London (AFP) – Manchester City's highly-rated young midfielder Phil Foden has signed a new five-and-a-half-year deal with the Premier League champions the club announced on Monday. Foden is regarded as one of the brightest emerging stars in English football and City have moved to secure his long-term future after claims he could be tempted to […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Carlo Ancelotti believes Liverpool are good enough to win the Premier League, but the Italian is convinced his Napoli side can knock them out of the Champions League on Tuesday. Ancelotti, who won the Premier League with Chelsea in 2010, takes his side to Anfield knowing that a point will guarantee a […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde said on Monday that the club wants to "help" French winger Ousmane Dembele realise his potential, after the youngster's latest disciplinary transgression. The 21-year-old arrived two hours late for practice on Sunday and had to train alone and is now facing a disciplinary sanction from the La Liga […]

Belgrade (AFP) – Neymar is set to start Paris Saint-Germain's crucial Champions League tie at Red Star Belgrade if he comes through a pre-match training session unscathed, coach Thomas Tuchel said on Monday. "I think if training goes well today (Monday) then it's obvious he will play," the German said. The world's most expensive player […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea have suspended four people from attending their matches while the club carries out an investigation into allegations Manchester City star Raheem Sterling was racially abused during Saturday's Premier League clash. Television cameras apparently caught a Chelsea fan aiming racist abuse at England winger Sterling during the Blues' 2-0 win over City […]

Madrid (AFP) – Javier Calleja has been replaced as coach by Luis Garcia Plaza at struggling Villarreal after winning just three matches this season, the Spanish La Liga club announced on Monday. The 'Yellow Submarine' lost 3-2 at home to Celta Vigo at the weekend and now sit one place and three points above the […]

Milan (AFP) – Inter Milan coach Luciano Spalletti believes Tuesday's Champions League match against PSV Eindhoven at the San Siro is the Italians' biggest game since he took over last year. "This match is the most important one since I've been here and it represents the next step," said Spalletti, who guided three-time winners Inter […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Jurgen Klopp has called on Liverpool to produce "something special" when they face Napoli in a do-or-die Champions League showdown on Tuesday. Klopp's side must beat Napoli at Anfield to stand any chance of progressing from their group into the knockout stages. A 1-0 victory or any two-goal win will see the […]

Paris (AFP) – The Champions League goes into its final round of group games this week with 12 teams already assured of featuring in the last 16 and seven others battling for the remaining four places. Here, AFP Sports looks at what remains at stake: Group A The only thing left to play for is […]

Berlin (AFP) – Arjen Robben says he may retire in June after confirming he will quit Bayern Munich when his contract with the defending Bundesliga champions expires. Robben, who turns 35 in January, confirmed in Monday's edition of magazine Kicker that he will quit the Bavarian giants at the end of the season: "that's a […]

Doha (AFP) – Heimir Hallgrimsson, the Icelandic coach who steered his country to their first ever World Cup finals, is to take over at Qatari league side Al-Arabi, the club announced on Monday. His appointment was confirmed in a video message on social media, hashtagged #WelcomeHeimir. A press conference to unveil the 51-year-old officially is […]

London (AFP) – The Professional Footballers' Association said Monday it stood "shoulder to shoulder" with Raheem Sterling after the Manchester City player suffered alleged racial abuse during his side's defeat against Chelsea. Chelsea and the police are investigating the incident at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, which was highlighted on social media. In an Instagram post […]

Madrid (AFP) – Javier Calleja has been sacked as coach by struggling Villarreal after winning just three matches this season, the Spanish Liga club announced on Monday. The 'Yellow Submarine' lost 3-2 at home to Celta Vigo at the weekend and now sit one place and three points above the relegation zone. However, they are […]

Paris (AFP) – Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe called Egyptian Mohamed Salah "one of the best (footballers) in the world" after he scored a hat-trick for Liverpool against his club at the weekend. Salah was once again the outstanding African performer in the major European leagues with his treble helping Liverpool triumph 4-0 and replace Manchester City […]

Milan (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo has urged long-time rival Lionel Messi to be more like him and push his limits by challenging himself in another league than Spain. "I'd like him to come to Italy one day. I hope he accepts the challenge like me, but if he's happy there then I respect that," Ronaldo […]