London (AFP) – Manchester United defender Luke Shaw has been handed an England recall by manager Gareth Southgate for next month's matches against Spain and Switzerland. The 23-year-old has not played for his country since a 1-0 loss to Germany in 2017 but has returned at the expense of Old Trafford teammate Ashley Young in […]

Milan (AFP) – Gennaro Gattuso's AC Milan will look to put last weekend's collapse against Napoli behind them when they host Roma in their first game of the season at the San Siro on Friday. Roma are also desperate for a win to bury any doubts about their title credentials after battling back to draw […]

London (AFP) – Gareth Bale can cope with the pressure of replacing Cristiano Ronaldo as the star man at Real Madrid, says his Wales boss Ryan Giggs. Bale has become the main forward at Real since Ronaldo's summer departure to Juventus, scoring in their opening La Liga wins against Getafe and Girona. "When someone like […]

Sydney (AFP) – Usain Bolt is set to get a first taste of competitive football on Friday in a much-hyped game, but the sprint superstar admits he is nervous with his fitness levels not up to scratch. The Jamaican is likely to be handed a 10 or 15 minute run-out for Australia's Central Coast Mariners […]

Zurich (AFP) – Russian pole vaulter Timur Morgunov landed an indoor personal best of 5.91 m on Wednesday at an exhibition event in Zurich ahead of the Diamond League final. The European silver medallist, who nearly impaled himself in the Diamond League meeting at Rabat, had a much better time of it at Zurich’s main […]

Monaco (AFP) – The draw for this season's Champions League group stage takes place in Monaco on Thursday, with a repeat of last season's final between Real Madrid and Liverpool among the potential mouthwatering match-ups. Real won the trophy for the third season running — and 13th time overall — when they beat Liverpool 3-1 […]

Paris (AFP) – Former winners Benfica, PSV Eindhoven and Red Star Belgrade all booked Champions League group berths on Wednesday, joining the likes of holders Real Madrid and Premier League champions Manchester City in Thursday's draw in Monaco. Benfica, champions in 1961 and 1962 and runners-up on five occasions, pulled out all the stops to […]

Paris (AFP) – Patrick Vieira's appointment as coach of Nice in the close season was hailed as a great coup for the Ligue 1 side, but the former France midfielder is already facing mounting pressure after just three games. Nice go into a tough assignment away at Lyon on Friday on the rebound following a […]

Milan (AFP) – Former AC Milan and Brazil star Kaka has returned to Italy amid reports Wednesday he is set for a backroom role with the fallen Serie A giants. The 2007 Ballon d'Or winner is reported to be looking at the possibility of joining the club's board along with fellow AC Milan icons Leonardo […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Fallen South African giants Kaizer Chiefs remained winless in five Premiership matches this season after surrendering a two-goal lead to be held 2-2 at home by Bloemfontein Celtic Wednesday. Goals from Zimbabwean Khama Billiat and Khotso Malope for the Amakhosi (Chiefs) put them in control midway through the second half at Soccer […]

London (AFP) – Newcastle's miserable start to the season suffered another blow with a dramatic late 3-1 defeat to Championship side Nottingham Forest on Wednesday to crash out of the League Cup at the second round. There was no such strife for Premier League high flyers Everton and Watford, who continued their unbeaten starts to […]

Brussels (AFP) – One of Belgium's top football TV presenters has been charged with armed robbery during a raid in an affluent Brussels satellite town, prosecutors said Wednesday. Stephane Pauwels, who has hosted shows for Belgian and French television, was arrested in a major police probe. Pauwels is suspected of "armed robbery with a firearm, […]

Moscow (AFP) – CSKA Moscow's Russian international goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev extended his contract with the club for another four years, the Red Army side reported Wednesday. "Today, the club general manager Roman Babayan and Igor Akinfeev have signed a new contract," said the statement at CSKA official site. "Now Akifeev's contract with the red-blue side […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – United States and Seattle Sounders striker Clint Dempsey announced his retirement on Wednesday, ending a 15-year career that included three World Cup appearances as he became his country's joint record goalscorer. The 35-year-old forward, whose career was halted for six months after the discovery of an irregular heartbeat in 2016, said […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Celtic striker Moussa Dembele missed training on Wednesday for talks over his future amid reported interest from French giants Marseille and Lyon. Hoops manager Brendan Rodgers confirmed there is "big interest" in the French under-21 international, who has scored 51 goals in 94 appearances since joining Celtic in 2016. Dembele was at […]