London (AFP) – Mauricio Pochettino insisted Arsene Wenger should focus solely on Arsenal after the veteran manager appeared to have a dig at north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Prior to Arsenal's League Cup semi-final win over Chelsea on Wednesday, Wenger — who has come under fire regarding the Gunners' failure to win the Premier League […]

Berlin (AFP) – Schalke boss Christian Heidel has slammed Germany's general manager Oliver Bierhoff for comments he made about their Bayern Munich-bound midfielder Leon Goretzka. "I've got the message that he understands Leon's move. I think that the national team manager has to be objective," fumed Heidel on Thursday ahead of Schalke's away Bundesliga match […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho on Thursday hailed new signing Alexis Sanchez as one of the "best attacking players in the world", confirming he will be in the squad to face Yeovil in the FA Cup. United travel to the fourth-tier club on Friday at the start of a weekend that will […]

London (AFP) – Highly-regarded French defender Aymeric Laporte could become runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City's record signing according to British media reports on Thursday. The 23-year-old centre-back — who has been at Athletic Bilbao since he was 16 — would cost City £57million ($81million) owing to a release clause in his contract at Bilbao […]

Sydney (AFP) – Bert van Marwijk was tipped to achieve "great things" with Australia on Thursday as he was given the job of taking the Socceroos to the World Cup, following Ange Postecoglou's sudden departure. The Dutchman, who took the Netherlands to the 2010 World Cup final, had been one of the leading foreign candidates […]

Sydney (AFP) – Bert van Marwijk will take the Socceroos to the World Cup in Russia, Football Federation Australia announced on Thursday following Ange Postecoglou's sudden resignation from the top job late last year. Dutchman Van Marwijk, who led Saudi Arabia to World Cup qualification before leaving in September last year over a contract dispute, was […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid crashed to a humiliating Copa del Rey exit on Wednesday when they were knocked out by little Leganes in the quarter-finals with under-fire coach Zinedine Zidane taking the blame. European champions Real lost 2-1 in the second leg at their Bernabeu home as the tie finished 2-2 on aggregate with […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid crashed to a humiliating Copa del Rey exit on Wednesday when they were knocked out by little Leganes in the quarter-finals, adding to the atmosphere of crisis at the European champions. Real lost 2-1 in the second leg at their Bernabeu home as the tie finished 2-2 on aggregate with […]

Milan (AFP) – Chelsea-target Edin Dzeko grabbed a late 1-1 draw for Roma at Sampdoria on Wednesday as Lazio powered past Udinese 3-0 to boost their push for a Champions League spot next season. Roma sporting director Monchi had earlier denied a deal had been reached with Chelsea over the sale of Bosnian striker Dzeko. […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal set up a mouthwatering League Cup final against Premier League leaders Manchester City on Wednesday, coming from behind to beat Chelsea 2-1 on aggregate as Arsene Wenger targets his first ever victory in the competition. Pep Guardiola's City reached the Wembley showpiece the previous evening by beating Championship side Bristol City […]

Milan (AFP) – Lazio powered past Udinese 3-0 in Wednesday's delayed Serie A fixture to boost their push for a Champions League spot next season. The Romans overran Udinese in a game that had been rescheduled from November 5 because of rain in the capital to pull three points clear of fourth-placed Inter Milan. Simone […]

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain made light of Neymar's absence in beating Guingamp 4-2 to secure their ticket to the French Cup last 16 on Wednesday as Edinson Cavani was made to wait for his club-record goal. Adrien Rabiot opened the scoring in the 21st minute followed smartly by Lucas Deaux's own goal, with Javier […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Brazilian playmaker Philippe Coutinho has been named in the Barcelona squad for Thursday's Copa del Rey clash against Espanyol, his first call-up since his 160 million euros ($194 million, £142 million) move from Liverpool. Coutinho, who has been handed the number 14 shirt vacated by China-bound Javier Mascherano, had been sidelined by […]

London (AFP) – New England women's coach Phil Neville will not be punished over sexist tweets that have overshadowed his appointment, the Football Association said on Wednesday. No sooner had the former Manchester United and England defender been named to his new position on Tuesday than old messages from his Twitter handle @fizzer18 reappeared. They […]

Madrid (AFP) – Atletico Madrid defender Lucas Hernandez could face a one-year prison sentence for failing to comply with an order to keep away from his girlfriend, the Madrid public prosecutor's office said on Wednesday. Early last year, the Frenchman was convicted for his part in a lovers' brawl and ordered to stay at least […]