London (AFP) – Manuel Pellegrini has promised to unleash an attacking revolution at West Ham after the Chilean was named as the Premier League club's new manager on Tuesday. Former Manchester City boss Pellegrini left his role with Hebei China Fortune over the weekend and flew to London to seal his return to the English […]

London (AFP) – Sadio Mane says he is a "lucky boy" to play alongside Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino in Liverpool's devastating forward line as he bids to sink Real Madrid in the Champions League final. The Liverpool forward has struck 19 times this season and wants more as the Reds take on the holders […]

London (AFP) – Wales manager Ryan Giggs has warned Liverpool that Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale can make the difference in the Champions League final. Bale is not certain to start Saturday's showdown in Kiev, despite scoring five goals in four La Liga games for the reigning European champions. But Wales manager Giggs said the […]

Madrid (AFP) – Zinedine Zidane has told Liverpool his Real Madrid team are hungrier than ever to win the Champions League, despite clinching the title in three of the last four years. Real are gunning for an unprecedented third consecutive success in the competition on Saturday while Liverpool have reached the final for the first […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday named Lucien Favre as their new head coach, poaching the 60-year-old Swiss from French Ligue 1 club Nice with a two-year contract. "The commitment of Lucien Favre as coach is an important part of our fresh start in sport this summer. He has our high esteem […]

London (AFP) – Marcus Rashford has paid tribute to his home city on the first anniversary of the Manchester Arena bombing, which killed 22 people. On May 22, 2017 Salman Abedi, a British man of Libyan heritage, blew himself up outside the venue, which had been hosting a concert by teen pop idol Ariana Grande. […]

Milan (AFP) – Footballers Pepe Reina, Paolo Cannavaro and Salvatore Aronica have been ordered to appear before a Italian Football Federation (FIGC) panel over their alleged association with people linked to the mafia, according to reports in Italy on Tuesday. Naples' anti-mafia department opened an investigation and the FIGC's chief prosecutor Giuseppe Pecoraro has ordered […]

London (AFP) – West Ham announced former Real Madrid and Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini as their new manager on Tuesday, replacing David Moyes at the helm of the Premier League club. The 64-year-old Chilean left his role with Hebei China Fortune over the weekend and flew to London for talks. The Hammers opted not […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham striker Harry Kane will be England's captain at the World Cup in Russia, the Football Association said on Tuesday. Manager Gareth Southgate named the 24-year-old as his skipper for the tournament during a meeting with the squad on Monday, the FA said in a statement on Tuesday. "Harry has some outstanding […]

Beirut (AFP) – World leaders should boycott Russian President Vladimir Putin's VIP box at next month's World Cup opening unless he takes steps to protect Syrian civilians, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday. Russia, which hosts the world's most-watched sporting event for the first time this year, is a key backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's […]

New York (AFP) – Ian Ayre, former chief executive of English football power Liverpool, was named Monday as CEO of Nashville's Major League Soccer expansion club expected to begin play in 2020. The Tennessee team, approved for the US country music capital by the league last December, was pleased to land the English Premier League's […]

Milan (AFP) – Juventus legend Gianluigi Buffon said Monday that he will make a decision this week on whether he will be joining Paris Saint-Germain. Buffon, 40, played his final game for the Italian giants in a 2-1 win over Verona on Saturday, capping a 17-year career in Turin that harvested seven consecutive Serie A […]

Milan (AFP) – Former Italy star Andrea Pirlo took to the pitch for the final time to say goodbye to football in a star-studded testimonial "Night of the Master" tournament at the San Siro on Monday. Champions and former teammates from all over the world — from Paolo Maldini to Gianluigi Buffon, and Roberto Baggio […]

Rome (AFP) – Deogratias Nyamwihula is a 27-year-old Tanzanian striker whose quickness is a thorn in the side of defences. He has lived in Rome since 2015, but far from the glamour of Roma and Lazio, he plays for Sedes Sapientiae, a cosmopolitan team of seminary students that are among the most feared in the […]

Lagos (AFP) – One of Nigeria's biggest evangelical churches was on to a winner when it set up a football club — backed by millions of dollars and the power of prayer. Just over a decade later, Mountain Top FC or MFM FC are now in the Nigerian Professional Football League and among the best […]