Sydney (AFP) – Australia unveiled a government-backed bid on Tuesday to host the 2023 Women's World Cup, saying it would be an economic boon for the country and inspire a new generation footballers. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said Australia's history of successfully holding major sports events meant it was well-placed to host the football showpiece. […]

Zagreb (AFP) – Luka Modric will swap his football kit for a suit on Tuesday as he appears in the witness box to testify in a multi-million-euro corruption trial against Dinamo Zagreb's ex chairman. The 31-year-old star midfielder is to give evidence at the trial of controversial Zdravko Mamic, considered the most powerful man in […]

Sydney (AFP) – Australia skipper Mile Jedinak has withdrawn from Tuesday's friendly with Brazil and this month's Confederations Cup with a groin injury, Football Federation Australia said. The Aston Villa midfielder pulled up sore after Australia's 3-2 World Cup qualifier win over Saudi Arabia last week and coach Ange Postecoglou said with the Socceroos to […]

Doha (AFP) – South Korea's coach Uli Stielike admitted on Monday that he was concerned by the threat posed by Qatar ahead of a crucial World Cup qualifier in Doha. If South Korea manage to win on Tuesday, they will take a huge step to joining Iran in next year's World Cup in Russia. And […]

Rennes (France) (AFP) – Nantes closed in on former Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri on Monday after agreeing a two-year contract, but are awaiting French Professional League approval because of his age, a club source said. The LFP does not allow coaches aged over 65 to join French clubs. Ranieri is 65 and the Ligue […]

Abidjan (AFP) – Cheick Tiote's body will arrive back in the Ivory Coast on Thursday where tributes will be paid to the international by his former teammates, the Ivorian Football Federation (IFF) said on Monday. Tiote — who was a member of the Ivory Coast squad that ended a 23-year drought by winning the 2015 […]

Madrid (AFP) – Atletico Madrid's French star Antoine Griezmann has extended his contract with the Spanish club by a year, according to press reports in Spain on Monday. "Antoine Griezmann signed a contract with Atletico until 2022," Madrid sports daily Marca reported. According to As newspaper, "Atletico has revised the player's salary to reward his […]

Lisbon (AFP) – Portugal coach Fernando Santos said on Monday that the European champions are expecting to challenge for the title at the Confederations Cup in Russia. Powered by four-times world player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal kick off their Group A campaign on Sunday against Mexico in Kazan. "This will be a very […]

Tehran (AFP) – Sardar Azmoun and Mehdi Taremi were on target as Iran confirmed their spot in the 2018 World Cup finals with a 2-0 victory over Uzbekistan at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran on Monday. It was Iran's sixth win from eight matches in Group A which took the table-toppers to 20 points, while […]

Paris (AFP) – Hugo Lloris will start and will wear the captain's armband for France against England on Tuesday despite a costly mistake in World Cup qualifying at the weekend, coach Didier Deschamps has confirmed. "I have spoken about it with him. I think it is best for him and he thinks the same thing," […]

Milan (AFP) – Juventus and Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon reaffirmed he is "99.9 %" sure of retiring at the end of next season — unless he finally ends his quest to win the Champions League. "Yes, I'm 99.9 % sure that's how it will go," said Buffon when asked by Sky Sport if he would […]

London (AFP) – Television viewing figures for Sky's live Premier League football matches fell by an average of 14 percent last season, the company confirmed Monday against a backdrop of a huge hike in broadcasting costs. Although the drop was partially down on viewers switching to watching games online and more matches being broadcast compared […]

Doha (AFP) – Qatar's World Cup preparations continue "as normal" and organisers remain confident that stadium construction deadlines will be met, a source close to the 2022 tournament has told AFP. Despite the country being at the centre of a diplomatic crisis which has seen Qatar cut off politically — and economically — from neighbouring […]

Lisbon (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo's CR7 brand is worth more than 100 million euros and is on a par with port in terms of its importance to Portugal, according to a marketing school. "Along with port, Cristiano Ronaldo is the most well-known Portuguese product in the world," Daniel Sa, the director of the Portuguese Institute […]

London (AFP) – Under-pressure England goalkeeper Joe Hart believes Manchester City won't make it difficult for him to find another club by demanding a prohibitive transfer fee. The 30-year-old — who was subjected to criticism for conceding two free-kicks in the 2-2 World Cup qualifier draw with Scotland on Saturday — has returned to City […]