London (AFP) – Marcelo Bielsa and Frank Lampard bring a touch of star quality to the English Championship but face a stiff task to restore the lustre of fallen giants Leeds United and Derby County. Both men also have something to prove on a personal level — Argentine veteran Bielsa will want to show he […]

Lyon (AFP) – England youth international Reo Griffiths joined French club Lyon from Tottenham on a four-year deal Wednesday. The 18-year-old forward scored 27 goals in 20 matches for Spurs in the under-18 Premier League last season and also featured in the UEFA Youth League. "I think this club's a very big club. I'm very […]

Nyon (Switzerland) (AFP) – UEFA extended former France international Samir Nasri's doping ban from six to 18 months on Wednesday over the intravenous drip treatment he received at a Los Angeles clinic in 2016. The 31-year-old, who is currently without a club, was suspended for six months in February after taking a multi-vitamin booster in […]

Paris (AFP) – France's Ligue 1 will use the video assistant referee (VAR) system in every game in the coming season, the French football federation said on Wednesday. The French league voted in December to adopt VAR and the technology was tried out in the later stages of the League Cup and French Cup and […]

London (AFP) – The Football Association is considering putting England forward as a potential host for the 2030 World Cup, confirming on Wednesday it has approved a feasibility study into becoming Europe's only bid. England won the only World Cup it has ever hosted in 1966 but lost out in the race to host the […]

Berlin (AFP) – Sweden star Emil Forsberg looks set to remain at Bundesliga side RB Leipzig for the 2018/19 season despite reported interest from Italian clubs Roma and AC Milan. "It's up to us – and Emil still has a four-year contract (until 2022) – so he stays," Ralf Rangnick, who has replaced Ralph Hasenhuettl […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has said Robert Lewandowski is not for sale — at any price — amid reports Chelsea are the latest top club chasing the Poland striker. "Our door remains closed, the top quality we have at Bayern Munich will stay here," Rummenigge told Wednesday's edition of Munich-based newspaper […]

London (AFP) – Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope, a member of England's World Cup squad, faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines after an operation on a dislocated shoulder, manager Sean Dyche said Wednesday. The 26-year-old, who has one international cap but was an unused squad member in Russia, dislocated his shoulder in the Europa League […]

London (AFP) – France defender Lucas Digne says he is excited by the challenge of playing in the Premier League after he signed for Everton for a reported £19million ($25million, 21million euros) from Barcelona on Wednesday. The 25-year-old left-back, capped 21 times and who was on standby for the World Cup squad, signed a five-year […]

Moscow (AFP) – Russian police unexpectedly released Pussy Riot punk group members early Wednesday while they still face charges for invading the pitch at the World Cup football final in Moscow last month, the activists said. Four members of the group had spent a night in police custody and a day awaiting a court hearing […]

Miami (AFP) – Jose Mourinho was finally given something to smile about as a tempestuous trip to the United States ended with Man United's 2-1 win over former club Real Madrid thanks to first-half strikes from Alexis Sanchez and Ander Herrera. Mourinho has cut a miserable figure during their two week trip to the United […]

Tampa (AFP) – Brain damage from heading a football may be five times more extensive in women than men, said a US study Tuesday based on nearly 100 amateur players. The report in the journal Radiology suggested that sex-specific guidelines may be needed to guard against head injuries in football, or soccer as it is […]

London (AFP) – English football intends to start punishing managers who behave badly on the sidelines as severely as players on the field, the Football Association (FA) said on Tuesday. In the coming season, referees will be able to show red and yellow cards to coaching staff in England's top professional competitions, with the exception […]

London (AFP) – French midfielder N'Golo Kante, labelled the "essential element" in the World Cup-winning side by Didier Deschamps, has been offered a new five-year contract by Chelsea, according to British media reports on Tuesday. The pocket-sized 27-year-old dynamo — who recovered the ball more often than any other team-mate during the finals in Russia […]

Lille (France) (AFP) – A handful of football fans in northeast France are paying the price for celebrating their nation's World Cup win a little too loudly. Police in the town of Tergnier — population 13,000 — issued fines of 35 euros ($41) in the wake of the national team's World Cup victory this month […]