London (AFP) – A Saudi-backed takeover of Newcastle is set to get the green light from the Premier League despite warnings from Amnesty International on Thursday that the deal represents "sportswashing" of the Gulf kingdom's human rights record. A consortium featuring Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), PCP Capital Partners and billionaire brothers David and Simon […]

Hamburg (AFP) – Germany can edge closer to qualifying for the 2022 World Cup by beating Romania in Hamburg on Friday with Chelsea striker Timo Werner under pressure to maintain his goal-scoring run for the national team. The Germans have struggled to find a reliable striker since Miroslav Klose retired in 2014 after setting an […]

Milan (AFP) – Luis Enrique said that Gavi is Spain's "future and present" after the Barcelona midfielder became the national team's youngest ever player in Wednesday's Nations League win over Italy. At 17 years and 62 days old, Gavi broke an 85-year-old record when he to took the San Siro field for the 2-1 victory […]

Milan (AFP) – Ferran Torres put Spain into the Nations League final on Wednesday with a brace in a 2-1 win that ended Italy's world record unbeaten run at 37 matches in front of their own fans. Torres struck twice in the first half to make sure that Luis Enrique's Spain won the Final Four […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Morocco rose to the top of their African World Cup qualifying group on Wednesday with a 5-0 thrashing of Guinea-Bissau, many of whose players became ill after eating dinner on the eve of the match. Achraf Hakimi and debutant Imran Louza in the first half and Ilias Chair, Ayoub El Kaabi and […]

Milan (AFP) – Spain brought Italy's record 37-match unbeaten run to an end on Wednesday with a 2-1 win to reach the Nations League final. Ferran Torres' first-half brace won the Final Four clash for Spain at the San Siro, where Luis Enrique's side will face either France or Belgium in Sunday's final. Lorenzo Pellegrini […]

Doha (AFP) – A Saudi takeover of English Premier League club Newcastle edged closer on Wednesday with the Gulf state set to lift its ban on Qatar-based beIN Sports. The broadcaster, which holds the rights to the Premier League in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), was banned by Saudi Arabia in 2017 at the start […]

London (AFP) – The head of the English Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) said uptake of the coronavirus vaccine is increasing amid a backlash over the low numbers of players who have been fully jabbed. Reports suggest only seven of the Premier League's 20 clubs have had more than half of their players fully inoculated against […]

Turin (Italy) (AFP) – Didier Deschamps insisted Wednesday that he wasn't interested in any controversy surrounding Kylian Mbappe after the star France forward said he wanted more support from his teammates after Les Bleus' early Euro 2020 exit. On Tuesday Mbappe said in a long interview with sports daily L'Equipe that he would have liked […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Barcelona chief executive Ferran Reverter said Wednesday the club was "technically bankrupt" when Joan Laporta took over as president in March, and would have been "dissolved" if it was a public limited company. The Spanish giant's financial woes were laid bare in August when they were forced to allow Lionel Messi to […]

Berlin (AFP) – German FA director Oliver Bierhoff on Wednesday said he is opposed to the controversial idea of staging a World Cup every two years as FIFA's proposed project receives a clear "nein" from Germany. "We always have to keep the strain on the players in mind," Bierhoff, who is Germany team director, said […]

London (AFP) – Ireland striker Callum Robinson revealed he has not had a Covid vaccine despite contracting the virus twice, insisting players had the right to choose what to do with their bodies. Robinson, who plays for West Bromwich Albion in England's second tier, first tested positive in November 2020 and caught Covid-19 again in […]

Hong Kong (AFP) – A familiar sense of crisis threatens to envelop Chinese football with the men's national team heading into crunch 2022 World Cup qualifiers still looking for their first point and first goal. China under President Xi Jinping have grand plans to become a leading football power, with ambitions to host and even […]

Paris (AFP) – While a select quartet of Europe's heavyweights battle for the Nations League crown this week, Germany, England, Portugal and Denmark will train their sights on locking down a place at next year's World Cup in Qatar. European champions Italy, Spain, France and Belgium take centre stage contesting the Final Four in Milan […]

Montevideo (AFP) – After last month's turbulent round of World Cup qualification matches, for their next games Brazil can boast a full squad and a clear objective: booking their ticket for Qatar. The Selecao have a perfect record of eight wins from their eight qualifiers so far ahead of Thursday's trip to Venezuela, followed by […]