Madrid (AFP) – Carlo Ancelotti said he was returning to Real Madrid a "different" person after being appointed for a second spell in charge of the Spanish giants. The 61-year-old was chosen as the replacement for Zinedine Zidane, with Ancelotti leaving Everton after 18 months at Goodison Park. "I want to thank the president. I'm […]

London (AFP) – Harry Maguire said on Wednesday his ankle injury is "improving and getting better" as the England defender bids to recover in time for Euro 2020. Maguire has been out of action since suffering ankle ligament damage playing for Manchester United in their Premier League win at Aston Villa on May 9. The […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham have held talks with former Inter Milan boss Antonio Conte as they look for a permanent successor to Jose Mourinho, according to reports on Wednesday. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has been searching for a new boss since sacking Mourinho in April. Ryan Mason was put in caretaker charge until the end […]

Singapore (AFP) – A Singaporean teenager admitted Wednesday to sending death threats to English Premier League footballer Neal Maupay after becoming angry while watching a match. Derek Ng De Ren, 19, sent the messages to the Brighton & Hove Albion forward last year from the Southeast Asian city-state. He was angered after watching a match […]

Berlin (AFP) – Former Bayern Munich and Netherlands star Mark van Bommel will coach Wolfsburg after agreeing a two-year deal, the Bundesliga club said on Wednesday. He will replace Oliver Glasner who has taken over Bundesliga rivals Eintracht Frankfurt. Van Bommel, 44, coached PSV Eindhoven for a brief tenure in 2019 and was previously assistant […]

Bratislava (AFP) – Midfielder Marek Hamsik and his distinctive mohawk hairstyle will feature at Euro 2020 as he was included in Slovakia coach Stefan Tarkovic's 26-man squad on Wednesday. It will be a third performance at a major tournament for Slovakia and Hamsik — the 33-year-old former Napoli player who has been the standout Slovak […]

London (AFP) – Having reached two semi-finals during his tenure England manager Gareth Southgate says he and the team will have failed if they miss out on the last four of Euro 2020. Southgate's side defied expectations to reach the 2018 World Cup semi-finals. They have been drawn with Croatia, who beat them in the […]

London (AFP) – Scotland fans should only travel to London for their Euro 2020 clash with England if they have tickets or a safe place to watch the match, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Scottish football authorities said on Wednesday. The match on June 18 is traditionally a high-octane encounter both on and off the […]

Copenhagen (AFP) – Kasper Schmeichel has his boots planted firmly on the ground but the 34-year-old Denmark goalkeeper dreams of repeating his father's sensational Euro 1992 title. "You've got to dream big ... and the question we've got to ask ourselves is 'Why not us?'" the keeper recently told Danish TV2. His father Peter was […]

Helsinki (AFP) – When Finland's players step onto the pitch at their first ever European Championship, the Nordic nation's hopes will be pinned on star striker Teemu Pukki repeating his recent goalscoring success. Pukki's 10 goals in qualifying propelled Finland to their first major tournament, while his attacking prowess this season was key as Norwich […]

Milan (AFP) – Midfield pair Marco Verratti and Stefano Sensi were both included in Italy's squad for Euro 2020 named late Tuesday despite recent injuries. Coach Roberto Mancini unveiled his 26-man squad at the midnight June 1 deadline set by UEFA ahead of the June 11-July 11 tournament. There was also a surprise inclusion of […]

Madrid (AFP) – Carlo Ancelotti has rejoined Real Madrid as coach for the next three seasons, the Spanish club said on Tuesday. "Hello Madrid!" the 61-year-old Italian who succeeds Zinedine Zidane posted on Twitter. Ancelotti, who won the Champions League for Real Madrid during his first spell at the club between 2013 and 2015, will […]

Madrid (AFP) – Carlo Ancelotti returns to Real Madrid bringing not only a history of winning trophies to a club that particularly craves them, but also an aura of calm that it sometimes lacks. "Carlo never gets angry." So said Paolo Maldini, who spent five seasons alongside Ancelotti the player and eight under Ancelotti the […]

London (AFP) – Gareth Southgate hit back at the critics after selecting Trent Alexander-Arnold for England's Euro 2020 squad as the Three Lions boss admitted Harry Maguire is a doubt for the opener against Croatia. Alexander-Arnold had to endure a nervous wait before learning he had made the cut after spending much of the season […]

Sao Paulo (AFP) – Unexpectedly picked to host the Copa America two weeks from kick-off, Brazil sought Tuesday to reassure doubters the tournament would happen, fending off the threats of a Covid-19 surge, political divisions and a court battle. It didn't take long for cracks to emerge in organizers' last-minute plan to switch the South […]