Madrid (AFP) – Zinedine Zidane expressed delight on Friday at his Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema's France recall ahead of La Liga's final round of matches with Real in contention to retain the title. Benzema's form this season — he has netted 29 times passing 20 league goals in all three seasons since Cristiano Ronaldo […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United captain Harry Maguire is unlikely to be fit for next week's Europa League final against Villarreal, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said on Friday. The 28-year-old central defender is making progress in recovering from an ankle injury he suffered against Aston Villa earlier this month and was pictured walking without crutches on […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham forward Harry Kane has hinted at a move to Manchester City as speculation mounts over his future, calling the champions' star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne a "striker's dream". Kane has reportedly told Spurs he wants to leave at the end of the season and the England captain has been linked with […]

Milan (AFP) – Gianluigi Buffon has been linked with a move to Silvio Berlusconi's ambitious Monza when the Italian goalkeeping great leaves Juventus at the end of the season, according to reports in Italy on Friday. Monza missed out on reaching the Serie A promotion play-off final on Thursday night after losing 3-2 on aggregate […]

London (AFP) – Leicester's Premier League title-winning captain Wes Morgan will retire when the final whistle blows on the season, the club announced on Friday. The 37-year-old skippered the Foxes to their shock title win in 2016 and helped them lift the FA Cup for the first time when he made a late substitute appearance […]

London (AFP) – Marcelo Bielsa says he has held talks with Leeds United over a new contract but has reiterated there will be no announcement on his future until the end of the season. The 65-year-old Argentine has won plaudits for his team's free-flowing style of play on their return to the Premier League following […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi believes they can exploit the "weak" defence of CAF Champions League opponents Al Ahly of Egypt in Pretoria on Saturday and reach the semi-finals. The South Africans are in an identical position to last season — trailing record nine-time champions Ahly 2-0 entering the second leg of […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Lionel Messi will miss Barcelona's final La Liga game of the season against Eibar on Saturday in order to "enjoy a rest" before the Copa America, the club announced. The Argentine, who is still in contract negotiations with Barcelona, was given permission to miss training on Friday by coach Ronald Koeman and, […]

London (AFP) – Eight men suspected of tweeting racial abuse at South Korean footballer Heung-min Son, who plays for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, have been arrested, police said Friday. Another four men were quizzed in the two-week police operation following Tottenham's 3-1 defeat against Manchester United on April 11. "The twelve men have each […]

Madrid (AFP) – Barely a week has gone by this season without Diego Simeone pronouncing his mantra of "one game at a time" and now it really rings true, with Atletico Madrid one match away from winning La Liga. If they beat Real Valladolid on Saturday, they will be crowned champions for the first time […]

Milan (AFP) – Andrea Pirlo's hopes of convincing Juventus bosses he deserves another season as coach will be under scrutiny on Sunday as his side look to snatch a Champions League spot on the final day of the Serie A season. Juventus are in a three-team race with AC Milan and Napoli for the final […]

Berlin (AFP) – Robert Lewandowski can break Gerd Mueller's 49-year-old Bundesliga single-season goal record this weekend when champions Bayern Munich play in front of their home fans for the first time since March 2020. The Poland striker's penalty in Bayern's 2-2 draw at Freiburg last time out saw him equal Mueller's record of 40 goals […]

London (AFP) – European football clubs are forecast to miss out on 8.7 billion euros ($10.6 billion) in revenue as they struggle to cope with the devastating financial fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, a UEFA report said Thursday. The annual European Club Footballing Landscape study says the current projection of lost revenues in the 2019/2020 […]

London (AFP) – A policeman accused of murdering Dalian Atkinson told investigators he was "absolutely terrified" before firing a Taser at the former footballer, a court heard Thursday. Police Constable Benjamin Monk also told a post-incident interview he could not remember when he had had taken his finger off the trigger in a 33-second tasering […]

Milan (AFP) – Inter Milan's Chinese owners Suning have completed a financing transaction worth 275 million euros ($336 million) with US investment firm Oaktree Capital, according to reports in Italy on Thursday. Inter released a statement through Italian news agency ANSA confirming the cash injection designed to get the club through their current financial difficulties. […]