Moscow (AFP) – President Vladimir Putin firmly told regional leaders Thursday not to turn World Cup arenas into flea markets once the football showpiece wraps up next month. Space around stadiums such as Moscow's Luzhniki became bustling hubs that sold everything from fruit to clothes during Russia's post-Soviet economic crisis in the 1990s. The money […]

Bandung (Indonesia) (AFP) – Former Chelsea star Michael Essien has been released from Persib Bandung, the Indonesian club said Thursday, the latest big foreign signing to be axed from the national league in the past two seasons. The Ghanaian, 35, who signed with the Bandung-based club just over a year ago, had his contract terminated […]

Paris (AFP) – Football fans won't be alone when they sit glued to their TV sets for the 2018 World Cup. Scientists, too, will follow every move of the players and ball, probing all facets of the beautiful game for insights into disciplines as divergent as aerodynamics, psychology and the human physique. – On the […]

Berlin (AFP) – Arsenal star Mesut Ozil will miss Germany's final warm-up match on Friday with a knee injury, but the attacking midfielder's participation in the World Cup is not in danger, according to the German football federation. Ozil, 29, will sit out the friendly against Saudi Arabia in Leverkusen with light bruising to his […]

Rome (AFP) – The history of the World Cup is littered with refereeing errors and questionable decisions. How different things might have been if Video Assistant Referees (VAR) — which will be used at the finals in Russia — had existed all along: The Hand of God June 22, 1986. Mexico City. World Cup quarter-final: […]

Moscow (AFP) – World Cup organisers say the competition will draw more than one million fans to Russia, creating challenges that range from the logistical to the cultural for the hosts and their guests. – One million expected – There won't be an "Oranje" army in Russia, because the Dutch failed to qualify, but there […]

Paris (AFP) – While moribund in Syria and Iraq, the Islamic State (IS) group poses a real threat to Russia's World Cup that must be taken seriously, security experts warn. Alarm bells have been ringing since disturbing photo-montages began to appear on social media late last year, the work of the IS propaganda arm known […]

Accra (AFP) – The Ghana Football Association (GFA) on Thursday pledged to tackle corruption after an explosive undercover investigation alleged referees took bribes and the head of the governing body received kickbacks. A long-awaited documentary was unveiled in Accra on Wednesday night, little more than a week before the start of the World Cup finals. […]

Madrid (AFP) – With Antoine Griezmann's reported transfer to Barcelona inching closer, Argentine superstar Lionel Messi described the French striker as a "great player", Spanish sports daily Mundo Deportivo reported on Thursday. "He is clearly a great player," Messi said when asked about the Atletico Madrid striker, although he said he was "not 100 percent […]

London (AFP) – England World Cup left-back Danny Rose has been battling with depression which even his parents did not know about until he told the British media this week. The 27-year-old Tottenham Hotspur defender — who has told his family to stay away from the finals in Russia later this month because of fears […]

Oslo (AFP) – World Cup-bound Panama saw their hopes of a morale-boosting pre-tournament win crumble after just four minutes in a 1-0 defeat to Norway on Wednesday. Panama will make their World Cup debut in Russia, where the central Americans will face England, Belgium and Tunisia in Group G. But Hernan Dario Gomez's men will […]

Moscow (AFP) – Despite selling mugs and ornaments at Moscow's top souvenir market, Alexander does not expect a huge boost when hordes of flush fans descend on Russia this summer for the World Cup. "You would think that the World Cup would be great for selling souvenirs, but not for us," said Alexander, a victim […]

London (AFP) – The CONIFA World Football Cup for soccer's outsiders wrestled with controversy ahead of Thursday's semi-finals, as a team dramatically stormed out in furious protest. The high-flying Isle of Man pulled out after defeat to an unfancied side — orchestrated by a player who was quietly registered after the tournament deadline, in a […]

Baghdad (AFP) – With his black beard, curly hair and football shirt, Iraqi striker Hussein Ali is often mistaken for one of the world's top players: Egypt's Mohamed Salah. In the Iraqi capital Baghdad, 20-year-old Ali is frequently stopped in his working-class Hurriya neighbourhood by people wanting a photograph with their idol. Although he is […]

London (AFP) – The Premier League delivered its "most impressive results" ever in a European football market worth a record 25.5 billion euros — reflecting a new era of financial stability, analysts Deloitte said on Thursday. The big five European leagues generated 14.7 billion ($17.3 billion) revenue in 2016/17, a nine percent increase from the […]