Liverpool (AFP) – The last time Liverpool faced the might of Real Madrid, then manager Brendan Rodgers named a second-string side so impossible did it seem that England's most successful club on the European stage could compete with the self-proclaimed "kings of Europe". Madrid won 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu that November night in 2014, […]

Montreal (AFP) – Zlatan Ibrahimovic was sent off for the first time in his Major League Soccer career on Monday before the Los Angeles Galaxy ended a four-match losing streak with a 1-0 victory over Montreal Impact. Ola Kamara's 75th-minute winner sealed the badly-needed points for Galaxy, who have slipped to mid-table in the Western […]

Lima (AFP) – Peru striker Paolo Guerrero has received the backing of players' union FIFPro ahead of a meeting with FIFA's president to try to overturn a drugs ban that could keep him out of the World Cup. FIFPro said the 14-month ban for taking cocaine was "unfair and disproportionate" and said its representatives wanted […]

Berlin (AFP) – Robin Knoche crushed Holstein Kiel's dreams of promotion on Monday, as his header fired Wolfsburg to a 1-0 win in the second leg of the relegation play-off, securing Bundesliga survival. Knoche's header 15 minutes from time ended a spirited resistance from underdogs Kiel, and saw Wolfsburg escape relegation in the play-off for […]

London (AFP) – Former Paris Saint-Germain coach Unai Emery looks set to become Arsene Wenger's successor after 22 years as Arsenal manager, the BBC reported on Monday. Emery, 46, won Ligue 1 and four domestic cups in two seasons in the French capital before departing earlier this month. However, the Spaniard paid for his failure […]

London (AFP) – Santi Cazorla will bring the curtain down on his injury-ravaged Arsenal career when the Spanish midfielder leaves at the end of his contract in June. Cazorla hasn't played for Arsenal since suffering a serious Achilles injury in October 2016. In a bid to return to action, he had 10 separate operations and […]

London (AFP) – Former Republic of Ireland and Sunderland star Darron Gibson has been spared prison despite admitting a second serious drink-driving offence. Gibson's contract with Sunderland was terminated in March after he smashed his Mercedes 4×4 into a taxi and five parked cars while on his way to the club's training ground. The 30-year-old […]

London (AFP) – Wigan's owners confirmed the proposed sale of their shareholding in the League One champions to a Hong Kong-based consortium on Monday. The Latics have been owned by the Whelan family since 1995, but the International Entertainment Corporation has now agreed to buy their majority stake. The offer depends on Hong Kong Stock […]

Milan (AFP) – Roma midfielder Radja Nainggolan announced Monday he was calling time on his international career after being overlooked for the Belgium World Cup squad. The heavily tattooed 30-year-old has played 30 times for his country and is popular with supporters, but his relationship with coach Roberto Martinez has often been strained. The Spaniard […]

Buenos Aires (AFP) – Inter Milan striker Mauro Icardi, the joint-leading scorer in Italy this season, was a notable omission from Argentina's 23-man World Cup squad named by coach Jorge Sampaoli on Monday. Icardi scored his 29th Serie A goal of the season on Sunday as Inter pipped Lazio to a Champions League place, but […]

Istanbul (AFP) – Former Turkey international footballer Alpay Ozalan, who famously taunted David Beckham in a Euro 2004 qualifier, is one of several personalities from outside politics standing for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party in June elections, it announced Monday. Turkey will on June 24 vote in presidential and parliamentary elections and parties are […]

London (AFP) – Derby manager Gary Rowett has asked his Championship club for permission to speak to Stoke about taking charge of the relegated Premier League side. Stoke are searching for a new boss after Paul Lambert left last week in the aftermath of their slide into the Championship. Rowett, a former Birmingham and Burton […]

London (AFP) – Darren Moore claims his appointment as West Bromwich Albion manager will be an inspiration to ethnic minority coaches, as well as aspiring British bosses. Moore was only the second manager in the Premier League, alongside Chris Hughton at Brighton, to represent a Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) group before Albion's relegation […]

Moscow (Russia) (AFP) – Russia will reportedly deploy jamming devices used in Syria and the war in Ukraine to defend World Cup stadiums against a drone attack. The threat of terror has been a prime concern for organisers of the June 14 to July 15 football showpiece. Russia has been hit by a string of […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is quietly confident his side can upset the odds by preventing Real Madrid from claiming a third consecutive Champions League title on Saturday, to cap a stunning season engineered by the German. Klopp's men started their Champions League campaign in a playoff against Hoffenheim just to make the […]