Brussels (AFP) – Eden Hazard scored once and assisted another goal in a 3-0 pre-World Cup friendly win over Egypt on Wednesday that gave worried Belgium fans hope of a promising World Cup campaign. Drawn in Group G containing England, Tunisia and tournament debutants Panama, Belgium are expected to cruise into the second round of […]

London (AFP) – England manager Gareth Southgate won't lead his side off the field should any of his players suffer racist abuse at the World Cup in Russia for fear of expulsion from the tournament. Left-back Danny Rose has told his family not to travel to Russia as the Tottenham defender is fearful they could […]

Berlin (AFP) – After being booed by Germany fans last weekend, Ilkay Gundogan admits being affected by the criticism he and Mesut Ozil received in the wake of their controversial meeting with Turkey president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "Some of the reactions hit me, especially the personal insults," Manchester City star Gundogan told reporters at Germany's […]

Schwechat (Austria) (AFP) – Nigeria suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Czech Republic on Wednesday in Austria in their final friendly ahead of the World Cup. Defender Tomas Kalas, fresh from helping Fulham win promotion to the English Premier League, scored the only goal of the game in the first half in […]

Florence (Italy) (AFP) – The referee makes the sign of a screen with his fingers and goes to consult a screen on the edge of the pitch — the controversial VAR, video assistant refereeing system, will make its World Cup debut at Russia 2018. After experiments in different FIFA tournaments, Serie A in Italy and […]

Moscow (AFP) – Russia said Wednesday it was ready to thwart any threats to the World Cup, which kicks off in Moscow next week, as a massive security effort ramps up. The security "measures are really unprecedented ... They are based on our experience with such events and we have also studied international experience," said […]

Lausanne (AFP) – The European Clubs Association (ECA) on Wednesday demanded "open and transparent" discussions with FIFA president Gianni Infantino over his plans for new, or enlarged, global club and international competitions. The governing body of world football is creating a Global Nations League for national teams and has proposed expanding the Club World Cup […]

Shanghai (AFP) – He was touted as the next big thing when he joined Arsenal in 2004 and would later play for Real Madrid. On Wednesday, Jose Antonio Reyes signed for the bottom side in China's second tier. Now 34, the winger is swapping his native Spain for Xinjiang, a remote region in China's far […]

London (AFP) – Portuguese full-back Diogo Dalot became Manchester United's second major signing in two days the English giants announced on Wednesday after securing a 22 million euro (£19 million) move from Porto. Dalot, 19, has signed "a five-year contract, with an option to extend for a further year", United said in a statement. Brazilian […]

Moscow (AFP) – President Vladimir Putin has called on Russia's reeling national team to pull themselves together as they head into their first home World Cup. Russia have picked a terrible time to go on their worst run in the post-Soviet era. A 1-1 draw in Moscow with Turkey on Tuesday made Stanislav Cherchesov the […]

Jerusalem (AFP) – Israel's bid to stage a high-profile football match against Argentina in the disputed city of Jerusalem inevitably thrust politics and the festering Israeli-Palestinian conflict to the fore. The Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires confirmed Tuesday that the pre-World Cup friendly international had been cancelled, citing threats against Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi. The […]

London (AFP) – With their Premier League rivals already strengthening for next season, Chelsea risk losing further ground as uncertainty swirls over the future of manager Antonio Conte and even owner Roman Abramovich. A fifth-placed finish just a year after winning the league in Conte's first season in charge meant many expected the FA Cup […]

London (AFP) – England left-back Danny Rose will not be accompanied by his family at the World Cup in Russia as the Tottenham defender is fearful they could suffer racial abuse. "I’m not worried for myself, but I’ve told my family I don’t want them going out there because of racism and anything else that […]

Dhaka (AFP) – A football-mad farmer in Bangladesh has unfurled a homemade German flag stretching 5.5 kilometres (3.4 miles) in a bizarre act of devotion to his favourite team ahead of the World Cup. Amjad Hossain's long love affair with Germany began unusually — he credited homeopathic medicine made in the European powerhouse with treating […]

Zagreb (AFP) – Croatian football strongman and former Dinamo Zagreb chief Zdravko Mamic was sentenced on Wednesday to six-and-a-half years in prison over multi-million-euro abuse of power and graft. Two international stars — Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric and defender Dejan Lovren — appeared as witnesses during the trial in Osijek providing details of their transfers […]