Kuala Lumpur (AFP) – A FIFA Ethics Committee judge was arrested on suspicion of corruption in his native Malaysia and has resigned as director of an arbitration service, his lawyer and reports said Wednesday. Sundra Rajoo was detained late Tuesday by anti-graft investigators after flying in from Zurich, where FIFA has its headquarters, to assist […]

Dublin (AFP) – Martin O'Neill stepped down as Ireland manager on Wednesday after five years at the helm following a dismal run of results that resulted in relegation in the Nations League. The former Celtic and Leicester boss, who replaced Giovanni Trapattoni in November 2013, left his post by mutual consent, with assistant manager Roy […]

Dublin (AFP) – Martin O'Neill has stepped down as Ireland manager after five years at the helm following a dismal run of results that resulted in their relegation in the Nations League. Assistant manager Roy Keane has also parted company with the Football Association of Ireland. O'Neill was in charge 55 games for Ireland, overseeing the […]

Genk (Belgium) (AFP) – Late substitute Matteo Politano scored an injury-time winner to lift a new-look Italy to a 1-0 win over the United States in an international friendly in Genk on Tuesday. Roberto Mancini's side had looked set for another goalless draw after crashing out of the Nations League with a 0-0 stalemate against […]

Paris (AFP) – A shoulder injury to Kylian Mbappe overshadowed France's 1-0 friendly win over Uruguay at the Stade de France on Tuesday as Didier Deschamps' world champions ended the year on a high note. After the disappointment of seeing the Netherlands pip them to a place at the Nations League finals with a late […]

Milton Keynes (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Neymar could be an injury doubt for Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League clash with Liverpool next week after limping off during Brazil's 1-0 friendly win over Cameroon in Milton Keynes on Tuesday. The forward suffered an apparent groin problem and was replaced after eight minutes, to boos from a record […]

Paris (AFP) – Portugal finished off their successful Nations League group campaign with a 1-1 draw against Poland in Guimaraes on Tuesday, while Sweden earned promotion to the top division. Hosts Portugal had already qualified for June's inaugural Nations League finals alongside England, the Netherlands and Switzerland, while Poland could not avoid relegation. Fernando Santos' […]

Elbasan (Albania) (AFP) – Wales lost 1-0 to Albania in a friendly in Elbasan on Tuesday as Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale was restricted to a second-half cameo as a substitute. The only goal of the game came as Bekim Balaj converted from the penalty spot after 58 minutes as Derby winger Harry Wilson brought […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Percy Tau scored in stoppage time to snatch a 1-1 friendly draw for South Africa against Paraguay in Durban on Tuesday to spoil Juan Carlos Osorio's first match in charge of the South Americans. Colombian Osorio, who took Mexico to the round of 16 at the World Cup in Russia this year […]

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe was substituted due to a shoulder injury during the first half of France's friendly with Uruguay on Tuesday at the Stade de France. The 19-year-old forward had to be replaced after landing awkwardly following a collision with visiting goalkeeper Martin Campana. It continued a worrying night for […]

Doha (AFP) – FIFA president Gianni Infantino has warned Qatar that the first World Cup in the Middle East – which begins in four years on November 21 – has to be better than Russia. "The Russian World Cup was the best ever, and the World Cup in 2022 has to be even better," said […]

Madrid (AFP) – Striker Diego Costa returned to training on Tuesday but defender Diego Godin will miss Atletico Madrid's top-of-the-table clash with Barcelona this weekend. Former Chelsea forward Costa has been suffering from a foot injury which kept him out Spain's recent fixtures against Croatia and Bosnia, but photos on the club's website showed him […]

Paris (AFP) – Barcelona forward Philippe Coutinho has returned to training ahead of this weekend's La Liga match against Atletico Madrid after missing two weeks with a thigh problem, the club announced on Tuesday. The 26-year-old former Liverpool player has not featured for the side at the top of the table since the 1-1 Champions […]

Zagreb (AFP) – Croatia was abuzz on Tuesday with speculation over the identity of an unnamed World Cup bronze medal winner from 1998 who was auctioning the precious memento. Croatia's third place 20 years ago was the country's historic first success as an independent football nation, although they went one step better last July by […]

Gelsenkirchen (Germany) (AFP) – Even with his reputation battered by the worst year in German football history and a disastrous World Cup exit, Joachim Loew remains optimistic about Germany's future in 2019. A 2-2 draw with the Netherlands on Monday, when both Dutch goals came in the final six minutes, plus Thursday's 3-0 win over […]