Berlin (AFP) – Germany midfielder Toni Kroos says Mesut Ozil was "out of order" to make accusations of racism within the German set up as he retired from international football last month. "Basically, Mesut is a long-serving national team player and deserved a better exit as a footballer," Kroos, 28, told German daily Bild. "I […]

Madrid (AFP) – Spain's La Liga plans to stage a match in the United States, its first venture outside Europe, as part of a north American expansion drive, the league said Thursday. The teams and the venue for the match were not disclosed in the statement from the league which has formed a joint-venture, LaLiga […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal manager Unai Emery will keep faith with goalkeeper Petr Cech for his return to Chelsea on Saturday. Cech, 36, struggled with Emery's orders to play out from the back in the Spanish coach's first game in charge as the Gunners lost 2-0 to Premier League champions Manchester City last weekend. Emery […]

Milan (AFP) – Both Genoa clubs had requested that their opening games of the season be pushed back with Sampdoria due to host Fiorentina and Genoa playing at AC Milan on Sunday. "The President of the Lega Serie A, given the requests for postponement of their matches scheduled for Sunday, August 19 at 20.30 on […]

London (AFP) – Mauricio Pochettino believes winning is the only way to keep Spurs fans happy while waiting to move into the club's new stadium. Tottenham face a logistical nightmare after delaying their move to the 62,000 capacity ground until at least October due to "issues with the critical safety systems". Pochettino's men were already […]

Rome (AFP) – French World Cup winner Steven Nzonzi insisted Thursday he was raring to get back to work as he was presented by his new Serie A club Roma. "The holidays are over and I have to focus on Roma," said the 29-year-old Nzonzi who lifted the World Cup trophy in Russia four weeks […]

Milan (AFP) – Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina joined Napoli with Villarreal's Samu Castillejo and Genoa's Diego Laxalt completing medicals at AC Milan among a late flurry of action Thursday on the eve of the transfer deadline in Italy. Colombian international Ospina's arrival comes amid criticism from fans at the lack of spending by new coach Carlo […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City defender Kyle Walker believes 18-year-old Phil Foden has the talent and attitude to step up in the absence of injured Kevin de Bruyne. Belgian midfielder De Bruyne was widely hailed as City's player of the year as Pep Guardiola's men racked up a record 100 Premier League points […]

Berlin (AFP) – Germany midfielder Toni Kroos says Mesut Ozil was 'out of order' to make accusations of racism within the German set up as he retired from international football last month. "Basically Mesut is a long-serving national team player and deserved a better exit as a footballer," Kroos, 28, told German daily Bild. "I […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal's highly-regarded midfielder Ainsley Maitland-Niles could be out for as long as two months after suffering a "small fracture" to his left leg, the club said Thursday. The 20-year-old — a member of the England side that won the U20 World Cup last year — suffered the injury in a challenge with […]

Paris (AFP) – Young German defender Thilo Kehrer completed his move to Paris Saint-Germain on Thursday, signing a five-year contract, the French champions announced. The German club announced on Sunday that they had agreed to sell the 21-year-old to PSG for 37 million euros ($42.3 million). Kehrer was part of the Germany team which won […]

Berlin (AFP) – Former World Cup winner Philipp Lahm will be the head of the organising committee if Germany win the bid to host Euro 2024, it was confirmed on Thursday. Germany and Turkey are the only two candidates bidding to host the European championships in six years time with a decision by European football's […]

Seoul (AFP) – Former Portugal boss Paulo Bento will be unveiled Friday as South Korea's new coach, the Yonhap news agency reported Thursday. Bento took the Portuguese reins in 2010 after four seasons in charge of Sporting Lisbon and guided the national side to the Euro 2012 semi-finals, but was sacked two years later after […]

Madrid (AFP) – The Spanish season kicks off this weekend with La Liga entering a new era following the departures of Cristiano Ronaldo and Andres Iniesta, and with Atletico Madrid posing a huge threat to the big two. Spain's preeminence on the European stage was cemented by Real Madrid winning the Champions League in May […]

Madrid (AFP) – Spanish football heads into the post-Cristiano Ronaldo and Andres Iniesta era as the 2018-19 La Liga season begins this weekend. With these two greats of the modern age having moved on, AFP Sport picks out six new signings to watch in the coming campaign. THOMAS LEMAR (ATLETICO MADRID) Age: 22 Position: Attacking […]