Kuala Lumpur (AFP) – Several World Cup football qualifying matches scheduled to be played in China will be moved to in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, after coronavirus infections in the Syria and Maldives teams, officials said Tuesday. Seven Asian qualifying Group A fixtures involving China, Syria, Maldives, the Philippines and Guam are affected, playing further […]

Santiago (AFP) – Inter Milan's Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal is receiving hospital treatment after testing positive for coronavirus, his national team said Monday. The diagnosis means the 34-year-old will miss Thursday's World Cup qualifier between Chile and Argentina. "The medical team of the Chilean national team emphasizes that at the request of the player Arturo […]

Brasília (AFP) – When Covid-19 overwhelmed Argentina too badly to host the South American football championships, officials decided to move the tournament to pandemic-battered Brazil of all places, drawing criticism from epidemiologists and a flurry of jokes. Already forced to delay the Copa America by a year, organizers are struggling to pull off the world's […]

London (AFP) – Wales will go into Euro 2020 without their beleaguered boss Ryan Giggs, putting the spotlight on Gareth Bale's bid to silence critics who say he has lost his appetite for success. Giggs' absence following his arrest on charges of assaulting two women last year will cast a shadow over Wales during the […]

Paris (AFP) – Group A kicks off Euro 2020 on June 11 with one its host nations, Italy, beginning their bid to return to international football's top table with a new generation of promising young talent. Here AFP Sport casts its eye over the four teams trying to reach the knockout stage. Italy A team […]

Milan (AFP) – From the dark days of Italy's 2018 World Cup qualifying fiasco to the eve of the European championships, Roberto Mancini has transformed the fortunes of fallen footballing giants Italy. A flawless Euro 2020 qualifying campaign has positioned the four-time World Cup winners as among the favourites in a tournament which they kick […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Sergio Aguero said Monday that he was hoping to have the "pleasure" of playing alongside Lionel Messi after signing a two-year deal with Barcelona. Aguero will become a Barca player once his contract with Manchester City expires at the end of June, bringing an end to a decade at the Premier League […]

Budapest (AFP) – Holders Spain secured a place in the semi-finals of the Under-21 European Championship with an extra time winner against Croatia on Monday, as a strong France side went out to an injury-time goal against the Netherlands. Javier Puado of Espanyol came off the bench and looked to have won it for Spain […]

Asuncion (AFP) – South America's largest football tournament, the Copa America, was moved Monday to Brazil, bracing for a third coronavirus wave, after Argentina was stripped of hosting duties due to its own pandemic surge. Argentina was to have co-hosted the June 13-July 10 football spectacle with Colombia, which was itself disqualified by football federation […]

London (AFP) – Everton insist Colombia midfielder James Rodriguez could have played at the Copa America after he was left out due to concerns over his fitness. Colombia manager Reinaldo Rueda axed James for the forthcoming tournament after the Everton star's apparent slow recovery from a calf injury. At a press conference in Colombia, Rueda […]

Berlin (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund on Monday strengthened their squad for next season by signing goalkeeper Gregor Kobel from Bundesliga rivals Stuttgart. Dortmund, who finished third in the 2021/22 Bundesliga campaign, have signed Kobel until 2026 having reportedly paid Stuttgart a transfer fee of around 15 million euros ($18 million). Despite being included in the […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Barcelona announced on Monday that they had agreed to sign Sergio Aguero on a deal until 2023, after the Argentina forward quit Manchester City following a decade at the Premier League club. In a statement, Barca said that Aguero will become their player once his contract with Manchester City expires at the […]

Tubize (Belgium) (AFP) – Eden Hazard is still having "some thigh problems" after missing much of Real Madrid's season but "will be there when the Euros start", he told a video press conference on Monday. The midfielder said he was "not yet at 100 percent" but added that "physically I still have to prepare myself […]

Asuncion (AFP) – South America's largest football tournament, the Copa America, was moved Monday to Brazil after a Covid-19 surge in Argentina and social unrest in Colombia saw the co-hosts stripped of the right to host the event. With two weeks to kickoff, South America's CONMEBOL football federation tweeted that "The CONMEBOL Copa America 2021 […]

Berlin (AFP) – Mats Hummels says that Germany are eager to throw down a marker ahead of the looming Euro 2020 finals when they face Denmark in a warm-up friendly. The Germans open their European Championship campaign against world champions France in Munich on June 15, then face holders Portugal four days later in Group […]