Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has defended his players and dismissed talk of a crisis at the reigning Spanish and European champions after seeing them fall further behind La Liga leaders Barcelona. Madrid ended an outstanding 2017 with a 3-0 defeat at home to their bitter rivals in the Clasico and their […]

London (AFP) – Newcastle great Peter Beardsley has agreed to a period of gardening leave whilst the club looks into accusations of racism and bullying levelled at him in his role as the club's Under-23 coach. The 56-year-old former England and Liverpool star — who made over 300 appearances for Newcastle in two spells at […]

London (AFP) – Antonio Conte says he will "not forget" Jose Mourinho's personal slight about match-fixing, but the Chelsea manager added Tuesday he wants to call a halt to the increasingly bitter dispute with his Manchester United counterpart. The 48-year-old Italian — who served a four-month ban in Italy in 2012 in relation to a […]

London (AFP) – English minnows Yeovil Town have hailed a second FA Cup clash in four seasons against Premier League giants Manchester United as a "special moment". The lowest-ranked side left in the competition will face Jose Mourinho's side later this month at Huish Park, where the 12-time winners won 2-0 in 2015 thanks to […]

London (AFP) – Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson praised the video assistant referee (VAR) system after its debut in English competitive football following initial confusion around Brighton's winning goal. Brighton's Glenn Murray scored a late winner in the home side's 2-1 FA Cup third-round defeat of Palace on Monday but, with suggestions of handball, there […]

Shanghai (AFP) – China's football association (CFA) warned Tuesday that it was watching closely and would punish teams who flout its transfer rules, following reports two clubs are battling to sign striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Chinese Super League (CSL) champions Guangzhou Evergrande are reportedly prepared to pay at least 70 million euros for the Borussia Dortmund […]

London (AFP) – Arsene Wenger has warned his Arsenal flops that new recruits are on the way as the furious Gunners boss prepares for Wednesday's League Cup semi-final against Chelsea. Wenger's side suffered one of the most chastening defeats of his increasingly tarnished reign on Sunday as second tier Nottingham Forest won 4-2 in the […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – Acting US national team coach Dave Sarachan opted for young prospects in calling upon 30 players on Monday for the Americans annual January training camp. The session is set to open Wednesday at Los Angeles with the culmination of workouts to be a January 28 friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina at […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – Jonathan Gonzalez, a teen midfielder for Mexican side Monterrey, has opted to play international football for Mexico over the United States, according to reports Monday. Univision and ESPN, citing unnamed sources, reported that Gonzalez will represent El Tri after playing for the United States at youth level. That decision must receive […]

Paris (AFP) – Monaco and Lyon will play each other in the standout tie in the round of 32 of the French Cup, the draw for which was made on Monday evening. The sides are currently second and third respectively in Ligue 1, but both are nine points behind leaders Paris Saint-Germain so the French […]

Brighton (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Substitute Glenn Murray grabbed Brighton and Hove Albion a 2-1 FA Cup third-round victory over rivals Crystal Palace on Monday as video technology made its bow in England. It was the first time the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system had been used in English football for a one-off trial, but […]

London (AFP) – Nottingham Forest have appointed Aitor Karanka as their new manager on a two-and-a-half-year contract, the English Championship club announced on Monday. The Spaniard succeeds Mark Warburton, who was sacked at the end of last month, and takes over with two-time European Cup winners Forest currently 14th in the second tier. "We are […]

London (AFP) – Jose Mourinho's Manchester United will travel to fourth-tier minnows Yeovil Town in the English FA Cup fourth round after Monday's draw, while Newport County will host Tottenham Hotspur. United beat Derby County on Friday in their first match of the tournament, and would equal Arsenal's all-time record of 13 Cup titles with […]

Doha (AFP) – A beaming Wesley Sneijder said he had turned down offers "from everywhere" to play in Qatar as the Dutch star was officially unveiled by Al Gharafa in Doha on Monday. The former Ajax, Real Madrid and Inter Milan star said he was "happy" to be in the Middle East and could not […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Philippe Coutinho officially completed his "dream" 160-million-euro ($192 million) move from Liverpool to Barcelona on Monday, making him the third most expensive player in history. Coutinho, 25, signed a five-year contract in a ceremony sitting alongside Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu before posing on the Camp Nou pitch in a Barcelona shirt. […]