London (AFP) – Manchester City defender Danilo has played down the row surrounding team mate Raheem Sterling's gun tattoo. A picture of Sterling's tattooed leg appeared on the front page of Britain's popular Sun tabloid on Tuesday and prompted criticism from anti-gun campaigners. But the 23-year-old England forward insisted there was a deeper meaning behind […]

Abuja (AFP) – Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has charged the Super Eagles to call on the gallant Nigerian spirit at the World Cup in Russia, saying they carry the emotions of over 180 million Nigerians. President Buhari met the team, who were led by sports minister Solomon Dalung and the president of the Nigeria Football […]

London (AFP) – Brazil star Neymar is getting fitter every day as the striker recovers from a broken foot, Brazil teammate Danilo said from their pre-World Cup training camp in London on Wednesday. The Paris Saint Germain forward was injured in February and is yet to play a match since then, with two weeks to […]

Santos (Brazil) (AFP) – Twenty years ago, a coach named Betinho was watching a game of beach football when he spotted a skinny boy of six sprinting up and down the terracing, faster than he'd ever seen someone of that age. It was Neymar. The boy, who would one day turn into the world's most […]

Berlin (AFP) – Minnows Greifswalder FC are a world away from Real Madrid, yet World Cup winner Toni Kroos is the local hero in the small north German city on the Baltic coast. Greifswalder, who have just won promotion from Germany's sixth tier, is where Kroos started his career as a six-year-old before joining Hansa […]

Gelsenkirchen (Germany) (AFP) – The pitheads around Gelsenkirchen bear testimony to the heavy industry linking the region to local Bundesliga club Schalke 04, nicknamed 'The Miners', where Manuel Neuer started his impressive career. The west German city's famous son was voted the world's best goalkeeper for four years running from 2013-16 and was Germany's "Mr […]

Paris (AFP) – Spain's Mediapro, majority-owned by a Chinese investment fund, has strengthened its presence in European sports broadcasting by snapping up the rights to broadcast France's Ligue 1 football, highlighting the growing interest in China for European football. In a major blow to Vivendi's French broadcaster Canal Plus which has shown Ligue 1 matches […]

Cairo (AFP) – Mohamed Salah could still play a role for Egypt at the World Cup after the Egyptian Football Association announced Wednesday that the injured Liverpool striker would be out for "not more" than three weeks. "The football federation reiterates that Salah will be at the World Cup, God willing, and will be out […]

Madrid (AFP) – Pep Guardiola has ruled out Manchester City signing Real Madrid´s Isco this summer and described the European champions as a "spectacular team". Guardiola, speaking at a Johan Cruyff Foundation event in Barcelona on Wednesday, also made another staunch defence of his decision to wear a yellow ribbon last season in support of […]

Paris (AFP) – French football "needs" Neymar, according to the country's federation president Noel Le Graet, who said the Brazilian star "must stay" at Paris Saint-Germain. "We need this image, he's a fantastic footballer," Le Graet told AFP Wednesday. "He's on a five-year contract. He must stay. PSG shows that it can attract the big […]

London (AFP) – Ashley Young says England's stars have discussed how they should react if they are subjected to racist abuse at the World Cup in Russia. Young is aware that issues with racism could flare up during the tournament after a number of reports of abuse in Russian football. Earlier this month, the Russian […]

Berlin (AFP) – Manuel Neuer took another step towards the World Cup, after eight months sidelined with injury, by impressing in a training match for Germany's Under-20 against the senior team on Wednesday. Germany's captain and goalkeeper, who suffered a fractured foot last September, impressed for the junior team in a 2-0 defeat by the […]

Berlin (AFP) – Dietmar Hamann, a former Champions League winner with Liverpool, has criticised the Reds' goalkeeper Loris Karius for his tearful behaviour after the European final defeat against Real Madrid. "My sympathy with Karius is limited," Hamann, 44, told magazine Sport Bild. "We don't have to discuss that he decided the final with his […]

Buenos Aires (AFP) – Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli has complained that his side have to play their final World Cup warm-up match in Israel. A hat-trick from Lionel Messi gave Argentina an easy 4-0 win over Haiti on Tuesday in Buenos Aires and the squad will fly to Barcelona on Thursday to continue their preparations. […]

London (AFP) – Huddersfield manager David Wagner has been given a new three-year contract as a reward for keeping his club in the Premier League. Wagner had 12 months left on his previous deal, but Huddersfield have moved to secure his future amid reported interest in the German from several European teams. "The decision to […]