturday launched a foul-mouthed response after he was criticised for eating a gold-coated steak, telling his critics: "I will spend my money how I like". On Thursday, the 35-year-old Bayern Munich player had posted a video on social media of a visit to a steak house […]

London (AFP) – Dominic Solanke may have to wait until February to make his Bournemouth debut because of a hamstring problem, manager Eddie Howe said on Saturday. Howe insisted the Cherries were well aware of the 21-year-old's injury prior to signing the 21-year-old striker from Premier League rivals Liverpool for £19 million ($24 million) on […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti could resume training this month, coach Ernesto Valverde said on Saturday. World cup winner Umtiti has struggled with a knee injury since the start of the season and, in December, began a programme in Qatar to help his recovery. He has played only eight games this campaign, the […]

London (AFP) – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer enjoyed a fifth successive win in as many games as interim manager of Manchester United when his side beat Reading 2-0 in the third round of the FA Cup at Old Trafford on Saturday. The former United striker had already guided the Red Devils to a run of four […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid were handed a boost on Saturday when tests on Gareth Bale's calf injury revealed only a grade-one tear. Bale was forced off at half-time against Villarreal on Wednesday as Madrid were held to a 2-2 draw. But the club have confirmed the problem is minor.Grade-one tears are the least severe […]

Belgrade (AFP) – Serbian dribbling star Dragoslav Sekularac, who appeared 41 times for Yugoslavia, died on Saturday aged 81 his former club Red Star said. "Sekularac .... legend, the king of dribbling ... with his games and goals for Red Star deserved to be among the best players of our club of all times," a […]

Doha (AFP) – Bayern Munich coach Niko Kovac admitted Saturday his team needed "young players", amid speculation the German champions have launched a 33-million-euro bid for Chelsea teenager Callum Hudson-Odoi. Kovac, speaking at Bayern's annual winter training camp in Qatar, refused to confirm or deny the club's interest in the 18-year-old English star but conceded […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid coach Santiago Solari believes the calf injury that Gareth Bale sustained against Villarreal on Wednesday is not serious. Bale will undergo tests on Saturday to diagnose the extent of the problem after being forced off at half-time at the Estadio de la Ceramica, where Real Madrid drew 2-2. “We think […]

Damascus (AFP) – Syria take the field this weekend for their first international football tournament in eight years of war, but not all fans are happy. The Qasioun Eagles take on Palestine on Sunday in their first game of the Asian Cup group stage, hoping to make up for the heartbreak of narrowly missing out […]

Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – The Palestinian football team are taking part in their second-ever Asian Cup in the coming days, and team members born in various parts of the world are hoping to spring a few surprises. The team qualified four years ago for the first time but crashed out in ignominious fashion, losing […]