Abuja (AFP) – Nigeria and Poland's World Cup warm-up this week will provide vital experience for both sides as the finals approach, former international striker Emmanuel Olisadebe said Thursday. Olisadebe was born in Nigeria but made 25 appearances for Poland, including at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea. The 39-year-old former forward, […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – Zlatan Ibrahimovic has signed for the Los Angeles Galaxy and could make his debut for the Major League Soccer side this month, Sports Illustrated reported Thursday. Hours after reports in Britain said Ibrahimovic had played his last game for Manchester United, Sports Illustrated reported on its website the Swedish star had […]

Nanning (China) (AFP) – Ryan Giggs' first game as Wales coach got off to a flying start Thursday with a 6-0 demolition of China as Gareth Bale scored a hat-trick. The Real Madrid forward scored his 29th international goal for his country to become the highest scoring Welsh player of all time, breaking Ian Rush's […]

Moscow (AFP) – Russia's World Cup hopes hinge on the right foot of a journeyman forward who plies his trade with a small club from the provinces and is all but unknown abroad. Fyodor Smolov intends to change that in Friday's friendly against the superstars of Brazil in Moscow followed by Tuesday's match with France […]

Düsseldorf (Germany) (AFP) – Joachim Loew is keeping his World Cup cards up his sleeve, but the Germany coach is set play a strong hand in Friday's mouth-watering friendly against Spain. The defending champions begin to finetune their World Cup preparations with high-profile home friendlies against Spain, in Duesseldorf, and Brazil, in Berlin next Tuesday. […]

London (AFP) – Russia's ambassador to Britain insisted Thursday that England football fans will be safe at the 2018 World Cup, despite a raging diplomatic crisis between London and Moscow. "They will be safe in Russia," Alexander Yakovenko told a press conference at the London embassy. All the necessary measures are being taken, and the […]

Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona and Spain midfield star Andres Iniesta has indicated this summer's World Cup in Russia could signal his international swansong. Iniesta, 33, also hinted he could finally be lured from a rarely-seen 'contract for life' with the Spanish league giants, signed last year, to cap his sparkling club career with a stint […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United have announced plans to form a women's professional team after long being criticised for lagging behind their rivals. The Premier League giants are the only top-flight club in England without a senior women's team. United said they had submitted an application to the Football Association to join the second tier […]

London (AFP) – The World Cup is not immune from the threat of match-fixing, experts have warned, with sophisticated monitoring systems in place to identify suspicious activity during the tournament in Russia. Jake Marsh, head of integrity at digital media group Perform, which supplies live sports video to bookmakers, said there was no room for […]

London (AFP) – West Ham on Thursday issued lifetime bans to five fans who invaded the pitch during their Premier League match against Burnley earlier this month. Several supporters have also been banned for life for throwing coins or objects "with intent to injure or harm" during a chaotic match at the London Stadium. The […]

Berlin (AFP) – Athletics legend Usain Bolt, who has ambitions to start a football career at 31, will train with Borussia Dortmund on Friday, the Bundesliga club has announced. "Bolt is coming!" tweeted the German league club while the Jamaican sprint star wrote "BVB, get ready for Friday #BVBolt #NewLevels @bvb09 @pumafootball," on his official […]

Moscow (AFP) – World Cup hosts Russia will test their World Cup mettle in two tough friendlies against Brazil and France that just might lift team spirits after a rash of bad injuries. Coach Stanislav Cherchesov lined up the trophy favourites to brace his men for the pressure of living up to Vladimir Putin's expectations […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Lionel Messi begins his road to World Cup redemption on Friday as Argentina take on Italy in a glamour friendly, desperate to win a major international prize to crown his glorious career. In Barcelona's colours, Messi has experienced nothing but success, winning eight La Liga titles and four Champions League […]

Moscow (AFP) – Training between mounds of snow without Neymar, Brazil may be forgiven for feeling out of their element as they prepare to face hosts Russia in their penultimate World Cup warmup. The most expensive football player on the planet is back home, celebrating his sister's birthday with his famous right foot recovering from […]

Burton-on-Trent (United Kingdom) (AFP) – England midfielder Jack Wilshere has played down World Cup expectations but believes the Russian showpiece could be a stepping stone towards a brighter future for Gareth Southgate's inexperienced team. The Arsenal player is hoping to win his first cap in nearly two years in warm-up friendlies against the Netherlands and […]