Sydney (AFP) – Usain Bolt and Keisuke Honda are the Australian A-League's high profile poster boys as the competition aims to reverse dwindling ticket sales and tumbling TV ratings when it returns on Friday. Football chiefs are hoping the arrival of big names like sprint star Bolt will perk up interest after a slump in […]

Sydney (AFP) – Sprint superstar Usain Bolt has turned down a contract from Maltese champions Valletta and will remain in Australia to pursue his dream of becoming a professional footballer, his agent said Thursday. The eight-time Olympic champion has been on trial with A-League club the Central Coast Mariners since arriving Down Under in August. […]

London (AFP) – Broadcaster Eleven Sports says it will no longer show matches during the Saturday afternoon football blackout in the UK but has urged authorities not to leave the market "in the hands of criminals". British regulations prevent live football from being shown between 2:45 pm and 5:15 pm local time on a Saturday […]

London (AFP) – A Millwall football supporter has been jailed for two years after punching a rival fan who later died. Andrew Lewis pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm on 56-year-old Nottingham Forest fan Paul O'Donnell in a car park outside Nottingham's City Ground. Lewis, 50, had drunk seven pints of lager before the […]

Bondy (France) (AFP) – France's World Cup star Kylian Mbappe was feted as a conquering hero on Wednesday when he returned to Bondy, the Parisian suburb where his fairytale footballing career began. Thousands of residents turned out to greet the Paris Saint-Germain striker, back in Bondy on the outskirts of the French capital for the […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool said on Wednesday that forward Sadio Mane had undergone successful surgery on a hand injury he sustained while on international duty with Senegal. Jurgen Klopp has a number of concerns ahead of his team's return to Premier League action against Huddersfield on Saturday, with doubts over forward Mohamed Salah and midfielder […]

Madrid (AFP) – Former Barcelona president Sandro Rosell will go on trial for money laundering in February, Spanish judicial sources revealed on Wednesday. Rosell, his wife and four others are accused of "large-scale money laundering" of at least 19.9 million euros ($23 million) since 2006 relating to television rights and sponsorship in Brazil. Prosecutors at […]

London (AFP) – Shahid Khan has withdrawn his controversial offer to buy London's Wembley Stadium, the American businessman announced on Wednesday. The Football Association, Wembley's current owners, had come under fire from many within its own ranks for a plan to sell. English football's governing body had also investigated allegations of "systemic corruption" surrounding the […]

Monaco (AFP) – Thierry Henry hopes his illustrious playing days will help underpin a successful career in management as he embarks on his first top job in club football at Monaco. The 41-year-old French World Cup winner, who had been working as an assistant to Belgium coach Roberto Martinez since 2016, returned to the club […]

Milan (AFP) – Italy and Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini urged players to think more about their careers after football on Wednesday as he helped launch an education campaign led by global players' union FIFPro. Chiellini, 34, studied for a degree in economics and a Masters in business administration at Turin University at the same time […]

Milan (AFP) – AS Roma will be without injured pair Diego Perotti and Rick Karsdorp for Saturday's game at home to SPAL as well as next week's visit by CSKA Moscow in the Champions League. Argentine winger Perotti, 30, injured his left calf in training on Tuesday and will be out for at least three […]

Tehran (AFP) – Iran's prosecutor general said Wednesday there would be no repeat of women watching football matches inside stadiums, saying it would "lead to sin". The comments by Mohammad Jafar Montazeri came a day after around 100 women were allowed to watch their country take on Bolivia in a friendly at the national stadium […]

Paris (AFP) – Tottenham 'keeper Hugo Lloris hailed the mental strength that saw World Cup winners France overcome a patchy opening period to beat Germany 2-1 on Tuesday. Germany travelled to the Stade de France looking for the win that would salvage their Nations League campaign, and some pride, following their disastrous World Cup. Joachim […]

London (AFP) – Paul Scholes says even Lionel Messi would struggle to shine in the current Manchester United team and that the struggling club are being laughed at by their rivals. The former United and England midfielder has been a frequent and vocal critic of his old club, who are languishing in eighth place in […]

Chicago (AFP) – Four-time World Cup champion Italy will play the United States in a November 20 football friendly at Luminus Arena in Genk, Belgium, the US Soccer Federation announced Tuesday. It will be the closing match for the Americans this year, a bittersweet campaign in which they could only watch from afar as rivals […]