London (AFP) – Manchester City centre-back John Stones says he is determined to repay manager Pep Guardiola for the faith he showed in him during his difficult first season at the Etihad Stadium. Stones, 23, produced several error-strewn displays last season after joining City from Everton in a £47.5 million ($62.9 million, 53.6 million euros) […]

Rome (AFP) – Roma legend Francesco Totti has dropped out of the coaching course he was due to start, the Italian Coaches Association (AIAC) confirmed on Tuesday. Totti retired after 24 years with Roma at the end of last season, moving into a director's role with the club and signing up for a UEFA B […]

Caracas (AFP) – Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani has played down his penalty-taking spat with Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Neymar. Cavani and Brazilian Neymar, the world's most expensive player, reportedly fell out over penalty-taking duties for PSG in recent league matches. The despite blew up a couple of weeks ago when Cavani, PSG's regular penalty-taker, refused to […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – FIFA have punished numerous African nations for offences during 2018 World Cup qualifiers last month, the world football body said Tuesday. Gabon forfeited by a mandatory 3-0 scoreline a match against Ivory Coast in Libreville for fielding suspended midfielder Merlin Tandjigora. However, the Gabonese lost the match 3-0 so the punishment effectively […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata has set his sights on a quick return from the hamstring injury that forced him to pull out of Spain's World Cup qualifiers. Morata was injured in the first half of Chelsea's 1-0 Premier League defeat against Manchester City last weekend. The 24-year-old, who has scored seven goals […]

Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines (France) (AFP) – Kylian Mbappe is so good he could one day emulate the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo by winning the Ballon d'Or, his France international team-mate Blaise Matuidi said on Tuesday. While Mbappe and Matuidi have never been club team-mates, the former joining Paris Saint-Germain from Monaco in August only […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United legend Roy Keane has responded to growing fears about the damage done by concussions in sport by telling stars to 'play chess' if they are worried about getting hurt. Keane now serves as assistant to Republic of Ireland manager Martin O'Neill and his country can no longer call on Kevin […]

London (AFP) – Gareth Bale has been ruled out of Wales's final two crucial World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Ireland, the Football Association of Wales said on Tuesday. Bale's fitness has been a source of concern for the national side since he suffered a calf muscle strain against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League […]

Vilnius (AFP) – In basketball-obsessed Lithuania, women's football is gaining new fans after the sensational debut of 10-year-old Zemyna Lekaviciute as the Baltic state's youngest-ever scorer in a second-division match. After just five minutes on the pitch, Zemyna took a pass and sent the ball past goalkeeper Agne Ratkeviciute, who is more than twice her […]

Paris (AFP) – As qualifying for the 2018 World Cup reaches its climax, Lionel Messi's Argentina find themselves in trouble, Syria face a play-off to keep their remarkable dream alive and European champions Portugal have work to do. AFP Sport looks at the state of play in each of the regions: Argentina in danger Brazil […]

Milan (AFP) – Italian international striker Andrea Belotti has been ruled out for four weeks after damaging ligaments in his right knee, his Serie A club Torino confirmed on Monday. The 23-year-old will miss Italy's two remaining World Cup qualifiers against Macedonia and Albania this month, and possibly the play-offs in mid-November. Belotti — who […]

Burton-on-Trent (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester United's teenage forward Marcus Rashford says England's dismal display at Euro 2016 means he is unable to look back at his first major tournament with any kind of fondness. Rashford broke into the England squad in time for the tournament after exploding onto the scene with United in the […]

Burton-on-Trent (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Uncapped Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Harry Winks was brought into the England squad on Monday after Phil Jones and Fabian Delph withdrew through injury, the Football Association announced. Winks, 21, was promoted from the England Under-21s squad for the senior team's final two World Cup qualifiers at home to Slovenia on Thursday […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku entered a not guilty plea on Monday after being cited for holding a rowdy party at his rented Beverly Hills mansion in July. A lawyer for Lukaku, who was not required to be in court in Los Angeles, entered the plea on the player's behalf during […]

Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona star Gerard Pique's tears of sadness and the vast empty stands as his team reluctantly played were two of the defining images of a violence-scarred independence referendum in Catalonia. Pique, an outspoken defender of the wealthy northeastern Spanish region's right to self-determination, had been able to cast his vote in an […]