Milan (AFP) – Dubai businessman Saeed Al-Falasi is reported to be interested in buying Italian giants AC Milan as the club struggles with debts under new Chinese owner Li Yonghong, according to reports on Thursday. Gazzetta dello Sport reported that Emirati Al-Falasi, owner of the International Triangle group, and a member of the Al Maktoum […]

Bogota (AFP) – FIFA are expected to rubber-stamp video assistant referee technology (VAR) for this summer's World Cup despite lingering opposition from within and outside football. Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, will oversee the governing body's meeting in Bogota happy to give the green light to the system despite a long, personal spell of […]

Burton-on-Trent (United Kingdom) (AFP) – England manager Gareth Southgate said Thursday his players are "desperate" to go to the World Cup in Russia despite soaring political tensions between London and Moscow over the poisoning of an ex-spy. Britain on Wednesday said it would expel 23 Russian diplomats and suspended high-level contacts over the poisoning of […]

Cardiff (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Wales will be without Aaron Ramsey at the China Cup as the Arsenal midfielder is set to undergo minor surgery but new manager Ryan Giggs on Thursday picked Gareth Bale in his first squad. Ramsey is expected to play in Arsenal's Europa League tie against AC Milan on Thursday but […]

Berlin (AFP) – Michy Batshuayi is in contention for a World Cup place with Belgium after joining Borussia Dortmund's goal-scoring 'fantastic four' while on loan from Chelsea. The 24-year-old came off Dortmund's bench to score twice — including the 94th-minute winner — in a last-gasp 3-2 win at home to Eintracht Frankfurt last Sunday. Batshuayi […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Marcos Alonso's attention had been diverted for only a second and Lionel Messi was through. It was not in the last minute, when tired legs and minds are most vulnerable to lapses in concentration, but the third, when Chelsea's rearguard should have been at its sharpest. Alonso was hardly to blame. The […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Three former African champions are among the clubs fighting for survival in the CAF Confederation Cup last-32 seconds legs this weekend. Club Africain of Tunisia host Renaissance Berkane of Morocco needing to wipe out a 3-1 first-leg loss while Raja Casablanca of Morocco are away to Nouadhibou of Mauritania having only drawn […]

Burton-on-Trent (United Kingdom) (AFP) – England manager Gareth Southgate handed an international recall to Jack Wilshere on Thursday, while Burnley duo Nick Pope and James Tarkowski were called up for the first time for friendlies against the Netherlands and Italy later this month. Swansea's Alfie Mawson also earns a place in Southgate's squad for the […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino said on Thursday he is confident England striker Harry Kane will play again this season, though he refused to put a timescale on his return. Kane limped off with his side trailing 1-0 at Bournemouth on Sunday, before Pochettino's men bounced back to win 4-1 and move up […]

Paris (AFP) – Wissam Ben Yedder's brace which sent Manchester United crashing out of the Champions League in midweek earned the Sevilla striker his first ever call-up for France on Thursday. France coach Didier Deschamps also found space for Paul Pogba and his Manchester United teammate Anthony Martial in his squad to face Colombia at […]

Paris (AFP) – Radamel Falcao is back from injury as defending champions Monaco host struggling Lille on Friday aiming for a 15th Ligue 1 game without defeat as they target an immediate return to the Champions League. With Paris Saint-Germain almost certain to win the French title this year, Monaco's two rivals for second place […]

London (AFP) – Everton manager Sam Allardyce said Thursday he is optimistic that club-record signing Gylfi Sigurdsson will be back before the end of the season, well ahead of the start of the World Cup. The club said on Wednesday that the Iceland midfielder's knee injury would sideline him for six to eight weeks but […]

Shanghai (AFP) – Brazilian football star Alexandre Pato celebrated Tianjin Quanjian's victory in the AFC Champions League with a very public attempt at wooing the Chinese actress Dilraba Dilmurat. The 28-year-old Pato and his team-mates held up a poster showing two pictures — one of him and one of Dilmurat — as Tianjin supporters chanted […]

Shanghai (AFP) – Jealousy, the whiff of corruption and some therapeutic insoles will all be thrown into the mix when Tianjin Teda host ambitious rivals Tianjin Quanjian in the Chinese Super League on Sunday. The derby in Tianjin, a port city of 15 million people close to Beijing, showcases two very different sides of modern […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta revealed he has an offer to move to China and will make a decision on his future before the end of April. The 33-year-old came through the youth system at Barca, has made over 400 appearances for the club and signed a "lifetime contract" with the club in […]