Madrid (AFP) – Lionel Messi was left out of Argentina's squad for their friendly match against Spain on Tuesday. Messi had been feeling pain in his hamstring and despite coach Jorge Sampaoli insisting on Monday the striker was fit, he did not even make the bench at the Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid. After staying an […]

Saint Petersburg (AFP) – Kylian Mbappe scored twice and Paul Pogba netted a brilliant free-kick as France beat World Cup hosts Russia 3-1 in a friendly at Saint Petersburg on Tuesday. Mbappe's impressive double and Pogba's strike helped the 1998 world champions bounce back from Friday's 3-2 home defeat by Colombia, while Fedor Smolov's goal […]

Lausanne (AFP) – Teams will be allowed to make a fourth substitution in Champions League and Europa League matches that go to extra-time from next season, UEFA announced on Tuesday amid other changes. The fourth sub rule would be available in knockout-stage games and will also be applied by FIFA at this year's World Cup […]

London (AFP) – West Ham will erect a security barrier near the directors' box at the London Stadium to prevent a repeat of recent crowd trouble as captain Mark Noble urged fans to unite behind the relegation-threatened club. Almost 20 supporters have been issued with lifetime bans following unsavoury scenes during the 3-0 defeat by […]

Berlin (AFP) – Germany winger Marco Reus is set to miss Borussia Dortmund's mouth-watering clash at Bayern Munich on Saturday, which could decide the Bundesliga title this season. The 28-year-old Reus had been in great form with three goals in five league games since mid-February after nine months sidelined by torn knee ligaments. However, Reus […]

London (AFP) – Football clubs that want to take the plunge into eSports should be bold and avoid the temptation of focusing on the safe option of FIFA, experts say. Manchester City and West Ham have blazed a trail for other Premier League clubs but their eSports teams are focused on the football video game, […]

Berlin (AFP) – Germany's World Cup-winning head coach Joachim Loew has ruled out taking over at Bayern Munich next season with the runaway Bundesliga leaders hunting for Jupp Heynckes' successor. Loew, 58, has a contract with the German FA until 2020 and emphatically ruled out media speculation linking him to Bayern next season. "That is […]

Shanghai (AFP) – Disillusioned Chinese fans have blamed the country's football authorities for the national side's latest heavy defeats amid reports that the players have been banned from displaying tattoos. Several players in the 6-0 thrashing by Wales last week and in Monday's 4-1 defeat to the Czech Republic wore bandages on their arms or […]

Basra (Iraq) (AFP) – Boasting an ultra-modern stadium, the southern Iraqi city of Basra is hoping to cash in on football fans starved of international matches after the lifting of a three-decade ban. Earlier this month world governing body FIFA finally lifted its prohibition on Iraq hosting competitive internationals — sparking jubilation in the violence-wracked […]

Tehran (AFP) – Iran's football captain Masoud Shojaei said Tuesday his ban for playing an Israeli club was the "worst incident that could have happened" and he was glad to return as "a soldier" for the national side. "This is a unique honour to be able to return to the national team," he said in comments […]

London (AFP) – Raheem Sterling has vowed to finally emulate his blistering Manchester City form in an England shirt as the electric winger eyes redemption at the World Cup. Sterling's last taste of a major international tournament was a bitter one, but the forthcoming World Cup in Russia has the potential to be a far […]

Buenos Aires (AFP) – Argentina captain Lionel Messi admitted Monday that his generation has a score to settle at the World Cup in Russia after a series of agonising near misses in major tournaments. "The debt we owe is to ourselves, not to the people. We always give our all, we reached three finals. We […]

Geneva (AFP) – Ronald Koeman claimed his first win in charge of the Netherlands national team as the Dutch cruised to a comfortable 3-0 friendly victory over an uninspired Portugal in Geneva on Monday. The three-time World Cup runners-up have failed to qualify for this year's finals in Russia, but Koeman's second game at the […]

Reykjavik (AFP) – Iceland announced Monday it will stage a diplomatic boycott of the football World Cup in Russia over the poisoning of a former double agent in Britain. "Among the measures taken by Iceland is the temporary postponement of all high-level bilateral dialogue with the Russian authorities," the foreign ministry said in a statement […]

Madrid (AFP) – Argentina star Lionel Messi is set to return from a minor injury for Tuesday's international friendly against Spain, national team coach Jorge Sampaoli said on Monday. The Barcelona forward sat out Friday's 2-0 defeat of Italy in Manchester with a thigh muscle problem but came through Monday's training session in Madrid and […]