Madrid (AFP) – Atletico Madrid said Wednesday they had signed Spanish international Victor Machin Perez, know as 'Vitolo', from Sevilla but immediately loaned him to Las Palmas to comply with a FIFA recruitment ban. "Atletico de Madrid has reached an agreement with Víctor Machín Perez, Vitolo, for the next five years after the football player […]

London (AFP) – Senegalese star Sadio Mane will miss Liverpool's pre-season tournament in Hong Kong as he continues his recovery from a knee injury, Reds manager Jurgen Klopp said on Wednesday. The 25-year-old forward, who scored 13 Premier League goals for Liverpool last season after joining from Southampton, is making good progress but has yet […]

London (AFP) – Former Spanish international striker Fernando Llorente may miss the start of Swansea's Premier League campaign after breaking his arm, club manager Paul Clement said Wednesday. The 32-year-old forward — whose 15 goals last season played a crucial role in Swansea retaining their Premier League status — has his arm in a brace […]

London (AFP) – England Under-21 midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek on Wednesday became the new Crystal Palace manager Frank de Boer's first signing since taking over at the Premier League side last month. The 21-year-old joins Palace on a season long loan from champions Chelsea. "I had the option of coming to Palace and I thought that […]

Lisbon (AFP) – Portuguese tax inspectors were examining the accounts of football super-agent Jorge Mendes on Wednesday, his company said, two weeks after he was charged in Spain with tax fraud. The 51-year-old Mendes represents Cristiano Ronaldo, Jose Mourinho, Radamel Falcao and a host of other top earning stars, many of whom are being investigated […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea players won't be able to blame the lack of a watch if they arrive late for training in future after as club owner Roman Abramovich gave each of them one as a gift for winning the Premier League. The Hublot watches — which cost £9,000 ($11,570, 10,000euros) each and are a […]

Sydney (AFP) – Arsenal play a double-header of friendly matches in Sydney this week and the arrival of the English Premier League giants is seen as a golden opportunity for football in Australia. The Gunners' new £52.5 million ($68 million) record signing Alexandre Lacazette could make his debut in Thursday's meeting with the reigning A-League […]

Houston (AFP) – French Guiana is under the microscope of disciplinary officials and may have to forfeit their Gold Cup match against Honduras after former French star Florent Malouda played on Tuesday despite being ruled ineligible. The former France and Chelsea player was in the starting lineup for the territory of his birth which played […]

Houston (AFP) – Alphonso Davies scored in the first half and Milan Borjan made several brilliant saves as Canada held on for a 1-1 tie with Costa Rica on Tuesday to remain undefeated at the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Teenage phenom Davies opened the scoring with his third goal of the tournament in the 26th […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – The cream of European football will be on display in the United States this month as the International Champions Cup aims to cash in on the growing popularity of the world's most popular sport amongst American fans. In the space of little more than a decade, the event has evolved from […]

Houston (AFP) – Alphonso Davies scored in the first half and Milan Borjan made several brilliant saves as Canada held on for a 1-1 tie with Costa Rica to remain undefeated at the 2017 CONCACAF Golf Cup. Teenage phenom Davies opened the scoring with his third goal of the tournament in the 26th minute for […]

Paris (AFP) – Real Madrid and Barcelona square off in a rare overseas Clasico while Manchester United and Manchester City meet for the first time outside Britain as the world's leading clubs strive to optimise their pre-season preparations. Pre-season tours have grown significantly in importance over the past decade as teams promote their brand visibility while […]

Berlin (AFP) – After a frustrating spell at Real Madrid, James Rodriguez will attempt to kick-start his career at Bayern Munich next season, back under the stewardship of Carlo Ancelotti. Colombian hot-shot James on Tuesday joined his former Real boss at the German champions on a two-year loan. Bayern have the option to buy the […]

Paris (France) (AFP) – The 92 Premier League and Football League clubs recorded combined revenues in excess of £4.4 billion ($5.7bn, 4.9bn euros) in the 2015/16 season, according to consultants Deloitte. English topflight clubs generated record revenues of £3.6bn, a 9% increase, in the final year of the league's 2013-16 broadcast cycle, the firm said […]

Paris (AFP) – France's highest court on Tuesday struck down a ruling putting Real Madrid star Karim Benzema on trial over the sex-tape blackmail of fellow former international Mathieu Valbuena. The Court of Cassation annulled a Versailles Court of Appeal ruling in December to send Benzema to trial for allegedly attempting to blackmail Valbuena over […]