London (AFP) – The police commander at the 1989 Hillsborough football stadium disaster pleaded not guilty on Monday on the first day of his manslaughter trial over the death of 95 Liverpool supporters. David Duckenfield, 74, was the match-day commander at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough ground. […]

Lisbon (AFP) – Forward Mario Balotelli has been dropped by Italy coach Roberto Mancini for Monday's Nations League game against European champions Portugal in Lisbon. Nice striker Balotelli came under fire for his performance in their Nations League opener against Poland on Friday, where the Azzurri were held 1-1. The 28-year-old was substituted with a […]

London (AFP) – England midfielder Dele Alli will miss Tuesday's friendly in Leicester with Switzerland because of a minor muscle strain, the Football Association announced Monday. The 22-year-old Tottenham Hotspur star suffered the injury in Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Spain in the Nations League. Alli may not have played for the World Cup semi-finalists in […]

Frankfurt am Main (AFP) – Adidas said Monday it will extend its long-running sponsorship of the Germany Football Association until 2026, in a boost to the organisation's attempts to recover from a disastrous World Cup. "The timing highlights Adidas' unique sponsorship philosophy: we stick by our partners of many years — especially when it's important," […]

London (AFP) – France midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin says his wife Camille helped him revive his career at Premier League side Everton after his popularity with the fans plumbed the depths last season. The 28-year-old — who joined Everton from Manchester United in 2017 for a reported £20 million ($25.8 million) — became a focal point […]

Shanghai (AFP) – Highly respected Dutchman Guus Hiddink was named on Monday as the new coach of China's under-21 football team, tasked with leading the country at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The 71-year-old joins another well-known veteran coach, the Italian World Cup winner Marcello Lippi, in taking a major role in China's aggressive push to […]

Madrid (AFP) – Dejan Lovren was probably right in saying that if Luka Modric played for Spain or Germany he might not have won a Ballon d'Or by now — nobody other than Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo has for 10 years — but he might well have been in the running. He is this […]

Buenos Aires (AFP) – As much as he was a genius with the ball at his feet, Diego Maradona's coaching career has been far from distinguished and took a curious turn when he joined Mexican second-division outfit Dorados. The man who led Argentina to just their second World Cup crown — according to many almost […]

Lisbon (AFP) – Roberto Mancini shrugged off criticism of under-fire striker Mario Balotelli and his Italy team ahead of Monday's Nations League game against Portugal in Lisbon. The Azzurri rescued a point in their Group 3 opener against Poland on Friday in Bologna and next play the European champions — without superstar Cristiano Ronaldo — […]

Paris (AFP) – Olivier Giroud ended his international goal drought with the winner as France beat the Netherlands 2-1 on Sunday in their first match on home soil since lifting the World Cup in July. Giroud swept in a Benjamin Mendy cross in the 75th minute for his first goal in 11 games in a […]

Sinsheim (Germany) (AFP) – Nico Schulz enjoyed a dream international debut on Sunday, as the Hoffenheim defender scored a late winner in front of his home crowd to give Germany a hard-fought 2-1 friendly win over Peru in Sinsheim. Given his first cap for Germany in the stadium where he plays his club football, the […]

Aarhus (Denmark) (AFP) – Christian Eriksen scored twice in a 2-0 victory over Wales in the Nations League on Sunday as Denmark's first-team players returned after boycotting a midweek friendly over a contract dispute. The Tottenham midfielder put the Danes ahead with just over half an hour gone in Aarhus, and Eriksen added a second […]

London (AFP) – Luke Shaw was set to return to Manchester United after he suffered concussion in England's defeat by Spain as Gareth Southgate called up Ben Chilwell and Demarai Gray. Southgate's side kicked off their UEFA Nations League campaign with a frustrating 2-1 defeat at Wembley on Saturday but concerns over their 23-year-old left-back's […]

Lausanne (AFP) – Europe's leading clubs are in ruder financial health than ever before, according to a study published on Sunday by UEFA, which indicates that top-division football on the continent has become profitable for the first time on record. In 2017, European clubs reported a combined total of 600 million euros ($693.4 million) in […]

Antananarivo (AFP) – At least one person was killed and nearly 40 were injured in a stampede ahead of an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier Sunday in which Madagascar hit back twice to draw 2-2 with Senegal. The casualty figures were confirmed by the director of a hospital in the Malagasy capital Antananarivo, where the […]