Kazan (Russia) (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo, battling accusations of tax evasion and speculation over his club future, is concentrating only on the Confederations Cup, his Portugal teammate Andre Silva said Friday. "He takes this tournament very seriously and is focussed. He is motivated, just like me," said the 21-year-old Silva at a news conference in […]

Rome (AFP) – A woman left in a coma after a crowd stampeded in Turin at a screening of the Champions League final on June 3 died overnight, the hospital where she was being treated said. Erika Pioletti, 38, who had come to watch the match with her boyfriend, was among more than 1,500 people […]

Moscow (AFP) – Hosts Russia kick off the Confederations Cup against New Zealand in Saint Petersburg on Saturday, targeting victory in their opening match to set the tone for a successful tournament. "We've worked hard and I believe now we're well-prepared for the opening game," Zenit midfielder Igor Smolnikov told Russian TV. "But we will […]

Madrid (AFP) – France striker Antoine Griezmann tied the knot with his long-term partner Erika Choperena in a secret ceremony at a beauty spot in Toledo, Spanish media revealed on Friday. The 26-year-old, who last week extended his Atletico Madrid contract until 2022, met Choperena in San Sebastian when she was studying and he played […]

Seoul (AFP) – Tottenham striker Son Heung-Min underwent successful surgery on his broken right arm on Friday and will take about a month to recover, the Korean Football Association said. "The operation was successful," KFA Spokesman Cho Jun-Heon told AFP, adding that Son will stay in South Korea to focus on his recovery. Son, 24, […]

Rome (AFP) – A woman left in a coma after a crowd stampeded in Turin at a screening of the Champions League final on June 3 died overnight, the hospital where she was being treated said Friday. The patient, identified as Erika, a 38-year-old local woman who had come to watch the match with her […]

Tokyo (AFP) – Japan's under-fire football coach Vahid Halilhodzic has picked up a caution from his employers after he was involved in a minor traffic accident, local media reported Friday. The 65-year-old's car collided with another vehicle in Tokyo on Thursday afternoon, his second fender-bender in two years after running into a taxi in August […]

Shanghai (AFP) – Some of football's biggest names remain linked with a move to China but a 100 percent tax on transfer fees looks likely to hit spending when the country's transfer window opens on Monday. Wayne Rooney, Diego Costa and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are among the stars rumoured to be considering big-money moves to the […]

New York (AFP) – A 56-year-old Argentine banker pleaded guilty in New York on Thursday to transferring more than $25 million in bribes in the massive FIFA corruption scandal that has rocked world soccer. "I deeply regret what I did. I am ashamed and I wish I could express in words what I feel," Jorge […]

Wellington (AFP) – For New Zealand's All Whites, the Confederations Cup represents a rare chance for football to emerge from the huge shadow cast by rugby union's All Blacks and test themselves against top opposition. Unlike the top nations at the eight-team tournament in Russia, football is not the most sporting popular code in New […]

Sochi (Russia) (AFP) – World champions Germany head to the Confederations Cup with coach Joachim Loew looking to nurture his next generation of stars after leaving his top names at home. With a year to go before the World Cup, Loew has given a host of key players the summer off and picked seven newcomers […]

Sochi (Russia) (AFP) – The Confederations Cup kicks off on Saturday when Russia play New Zealand in St Petersburg, with the hosts promising there will be no repeat of the violence which marred Euro 2016. A year before Russia holds the World Cup, the behaviour of fans and concerns over racism are topics the host […]

London (AFP) – Everton made Jordan Pickford Britain's most expensive goalkeeper on Thursday as they signed the Sunderland star in a deal worth up to £30 million ($38 million, 34 million euros). England Under-21 international Pickford will cost Everton an initial £25 million, surpassing the £10 million Southampton paid to sign his international colleague Fraser […]

Budapest (AFP) – Hungary's national football coach Bernd Storck narrowly avoided the sack Thursday after the local federation decided to keep him on despite a shock defeat against minnows Andorra last week, widely seen as the Magyars' worst ever result. "We are giving Bernd Storck another chance" said Sandor Csanyi head of the Hungarian Football […]

Nantes (France) (AFP) – Claudio Ranieri assured fans at his new club Nantes he was ready to work hard to get results and said the French club had the players and the passion to make next season a success. Ranieri, the architect of Leicester City's fairytale Premier League triumph in 2016, signed a two-year deal […]