London (AFP) – Portugal midfielder Adrien Silva says he tried to remain positive during a long saga which came to a happy end on Monday as he completed his move to Premier League side Leicester City. The 28-year-old — capped 20 times and a member of the Portugal side that won Euro 2016 — has […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – In a World Cup year, African football has plenty to look forward to, but it will open 2018 with a glance back at the achievements of one of its stars. Liverpool's Mohamed Salah is expected to be crowned African Player of the Year in Ghana on Thursday when the African Football Confederation (CAF) […]

West Bromwich (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has hit out at the Premier League fixture schedulers who he claims have handed Chelsea a pre-match advantage ahead of their London derby on Wednesday. Wenger launched a tirade against the fixture list and the standard of Premier League refereeing after his side were held […]

London (AFP) – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has demanded more protection for players after seeing Kevin De Bruyne narrowly avoid serious injury as his side's 18-game winning streak came to an end. De Bruyne was stretchered off after being hacked down by Crystal Palace's Jason Puncheon as City broke in search of a late […]

London (AFP) – Paul Pogba has called on Manchester United to "wake up" after a third straight draw over the Christmas period saw them slip behind Chelsea in the Premier League table. Draws against Leicester and Burnley either side of Christmas severely undermined United's status as challengers to Manchester City and Saturday's 0-0 stalemate at […]

London (AFP) – Manchester City survived late penalty drama at Crystal Palace on Sunday but saw their 18-match Premier League winning run halted as Arsene Wenger overtook Alex Ferguson's record for games in charge. Pep Guardiola's men travelled to their match in London with a 13-point lead over second-placed Chelsea and strongly fancied to match […]

West Bromwich (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Arsene Wenger's record-breaking day as Arsenal manager ended in frustration as his disjointed side were held to a controversial 1-1 draw at West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. The Frenchman took charge of his 811th Gunners league game, taking him past Alex Ferguson's Premier League record of 810. But his […]

Paris (AFP) – An apparent gaffe by Nike has fired speculation that Philippe Coutinho could leave Liverpool for Barcelona in the January transfer window. The sportswear giant, who manufacture Barcelona's kit, advertised a Barca shirt on their website with the Brazilian midfielder's name on it. Headlined "Where the magic happens", the page, which has since […]

Madrid (AFP) – Atletico Madrid unveiled new signings Diego Costa and Vitolo on Sunday as the Spanish club's transfer ban finally comes to an end. Atletico had been unable to register new signings in last summer's transfer window after being handed a ban by FIFA for irregularities in relation to the transfers of minors. But […]

London (AFP) – Ederson's last-gasp penalty heroics saved Manchester City from defeat but a 0-0 stalemate at Crystal Palace on Sunday brought the Premier League leaders' record-breaking 18-match winning run to an end. Luka Milivojevic was presented with the chance to seal a memorable victory for Roy Hodgson's relegation-threatened side when Wilfried Zaha was brought down […]

Paris (AFP) – FIFA tried to contact Russian whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov over accusations of doping in Russian football and will do so again after samples have been re-tested by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), world football's governing body told AFP. In an interview to the Associated Press, Rodchenkov's lawyer said his client had information that […]

London (AFP) – Paul Pogba has called on Manchester United to "wake up" after a third straight draw over the Christmas period saw them slip behind Chelsea in the Premier League table. Draws against Leicester and Burnley either side of Christmas severely undermined United's status as challengers to Manchester City and Saturday's 0-0 stalemate at […]

London (AFP) – With the January transfer window opening on New Year's Day, the Premier League's superpowers are ready to flex their financial muscles in a frenzy of spending. Liverpool set the tone before the market had even officially begun when they splashed out a world record fee for a defender, paying £75 million ($100 […]

Verona (Italy) (AFP) – Paulo Dybala should avoid worrying about comparisons with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo if he wants to become the best player in the world, said Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri Saturday. The 24-year-old Argentine — linked with a possible move to Manchester United — has not hit the heights of last season […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Jose Mourinho takes Manchester United to Everton on New Year's Day in the midst of a major striker crisis as he faces former Old Trafford favourite and club record goalscorer Wayne Rooney. Romelu Lukaku suffered a worrying head injury early in Saturday's disappointing 0-0 draw with Southampton, United's third successive […]