Singapore (AFP) – Inter Milan’s Geoffrey Kondogbia entered the annals of sporting infamy with a remarkable own goal but the Italian side held on to win 2-1 and condemn Chelsea to a successive pre-season defeat on Saturday in Singapore. Inter led by two goals from the impressive Ivan Perisic and Stevan Jovetic, before what was […]

Singapore (AFP) – Passionate Chelsea manager Antonio Conte says he loses up to three kilos during games because of his touchline antics and often feels "destroyed" afterwards. The 47-year-old Italian made a stunning impact in guiding Chelsea to the Premier League title in his first season in England after arriving last year. But the former […]

Shanghai (AFP) – The intrigue surrounding Neymar's future at Barcelona took another twist when the Brazilian star said Saturday that he would be in Shanghai on Monday. It comes a day after a major event organiser in China said a meet-and-greet with the forward on Monday in Shanghai was off because he and his advisers […]

Epe (Netherlands) (AFP) – Spain will stick to their possession-based game despite almost missing out on the women's Euro knock-out stages after group losses to England and Scotland, midfielder Vicky Losada said. Tipped as one of the favourites to win the women's Euro, Spain were one goal away from elimination as a 1-0 defeat to […]

Landover (United States) (AFP) – Having paid nearly $500 for a ticket to watch his team in a pre-season friendly against Barcelona, Manchester United fan Vikrom Ahuja could hardly contain his excitement. "It's a lifetime opportunity because you're not going to see this kind of opposition in the US," said Ahuja as he savored the […]

Miami (AFP) – Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos says French teen striker Kylian Mbappe will become a welcome addition for the reigning Champions League and La Liga champions should he decide to leave Monaco. The 18 year-old forward is wanted by Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane, with the Spanish giants poised to make him one […]

Madrid (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo faces a brutal return to Madrid before starting pre-season training with Real Madrid as he is expected in court on Monday, accused of evading millions in taxes. The 32-year-old — the world's highest paid athlete according to Forbes magazine — will be questioned by a court in Pozuelo de Alarcon, […]

Madrid (AFP) – From Barcelona's star striker Lionel Messi to his arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid, many football stars have fallen foul of the Spanish taxman over the past few years. Ronaldo appears in court on Monday, accused of evading 14.7 million euros ($17.2 million) in tax. He joins a long list of football […]

Miami (AFP) – Barcelona star teammates said Friday they have begged Neymar to resist the temptation of moving to Paris St Germain after a training ground altercation with new signing Nelsen Semedo. The French giants are supposedly ready to launch a record-breaking $256 million (218 million euros) move for Neymar, sparking exit fears as the […]

Doetinchem (Netherlands) (AFP) – Denmark are hoping for a fairytale against holders Germany while hosts the Netherlands are bracing for a tough Swedish defence as the women's Euro quarter-finals kick off on Saturday. "Every Danish person knows Hans Christian Andersen, the great fairytale writer, and we want to write one tomorrow," Denmark coach Nils Nielsen […]

Tangiers (Morocco) (AFP) – Neymar will not be there but Kylian Mbappe will be as Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain meet in the Champions Trophy, the traditional curtain-raiser to the French season, in Morocco on Saturday evening. They have been the two biggest transfer sagas of the summer in Europe, with PSG ready to break the […]

Istanbul (AFP) – Istanbul giants Galatasaray have agreed terms to sign Brazilian midfielder Fernando from Manchester City and Algerian international Sofiane Feghouli from West Ham United, Turkish media reports said on Friday. Both English Premier League players would arrive in Istanbul on Monday at the latest and then join Galatasaray's pre-season camp in Austria after […]

Istanbul (AFP) – Turkish authorities on Friday detained international footballer Bekir Irtegun on suspicion of links to the group blamed for the July 15, 2016 failed coup aimed at ousting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Irtegun, who played for six years for Fenerbahce before joining Istanbul rivals Basaksehir in 2015, was detained as part of the […]

Shanghai (AFP) – A promotional event in China featuring Neymar was cancelled Friday because he and his advisers are "busy with transfer issues", organisers said, amid frenzied speculation about a record-breaking move. The Brazilian star forward, who is reportedly mulling a huge 222-million-euro ($260 million) move to Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona, was due to meet […]

Singapore (AFP) – Chelsea coach Antonio Conte said on Friday that he holds talks "every day" with club bosses about transfer targets as the Premier League champions race to further bolster their squad. The Italian is set to give big-money signing Alvaro Morata his first Chelsea start against Inter Milan in a pre-season friendly in […]