Saint Petersburg (AFP) – France coach Didier Deschamps urged his side to seize their chance of redemption in the World Cup final after admitting he has still not got over the pain of defeat in the Euro 2016 final. Samuel Umtiti headed the only goal in a 1-0 semi-final win over Belgium in Saint Petersburg […]

Saint Petersburg (AFP) – Belgium coach Roberto Martinez said luck was against his side as they fell short against France in the World Cup semi-final on Tuesday, losing 1-0 in Saint Petersburg as the 'golden generation' saw another chance slip away. A Samuel Umtiti header from a corner was the difference between the European neighbours, […]

Saint Petersburg (AFP) – France reached the World Cup final for a third time as a header from Samuel Umtiti gave the 1998 champions a 1-0 victory against a vibrant Belgium team on Tuesday. The tournament favourites must wait 24 hours to discover whether they will play England or Croatia in Sunday's final in Moscow's […]

London (AFP) – Algerian Riyad Mahrez finally secured his dream move to Premier League champions Manchester City from Leicester on Tuesday. AFP Sports highlights three key stages in the career of the 27-year-old, who is the latest pivotal figure from the side which pulled off a shock 2016 title win to leave Leicester: Dad's death […]

Paris (AFP) – The French national anthem La Marseillaise, chants of "We're in the final" and a cacophony of car horns and fire crackers rang out over Paris on Tuesday as residents in the capital celebrated France's march to the World Cup final. A crowd of 20,000 gathered to watch Dider Deschamps' team beat Belgium […]

London (AFP) – Algerian international Riyad Mahrez secured his move to Premier League champions Manchester City on Tuesday, seven months after his hopes were dashed when City refused to pay Leicester's asking price. This time though Leicester said they had sold him for what is a club-record fee, with some reports suggesting the champions paid […]

Saint Petersburg (AFP) – Samuel Umtiti headed France into the World Cup final on Tuesday as Didier Deschamps' side stayed on course to repeat their triumph of 1998 after overcoming a vibrant Belgium team 1-0. The tournament favourites must now wait 24 hours until they find out whether they will play England or Croatia in […]

Saint Petersburg (AFP) – Samuel Umtiti headed France into the World Cup final in Saint Petersburg on Tuesday with a 1-0 win, consigning Belgium's 'golden generation' to another bitter disappointment. France's own supremely talented young squad will aim to make amends for defeat on home soil in the final of Euro 2016 in Sunday's showpiece […]

New York (AFP) – A Florida media company pleaded guilty Tuesday to bribing soccer officials and agreed — with its Spanish parent company — to pay more than $24 million in fines, the latest scalps in a sweeping US prosecution of FIFA corruption. Imagina US pleaded guilty over bribes to senior officials of the Caribbean […]

ZAGREB (Croatia) (AFP) – Croatia's performance in reaching the semi-finals of the World Cup has reconciled fans with their squad and removed the spotlight from corruption that have plagued the country's football in recent years. For the past few weeks Luka Modric's side have been on everyone's lips in the Balkan country of around four […]

Moscow (AFP) – England manager Gareth Southgate said his inexperienced side must look to perform at their "regular level" despite the pressure of playing in a World Cup semi-final. England face Croatia in Moscow on Wednesday after reaching the last four of a major tournament for the first time since Euro '96, when Southgate himself […]

Moscow (AFP) – Croatia defender Dejan Lovren believes his jaded team are ready to seize the opportunity of a lifetime when they face England in the World Cup semi-finals in Moscow on Wednesday. It is the first time since 1998 that the nation of little over four million people have reached this stage of the […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid on Tuesday announced the transfer of modern great Cristiano Ronaldo to Italian champions Juventus, with the Portuguese superstar saying the time had come "for a new stage" in his life. Spanish media reports said the move could cost Juventus 105 million euros ($120 million), with Ronaldo signing a four-year contract […]

Rome (AFP) – American hedge fund Elliott will take control of Italian giants AC Milan this week after the club's Chinese ownership missed a multi-million euro debt repayment, sources close to the matter confirmed to AFP on Tuesday. The source told AFP that Elliott began the legal process of taking control of the seven-time European […]

Abuja (AFP) – Nigeria on Tuesday edged closer to a possible showdown with FIFA after a judge adjourned a long-running court case over the disputed leadership of the country's football federation. The case, heard at the Federal High Court in the central city of Jos, seeks to have Chris Giwa declared as the real winner […]