Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane broke off his holiday to call Cristiano Ronaldo in a bid to persuade his unsettled star not to quit the club, Spanish sports daily Marca claimed on Sunday. Ronaldo, on Confederations Cup duty in Russia with Portugal, is reportedly furious over a tax probe into the off […]

Sochi (Russia) (AFP) – World champions Germany will pit an inexperienced line-up against Australia in their Confederations Cup opener on Monday with striker Timo Werner anticipating a robust challenge from the Socceroos. With an average age of just 24 years, four months, and a combined total of 179 international appearances, Germany have the most youthful […]

Madrid (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo under suspicion, Radamel Falcao investigated, Lionel Messi sentenced... Spain's courts have been busy tackling the alleged and real multi-million-euro tax evasion of football's greatest stars. But while they may be aware of what they are doing, footballers rely on expert go-betweens like big banks to help them manage their finances, […]

New York (AFP) – David Villa scored twice to lift New York City FC to a 2-1 win Saturday over the Seattle Sounders, becoming the fifth fastest player in MLS history to reach 50 career goals. The reigning MLS MVP Villa needed just 78 games to score 50 goals as he leads all MLS players […]

Moscow (AFP) – Russian fan leader Alexander Shprygin has been barred from the Confederations Cup before the opening match in Saint Petersburg on Saturday which saw the hosts beat New Zealand 2-0. The issue of hooliganism is a major concern for organisers after ugly clashes between Russian and English fans at the European Championship in […]

Saint Petersburg (AFP) – Hosts Russia got off to a winning start at the Confederations Cup on Saturday, Fedor Smolov's second-half goal sealing a 2-0 win over New Zealand in Saint Petersburg in the tournament opener. Russia went ahead in the first half of the Group A encounter through what was credited as an own […]

Santiago (AFP) – In one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Santiago, Yvo and his friends lace up their boots and throw on their Rodelindo Roman club jerseys in the hope of emulating the path to stardom of Chile's Arturo Vidal. Twenty years ago, it was Vidal emerging from a pitchside hut at this modest club […]

London (AFP) – Penalty goals for handling the ball on the line could be a thing of the future if proposals compiled by the International Football Association Board's (IFAB) technical director are accepted. The proposals in a document titled 'Play Fair' — which also include players being able to play freekicks and corners to themselves […]

Kazan (Russia) (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo will put speculation over his club future firmly to one side as he leads European champions Portugal into their Confederations Cup opener against Mexico in Kazan on Sunday. The 32-year-old Real Madrid superstar's build-up to the tournament in Russia has been overshadowed after he was this week accused by […]

The Hague (AFP) – Top Amsterdam club Ajax on Saturday said it will appoint the relatively inexperienced as new head coach following the departure of Peter Bosz for Borussia Dortmund after a single season. "He (Keizer) will shortly sign a contract starting 1 July 2017 with a span of two years," Ajax said in a […]

Madrid (AFP) – Alaves have named Argentine Luis Zubeldia as their new coach after his fellow countryman Mauricio Pellegrino stepped down, the Spanish club announced. In a statement, Alaves said the 36-year-old was joining from Colombia's Independiente Medellin and was "one of the most prominent coaches in South American football." Alaves lost 3-1 to Barcelona […]

Saint Petersburg (AFP) – Russia faces a stress test of its readiness to host the 2018 World Cup as the Confederations Cup kicks off Saturday amid concerns over hooliganism and security. World Cup holders Germany and the FIFA confederations champions compete in the eight-team tournament which will put Russia's ability to handle thousands of visiting […]

Bangkok (AFP) – The English Football League apologised on Saturday after error-riddled graphics appeared on their online broadcast of the first round draw for the Carabao Cup, including inaccurately announcing an extra Charlton Athletic match. Glitches in the draw, which took place in Bangkok on Friday night, caused confusion and much merriment among fans but […]

London (AFP) – Sunderland confirmed on Friday that they are in talks with several groups over the potential sale of the Championship club. Black Cats owner Ellis Short has been keen to sell up for some time and it was recently reported the American is in advanced talks with a German consortium. But Sunderland have […]

Bangkok (AFP) – Arsenal must spend more on wages if it hopes to keep players away from global competitors, former midfielder Emmanuel Petit told AFP Friday, adding fans also needed to lay off embattled manager Arsene Wenger. It is 13-years since Wenger's 'Invincibles' won the last of his three Premier League titles and the club […]