Doha (AFP) – For those who thought Qatar would at the very best make up the numbers at its own World Cup in 2022, this week's eye-catching victory over Switzerland will have come as a big surprise. It may only have been a friendly, but undeniably the 1-0 win — in Lugano, Switzerland — was […]

Hong Kong (AFP) – England great Alan Shearer on Friday defended the controversial £5 ($6.4) million farewell gift collected by clubs for outgoing English Premier League boss Richard Scudamore, saying he had done a "fantastic" job. The payment — stumped up following a whip-round of £250,000 each from the league's 20 clubs — has sparked […]

Milan (AFP) – Croatian international defender Ivan Strinic has been given the all clear to return to training after being diagnosed with a heart condition, his Serie A club AC Milan confirmed on Thursday. The 31-year-old — a key member of the Croatian team that reached the World Cup final this summer — signed a […]

Leipzig (Germany) (AFP) – A youthful Germany team easily beat Russia 3-0 Thursday as Joachim Loew began a rebuilding process following the summer's World Cup debacle with a simple friendly win. Manchester City winger Leroy Sane and Bayern Munich pair Niklas Suele and Serge Gnabry claimed the first-half goals in Leipzig for head coach Loew's […]

Zagreb (AFP) – Spain passed up the chance to seal progress to the Nations League finals as they were beaten 3-2 by Croatia on Thursday, undone by a 93rd-minute winner from Tin Jedvaj. The result means the winner of England and Croatia on Sunday will win Group 4, while Spain can still go through if […]

London (AFP) – Wayne Rooney brought down the curtain on his England career, but a youthful Three Lions proved the future is bright by sweeping aside the USA 3-0 at Wembley in a friendly on Thursday. Jesse Lingard, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Callum Wilson on his debut grabbed the goals in a dominant England display despite […]

Dublin (AFP) – Republic of Ireland were held to a bruising 0-0 draw by Northern Ireland amid a toxic atmosphere as the bitter rivals clashed for the first time in seven years on Thursday. The Republic won 5-0 in the last showdown with their neighbours from north of the border in 2011. But goals were […]

Rome (AFP) – France coach Didier Deschamps admitted Thursday that the world champions were not underestimating a reborn Netherlands team as his side set their sights on the semi-finals of the Nations League. The French need just a point from their final match — in Rotterdam on Friday — to ensure a place in the […]

London (AFP) – Brazil captain Neymar has revealed he is acting as a mentor to rising Everton star Richarlison. Richarlison has won a place in the Brazil squad this season after impressing for Everton following his transfer from Watford. The 21-year-old has scored twice in his first four appearances for the Selecao and will feature […]

Rome (AFP) – Roma revealed on Thursday they will donate an initial sum of 150,000 euros ($170,000) to the family of Liverpool fan Sean Cox who suffered a severe brain injury after being attacked by Roma supporters. Irishman Cox, a 53-year-old father of three, was on his way to the Champions League semi-final at Anfield […]

London (AFP) – Kasper Schmeichel idolised Ryan Giggs when he was a child, but the Denmark goalkeeper is ready to ruin his hero's Nations League dreams in Friday's clash against Wales. Schmeichel has known Giggs since he was a child, when his father Peter was team-mates with the current Wales manager in the Manchester United […]

Miami (AFP) – Javier Tebas, the president of Spain's La Liga, said Thursday he wants UEFA to kick Paris Saint-Germain out of the Champions League for breaking Financial Fair Play regulations. Tebas said PSG should be expelled for at least "one year" after recent leaked documents implicated the French champions in violating financial rules. The […]

London (AFP) – Slavisa Jokanovic insists he would have led Fulham away from relegation trouble if he had been given more time before being replaced by Claudio Ranieri. Jokanovic was the mastermind behind Fulham's promotion to the Premier League last season, but the Serbian manager was sacked this week with the Cottagers rooted to the […]

Madrid (AFP) – The Madrid munipality gave the green light on Thursday for the demolition of Atletico Madrid's former home, the historic Vicente Calderon. The site will become a housing project with some green space. Atletico moved into the Manzanares stadium, as it was then called, in 1966. The ground, which had a capacity of […]

London (AFP) – Premier League clubs have approved the controversial move to give departing chief executive Richard Scudamore a £5 million ($6.3 million) farewell gift. The Premier League said the golden handshake was proposed by its audit and remuneration committee and "supported and endorsed by the clubs". All 20 top-flight teams discussed Scudamore's leaving bonus, […]