New York (AFP) – US truck stop magnate Jimmy Haslam and his wife Dee, owners of the NFL Cleveland Browns, said Friday they will work to help keep Major League Soccer's Crew in Columbus, Ohio. MLS also announced plans to have a new club in Austin, Texas, run by Anthony Precourt, the current Crew owner […]

Brussels (AFP) – Belgium boss Roberto Martinez on Friday backed his right-hand man Thierry Henry to become "a great coach" when the French World Cup winner takes over at Monaco. Former Arsenal star Henry became the odds-on favourite to succeed Leonardo Jardim who was sacked in midweek following a string of poor results that left […]

Rijeka (Croatia) (AFP) – Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic described a 0-0 Nations League draw with England in a World Cup semi-final rematch as a "sad" day for football as fans were banned from the clash in Rijeka. Croatia were completing a UEFA sanction after a swastika symbol was carved into the pitch during a Euro […]

Riyadh (AFP) – Brazil struggled to a 2-0 win over hosts Saudi Arabia in a stuttering performance on a muggy night in Riyadh in a friendly international on Friday. Manchester City's Gabriel Jesus scored just before half-time and Alex Sandro powered in a header from a Neymar corner in the sixth-minute of injury time. Brazil […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Liverpool star Mohamed Salah scored direct from a corner but was later injured as Egypt romped to a 4-1 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying win over eSwatini on Friday. The striker went down holding his leg as the Group J match drew to a close in Cairo, resumed after receiving treatment, and […]

Brussels (AFP) – Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku struck twice as Belgium maintained their strong start to the Nations League with a battling 2-1 win over Switzerland on Friday. When Lukaku found the net with an angled drive on 58 minutes, it looked like Roberto Martinez's men would be giving French World Cup winner Thierry […]

Vienna (AFP) – Marko Arnautovic fired Austria to a 1-0 win over Northern Ireland as the visitors crashed to a second successive defeat in the Nations League. West Ham striker Arnautovic netted in the second half in Vienna to give Austria their first win in the new competition. Success in the Nations League could secure […]

Rijeka (Croatia) (AFP) – England's attempt to exact World Cup revenge on Croatia fell short in a 0-0 Nations League draw in front of an empty stadium in Rijeka on Friday as the visitors were left to rue Marcus Rashford's profligacy in front of goal. Rashford twice fired too close to Dominik Livakovic with just […]

Paris (AFP) – Former Arsenal star Thierry Henry will soon be announced as the new coach of Monaco, reports said Friday as the Frenchman completed his final day of work as assistant to Belgium coach Roberto Martinez. Henry became the odds-on favourite to succeed Leonardo Jardim after he was sacked in midweek following a string […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Liverpool star Mohamed Salah scored direct from a corner but was later injured as Egypt romped to a 4-1 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying win over eSwatini on Friday. The striker went down holding his leg as the Group J match drew to a close in Cairo, resumed after receiving treatment, and […]

Rijeka (Croatia) (AFP) – England manager Gareth Southgate resisted the temptation to hand 18-year-old Jadon Sancho his international debut as the Three Lions seek a measure of revenge against Croatia in the Nations League on Friday. Just three months on since Croatia beat England to reach the World Cup final for the first time, the […]

Amsterdam (AFP) – Germany coach Joachim Loew on Friday brushed off sharp criticism from his former captain Michael Ballack in the wake of the country's dismal World Cup performance. Loew is under pressure to win Saturday's Nations League match away to the Netherlands in Amsterdam, and then beat world champions France in Paris next Tuesday. […]

Paris (AFP) – French investigators are probing suspicions of match-fixing in Paris Saint-Germain's 6-1 win against Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League group stage on October 3, a source said Friday. A senior official from the Serbian club is suspected to have bet large sums of money on Red Star losing by a five-goal […]

Paris (AFP) – Dutch football legend Marco van Basten will leave his post as FIFA's technical director after reaching a "mutual agreement", world football's ruling body announced Friday. Former Ajax and AC Milan striker Van Basten joined FIFA in 2016 but will quit his post at the end of October to "spend more time with […]

Sydney (AFP) – Sprint legend Usain Bolt made his case for becoming a professional footballer Friday when he scored his first goals after starting up front in a pre-season game for Australia's Central Coast Mariners. The 100 metres world record-holder, who has been bidding for a professional contract since he retired last year, recovered from […]