Abuja (AFP) – Liberia's President George Weah on Monday urged Nigeria to get their preparation right for the World Cup and avoid wranglings over cash that have plagued previous appearances. The former Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan forward took office in January on a promise to turn around the impoverished West African nation. On […]

Monaco (AFP) – Sixteen-year-old Monaco striker Pietro Pellegri, the club's youngest ever player, will undergo a hernia operation that will keep him out for six weeks, the reigning French champions said on Monday. Italian Pellegri, who joined Monaco in January from Genoa for 20 million euros ($25 million), last month eclipsed Kylian Mbappe's record as […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Wydad Casablanca of Morocco begin their CAF Champions League title defence Wednesday with coach Faouzi Benzarti confident of back-to-back successes in the elite African competition. "There is no reason why we cannot retain the title," the vastly experienced Tunisian said ahead of a last-32 first leg at home to African rookies […]

Paris (AFP) – Dani Alves insists Paris Saint-Germain have what it takes to beat Real Madrid in their Champions League showdown on Tuesday even without the injured Neymar. "We always have two options — either we sit down and cry, or we get up and do what we have to do," said Alves when asked […]

Rome (AFP) – A judicial inquiry had been launched following the death of 31-year-old Italian footballer Davide Astori, whose autopsy is expected to be carried out later in the day. Italy was in shock following the sudden death of the captain of Fiorentina who played for his country 14 times. "We have opened a manslaughter […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich are 20 points clear in the Bundesliga and could be confirmed champions for the sixth straight season within a fortnight, but veteran coach Jupp Heynckes is demanding they stay focused. A 4-0 thumping of Freiburg on Sunday means Bayern only have to extended their giant lead by two points over […]

Zagreb (AFP) – Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic said Monday he was worried about the impact of the false testimony charges against captain Luka Modric on his performance less than four months before the World Cup. Croatian prosecutors charged the Real Madrid midfielder last week with giving false evidence during the multi-million-euro corruption trial of former […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny admits it will be "very hard" for the club to qualify for the Champions League after another damaging Premier League defeat at the hands of Brighton. Manager Arsene Wenger said after back-to-back 3-0 defeats to Manchester City, including the League Cup final, that his players' confidence was low […]

Paris (AFP) – Mohamed Salah, Riyad Mahrez and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang — the last three African Footballers of the Year — were among the scorers in the major European leagues at the weekend. Egyptian Salah netted for the seventh consecutive match as Liverpool beat Newcastle 2-0 and Algerian Mahrez struck late to snatch a 1-1 draw […]

London (AFP) – English Football Association chief executive Martin Glenn apologised on Monday for "offensive" comments he made comparing the Jewish Star of David with symbols such as the Nazi swastika. Glenn's remarks, criticised by a leading member of Britain's Jewish community, came as he tried to justify the FA's decision to charge Manchester City […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud has played down talk of a crisis at the club after the reigning Premier League champions slumped to their fourth defeat in five league matches against Manchester City. Sunday's 1-0 defeat, courtesy of a Bernardo Silva goal, left Antonio Conte's side five points behind fourth-placed Tottenham with nine […]

Moscow (AFP) – Jose Mourinho is coming to Russia for the World Cup to provide analysis for a Kremlin-funded channel that offers no live coverage of this summer's tournament. RT television announced the signing on Monday without disclosing the payment Mourinho will receive for appearing on a channel pushing Russia's take on news to a […]

London (AFP) – Jose Mourinho has played down concerns over Marcus Rashford's lack of game time for Manchester United as the World Cup looms, saying England boss Gareth Southgate will pick the forward if he trusts him. The 20-year-old made an immediate impact when he made his debut for the club two years ago and […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich put Freiburg to the sword on Sunday amid reports that their opponent's coach Christian Streich has been approached about taking the reins at the Bundesliga leaders next season. At the other end of the table, Hamburg, the only team currently in Germany's top-flight never to have been relegated, need a […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – Los Angeles FC made a sensational Major League Soccer debut on Sunday with a 1-0 victory in Seattle over the 2016 MLS Cup champion Sounders. LAFC's arrival offers an intriguing storyline to the season that began on Saturday as they attempt to exploit the decline of five-time MLS Cup champions Los […]