Los Angeles (AFP) – Atlanta United chase their first Major League Soccer crown just two years after joining the league on Saturday when they face the Portland Timbers in an MLS Cup final with a strong South American influence. A day before Boca Juniors and River Plate meet in Madrid in their rescheduled Copa Libertadores […]

Lisbon (AFP) – Japan international Shoya Nakajima is set to join Premier League side Wolves from Portimonense, the Portugese club's chairman Rodiney Sampaio said on Thursday. "Nakajima is 80% at Wolverhampton. His transfer is not 100% done but it's possible it will happen in January," he told radio station Radio Renascenca. "All that is left […]

Madrid (AFP) – Boca Juniors striker Carlos Tevez conceded playing a Libertadores Cup final in Madrid on Sunday will be "weird" but rejected suggestions River Plate have been put at a disadvantage. The second leg was moved to Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu after the original fixture at River's El Monumental stadium was postponed last month, […]

New York (AFP) – Ex-Guatemala soccer chief and former FIFA executive committee member Rafael Salguero was sentenced to time served Thursday, releasing him from house arrest over the sweeping corruption scandal plaguing world soccer. The 73-year-old pleaded guilty in October 2016 to criminal conspiracy, two counts of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and conspiracy to […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid cruised into the Copa del Rey last 16 on Thursday with a 6-1 rout of third-tier Melilla to progress 10-1 on aggregate in a competition they have won 19 times. Last month's 4-0 first leg win in the Spanish enclave on the north African coast got Santiago Solari's reign as […]

Paris (AFP) – Three more Ligue 1 games scheduled for this weekend, including the clash between Thierry Henry's Monaco and local rivals Nice, have been postponed, the French league (LFP) said Thursday, amid fears of more violent "yellow vest" protests in France over rising living costs. The LFP said Friday evening's game at the Stade […]

Madrid (AFP) – Boca Juniors and River Plate trained in Madrid for the first time on Thursday ahead of the Argentinian arch rivals' postponed Libertadores Cup decider at the Santiago Bernabeu. The second leg will be held at the home of Real Madrid on Sunday following the controversial decision of South America's football federation, CONMEBOL, […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool have confirmed that defender Joe Gomez suffered a lower leg fracture during Wednesday's Premier League victory over Burnley and faces up to six weeks on the sidelines. The England defender, 21, was carried off midway through the first half at Turf Moor following a challenge with Ben Mee, with Liverpool going […]

London (AFP) – Disconnected cockpit pedals caused the helicopter crash that killed the Thai billionaire owner of Leicester City football club and four others on October 28, a British investigation found on Thursday. The death of Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha shocked global sport and left the small central English city in mourning two years after the club's […]

London (AFP) – Bournemouth's England midfielder Lewis Cook will be sidelined for six to nine months with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), the club announced on Thursday. The 21-year-old suffered the serious knee injury during the 2-1 Premier League victory over Huddersfield on Tuesday. Cook was assessed by the club's medical staff after the […]

London (AFP) – New Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl on Thursday rejected his nickname the "Klopp of the Alps", saying he wants to forge his own reputation in the Premier League. The new Saints manager shrugged off comparisons with his friend and Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and prioritised dragging his new club out of the relegation […]

London (AFP) – Claudio Ranieri revealed on Thursday that Jose Mourinho was the first manager to welcome him back to the Premier League when he was appointed Fulham boss last month. Fulham visit Old Trafford on Saturday, where Mourinho's Manchester United will hope to secure their first Premier League victory in five games, reuniting the […]

Madrid (AFP) – Boca Juniors striker Carlos Tevez conceded playing a Libertadores Cup final in Madrid on Sunday will be "weird" but rejected suggestions River Plate have been put at a disadvantage. The second leg was moved to Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu after the original fixture at River's El Monumental stadium was postponed last month, […]

Lima (AFP) – Police arrested Peru's Football Federation chief Edwin Oviedo early Thursday on suspicion of involvement in a "corruption network" involving judges and businessmen, a prosecutor said. Oviedo was detained in an early morning raid on his home in Lima, and other arrests were likely, said prosecutor Jorge Chavez, coordinator of Lima's organized crime […]

Hanoi (AFP) – Vietnam joined Malaysia in the final of the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup after a 2-1 second leg victory over the Philippines in Hanoi on Thursday gave them a 4-2 aggregate win in their semifinal. Two late goals from Nguyen Quang Hai and Nguyen Cong Phuong were enough to send Vietnam, 2-1 ahead […]