Lyon (AFP) – Lyon ended negotiations with Liverpool on Saturday over the possible transfer of forward Nabil Fekir to the Premier League club. "Nabil Fekir is staying at Lyon... pending other propositions," said Lyon in a statement, just hours after the president of the French football federation (FFF) claimed Fekir had undergone a Liverpool medical. […]

Vienna (AFP) – Neymar's Brazil put the finishing touches to their World Cup preparations against Austria on Sunday in a game coach Tite described as the "most difficult" of all their warm-ups on the road to Russia. Neyamr proved his fitness with an explosive return after injury, his stunning strike inspiring a 2-0 win over […]

Bronnitsy (Russia) (AFP) – With his arms crossed and a face bursting with pride, Argentina superstar Lionel Messi towers above all those on the main street of Bronnitsy, a town of 20,000 residents some 50 kilometres from Moscow. "When I was painting Messi, I was painting a legend of my time," says Sergey Erofeev, the […]

Budapest (AFP) – An injury-time own-goal gifted Australia an uplifting send-off for the World Cup in Russia with a final warm-up 2-1 win over Hungary Saturday. Young talent Daniel Arzani had fired the Socceroos into a 74th minute lead but a late Trent Sainsbury own-goal looked like granting the hosts a deserved draw until Hungarian […]

Moscow (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal arrived Saturday in Russia to begin final preparations for a World Cup campaign that pits them against arch-rivals Spain. The European champions play their Iberian neighbours in the 2014 Winter Olympics host city Sochi in the opening match for both nations Friday. The winner will be in pole position […]

Lyon (AFP) – The president of the French football federation (FFF) said on Saturday that Lyon's Nabil Fekir would join Liverpool, just a day after his club called reports of the transfer "fake news". "Nabil Fekir is in the process of being transferred," Nool Le Graet told French radio. "He has undergone a medical." Forward […]

Bronnitsy (Russia) (AFP) – River Plate midfielder Enzo Perez will replace the injured Manuel Lanzini in Argentina's 23-man World Cup squad, the country's football association said on Saturday. The 32-year-old Perez was called up by Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli after Lanzini ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during training on Friday. West […]

Cairo (AFP) – Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah has told Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi he is well on the road to recovery following a shoulder injury in the Champions League final. "The president was reassured on the health condition of the player 'Mohamed Salah', who affirmed that his condition is improving notably and that he […]

Saint Petersburg (AFP) – A deaf, white cat named Achilles is soon to begin his work as Russia's official soothsayer for the World Cup, following in the tentacle-prints of Paul the Octopus who became a star in 2010. Paul predicted winners for that years' World Cup by choosing one out of two boxes containing food, […]

Sydney (AFP) – When the Socceroos defeated American Samoa 31-0 in a World Cup qualifier in 2001, the freak result not only rewrote the record books but also helped change the course of Australian football. The lop-sided scoreline, still football's biggest win at senior international level, was greeted with frustration rather than jubilation in Australian […]

Moscow (AFP) – Neymar's acclaimed return ahead of the World Cup supplied Brazil with an immeasurable boost, but holders Germany and Argentina arrive at the tournament confronting inconsistent form and disrupted preparations. The Paris Saint-Germain superstar's swashbuckling display in a 45-minute appearance against Croatia last weekend largely dismissed lingering concerns over his fitness after more […]

Hanoi (AFP) – In a dusty workshop on the outskirts of Hanoi, workers busily mould, set and spray hundreds of replica World Cup trophies as orders flood in ahead of next week's tournament. Demand in football-mad Vietnam is soaring for the hand made plaster models of the real 18-carat gold trophy that will go to […]

Cairo (AFP) – Like it or not, Egypt is having to resort to pricey beIN sports TV network subscriptions to watch the national team, The Pharaohs, play in the World Cup for the first time in 28 years. In a country of 97 million people where the average wage does not exceed 200 euros ($235), […]

London (AFP) – Fresh from the best season of his career, Raheem Sterling has been handed the responsibility and role he craved by England manager Gareth Southgate to deliver on his abundant potential at the World Cup. Sterling scored 23 goals in all competitions as Manchester City romped to the Premier League title in record-breaking […]

Moscow (AFP) – President Vladimir Putin on Friday welcomed football teams and fans from across the world to the World Cup, which begins in Russia next week, assuring that everything effort had been "to ensure that all of our guests... feel at home". "To all football fans and the greatest football teams on the planet, […]