Moscow (AFP) – Russia coach Stanislav Cherchesov on Wednesday named an entirely home-based 23-man squad for the Confederations Cup, which the country will host from June 17. Cherchesov chose five players from newly-crowned champions Spartak Moscow, although full back Roman Zobnin is not amongst them as he is sidelined with a knee injury sustained in […]

London (AFP) – Dutch international defender Virgil van Dijk will not play for Liverpool next season after the Premier League giants apologised to Southampton on Wednesday and said the matter had ended their interest in him. Liverpool's announcement came in the wake of media reports they were prepared to pay £60million (69m euros, $77m) for […]

Rome (AFP) – Simone Inzaghi has signed a two-year contract extension tying him to Lazio until 2020, the Romans said on Wednesday. The 41-year-old coach enjoyed a positive 2016/17 season, guiding Lazio to fifth in Serie A and the Italian Cup final, which they lost to Juventus, meaning they will play in next season's Europa […]

Monaco (AFP) – Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim on Wednesday extended his contract with the French champions until 2020. The Portuguese, 42, had been linked with jobs in the English Premier League after inspiring Monaco to their first French title since 2000 and the Champions League semi-finals. "I'm very happy to continue my work with Monaco," […]

Tokyo (AFP) – Japan's World Cup qualifying preparations were dealt a blow Wednesday when playmaker Shinji Kagawa suffered a shoulder injury in a 1-1 home draw with Syria. The Borussia Dortmund midfielder was stretchered off just nine minutes into the Tokyo friendly clutching his left shoulder after an awkward fall, and could be in doubt […]

Moscow (AFP) – Russian Premier League outfit Terek Grozny is to change its name to 'Akhmat' in honour of the slain father of the strongman Chechen Republic leader Ramzan Kadyrov, the club said on Wednesday. Kremlin loyalist Kadyrov — who has ruled the region with an iron-fist for a decade — said the move came […]

Milan (AFP) – Italian Stefano Pioli brushed off suggestions of foul play at Inter Milan and said he has already targeted winning a trophy with his new charges Fiorentina. Pioli, who made a career-high 154 appearances with Fiorentina as a centre-back, on Tuesday signed a two-year deal with the option of an extra year, to […]

London (AFP) – The sense of loss in Newcastle at the death of Ivory Coast midfielder Cheick Tiote has been reflected by over 1,000 Newcastle United fans signing a petition to have his shirt number of 24 retired the BBC reported Wednesday. Tiote — who was a member of the Ivory Coast squad that ended […]

Milan (AFP) – Massimiliano Allegri has signed a two-year contract extension as coach of Juventus, less than a week after the Turin giants lost the Champions League final for the second time in three years. Allegri's deal with the club was set to expire in June 2018, but on Wednesday he agreed the two-year extension […]

Zagreb (AFP) – Real Madrid midfield star Luka Modric will appear as a witness next week at a multi-million-euro corruption trial involving former top Dinamo Zagreb officials, a judge said on Wednesday. Modric will provide testimony at the trial of former Dinamo chief Zdravko Mamic on Tuesday, the judge at a court in the eastern […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – The United States will aim to exploit the mile-high mountain air of Colorado on Thursday when they host Trinidad and Tobago in a key 2018 World Cup qualifier in Denver. After a sluggish start to the final round of CONCACAF qualifiers, the Americans remain just outside the automatic qualifying places with […]

Adelaide (Australia) (AFP) – Australia face a must-win qualifier against Saudi Arabia in Adelaide on Thursday if they are to keep alive their direct qualification hopes for next year's World Cup finals. The Socceroos, who have qualified for last three editions, trail the Saudis and group leaders Japan by three points with three games left in […]

Burton-on-Trent (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester United youngster Marcus Rashford says his recent hospital visit to see victims of the Manchester terror attack was motivated by a desire to show the city remains united. Manchester native Rashford, 19, and his United team-mate Jesse Lingard, 24, went to Manchester Children's Hospital on Monday and spent time […]

Beijing (AFP) – China's footballers may be struggling on the pitch but its companies are proving to be a big player, signing sponsorship deals with FIFA as the giant Asian nation looks to boost its chances of hosting the World Cup. In the space of a year, football governing body FIFA has gained three major […]

Asuncion (AFP) – The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) on Tuesday formally accused two of its ex-presidents of money laundering, forgery and other criminal charges it lodged with Paraguayan prosecutors. It said in a statement on its website that it was pressing charges against Nicolas Leoz and Eugenio Figueredo. Both have been indicted in the […]