Lisbon (AFP) – Jose Mourinho insists he has no plans to join Paris Saint-Germain despite admitting he will not be signing a new contract with Manchester United in the immediate future. Mourinho triggered talk of a potential switch to Paris when the United manager spoke admiringly about the Qatari-owned French club in a recent television […]

Turin (Italy) (AFP) – Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri insisted Tuesday that the Serie A champions were not in crisis despite recent setbacks. Italian title-winners in the last six seasons, Juventus lost to Lazio on Saturday — a first home defeat in over two years — to trail leaders Napoli by five points. But Allegri said […]

Madrid (AFP) – Spanish prosecutors have accused Real Madrid's Brazilian left-back Marcelo of tax fraud totalling nearly half a million euros, a judicial source confirmed on Tuesday. The tax authorities believe Marcelo hid 490,917 euros ($578,000) earned from his image rights using a network of shell companies outside of Spain. According to court documents, Marcelo […]

London (AFP) – Antonio Conte says the injury problems that threaten to derail Chelsea's season have been caused by his side's increased workload. Conte's team have lost their last two Premier League matches against Manchester City and Crystal Palace as the injury bug bites ahead of Roma's visit to Stamford Bridge in the Champions League […]

London (AFP) – Leicester City sacked manager Craig Shakespeare on Tuesday after just four months in charge of the former Premier League champions, British media reported. Shakespeare, 53, replaced Claudio Ranieri on a caretaker basis in February and was handed a three-year contract in June. But the 2015-16 champions have struggled this season and are […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso admitted Tuesday that the Premier League champions cannot afford to lose another match if they want to successfully defend the title. Antonio Conte's side are lagging nine points behind leaders Manchester City after losing their last two league matches. The Blues, who host Roma in the Champions League […]

Madrid (AFP) – FIFA's number two Fatma Samoura said Tuesday she hoped the criminal investigations into the sale of World Cup rights to the Qatari-owned beIN Media group will not "disrupt" Qatar's hosting of the 2022 World Cup. Swiss prosecutors said last week they had launched a criminal corruption probe targeting Paris Saint-Germain president and […]

Sydney (AFP) – Australia coach Ange Postecoglou was urged to stay loyal to the World Cup hopefuls Tuesday after he was linked with a big-money move to Carlos Tevez's Shanghai Shenhua in China. The 52-year-old has failed to confirm or deny reports that he is considering quitting the Socceroos, who face a two-legged playoff with […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United's Champions League encounter with Benfica on Wednesday represents a resumption of hostilities with foes who have provided a yardstick for their European standing for over half a century. Benfica, famously, were the team United defeated at Wembley in 1968 to become the first English side to win the European Cup. […]

Turin (Italy) (AFP) – On the night Lionel Messi sensationally booted Argentina into next year's World Cup finals in Russia, Gonzalo Higuain was watching thousands of kilometres away in Turin. There was a touch of envy as the 29-year-old Juventus player took to Instagram to congratulate the national team: "Thanks a lot guys for taking […]

London (AFP) – Italy will learn their World Cup play-off fate on Tuesday as the four-time winners join seven other European countries in the draw for the decisive two-legged ties. Gian Piero Ventura's side have been forced to take their chances in the treacherous play-offs after finishing second in their qualifying group behind Spain. Italy, […]

Madrid (AFP) – For the first time since playing to an empty stadium in protest at a violent crackdown of an independence referendum in Catalonia, Barcelona's Camp Nou opens its doors when Olympiakos visit on Wednesday. On the field, Barca should have little problem sweeping aside an Olympiakos side without a point in the Champions […]

Paris (AFP) – Jose Mourinho's Manchester United will be looking to maintain their robust start to their Champions League campaign when they head to Benfica on Wednesday while Antonio Conte's Chelsea entertain Roma. Barcelona and Lionel Messi meanwhile play their first home match at the Camp Nou since the Catalonia independence referendum that plunged Spain […]

London (AFP) – Frustrated by his past failures, Chelsea star Eden Hazard has been urged to finally stamp his mark on the Champions League. While Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar have cemented their legendary status with headline-stealing performances in Europe's elite club competition, Hazard remains one of the tournament's biggest enigmas. Hazard's quality is […]

Leicester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Riyad Mahrez's first Premier League goal of the season secured Leicester a 1-1 draw with West Brom on Monday but it was not enough to lift the 2016 champions out of the bottom three. The Algerian international — who had missed a sitter earlier in the match — struck 10 […]