Hanoi (AFP) – Vietnam’s Under 23 football squad got a rapturous welcome home Sunday from thousands of fans lining the streets of the capital, even though they fell short of a championship win. The underdogs became overnight celebrities in the football-crazy nation when they reached the finals of the Under 23 Asian Football Confederation tournament […]

Dubai (AFP) – Saudi and UAE football authorities said on Sunday their teams will play Asian Champions League away matches in Qatar despite a travel ban they have imposed on their Gulf neighbour. The decisions by the Saudi Arabian and United Arab Emirates football federations came after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) decided overnight in […]

Stuttgart (Germany) (AFP) – VfB Stuttgart sacked coach Hannes Wolf on Sunday after a 2-0 home defeat to Schalke 04 that left the club just three points above the Bundesliga relegation places. "After intensive discussions late into the night, it has been decided that Hannes Wolf is no longer the coach of VfB Stuttgart," a […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insisted he remained a fan of the controversial video assistant referee system despite his team's bitterly disappointing 3-2 defeat by West Bromwich Albion in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Match referee Craig Pawson used the system no fewer than eight times during an eventful game at […]

Newport (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Mauricio Pochettino questioned his Tottenham Hotspur players' appetite for the fight after were nearly knocked out of the FA Cup by fourth-tier Newport County. The Spurs manager was angered by his side's attitude during their fourth-round tie at Rodney Parade on Saturday where they were indebted to an 82nd-minute goal […]

Paris (AFP) – Neymar played down the latest debate surrounding whether he or Edinson Cavani should be taking penalties for Paris Saint-Germain, after scoring a spot-kick against Montpellier on Saturday. The world's most expensive player was booed by the PSG home fans despite scoring four goals in an 8-0 thrashing of Dijon a fortnight ago, […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola wants FA Cup replays scrapped, arguing they add too many extra games to an already-congested schedule. Guardiola has claimed English football authorities have ignored a request from managers to reduce the load on players, suggesting those responsible for running the game are too busy thinking […]

London (AFP) – Jay Rodriguez scored twice as West Bromwich Albion stunned Liverpool with a 3-2 FA Cup fourth-round win at Anfield on Saturday in a tie overshadowed by the Video Assistant Referee, after Harry Kane spared Tottenham a shock defeat by lowly Newport. A remarkable first half on Merseyside saw the Baggies, second-bottom in […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Jay Rodriguez scored twice as West Brom pulled off a thrilling 3-2 victory at Liverpool in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Saturday in a game that will be remembered for the use of the video assistant referee. The VAR, being trialled in English cup competitions this season, was called […]

Milan (AFP) – Sami Khedira and Gonzalo Higuain scored as champions Juventus went top in Serie A with a 2-0 win at nine-man Chievo on Saturday. The side from Verona played the last half hour two men down after Samuel Bastien and Fabrizio Cacciatore were both needlessly sent off at the Bentegodi Stadium. The two-man […]

Liverpool (AFP) – West Bromwich Albion were denied a goal by the new Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system and had another confirmed by the technology in a dramatic start to an FA Cup tie that still saw them establish a 3-1 half-time lead over Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday. With the Baggies already 2-1 up, […]

Paris (AFP) – Edinson Cavani insisted that he is happy playing with Neymar at Paris Saint-Germain, after the Uruguayan broke the club's goalscoring record and his strike partner netted twice against Montpellier on Saturday. The 30-year-old is PSG's top scorer this term with one more goal than world-record signing Neymar, who returned to the team […]

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said on Saturday he was "2,000 percent sure" that Neymar will stay at the club for next season. The world's most expensive player scored twice in a 4-0 rout of Montpellier on his return from a two-match absence through injury. Spanish media reports earlier this week said […]

London (AFP) – Harry Kane came to Tottenham's rescue after they were just minutes away from a stunning FA Cup defeat at lowly Newport County on Saturday while fellow top-flight London side West Ham crashed out. Fourth-tier Newport, one of several Welsh clubs who play in English domestic football, put themselves in sight of one […]

Newport (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Harry Kane kept Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup with an 82nd-minute equaliser that denied League Two Newport County a famous giant-killing win on Saturday. The England striker scored from close range as the Welsh club let him out of their sights for almost the first time in a game […]