Paris (AFP) – Spain's La Liga refused to accept a 220-million-euro ($260m) payment from Neymar for his move to Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona on Thursday, with league president Javier Tebas claiming the transfer would make it impossible for PSG to comply with UEFA's Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules. AFP Sport has taken a look at […]

London (AFP) – Neymar's imminent mega-transfer from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain is "beyond calculation and rationality", Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said on Thursday. In a reference to PSG's super-rich Qatari backers, Wenger said the 222 million euros ($260 million) deal was a consequence of what happens when "a country owns a club". "For me, it […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger expects Alexis Sanchez to "respect" his decision not to allow the Chilean forward to leave the club, he said on Thursday. "I will not give anything away on (Sanchez), but the only thing I can tell you is that he is focused and my decision is clear: he […]

Istanbul (AFP) – Spanish international striker Alvaro Negredo has signed with Istanbul club Besiktas for three years after a disappointing season with English team Middlesbrough, local media reported on Thursday. Negredo will receive an annual salary of 4.5 million euros ($5.3 million), according to sports daily Fanatik. The daily said Valencia, who had lent the […]

London (AFP) – Former Walt Disney chief executive Michael Eisner has completed his takeover of English third-tier club Portsmouth, he announced on Thursday. Eisner's Tornante Company has been conducting due diligence since May and is believed to have paid £5.67 million ($7.44 million, 6.27 million euros) to buy the club. Eisner and his three sons, […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Barcelona are set to bank the biggest transfer fee in football history with Neymar's projected 222 million euro ($260 million) move to Paris Saint-Germain more then doubling the previous record bringing to an end a tumultuous four years at the Camp Nou. Yet, Barca too have had to pay a heavy price, […]

Paris (AFP) – His pre-teen skills bewitched internet users over a decade ago, and now Brazil's Neymar is set to dazzle in the French capital with his forecast world-record transfer to wannabe European power Paris Saint-Germain. Neymar's projected move from giants Barcelona and the elite Spanish La Liga to continental underachieving PSG and the low-key […]

Madrid (AFP) – Spain's La Liga refused to accept the payment of Neymar's 222 million euro ($260 million) buyout clause, a league spokesperson confirmed on Thursday, potentially delaying the Brazilian's world record move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain. "We can confirm that the legal representatives of the player attended La Liga to pay the clause […]

Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Israel has barred 10 Palestinian footballers from travelling from Gaza to the West Bank to play in Friday's Palestine Cup final second leg, their club said. Shabaab Rafah are 2-0 up against Ahly al-Khalil of Hebron from Tuesday's first leg in Gaza City but only 15 members of their […]

Paris (AFP) – Neymar's imminent record-shattering move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain was hailed as "the signing that changes the history of football" by French and Spanish media on Thursday. Papers in both cities went to town on the Brazilian striker's forecast 222 million euro ($260 million) transfer from the Catalan giants to PSG. With […]

Paris (AFP) – Monaco head coach Leonardo Jardim is confident that Kylian Mbappe will be focused for the start of his side's Ligue 1 title defence at Toulouse on Friday, despite being linked with a big-money move to Real Madrid. The principality side stunned Paris Saint-Germain last season to claim their first French championship in […]

Paris (AFP) – Neymar is expected to arrive in Paris on Thursday to finalise his world record 222 million euro ($260 million) move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain, which will earn him around 30 million euros ($35.5 million) a year. The summer's longest-running transfer saga, which this week saw the 25-year-old tracked from the United […]

Enschede (Netherlands) (AFP) – A clash of titans and a battle of tournament sensations are on Thursday's menu at the women's Euro in the Netherlands as the hosts take on England and Denmark face Austria in the semi-finals. At the sold-out Twente stadium in Enschede with more than 27,000 people expected, the Lionesses will play […]

London (AFP) – John Terry has pledged to lead Aston Villa back into the Premier League as the Championship season kicks off with a host of big-spending clubs gearing up for a frenzied promotion battle. After winning 15 major honours in 22 years with Chelsea, Terry had to search for a new club following his […]

Dublin (AFP) – A goal in either half from Henrikh Mkhitaryan and his replacement Juan Mata helped Manchester United to a 2-1 victory over Sampdoria at Dublin's Lansdowne Road in the Reds' final pre-season game on Wednesday. The pair's goals came either side of Dennis Praet's strike to ensure a positive end to United's summer […]