Berlin (AFP) – Jupp Heynckes said Friday that the charm offensive to persuade him to stay as Bayern Munich coach will be "in vain" as he insists on leaving when the season finishes. The 72-year-old has turned Bayern's fortunes around, from trailing in the Bundesliga by five points when he took over in October, to […]

London (AFP) – Riyad Mahrez will not be included in Leicester City boss Claude Puel's squad for the visit of Swansea City as the Algerian's standoff with the Foxes for their refusal to entertain a deadline day bid from Manchester City rumbles on. Mahrez has not trained since City withdrew their interest on Wednesday's due […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – The Munich air disaster that destroyed the famed "Busby Babes" still resonates for present Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho 60 years after the tragedy, he said Friday. The crash killed eight of the United team and three backroom staff — 23 people in all died — who had won successive […]

Casablanca (Morocco) (AFP) – A controversial former minister who coordinates armed groups in conflict-hit Central African Republic was on Friday elected to the governing board of Africa's top footballing body. Patrice Edouard Ngaissona, who is Central Africa's football chief, was elected following a vote in Casablanca among delegates at the Confederation of African Football's general […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Jose Mourinho effectively conceded the Premier League title to Manchester City on Friday, admitting that his Manchester United side are competing to be "first of the last" in the table. United lost in midweek at Tottenham, allowing their local rivals to open up a commanding 15-point lead, with just 13 […]

Paris (AFP) – Sepp Blatter indicated Thursday that he plans to take on FIFA, the global football body he used to run but which has now banned him. "As new facts have appeared it's time to question the decision of the Fifa Ethics-Committee – my suspension of 6 years!" Blatter tweeted, adding hashtags for FIFA, […]

London (AFP) – Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has hit back at claims from Hearts boss Craig Levein that players need more protection from Hoops captain Scott Brown. Levein expressed his annoyance about a collarbone injury suffered by 16-year-old midfielder Harry Cochrane following an aerial challenge with Brown during Hearts' 3-1 defeat by Celtic on Tuesday. […]

Tokyo (AFP) – German World Cup winner Lukas Podolski has been named captain of Japan's Vissel Kobe football club for the coming season, the team announced Friday. The 32-year-old joined the J-League club in Kobe last year after playing for Turkey's Galatasaray since 2015. "It's a heavy responsibility to be appointed captain by any team, […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger may be forced to wait to hand club record signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang his debut after the Gabon striker missed training on Friday due to illness. Aubameyang joined the Gunners from Borussia Dortmund in a £56 million ($79 million, 63 million euros) switch on Wednesday, but may be forced […]

London (AFP) – Mauricio Pochettino tries to switch off from football and read a book or watch a film but the Tottenham Hotspur manager has confessed it is a losing battle as the 'Beautiful Game' is his life. The 45-year-old Argentinian — whose much-praised stewardship of Spurs with his policy of blooding young players and […]

Miami (AFP) – David Beckham has finally achieved his goal of bringing Major League Soccer to Miami, but the prospect of a stadium without parking that drives up housing costs in a low-income neighborhood is no hit with residents. The former England captain and glitzy star of storied Champions League teams was formally awarded an […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Bernardo Silva is hoping to kickstart his Manchester City career by capitalising on the creative void left by Leroy Sane's absence over the next couple of months. Germany international Sane faces up to seven weeks on the sidelines with ankle ligament damage picked up in City's FA Cup victory over […]

Berlin (AFP) – With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang now at Arsenal, Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski is poised to earn more goal-scoring accolades in Germany. Aubameyang was the Bundesliga's top-scorer last season with 31 goals — one more than Lewandowski — but Arsenal paid Borussia Dortmund a club-record £56 million ($79.2m, 63.7m euros) for the Gabon striker […]

Paris (AFP) – Neymar insists his Paris Saint-Germain career is just getting started as the runaway French league leaders prepare for a crucial stretch of matches that will likely define their season. PSG go to struggling Lille on Saturday, exactly six months on from Neymar's world-record transfer from Barcelona, with the Brazilian superstar bidding to […]

Madrid (AFP) – Zinedine Zidane, whose Real Madrid side go to Levante this weekend, will soon find out if he was right to refuse to add to his squad in the January transfer window. There were no new arrivals at the Santiago Bernabeu, with a move for the Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga the most […]