San Isidro (Argentina) (AFP) – The coordinator in charge of the nurses that treated Diego Maradona at his home was interviewed by Argentine prosecutors on Friday as part of the investigation into the football icon's death. Mariano Perroni, 40, is the third of seven people under investigation for manslaughter to testify in the case that […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic recalled Dejan Lovren to his side as the World Cup finalists aim to get their Euro 2020 campaign up and running against the Czech Republic in Glasgow on Friday. Lovren was a stalwart of Croatia's memorable run in Russia three years ago, but had been dropped for Marseille's […]

London (AFP) – England can join Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands in the last 16 of Euro 2020 on Friday if they get the better of neighbours Scotland, while Sweden took a step towards the next round with a 1-0 win over Slovakia. The oldest and most played fixture in international football takes place at […]

Saint Petersburg (AFP) – Emil Forsberg's second-half penalty sealed Sweden a 1-0 win over Slovakia in Saint Petersburg on Friday as the Scandinavians moved top of Euro 2020 Group E. Janne Andersson's men, who played out a goalless draw with Spain in their opener, now look set to reach the knockout stage for the first […]

Tehran (AFP) – Iranian football great Ali Daei is ready for Cristiano Ronaldo to break his all-time international goalscoring record, perhaps during Euro 2020. The 'Shariar' (King in Persian) scored a remarkable 109 goals in 149 appearances for Iran between 1993 and 2006, an achievement many thought would never be matched. But Ronaldo is fast […]

Amsterdam (AFP) – Coming into Euro 2020, Netherlands coach Frank de Boer decided to change the way his team play, a move that sparked fierce debate in the football-mad country but has helped create a new star in orange. Denzel Dumfries has caught the eye like no other player in the opening week of the […]

Herzogenaurach (Germany) (AFP) – Midfielder Jonas Hofmann and defender Lukas Klostermann sat out Germany's final training session ahead of Saturday's crucial Euro 2020 match against holders Portugal, but Serge Gnabry returned. Neither Klostermann nor Hofmann were involved in Tuesday's 1-0 defeat by world champions France in Germany's opening game, but Gnabry started and returned to […]

Paris (AFP) – When Cristiano Ronaldo and Paul Pogba removed Coca-Cola and Heineken bottles during Euro 2020 press conferences, it showed sports stars are rejecting sponsors' products that fail to correspond to their personal values, analysts say. Ronaldo has a combined social media audience of around 500 million followers, so when he speaks, it has […]

Madrid (AFP) – Spain captain Sergio Busquets will travel with the squad on Friday for their second Euro 2020 Group E game against Poland after being given the all-clear from Covid-19 following a first positive test. Busquets has been allowed to rejoin the squad, the Spanish football federation confirmed, after a negative result in his […]

Bangkok (AFP) – Move over Paul the Octopus, Thailand has a new claimant to the football forecasting crown: Boy the "psychic" lion, who has so far correctly called four Euro 2020 matches. Boy, a five-year-old white lion who lives at a zoo in northeast Thailand, makes his predictions by grabbing meat marked with national flags […]

Moscow (AFP) – Moscow has closed its Euro 2020 fan zone and banned gatherings of more than 1,000 because of a spike in Covid-19 cases, the mayor of the Russian capital said on Friday. "I didn't want to do this, but we have to," Sergei Sobyanin wrote on his website a day after saying that […]

Oslo (AFP) – Will Norwegian football star Erling Braut Haaland stay home or play on what fans have dubbed a "cemetery?" This Sunday, a meeting of Norway's football community will decide whether to boycott next year's World Cup in Qatar. Under pressure from grassroots activists the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) has decided to hold an […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Tunisian Faouzi Benzarti, the most successful African coach in CAF club competitions with five titles, faces South African rookies Arthur Zwane and Dillon Sheppard on Saturday in a Champions League semi-final. Wydad Casablanca handler Benzarti takes 42 years of coaching experience into the first leg in Morocco with the hosts hot favourites […]

London (AFP) – England can join Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands in the last 16 of Euro 2020 on Friday if the Three Lions get the better of neighbours Scotland in a grudge match at Wembley. The oldest and most played fixture in international football will take place at a major tournament for just the […]

Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – A tearful Neymar inspired hosts Brazil to become the first side to qualify for the Copa America knock-out stages following a 4-0 win over Peru in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday. Goals from Alex Sandro, Neymar, Everton Ribeiro and Richarlison gave the holders a ninth straight win and a perfect […]