Lisbon (AFP) – FIFA has laid out plans to replace the Confederations Cup with an expanded Club World Cup that will only be held every four years from 2021, a source told AFP on Wednesday. According to a letter Gianni Infantino, the president of world football's governing body, sent to the heads of the continental […]

London (AFP) – Playmaker Kevin De Bruyne and his Manchester City team-mates made up almost half of the Professional Footballers' Association's Premier League team of the year revealed on Wednesday. Right-back Kyle Walker, centre-back Nicolas Otamendi, midfielder David Silva and striker Sergio Aguero were also named in the XI. Tottenham were the only other team […]

London (AFP) – Mauricio Pochettino defended his team selection after Tottenham dropped points against Brighton, denying this weekend's FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United influenced his decision. The Spurs boss made six changes to his starting line-up and then saw his team drop two points in their quest to secure Champions League qualification. Despite the […]

Madrid (AFP) – Lionel Messi was thrown on as a substitute but 10-man Barcelona were relieved to escape with a draw as Celta Vigo came within a whisker of inflicting the Catalans' first league defeat of the season on Tuesday. Messi was introduced after an hour at the Stade Balaidos and looked to have inspired […]

Berlin (AFP) – Thomas Mueller shone as Bayern Munich romped to a 6-2 semi-final win at Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday to reach the German Cup final and keep their treble dreams alive. Leverkusen are up to third in the Bundesliga, but trail champions Bayern by a massive 24 points and the gulf in the league […]

Brighton (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Harry Kane stepped up his bid to win the Premier League's golden boot as Tottenham warmed up for the FA Cup semi-finals with a 1-1 draw at Brighton on Tuesday. Kane fired Tottenham ahead in the 48th minute when his close-range shot deflected in off Brighton defender Bruno. It was […]

Sao Paulo (AFP) – Brazilian superstar Neymar said Tuesday that he won't be back playing at least until the second half of May, when he is scheduled to have his final medical exam following foot surgery. "There isn’t an exact date yet. I have the last exam, if I’m not mistaken, I’m not sure, on […]

Berlin (AFP) – They may sit third in the Spanish league, but when it comes to the Champions League holders Real Madrid simply engage a special 'chip', says James Rodriguez. On loan at Bayern Munich, who host his ex-club Real in the first-leg of the Champions League semi-final next Wednesday, James says the Spanish giants' […]

London (AFP) – Everton have asked fans to grade the performance of under-fire manager Sam Allardyce by giving him a mark out of 10 in a club survey. Allardyce has endured stinging criticism from Everton supporters unhappy about his direct style of football and the team's inconsistent results since he took charge in November. The […]

Raqa (Syria) (AFP) – He was once held underneath Raqa's stadium, a prisoner in the Islamic State group's Syrian capital. Now Aziz al-Sajer has returned to the pitch — only this time, with a football. The 25-year-old and his fellow players on the Al-Rashid football team gathered this week in the stadium for a play-off […]

Miami (AFP) – Champions League semi-finalists Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Roma and Liverpool plus English powers Manchester City and Manchester United will be among the European giants competing in this year's International Champions Cup, it was announced Tuesday. The 18-team, 27-match pre-season competition kicks off less than a week after the conclusion of the World […]

Madrid (AFP) – Karim Benzema will not make any attempt to persuade Didier Deschamps to take him to the World Cup, the Real Madrid star telling the France coach: "If you need me, you know where I am". Benzema has not played for his country since October 2015 after being charged in connection with an […]

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain will play two matches during a pre-season tour to Singapore in July, the newly-crowned French champions announced on Tuesday. PSG will play Arsenal on July 28 and Atletico Madrid on July 30 at the National Stadium in Singapore as part of the International Champions Cup, a pre-season competition played at […]

Berlin (AFP) – Arturo Vidal is out for the rest of the season, Bayern Munich announced Tuesday a day after confirming the Chile midfielder will miss next week's crunch Champions League semi-final clash at home to holders Real Madrid. The 30-year-old Vidal limped out of training with a knee injury on Sunday and underwent minor […]

London (AFP) – Jose Mourinho has warned that Manchester United still face a battle to secure a top-four place in the Premier League despite their ambition to finish second. Manchester City wrapped up the title without kicking a ball, thanks to rock-bottom West Brom's shock 1-0 win at Old Trafford on Sunday. United were a […]