London (AFP) – Watford's new manager Claudio Ranieri has pledged to put on a "good show" as the Italian returns for a fourth spell in the Premier League. Ranieri has replaced the sacked Xisco Munoz at Vicarage Road after agreeing a two-year contract earlier this week. The former Chelsea, Leicester and Fulham boss arrives to […]

Newcastle (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Amanda Staveley, the British financier who steered the Saudi-led takeover of Premier League club Newcastle United, is a well-connected operator who specialises in marrying Gulf money with opportunities in Europe. Staveley is the public face of the takeover, the first time the Saudis have taken control of a top-tier football […]

Newcastle (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Newcastle are dreaming of Premier League glory after the Saudi-led consortium behind the blockbuster takeover outlined their "ambitious" plans but Amnesty International branded the deal a "bitter blow for human rights defenders". Thousands of jubilant supporters swarmed to Newcastle's St James' Park stadium after the drawn-out £305 million ($415 million) deal […]

Riyadh (AFP) – Football-loving Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is intent on burnishing the image of conservative Muslim Saudi Arabia and he has taken a big step forward with the purchase of Newcastle United, experts say. 'MBS', the kingdom's de facto ruler, joins fellow Gulf royals in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates with the […]

London (AFP) – England manager Gareth Southgate said Friday the coronavirus vaccination programme was the "only way out" of the pandemic as concerns grow over the low rate of Premier League players getting the jab. Although no official figures are available, reports suggest only seven of England's 20 top-flight clubs have more than 50 percent […]

Newcastle (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Newcastle fans are dreaming of Premier League glory after a Saudi-led takeover propelled the club into the ranks of the super-rich but Amnesty International branded the deal a "bitter blow for human rights defenders". Thousands of jubilant supporters swarmed to St James' Park after the drawn-out £305 million ($415 million) […]

London (AFP) – The fiancée of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi on Friday criticised the takeover of Newcastle United by a Saudi-led consortium, accusing the football club of only thinking of money. Hatice Cengiz, who was set to marry Khashoggi when he was killed in 2018 inside Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul, said the £300 million […]

Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona president Joan Laporta admitted on Friday he hoped Lionel Messi would change his mind about leaving the club and offer to play for free. Messi joined Paris Saint-Germain in August after Barca decided not to renew the Argentinian’s contract due to La Liga’s strict salary limits. "There came a time when […]

Sydney (AFP) – Australia coach Graham Arnold says his only focus is next week's clash with Japan after the Socceroos became the first team to win 11 games in a row in the same World Cup qualifying campaign. They achieved the historic feat by beating Oman 3-1 in Qatar on Thursday, with Awer Mabil, Martin […]

Tokyo (AFP) – Maya Yoshida confronted Saudi Arabia fans and later accused them of making "discriminatory gestures" after defeat left Japan in danger of missing the World Cup for the first time since 1994. Japan's captain had angry words with a section of the home fans after the qualifying defeat in Jeddah on Thursday, after […]

Montevideo (AFP) – Gabriel Barbosa's penalty five minutes from time maintained Brazil's perfect start to South American World Cup qualifying with a come from behind 3-1 win over Venezuela on Thursday. It was a ninth win from nine for the Selecao and extended their lead in the single South American qualifying group to eight points […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – Teenager Ricardo Pepi scored twice as the United States secured the second win of their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign with a 2-0 victory over Jamaica on Thursday. Pepi, the 18-year-old from Texas who had scored on his debut during a 4-1 victory over Honduras last month, struck twice in the […]

Montevideo (AFP) – Paraguay kept Lionel Messi quiet in a goalless draw against Argentina on Thursday in the South American World Cup qualifiers. The point maintained Argentina's unbeaten run in qualifying and solidified their second place in the single qualifying table behind runaway leaders Brazil, who were playing Venezuela later. Uruguay remained third after a […]

Turin (Italy) (AFP) – Hugo Lloris on Thursday hailed Kylian Mbappe's superb performance which pushed France to bounce back from two goals down at half-time to beat Belgium 3-2 and reach the Nations League final. Theo Hernandez struck the late winner which set-up a clash with Spain at the San Siro on Sunday but it […]

Doha (AFP) – Australia continued their relentless march towards next year's World Cup in Qatar after beating Oman 3-1, notching up a world record 11 consecutive wins in qualifying on Thursday. Kenya-born Awer Mabil scored the opening goal in the ninth minute while Martin Boyle and Mitchel Duke added to the tally in the second […]