Madrid (AFP) – Former Barcelona president Sandro Rosell will stand trial for alleged money laundering related to the sale of the Brazilian national football team's television rights, a court said Friday. Spain's National Court, which deals with major corruption cases, added Rosell's wife, an Andorran lawyer and three other people would also stand trial.

Saint Petersburg (AFP) – Luka Modric comes from a "different planet" and is the best Croatian player in history, according to his team-mate and Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic. Modric has been one of the stars of the World Cup so far, scoring twice in Croatia's opening three games and leading them through to the last […]

Nizhniy Novgorod (Russia) (AFP) – Just weeks before the start of the World Cup, Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic identified a major problem with his team, their obsession with France 1998. "Croatia haven't done well in a World Cup since France 1998, and going on our quality, we should have," Dalic told one of the country's main […]

Moscow (AFP) – Russia hope hulking Arsenal striker Artem Dzyuba's mean streak can lead them past former champions Spain in the host nation's first World Cup knockout stage match since Soviet times. That's Arsenal Tula — not the glamorous London side. Russia's reliance on the boot of a man who plies his trade in a […]

Moscow (AFP) – In the sweat and heat of Nikolskaya Street, men hug and pose for photographs with smiling women amused by their coloured wigs and horned Viking helmets. The strip of bars and shops a few hundred yards from the Kremlin is a feast of beer and mirth for football fans visiting Moscow for […]

Yekaterinburg (Russia) (AFP) – Captain John Obi Mikel wrote in an opinion piece published hours before their critical World Cup game against Argentina: "Nigeria is not here to wear a nice kit." But for some neutrals the 2-1 defeat by Lionel Messi's side on Tuesday was more than Nigeria exiting the tournament — it meant […]

Tokyo (AFP) – Japan's football chief has saluted the team for its "fair play" as debate rages over the manner in which the Blue Samurai booked their spot in the last 16 of the World Cup. Kozo Tashima, president of the Japan Football Association (JFA), insisted the team deserved a place in the knockout stage […]

Tehran (AFP) – Iranian striker Sardar Azmoun has announced his retirement from international football aged just 23, saying criticism from fans of his performance at the World Cup had harmed his mother's health. Azmoun, a rising star, who with 11 goals had been Iran's top scorer in qualification for the finals in Russia, drew brickbats […]

Tokyo (AFP) – Japanese salarymen dashing to work Friday exchanged high fives with bleary-eyed football fans celebrating after the country reached the last 16 of the World Cup — most blissfully unaware of a backlash against their team. Japan lost 1-0 to Poland in Russia on Thursday in a match that ended in farce as […]

Nizhniy Novgorod (Russia) (AFP) – Senegal's elimination on fair play rules not only made World Cup history, it is also the first time since 1982 an African team failed to reach the tournament's second round. Thirty six years ago such a poor performance by African teams was seen as less shocking. In 2018, with the […]

Saint Petersburg (AFP) – After 15 days of triumphs, tears and controversy, the World Cup's group stage drew to a close on Thursday. Here, AFP Sport ranks the 16 teams to have made it through based on their performances in Russia so far. 1. Croatia Three wins out of three, including a thumping of Argentina, […]

Kazan (Russia) (AFP) – Argentina and Lionel Messi need to find form fast if they are to go any further in the World Cup on Saturday when they meet a France team who have yet to live up to their billing. The first last-16 match in Russia promises to be a fascinating clash of two […]

Sochi (Russia) (AFP) – The man who has marshalled the best defence in the World Cup so far will relish the task of trying to stop his old foe Cristiano Ronaldo when Uruguay and Portugal meet in Sochi on Saturday. The Madrid derby comes to the shores of the Black Sea in the last 16 […]

Moscow (AFP) – Hooligans have been conspicuously absent from the World Cup and Russia's sense of vindication is palpable. The beating muscle-bound Russian thugs inflicted on England supporters in France during Euro 2016 was still a major talking point in the run-up to the biggest event in sport. Violence became a leitmotif of British and […]

Kaliningrad (Russia) (AFP) – Belgium beat England to top spot in their World Cup group on Thursday after Japan sneaked into the knockout phase on the back of their superior disciplinary record. The 1-0 win for Roberto Martinez's much-changed team in Kaliningrad earns a second-round tie against Japan while England have a trickier-looking match against […]