Nice (France) (AFP) – As Ligue 1 prepares to kick off in the glow of France's summer triumph, Nice will be one of the clubs that can boast a World Cup winner, but theirs is of an older vintage. Patrick Vieira, a member of the 1998 squad that put the first star on Les Bleus' […]

London (AFP) – Jose Mourinho's constant carping and foul mood during Manchester United's increasingly tortuous tour of the United States is raising questions about team morale and title hopes just over a week away from the start of the new Premier League season. Unlike rivals Liverpool and champions Manchester City, two Premier League contenders whose […]

London (AFP) – Alisson's path to becoming the world's costliest goalkeeper may never have come about had his parents not been persuaded he would slim down and grow enough to succeed, his former goalkeeping coach told The Sun on Tuesday. The 25-year-old Brazilian number one — who signed for Liverpool for a record £67million ($88million, […]

Wellington (AFP) – Embattled New Zealand women's coach Andreas Heraf quit Tuesday, ending a rocky era which culminated in most top players refusing to play for him. The former Austrian international's resignation came as the New Zealand Football Association (NZF) launched an investigation into complaints about the 50-year-old who has been on "special leave" since […]

Montevideo (AFP) – Uruguay's football association (AUF) president Wilmar Valdez resigned suddenly on Monday following the release of compromising audio recordings, just a day before he was due to stand for re-election. Although the exact content of the recordings is unknown, specialist media said they contained comments about sports administrators, a member of the government, […]

London (AFP) – Serbia striker Aleksandar Mitrovic's pivotal role to Fulham's return to the Premier League earned him a permanent move from rivals Newcastle on Monday and he declared himself "happy to the moon and back". The 23-year-old — who scored 12 goals in 17 appearances for the Cottagers after joining them on loan in […]

Madrid (AFP) – France midfielder Thomas Lemar wants to lift the Champions League trophy in his debut season at Atletico Madrid with the Spanish club set to host next year's final. "I'm going to give everything possible to go the furthest and win this Champions League," Lemar said Monday as he was unveiled by Atletico […]

Singapore (AFP) – Thomas Tuchel said it was his "biggest wish" for Edinson Cavani to stay at Paris Saint-Germain on Monday after reports linking the Uruguay striker to Real Madrid. Tuchel appeared surprised by Real's interest in Cavani, as reported by Spanish media, when he heard about it after a 3-2 friendly win over Atletico […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – Swedish star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will miss Wednesday's MLS All-Star Game against former club Juventus, the Los Angeles Galaxy announced Monday, citing workload and travel issues. Ibrahimovic took his league tally for the season to 15 goals from 17 matches with his first MLS hat-trick against Orlando City on Sunday. He was […]

London (AFP) – Former captain Alastair Cook says leg-spinner Adil Rashid is mature enough to handle the pressure following his controversial recall to the England squad for this week's first Test against India. Rashid was included in a 13-man squad for the Edgbaston game even though he has opted out of playing first-class County Championship […]

Singapore (AFP) – Virgiliu Postolachi's injury-time strike handed Thomas Tuchel his first win as Paris Saint-Germain coach after a pulsating 3-2 victory over Atletico Madrid on Monday. Postolachi, 18, curled a stunning shot past Antonio Adan to settle the friendly after Atletico had recovered from 2-0 down, helped by Antoine Bernede's own goal on 86 […]

Istanbul (AFP) – Brazilian midfielder Anderson, who spent almost a decade at Manchester United, has joined Turkish First League side Adana Demirspor on a three-year deal, the club announced on Monday. Anderson, who notched up 181 appearances for United between 2007-2015, was welcomed at the club in the south of Turkey by its chairman Murat […]

London (AFP) – Manchester City's record signing Riyad Mahrez could play in Sunday's Community Shield against Chelsea after a scan showed he had suffered no significant damage to his left ankle in a friendly with Bayern Munich. The 27-year-old Algerian international forward — for whom City paid Leicester £60 million ($79 million) earlier this month […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Gor Mahia are set to become the first Kenyan club to reach the CAF Confederation Cup quarter-finals after a 3-2 victory away to Young Africans of Tanzania at the weekend. The Group D leaders need two points from two matches to clinch a last-eight place in the African equivalent of the UEFA […]

Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Neymar has tackled critics who derided his play-acting at the World Cup, admitting he "overreacts" and blaming his "brat" like behaviour on his inner child. The Brazilian superstar was widely lambasted in Russia for his theatrical reactions to challenges which often left the world's most expensive footballer wincing and rolling […]