Zurich (AFP) – Football's world governing body FIFA said Friday it had evidence that North Korean workers had been employed on 2018 World Cup venue construction in Russia. A FIFA inspection tour to Saint Petersburg in November uncovered information that workers from the Stalinist state were engaged on stadium construction, it said. "During an inspection […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea manager Antonio Conte paid tribute to the victims of the Manchester terror attack on Friday, but said it should not change the way people go about their lives. Saturday's FA Cup final between Chelsea and Arsenal at Wembley will take place amid heightened security measures after 22 people were killed by […]

Madrid (AFP) – Jorge Sampaoli moved a step closer to taking over the vacant position as Argentina coach on Friday as the Argentine Football Association (AFA) reached a deal with his club side Sevilla. "Sevilla and AFA have reached an agreement in principle to release coach Jorge Sampaoli... so he can take charge as Argentina […]

London (AFP) – Argentina full-back Pablo Zabaleta will join West Ham United from Premier League rivals Manchester City, it was announced Friday. Zabaleta will formally begin a two-year deal with the London club on July 1, when his City contract expires. The 32-year-old had already been released by City, for whom he made more than […]

London (AFP) – An emotional week in the Manchester United career of Antonio Valencia ended Friday with the announcement he had signed a new contract with the Europa League winners that will keep him at Old Trafford until 2019. The 31-year-old winger cum full back was United's captain as they won the Europa League — […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Luis Enrique will take charge of Barcelona for the final time as coach in Saturday's Copa del Rey final against Alaves, but refused to rule out a return to the club in the future on Friday. Enrique can add a ninth title to a generally successful three-year spell in charge in the […]

London (AFP) – Football star Cristiano Ronaldo has postponed a schedule appearance in London on Saturday following the Manchester terror attack. Real Madrid forward Ronaldo, once a Manchester United player, had been due to promote SIXPAD training gear at a press conference at the InterContinental Hotel on Saturday. But this event has now been called […]

Berlin (AFP) – Hot-shot striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang bids to lift his first title with Borussia Dortmund on Saturday amidst growing speculation the German Cup final will be his last appearance for the club. Dortmund face Eintracht Frankfurt at Berlin's Olympic Stadium at 2000 local time (1800 GMT) with Borussia bidding to end their run of […]

London (AFP) – Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain said winning Saturday's FA Cup final would not banish the hurt of Arsenal missing out on the Champions League. The England midfielder, 23, is in contention for a place against champions Chelsea at Wembley in what could be manager Arsene Wenger's last game in charge of the Gunners. Arsenal missed […]

London (AFP) – Crystal Palace "talisman" Wilfried Zaha has signed a five-year contract extension, the club said on Thursday, after they avoided relegation to ensure a fifth straight season in the Premier League. Zaha's new deal comes two days after manager Sam Allardyce, who guided Palace to the safety of 14th after taking over mid-season, […]

Madrid (AFP) – Atletico Madrid's mythical Vicente Calderon stadium will soon be history: sad news for supporters of Real Madrid's rivals but not so for locals who hope the neighbourhood will improve once noisy fans are gone. This weekend spells the end for the ageing structure that for over 50 years has housed Atletico — […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Celtic goalkeeper Craig Gordon insists he and his teammates won't let the pressure of making history affect them as they focus on beating Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup final on Saturday. Celtic have secured numerous records this season as they romped to a sixth Premiership title in a row and lifted the […]

Madrid (AFP) – Only victory in Saturday's Copa del Rey final against Alaves will salvage some pride from Barcelona's season and give coach Luis Enrique a successful send-off, whilst the Basques dream of lifting the trophy for a first time. On a night of goodbyes as Atletico Madrid's Vicente Calderon hosts its final competitive fixture, […]

ortisei (Italy) (AFP) – While coach Massimiliano Allegri rings the changes for Juventus ahead of their bid for a historic club treble, Serie A will wave farewell to legendary Francesco Totti in his final game with Roma on Sunday. Allegri faces arguably the biggest challenge of his career when the Turin giants face Real Madrid […]

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain will seek to draw their bitter-sweet season to a winning close when they take on unheralded Angers in Saturday's French Cup final. PSG missed out on the Ligue 1 title to rivals Monaco, who finished eight points clear at the top of the table to break the Parisians' hopes of […]