Paris (AFP) – France coach Didier Deschamps predicted Patrice Evra would pay a heavy price for kicking a Marseille fan last week and says the former national captain should have known better. "I'm neither condemning him nor judging him," said Deschamps, for whom Evra played at Monaco and with France. "Patrice is fully aware of […]

London (AFP) – West Ham sacked manager Slaven Bilic on Monday after a poor run of results that have left the club languishing in the Premier League's relegation zone, with David Moyes the favourite replace him. The club announced the departure of the Croatian, appointed in June 2015, following a chastening 4-1 loss to Liverpool […]

London (AFP) – West Ham sacked manager Slaven Bilic on Monday after a poor run of results that have left the club in the Premier League relegation zone. "West Ham United can confirm that Slaven Bilic has today left his position with the club," the Hammers said in a statement on their website. The club […]

London (AFP) – Everton defender Michael Keane was on Monday called into the England squad for high-profile friendlies against Germany and Brazil, with manager Gareth Southgate forced to juggle his resources due to injury concerns. Keane, 24, played in the Toffees' 3-2 victory against Watford in the Premier League on Sunday after returning from a […]

Melbourne (AFP) – Goal-scoring talisman Tim Cahill took an ice machine on board the long flight to Honduras on Monday to treat his injured ankle as he races to be fit for this week's vital World Cup playoff. The veteran Cahill, 37, said he would receive treatment from a member of Australia's medical staff during […]

Shanghai (AFP) – Fabio Cannavaro has resigned as coach of Tianjin Quanjian, the club announced Monday, just days after steering them to an AFC Champions League berth and with rumours swirling he will return to seven-time Chinese champions Guangzhou Evergrande. The Italian World Cup winner, who engineered the club's promotion to the Chinese Super League […]

New York (AFP) – Toronto FC advanced to Major League Soccer's Eastern Conference finals despite a 1-0 home loss Sunday to the New York Red Bulls in a playoff matchup marred by a half-time scuffle. The heated encounter saw Toronto's Jozy Altidore and New York's Sacha Kljestan given red cards as tempers boiled over into […]

Moscow (AFP) – Russia says it will take extraordinary measures to combat any terrorist threat when it hosts the World Cup next year, as its military campaign in Syria makes the country a prime target for jihadists. A bombing on the metro in Saint Petersburg in April that left 15 people dead was among the […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Arsene Wenger accepted leaders Manchester City would be "hard to stop" in their quest for the Premier League title especially if they continued to get the rub of the green from referees. The Gunners manager accused City forward Raheem Sterling of diving after he won a penalty in his team’s […]

London (AFP) – Antonio Conte has warned David Luiz he faces a fight to win back his Chelsea place after the Brazil defender was dropped for the 1-0 win over Manchester United. Luiz paid the price for some sloppy performances as Blues boss Conte left him out of the squad at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino insists Harry Kane will be available for England's upcoming friendly internationals despite an injury scare in a 1-0 Premier League win over Crystal Palace. The Spurs striker went off 14 minutes from the end of Sunday's success at Wembley after receiving treatment in the first half. Pochettino […]

Paris (AFP) – Marseille fans made their feelings clear to Patrice Evra as the Mediterranean side put their European troubles behind them by romping to a 5-0 win over Caen in Ligue 1 on Sunday. Evra, 36, was not involved in the game at the Velodrome having been suspended by his club for aiming a […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid quietened crisis talk after back-to-back defeats as Marco Asensio added to his collection of wonder strikes in a 3-0 victory over Las Palmas at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday. Victory cuts third-placed Real's deficit on Barcelona at the top of La Liga back to eight points. However, it was another […]

Milan (AFP) – Juventus closed the gap at the top of Serie A with a 2-1 win over bottom club Benevento on Sunday as leaders Napoli were held by Chievo and Inter Milan drew 1-1 against Torino. Amato Ciciretti's first-half opener for Benevento stunned Juventus before Gonzalo Higuain and Juan Cuadrado scored after the break […]

Paris (AFP) – Patrice Evra praised the support he has received from "real Marseille" fans on Sunday, just three days after launching a karate kick at one of his team's own supporters ahead of a Europa League match. The 36-year-old was suspended by Marseille on Friday after he was red-carded for the assault which occurred […]