Kiev (AFP) – Real Madrid fans have returned 1,000 tickets for Saturday's Champions League final against Liverpool as spiralling accommodation and travel costs deter supporters from travelling to Kiev. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said the tickets could not be resold to Liverpool fans for security reasons but they would instead be put on sale for […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has signed a new five-year contract, the Premier League club announced on Thursday. The Argentine, who has led Spurs to three successive top-three finishes in the Premier League, has penned fresh terms to keep him at the club until 2023. "I am honoured to have signed a new […]

Kiev (AFP) – Istanbul's Ataturk Olympic Stadium will host the 2020 Champions League final, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin confirmed in Kiev on Thursday. The 76,000-capacity ground played host to Liverpool's famous comeback from 3-0 down to win the Champions League on penalties against AC Milan in 2005. The 2020 Europa League final will be played […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool have complained to the "highest levels" of European football governing body UEFA as spiralling accommodation and travel costs threaten to turn the Champions League final against Real Madrid into a nightmare for fans. Thousands of supporters from England and Spain will converge on Kiev for Saturday's showpiece between two of the […]

Belgrade (AFP) – Graffiti or street artists in Belgrade are playing out a football rivalry on the city's walls in a development far from the image of ultranationalism and violent Balkan fans. Fan groups attached to Partizan Belgrade go by the nickname 'the Gravediggers', and include the graffiti artist Derox, who is also part of […]

Tokyo (AFP) – Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta joined Japan's Vissel Kobe on Thursday, calling his J-League move an "important career challenge". "This is a very special day for me," the 34-year-old World Cup winner said after signing his contract at a glitzy unveiling in Tokyo. "I had a lot of offers, other clubs showed an […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson says a rousing speech by manager Jurgen Klopp following defeat in the Europa League final laid the foundations for their exhilarating Champions League run. The England midfielder said he has inspired by the manager's motivational words after the bitter disappointment of Liverpool's 2016 loss to Sevilla in the […]

Abuja (AFP) – Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi has recovered "faster than expected" from a hamstring injury and will soon join Nigeria's full World Cup training, an official said Thursday. Ndidi has been training on his own in the southern city of Uyo, where the squad have their training camp, since the World Cup […]

Tokyo (AFP) – Andres Iniesta became the latest big-name player to join the J-League after agreeing terms with Vissel Kobe on Thursday. Here AFP looks at Iniesta's signing, four other big moves to Japan and one that made headlines going in the opposite direction: – Andres Iniesta, 2018 – Barcelona to Vissel Kobe: The Spanish […]

Tokyo (AFP) – Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta joined Japan's Vissel Kobe on Thursday, the club's owner Hiroshi Mikitani said, describing him as a "world-class" player. "I am pleased to announce today that Andres Iniesta will be signing up to play with Vissel Kobe after his historic career at FC Barcelona," Mikitani told reporters in Tokyo. […]

Seoul (AFP) – Veteran striker Lee Keun-ho was Thursday ruled out of South Korea's World Cup squad after tearing a knee ligament, the latest in a string of injuries to plague the Asian team ahead of Russia. "Lee Keun-ho has been ruled out of the World Cup," spokesman at the Korea Football Association told AFP. […]

Madrid (AFP) – Andres Iniesta looks poised to join Japan's Vissel Kobe after tweeting on Wednesday that he was going to his "new home" with his "friend" Hiroshi Mikitani, owner of the J-League club. The 34-year-old Barcelona icon posted a photo of himself and Mikitani in what appeared to be a private jet, along with […]

Milan (AFP) – Nice striker Mario Balotelli has been linked with a move to Napoli after Wednesday's appointment of new coach Carlo Ancelotti. The 27-year-old's contract with his French Ligue 1 club expires next month and he has been targeting a move away. Italian Serie A runners-up Napoli are reported to be interested as they […]

Kiev (AFP) – In an age when individual awards are given ever greater importance, Saturday's Champions League final between Real Madrid and Liverpool — and Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah — could determine the winner of the next Ballon d'Or. After all, Ronaldo has won the prestigious prize on the back of helping Madrid to […]

Kiev (AFP) – Real Madrid can become the first side in 42 years to win three consecutive European Cups when the Spanish giants take on Liverpool in Saturday's Champions League final. Moreover, victory in Kiev would secure Madrid's fourth European crown in five seasons. Here, AFP Sports looks at other great sides that dominated Europe […]