London (AFP) – French star Paul Pogba should have been Manchester United captain from the moment he arrived in 2016 and that might have prompted more consistency, former United midfield star Paul Scholes told the BBC on Friday. The 25-year-old World Cup winner — who scored a superb goal in the 4-2 win over Croatia […]

Milan (AFP) – Ivorian defender Koffi Djidji signed for Serie A side Torino from French club Nantes on loan with an option to buy hours before Friday's transfer deadline in Italy. Torino president Urbano Cairo praised the versatility of the 24-year-old who has spent his entire career at Nantes, making 94 appearances for the Ligue […]

London (AFP) – Belgian star Kevin De Bruyne, a pivotal figure in Manchester City's title-winning campaign, will be out of action for three months because of a knee injury, the club said Friday. The 27-year-old midfielder — who scored eight goals and provided 16 assists as City romped to the title last season — will […]

Berlin (AFP) – Ilkay Gundogan has said he wants to keep playing for Germany and not follow Mesut Ozil into retirement, despite the furore over their controversial pre-World Cup meeting with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "Winning the Champions League and at least a title with the national side," the Manchester City midfielder wrote on […]

Milan (AFP) – Italian international midfielder Claudio Marchisio has called time on his Juventus career after 25 years spent with the Turin giants. The 32-year-old, nicknamed The Little Prince, joined his hometown club at the age of seven and won seven Serie A titles and four Italian Cups. Juventus agreed to terminate the 55-times capped […]

Bordeaux (AFP) – Bordeaux have suspended coach Gustavo Poyet for a week after his angry outburst at club bosses over their transfer policy, the French side announced on Friday. "Technically everything is possible," said club president Stephane Martin in reference to Poyet's future beyond next week, with a sacking looking a distinct possibility. The decision […]

London (AFP) – A trying week for Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers brightened a little with highly-regarded Australian teenager Daniel Arzani completing a two-year loan deal from Manchester City. The Iran-born 19-year-old attacking midfielder was the youngest ever member of an Australia squad for a World Cup finals and played in all three of their group […]

Seoul (AFP) – Former Portugal boss Paulo Bento will coach South Korea over the next four years through the 2022 Qatar World Cup, the Korea Football Association (KFA) announced Friday. Kim Pan-gon, a top KFA official in charge of finding a new coach, said that with "four years of patience and support" Bento will take the […]

Milan (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo will make his much-anticipated Serie A debut for Juventus who open their campaign for an eighth straight Italian league title on Saturday against a sombre backdrop of a country in mourning following the Genoa bridge disaster. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner was the star signing of the summer season arriving […]

London (AFP) – Unai Emery couldn't have asked for a tougher start to life as Arsenal manager as hot on the heels of defeat to Manchester City in his Premier League bow, the Gunners travel to Chelsea on Saturday. The task facing Emery to turn Arsenal merely back into contention for the top four, after […]

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain head to Guingamp for the second round of Ligue 1 matches already among the pace-setters, yet coach Thomas Tuchel said it feels as if the club is still in pre-season. There were some glimpses of innovation under the new manager with Neymar, who scored in his first start for PSG […]

Bordeaux (AFP) – Gustavo Poyet threatened to quit as Bordeaux coach on Thursday after claiming the club sold key striker Gaetan Laborde to French Ligue 1 rivals Montpellier without his permission. The 50-year-old Uruguayan, a former Chelsea and Tottenham player and ex-coach at Brighton and Sunderland, demanded answers from the club as the row took […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea and Arsenal's new regimes under Maurizio Sarri and Unai Emery got off to contrasting Premier League starts, but Saturday's clash between the two will provide a truer test of where the London rivals stand. Failure to qualify for this season's Champions League provoked big changes at both clubs. But while Chelsea […]

Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona said Thursday they have reached an agreement with Sassuolo to transfer their Brazilian defender Marlon Santos to the Italian Serie A side for six million euros. The Catalan giants retain the right to buy back the player, and will keep 50 percent of the economic rights on any future sale of […]

Lausanne (AFP) – Ghana on Thursday backed away from controversial plans to dissolve its graft-ridden football federation, as it reached a deal with FIFA to clean up football administration in the country. Ghana's attorney general had taken steps towards dissolving the embattled Ghana Football Association (GFA) after an explosive documentary in June showed officials allegedly […]