Riyadh (AFP) – Saudi Arabia's Football Federation (SAFF) appointed women to the board for the first time in the kingdom's history on Wednesday, and also named a new president. The two women are Adwa al-Arifi and Reham Al-Onaizan and the new president is Qusay bin Abdulaziz al-Fawaz. Saudi authorities said al-Fawaz was the sole candidate […]

London (AFP) – Aston Villa on Wednesday sacked manager Steve Bruce with the club languishing 12th in the Championship after just three wins in 11 games. Bruce had come under increasing pressure after Villa's poor start to the season and had a cabbage hurled at him during Tuesday's 3-3 home draw with Preston. The 57-year-old, […]

London (AFP) – Ross Barkley is optimistic that his performances for Premier League high-fliers Chelsea this season will earn an England recall when Gareth Southgate names his squad on Thursday. Barkley has thrived under new Chelsea head coach Maurizio Sarri and hopes to be named in the England squad for Nations League matches with World […]

Digne-les-Bains (France) (AFP) – Former Senegalese international Souleymane Diawara will be tried on October 25 in a case that revolves around a dispute with a car dealer over a Porsche that turned out to be stolen. The former Marseille star, who is 39, will be tried in Digne-les-Bains, in the southeast of France along with […]

Milan (AFP) – Juventus defender Daniele Rugani has a broken rib while midfielder Sami Khedira aggravated a thigh injury during the team's Champions League win over Young Boys, the Italian champions said on Wednesday. Juventus beat the Swiss champions 3-0 to move top of Group C after two games — ahead of Manchester United — […]

Las Vegas (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo on Wednesday denied accusations by a former American model that he raped her in a Las Vegas hotel in 2009 and said his conscience is clear. "I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me," the Portuguese superstar tweeted in Portuguese and English. "Rape is an abominable crime that […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek could feature in the starting line-up for the first time this season in Thursday's Europa League match against Hungarian champions Vidi, Maurizio Sarri has said. The 22-year-old England player has recovered from a shin problem and is in line for a call-up while Spain winger Pedro has recovered […]

London (AFP) – Police said on Wednesday they were not to blame for Manchester United's late arrival for their Champions League match against Valencia following criticism from manager Jose Mourinho as UEFA opened disciplinary proceedings against the club. The United team arrived late at Old Trafford, forcing kick-off to be delayed by five minutes to […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Paul Pogba said he was not allowed to talk after Manchester United failed to arrest their recent slump with a drab 0-0 Champions League draw against Valencia. Jose Mourinho's United have made their worst start to a league campaign in 29 years after an embarrassing 3-1 loss at West Ham […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho again pointed the finger at his players' failings rather than his own shortcomings after a 0-0 Champions League draw with Valencia that did little to lift spirits at Old Trafford. Mourinho has now failed to win in four consecutive home matches for the first time […]

Madrid (AFP) – The last time Real Madrid went three games without a goal was in January 2007 and at the end of the season Fabio Capello was sacked. Few deficiencies irk the fans at the Santiago Bernabeu more than shyness in attack and after an encouraging start under Julen Lopetegui, Madrid have drifted off […]

Naples (Italy) (AFP) – A Liverpool fan was injured after being attacked in the centre of Naples ahead of Wednesday's Champions League game, Italian police said. The 26-year-old was drinking with a group of friends outside a cafe on via Cesare Rosaroll in the city's historic centre just after midnight when they were accosted by […]

Paris (AFP) – Champions League holders Real Madrid slumped to a rare defeat in the competition as they went down 1-0 away to CSKA Moscow on Tuesday, while Jose Mourinho's Manchester United misfired again in a 0-0 draw with Valencia. While Bayern Munich were also held by Ajax, it was a happier evening for Pep […]

Paris (AFP) – Unai Emery's Arsenal are looking to keep up their winning run when they make their longest ever journey for a competitive game to face Qarabag in Azerbaijan in the Europa League on Thursday. The Gunners have recovered from losing the opening two games under their new Spanish coach and Saturday's 2-0 win […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester United were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw against Valencia in the Champions League on Tuesday as the pressure mounts on boss Jose Mourinho. Here are three things we learned from the Group H clash at Old Trafford: Problems mount for Mourinho Assailed on all sides by critical voices, […]