Dijon (France) (AFP) – Struggling Ligue 1 club Dijon on Monday sacked Olivier Dall'Oglio as coach after more than six years at the club. Dall'Oglio oversaw Dijon's return to the top flight in 2016 and had started this season with three wins. But 12 matches followed without victory before the club's fourth win of the […]

London (AFP) – Riding high until two weeks ago, Arsenal's season has taken a sudden downturn that has thrown the focus firmly onto the club's plans for the January transfer window. Prior to the visit to Southampton in mid-December, the Gunners had gone 22 games without defeat and while form had been more patchy since […]

London (AFP) – As Mauricio Pochettino offered an explanation of why Tottenham Hotspur's emerging Premier League title challenge had stalled so quickly, it was hard to avoid the view their bid for success on four fronts could once again leave the club empty-handed. The 3-1 home defeat by Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday was utterly deflating […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer encouraged Paul Pogba to cut showboating from his game to recreate the "efficient" display that saw the Frenchman score twice for the second straight game in a 4-1 thrashing of Bournemouth at Old Trafford. A third consecutive victory since Solskjaer took caretaker charge until the end of […]

London (AFP) – Susanna Dinnage has shocked English football by deciding she no longer wants to be the chief executive of the Premier League despite previously accepting the post. Dinnage, a television executive, was announced as the successor to the long-serving Richard Scudamore in November, with her appointment hailed as a major step forward for […]

Southampton (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Pep Guardiola has warned his Manchester City side a failure to beat Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium on Thursday will effectively mean their title challenge is "over". Reigning champions City revived their bid to retain the Premier League trophy with a 3-1 win away to Southampton on Sunday that followed […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City cut Liverpool's lead at the top of the Premier League to seven points with a 3-1 win at Southampton as Paul Pogba shone again for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Manchester United by scoring twice in a 4-1 victory over Bournemouth on Sunday. City's shock run of three defeats in […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Paul Pogba scored twice for the second time in five days as Manchester United's revival since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer replaced the sacked Jose Mourinho continued unabated with a 4-1 thrashing of Bournemouth at Old Trafford. A third consecutive victory since Solskjaer took caretaker charge until the end of the season […]

Tehran (AFP) – Iran's largest stadium will host the women's national football team for the first time since the Islamic revolution, the semi-official news agency ISNA reported on Sunday. The team will face Russia at Tehran's Azadi stadium in a friendly match as part of the run-up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, football federation chief […]

Southampton (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City showed they are willing to accept the challenge of Liverpool in the race for the Premier League title with a 3-1 win away to Southampton on Sunday. Following shock defeats by Crystal Palace and Leicester, reigning champions City cut the gap between themselves and Premier League leaders Liverpool […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Spanish champions Barcelona confirmed their interest in signing Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Adrien Rabiot in a statement on Sunday but have denied any transfer irregularities. "In response to information published in France, FC Barcelona affirm that they have not broken any rule concerning the transfers of players from PSG," said the statement published […]

London (AFP) – Maurizio Sarri said Chelsea's lengthening injury list is causing concern ahead of his side's crowded January schedule. Striker Olivier Giroud became the Blues' latest casualty, hobbling out of the 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday and leaving Selhurst Park on crutches. Chelsea had gone into the game […]

London (AFP) – N'Golo Kante showed signs he is growing into his more advanced midfield role with a composed finish that gave Chelsea a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday. Chelsea head coach Maurizio Sarri has been criticised for moving Kante out of his more familiar position in front of the […]

Milan (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo scored twicee as Juventus brought the curtain down on a record-breaking 2018 with a 2-1 win over Sampdoria before the three-week winter break in Italy. Ronaldo powered the unbeaten reigning champions to a record number of points from the first half of the season with 53 from 19 games. Napoli […]

London (AFP) – Fulham boss Claudio Ranieri admitted he felt like "killing" Aboubakar Kamara after the French striker ignored instructions and took the missed penalty that almost cost the London side victory against Huddersfield on Saturday. Fulham secured a 1-0 win against their Premier League relegation rivals when Aleksandar Mitrovic scored in stoppage time. Minutes […]