Culiacán (Mexico) (AFP) – Controversial and combative as ever, Diego Maradona made his Mexican coaching debut Monday with a 4-1 win for his new club, the second-division side Dorados. It could hardly have been otherwise in the country that saw the Argentine legend score his infamous "hand of God" goal as he led his country […]

London (AFP) – Chief executive Ivan Gazidis will leave Arsenal on October 31 to take up a similar post at AC Milan, the Premier League club announced on Tuesday. Speculation that Gazidis — who oversaw Unai Emery's appointment to replace Arsene Wenger in May and has also been behind a change in management structure at […]

London (AFP) – West Ham midfielder Jack Wilshere is facing a spell on the sidelines after undergoing ankle surgery, the Premier League club have announced. Wilshere, 26, had an operation on Monday after missing Sunday's 3-1 Premier League win at Everton because of his injury. Reports said the former Arsenal player and England international could […]

Bangkok (AFP) – A Thai court Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit accusing duty-free giant King Power, the firm that owns Leicester City Football Club, of owing the state more than $430 million in unpaid revenues. The complaint alleged that King Power executives, working with airport officials, paid a smaller share of revenues than was required to […]

Hangzhou (China) (AFP) – Sergi Barjuan excelled at Barcelona for nearly a decade, played in two World Cups for Spain and counts Pep Guardiola as a close friend. No wonder then that it took time getting used to China's second division, where he says that players often lack composure and some pitches are desperately poor. […]

London (AFP) – Jose Mourinho is facing an unsettling new reality in the Champions League as Manchester United launch their campaign at Young Boys of Bern on Wednesday. Mourinho was once the Champions League's pre-eminent force, winning the tournament twice and making the latter stages virtually every year. But it is four years since the […]

Valencia (Spain) (AFP) – No player owns as many Champions League titles as Cristiano Ronaldo but a sixth with Juventus would surely be his best of the lot. Ronaldo played the lead role in all of those five previous triumphs, from his towering header for Manchester United against Chelsea in 2008 to the tie-clinching, 97th-minute […]

Madrid (AFP) – If the summer had gone differently, Gareth Bale might have been on a plane to Switzerland on Monday to play for Manchester United against Young Boys. He could have been readying himself for a Champions League debut at the Allianz Arena for Bayern Munich against Ajax. Or even, as Tottenham fans might […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Pep Guardiola isn't an easy man to please, so the Manchester City manager's assertion that it is "impossible" to be happier with Bernardo Silva is a testament to the Portuguese midfielder's breakthrough in his second season at the Premier League champions. City's record-breaking campaign last season owed much to the […]

Milan (AFP) – Italian international Andrea Petagna scored a second-half brace as SPAL moved up to second place in Serie A behind Juventus with a 2-0 win over Atalanta on Monday. Petagna — who joined SPAL two years ago on loan from Atalanta with an option to buy — turned in a rebound after 50 […]

Southampton (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Glenn Murray proved a thorn in Southampton's side yet again as Brighton came from two goals down to earn a 2-2 draw away to their south coast rivals in the Premier League on Monday. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg gave Saints the lead at St Mary's with a stunning long-range effort 10 minutes […]

Southampton (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Brighton came from two goals down for the second game in succession to earn a 2-2 draw away to south coast rivals Southampton in the Premier League on Monday. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg gave Saints the lead at St Mary's with a stunning long-range effort 10 minutes before half-time. And they made […]

Milan (AFP) – Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino raised eyebrows on Monday with a bizarre tale about cows and trains to explain how you should learn from your past experiences in the Champions League. Tottenham open their Group B campaign on Tuesday night against Inter Milan in the San Siro. The English club finished top of […]

Monaco (AFP) – Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim admitted his current line up was not as fearsome as it once was, but that his players were hyped up with Atletico Madrid arriving for Tuesday's Champions League clash. In the 2016-2017 season Monaco beat Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund before losing to Juventus in the semi-finals, with […]

Tehran (AFP) – Iranian giants Persepolis broke Al Duhail's sequence of nine straight victories to storm into the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League with a stirring come-from-behind 3-2 aggregate win on Monday. They will now clash with another Qatar club, Al Sadd, in the semis next month after the 2011 champions edged out Iran’s […]