Milan (AFP) – Former Bayern Munich manager Carlo Ancelotti is set to take over as Napoli coach, according to reports in Italy on Tuesday. Ancelotti, who was sacked by the Bundesliga champions last September, was reported to be holding talks with Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis in Rome on Tuesday night. The 58-year-old Ancelotti and […]

Milan (AFP) – AC Milan managing director Marco Fassone said Tuesday he felt "surprise and bitterness" that UEFA had refused to offer a settlement agreement to the Italian club for violating Financial Fair Play rules, as the club could now be excluded from Europe. The Serie A club face UEFA sanctions after their request for […]

San Francisco (AFP) – A bronze plaque honoring former United States soccer star Brandi Chastain is to be remade after being ridiculed as "embarrassing" shortly after it was unveiled, US media reported Tuesday. Chastain, who created an iconic image by ripping off her jersey after scoring the winning penalty in the 1999 Women's World Cup, […]

Milan (AFP) – Inter Milan's Chinese owner Zhang Jindong warned Tuesday that the club's return to Champions League football was just the "first step" in their plan to return the Italian team to past glory. Zhang's Suning group paid nearly 270 million euros ($318 million) to buy Inter in June 2016. The club finished seventh […]

Lausanne (AFP) – AC Milan face UEFA sanctions for breaching financial fair play regulations after their request for a settlement agreement was rejected by European football's governing body on Tuesday. UEFA is concerned over AC Milan's stability after it was purchased by a Chinese-led consortium from Silvio Berlusconi for 740 million euros ($918mn) in April […]

Prague (AFP) – Arsenal keeper Petr Cech said Tuesday he was happy to finally get back the shirt number one he wore throughout his eleven seasons at Chelsea but never with the Gunners. Cech joined Arsenal in 2015 at age 33 so he picked a shirt number 33. "I already wanted number one when I […]

Lausanne (AFP) – FIFA has ended a doping investigation into Russian footballers named in the country's provisional World Cup squad after finding "insufficient evidence" of any wrongdoing, it said on Tuesday. World football's governing body launched a probe into "possible anti-doping rule violations" by players "against whom a suspicion had been raised" following the publication […]

Lisbon (AFP) – Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo offered his support on Tuesday to Sporting Lisbon players in the wake of a horrific gang attack at the club's training ground last week. A 50-strong gang of masked and hooded men brutally attacked players and officials at training last Tuesday, leaving Dutch international Bas Dost requiring stitches […]

London (AFP) – Brighton have signed Nigeria defender Leon Balogun on a free transfer after his exit from Bundesliga side FSV Mainz. The 29-year-old agreed a two-year contract with the Premier League club, who announced the deal had been completed on Tuesday. "I am delighted to welcome Leon to the club. He will add more […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal were fined £20,000 ($26,000) by the Football Association on Tuesday for their players' protests during a 3-1 defeat at Leicester. Gunners players were left incensed after referee Graham Scott gave Leicester a 75th-minute spot-kick for a foul by Henrikh Mkhitaryan on Demarai Gray at the King Power Stadium. Jamie Vardy converted […]

Madrid (AFP) – Toni Kroos has warned his Real Madrid team-mates they are in for a rough ride against Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool in the Champions League final on Saturday. Kroos knows better than most what it means to face an opponent coached by Klopp, having gone up against Borussia Dortmund seven times during his time […]

Ajaccio (France) (AFP) – French football authorities have ordered second division Ajaccio to face Ligue 1 playoff rivals Toulouse in an empty stadium following ugly scenes over the weekend that started with fans of the Corsican club attacking the team bus of visiting Le Havre. After hitting Ajaccio with a stadium ban for the home […]

Madrid (AFP) – Spain coach Julen Lopetegui has extended his contract until 2020 in a pre-World Cup boost for one of the tournament favourites. "We are going to sign a contract for two additional years," said the president of the Spanish football federation (RFEF), Luis Rubiales. It is a clear sign of confidence from the […]

Milan (AFP) – Napoli captain Marek Hamsik could be set for a move away from Italy with three Chinese clubs interested in signing the Slovak international, his father said on Tuesday. The 30-year-old midfielder overtook Diego Maradona as the club's record goalscorer this season as the side from Naples finished second in Serie A behind […]

Madrid (AFP) – When Liverpool last beat Real Madrid to win the European Cup, Terry McDermott was the tournament's top scorer and neither Cristiano Ronaldo nor Mohamed Salah were even born. The 1981 final at the Parc des Princes in Paris, decided by Alan Kennedy's late goal, earned Liverpool a third European crown in five […]