Beijing (AFP) – Marcello Lippi is slowly beginning to make China believe they can become a footballing power, despite another failure to reach the World Cup finals. Since his appointment as head coach in October 2016 with China rock bottom of their Asian zone World Cup qualifying group, the Italian has presided over a resurgence […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers will return to his roots as he looks to his youth players to help his side through a busy month domestically and in Europe. The Scottish champions return to action on Friday following the international break when they travel to take on Hamilton at New Douglas Park. It […]

London (AFP) – Under fire from furious fans and unable to placate his unsettled stars, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger finds himself assailed by familiar problems just weeks into the new season as he battles to salvage his tarnished reputation. Just four months ago, the Frenchman was celebrating an FA Cup final triumph against Chelsea that […]

Paris (AFP) – Kylian Mbappe takes centre stage on Friday as the French league returns from the international break with Paris Saint-Germain taking on Metz where they will unleash their latest marquee recruit. The 18-year-old starlet joined PSG on a season-long loan from champions Monaco in a deal that includes the option to buy Mbappe […]

Madrid (AFP) – Suspended Spanish FA chief Angel Maria Villar was ordered to resign by the federation on Wednesday to pave the way for an election to find his successor. The 67-year-old is suspended after his arrest on July 18 on suspicion of falsifying documents, misappropriation of funds, collusion and administrative breaches linked to skimming […]

Paris (AFP) – FIFA on Wednesday ordered a World Cup qualifier between South Africa and Senegal to be replayed after the referee was banned for match fixing. The November 2016 tie, which will be restaged in November, was won by South Africa 2-1 after Ghanaian referee Joseph Lamptey awarded them a controversial penalty. Lamptey was […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Qatari-owned French side Paris Saint-Germain are "laughing" at the financial fair play (FPP) system, a combative Javier Tebas, president of Spain's La Liga, said on Wednesday. The 55-year-old also warned that if he was not satisfied with UEFA's response to La Liga's concerns regarding the lavish spending of both PSG […]

London (AFP) – Paris Saint Germain forward Kylian Mbappe says he rejected an approach from Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger in favour of moving to the French giants. Mbappe spoke with Wenger over the possibility of leaving Monaco to join the Gunners, but instead he decided to return to the French capital. The 18-year-old France international […]

Doha (AFP) – At the very same time as Syria's football "miracle" unfolded this week, two rather sorrier World Cup tales were played out. In a virtually empty, expensively-refurbished 2022 World Cup venue, Khalifa International, two of football's most ambitious nations, Qatar and China, confirmed their exits from the 2018 tournament to almost global indifference. […]

Reykjavik (AFP) – Iceland fans rejoice. The Nordic country's national team will be featured in the FIFA 18 video game, its football association announced on Wednesday, after reaching an agreement with the developer EA Sports. The deal comes nearly one year after Iceland rejected EA Sports' first offer of two million kronur (around 15,500 euros, […]

Zagreb (AFP) – The Albanian who sparked a diplomatic crisis by flying a flag-draped drone at a Euro 2016 qualifier in Belgrade is fighting extradition to Serbia, his lawyer said on Wednesday. Ismail Morina, 35, was arrested in the Croatian coastal town of Dubrovnik in June after Serbia issued an arrest warrant for "provoking racial, […]

London (AFP) – Leicester face a fight with FIFA to secure the immediate availability of Portugal midfielder Adrien Silva after reportedly missing the deadline to register their new signing by just 14 seconds. Craig Shakespeare's side agreed a £22 million ($28 million, 24 million euros) deal with Sporting Lisbon for the 28-year-old on August 31, […]

London (AFP) – Five men charged over the Hillsborough football stadium disaster, in which 96 Liverpool fans died, will go on trial next year, a British judge ruled on Wednesday. A sixth man, who has not yet been formally charged, could join the other five defendants in the dock. The trial — the first since […]

Paris (AFP) – Kylian Mbappe revealed a change of heart prompted him to join Paris Saint-Germain from French champions Monaco in a deal poised to become the second most expensive transfer in history. The 18-year-old France striker said at the end of last season he had decided to stay with Monaco, but confessed on Wednesday […]

Reggio Emilia (Italy) (AFP) – The relief was palpable on Wednesday after Ciro Immobile kept Italy's World Cup campaign on track despite an unconvincing 1-0 qualifying win by the four-time champions over Israel in Reggio Emilia. A shell-shocked Azzurri needed to hit back hard after falling to a 3-0 defeat to Spain in Madrid on […]