London (AFP) – Former England football captain David Beckham on Tuesday pleaded not guilty on a technicality to a speeding offence in a loaned Bentley, and will face trial later this month. The former Manchester United star, who played 115 times for his country, was caught driving the luxury car at 59 miles (94 kilometres) […]

Phnom Penh (AFP) – Keisuke Honda is looking forward to an "awesome" showdown with sprint king-turned-footballer Usain Bolt in Australia, the Japanese star forward said Tuesday after his first training session with Cambodia's national team. The Central Coast Mariners signed Bolt in August with the hopes of turning the eight-time Olympic champion into A-League material […]

London (AFP) – Adam Lallana was forced to withdraw from the England squad ahead of their matches against Spain and Switzerland after the Liverpool midfielder suffered a groin injury. Lallana had been recalled for the forthcoming UEFA Nations League clash with Spain at Wembley on Saturday and the friendly against Switzerland in Leicester on Tuesday. […]

Madrid (AFP) – Alvaro Morata admits he considered leaving Chelsea after a "disastrous" year that culminated in him missing the World Cup. Morata was dropped from the Spain squad after scoring only three times in 23 games for Chelsea in the second half of last season. "Yes I considered returning to Spain or Italy, but […]

Asuncion (AFP) – The Colombian Juan Carlos Osorio who coached Mexico at the World Cup in Russia has been appointed Paraguay coach to lead them into the 2019 Copa America and the next World Cup. After reaching the quarter-finals in 2010 Paraguay failed to qualify for the past two World Cups but they are thought […]

Sydney (AFP) – Australia's all-time top goal-scorer Tim Cahill will make one last appearance for his country, it was announced Tuesday, after calling time on his international career at the Russia World Cup. The veteran, who has scored 50 times in 107 appearances, will pull on the Socceroos jersey for a final time when they […]

Paris (AFP) – A heavyweight showdown in Munich between the last two World Cup winners, France and Germany, sets the ball rolling on Thursday as the inaugural UEFA Nations League gets under way. The new tournament sees the 55 European national teams split into four divisions, taking promotion and relegation to international football while also […]

Paris (AFP) – World Cup champions France travel to Joachim Loew's under-pressure Germany on Thursday in an eye-catching start to the inaugural UEFA Nations League, a competition introduced to replace most international friendlies. France boss Didier Deschamps has retained the entirety of the squad that triumphed in Russia, with the exception of captain Hugo Lloris […]

Monaco (AFP) – The under-pressure president of the German Football Association (DFB), Reinhard Grindel, has told AFP he is confident the controversy over Mesut Ozil's international retirement will not have a negative impact on Germany's bid to host Euro 2024. Ozil, capped 92 times, walked away from the Germany set-up in the wake of their […]

London (AFP) – Raheem Sterling has pulled out of the England squad for their matches against Spain and Switzerland with a back problem, the Football Association announced on Monday. The Manchester City forward, who played in six of England's seven matches as they reached the World Cup semi-finals in Russia, has scored twice in the […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Lionel Messi has admitted he was surprised by Cristiano Ronaldo's decision to leave Real Madrid and join Juventus. Messi also believes the transfer will leave Madrid worse off and says Juve are now among the clear favourites to win this season's Champions League. Ronaldo swapped Spain for Italy in a deal worth […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson signed a new long-term contract with the Premier League leaders on Monday. Henderson has emerged as a key figure under Reds boss Jurgen Klopp and the new deal is a reward for the England midfielder's fine form. The 28-year-old has made 283 appearances for Liverpool, scoring 24 goals, […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United are heading in the right direction under Jose Mourinho, insists the club's legendary former goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel despite two early-season defeats. United bounced back from losing to Brighton and Tottenham with a comfortable 2-0 victory at Burnley on Sunday to quell some of the mounting tension at Old Trafford. Mourinho has […]

Berlin (AFP) – Hanover handed striker Hendrik Weydandt his first professional contract on Monday, after the 23-year-old completed his remarkable rise from the German amateur leagues by scoring on his Bundesliga debut. Weydandt, who left the seventh tier to sign for fourth-division outfit Germania Egestorf four years ago, joined the Hanover reserve team in the […]

London (AFP) – Nemanja Matic insists Jose Mourinho can guide Manchester United back into the Premier League title race because the under-fire manager doesn't let pressure affect him. Successive defeats against Brighton and Tottenham condemned United to their worst start to a season for 26 years and put Mourinho's position in the spotlight. Last Monday's […]