Nanning (China) (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani scored the only goal of the game as Uruguay defeated Wales 1-0 to win the China Cup. The South Americans had the better of the match as Ryan Giggs' side struggled to replicate the form shown in their demolition of hosts China 0-6 last Thursday in […]

London (AFP) – Celtic captain Scott Brown is to be rewarded for his sterling service to the Scottish giants with a testimonial match against a Republic of Ireland XI, his club announced on Monday. The 32-year-old midfielder is on course for an eighth league crown in 11 seasons at Celtic having joined from Hibernian in […]

Lausanne (AFP) – Hosting rights for the 2026 World Cup are set to be revealed on June 13, FIFA said Monday as it published bids from Morocco and a joint one from the United States, Mexico and Canada. The decision will be announced at a FIFA meeting in Moscow on the eve of the 2018 […]

London (AFP) – Gareth Southgate has told England's World Cup hopefuls there are still places up for grabs as he prepares to finalise his squad for the tournament in Russia. Southgate must submit his 23-man squad for the World Cup no later than June 4, but the England manager would ideally prefer to finalise his selection […]

London (AFP) – Egypt midfielder Mohamed Elneny has signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal, the Premier League club announced on Monday. The 25-year-old joined from Basel in January 2016 and has since made 65 appearances for the Gunners. The length of his new deal was not disclosed. "We're pleased to announce that Mo Elneny […]

Athens (AFP) – Greece's top-flight football will resume on Saturday after being suspended for nearly three weeks after a pistol-wearing club owner challenged a referee, officials told Greek media on Monday. The league was suspended on March 12 after the owner of the PAOK team marched onto the pitch during a match accompanied by burly […]

Berlin (AFP) – Jerome Boateng insists Germany see Tuesday's friendly against Brazil in Berlin as an important test despite coach Joachim Loew planning a string of changes. Loew revealed that Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen will be rested, leaving Kevin Trapp and Bernd Leno to play a half each at Berlin's Olympic Stadium. As first-choice […]

Athens (AFP) – Matches in Greece's top-flight football division will resume on Saturday after being suspended for nearly three weeks, officials told Greek media on Monday. The league was suspended on March 12 after the owner of the PAOK team invaded the pitch with a gun strapped to his belt.

Saint Petersburg (AFP) – After getting well beaten by Brazil, Stanislav Cherchesov says his Russia side must step it up a notch in their next World Cup warm up match against France on Tuesday. Cherchesov's men were thoroughly outplayed from start to finish by the five time champions in a 3-0 loss on Friday in […]

Jerusalem (AFP) – Footballers in Israel will be able to continue playing on Saturdays after the government approved a waiver for the sport on the Jewish day of rest, officials said on Monday. Matches held on Shabbat, the Jewish sabbath, have long been a cause of discord between less-observant Israelis and the country's ultra-Orthodox and […]

Moscow (AFP) – Igor Akinfeev, Russia's top goalkeeper of his generation and elder statesman, will be seeking redemption when he plays at home in what may be his last World Cup. The Moscow native is the venerable captain of a ragtag team decimated by injuries and looking for guidance ahead of the June 14 kickoff. […]

London (AFP) – England's Jack Butland is backing manager Gareth Southgate's policy of keeping his goalkeepers guessing as to who will be the number one for the World Cup in Russia. The Stoke player is set to start against Italy at Wembley on Tuesday and needs to keep pace with Everton's rising star Jordan Pickford, […]

Madrid (AFP) – Two of the World Cup's leading contenders will meet in Madrid on Tuesday but neither Spain nor Argentina have yet settled on a forward line for this summer. For Argentina and Jorge Sampaoli the question is who best to stir Lionel Messi, with the two-time winners again boasting an embarrassment of riches […]

Doha (AFP) – Former World Cup winner Xavi Hernandez was named as a global ambassador for the 2022 World Cup local organising committee in Qatar on Sunday. The 38-year-old, who is currently playing for Qatari side Al Sadd, will be an ambassador for the organisation "responsible for delivering the infrastructure" for the World Cup. "I […]

Berlin (AFP) – Former Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel has reportedly dropped out of the running as a possible head coach of Bayern Munich next season, according to reports on Sunday. Both German daily newspapers Bild and Munich-based Sueddeutsche Zeitung claim Tuchel, 44, has told Bayern he is no longer interested in succeeding Jupp Heynckes. The […]