Moscow (AFP) – Fraudsters have tricked scores of Nigerians by selling them football World Cup fan passes to travel to Russia, leaving many stranded and penniless, victims and anti-trafficking campaigners say. Some Nigerians told AFP they used the official Fan IDs to come to Russia with the promise of finding work or even playing professional […]

Miami (AFP) – Former England captain David Beckham told supporters on Thursday he was bringing Major League Soccer to Miami "no matter what", even as his latest stadium plan sparked opposition. The former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder and his partners presented Miami commissioners with a proposal that would see their 25,000-seat stadium — […]

Saint Petersburg (AFP) – England manager Gareth Southgate admits the World Cup third-place play-off is a game that no team wants to play, but Saturday's match against Belgium offers the chance to finish the tournament on a winning note. A gut-wrenching 2-1 loss to Croatia after extra-time denied England a shot at a second World […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Steven Gerrard made a "satisfactory" start to life as a manager as his Rangers side claimed a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Macedonians Shkupi in Europa League qualifying at Ibrox on Thursday. Jamie Murphy's low first-half finish and James Tavernier's injury-time penalty proved enough to give the 54-time Scottish champions a two-goal lead […]

Bogota (AFP) – Colombia midfielder Juan Cuadrado says he is happy to give up his Juventus No.7 shirt to the Italian champions' new signing and five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo. After nine years, four Champions League crowns and two La Liga titles with Real Madrid, Ronaldo completed a surprise move to Italy's Serie A […]

Doha (AFP) – Tunisia's World Cup coach Nabil Maaloul has been appointed as coach of Qatari league champions Al Duhail, the club announced on Thursday. Maaloul, who turns 56 later this month, takes over from Djamel Belmadi, who quit and is widely expected to be appointed coach of the Algerian national team. "Tunisian coach Nabil […]

Moscow (AFP) – Nestor Pitana of Argentina will referee the World Cup final between France and Croatia, FIFA announced on Thursday. Pitana, a former actor who has already refereed four games including the tournament opener between host nation Russia and Saudi Arabia and France's quarter-final win over Uruguay, will take charge of Sunday's showpiece at […]

Belgrade (AFP) – Croatia's neighbours in the former Yugoslavia have largely praised the team's surprise success in reaching the World Cup final in Russia — just don't expect the Serbian president to support them, at least for now. Every time a major tournament comes around, a familiar refrain is heard in the region: "If only […]

Moscow (AFP) – Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic admits his team were spurred on by what they saw as a lack of respect towards them in the English media as they won 2-1 in Wednesday's World Cup semi-final. "We always respect our opponents and expect them to respect us back," Dalic told reporters in Moscow on […]

Rome (AFP) – Fans of Italian giants Juventus are delighted their team has netted Cristiano Ronaldo as their star summer recruit — but a union has called a strike saying the 100 million-euro signing is too much. The USB union confirmed Thursday it has called a three-day strike from Sunday at the Fiat plant in […]

Rome (AFP) – AC Milan on Thursday called a shareholders meeting for 21 July to rubber stamp the shift in ownership to U.S. hedge fund Elliott Management, Italian media reported. Last April, after a long-winded process in which Chinese investors had problems using Chinese funds to buy the club from long-time owner Silvio Berlusconi, businessman […]

Rome (AFP) – Italian champions Juventus are aiming for top spot in Europe after pulling off what is being called the "deal of the century" to snatch superstar striker Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid. Once the stomping ground of the likes of Zinedine Zidane and Michel Platini, the league has lacked the stardust of Spain's […]

Rennes (France) (AFP) – Newly-promoted Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers have sold Congolese midfielder Prince Oniangue to French club Caen, the two clubs announced on Thursday. The 29-year-old only played 11 times for Wolves in the 2016-17 season, before spending time on loan in France with Bastia and Angers. The West Midlands side said he […]

London (AFP) – The long-running saga over Antonio Conte's future appears to have been resolved with Chelsea sacking him as manager and appointing Maurizio Sarri, according to media reports on Thursday. The BBC said the 48-year-old Italian's two year reign — which brought league success in 2017 and the FA Cup last season — was […]

Moscow (AFP) – A towering physique and range of flashy hairstyles mean Paul Pogba rarely goes unnoticed but he has become emblematic of a French squad willing to sacrifice personal gain for World Cup glory. France go into Sunday's final against Croatia in Moscow aiming to make amends for the bitter disappointment of losing the […]