Berlin (AFP) – Bottom side Darmstadt were relegated from the Bundesliga on Saturday after Torsten Frings' team were beaten 1-0 at champions Bayern Munich. The defeat leaves Darmstadt, coached by ex-Germany midfielder Frings, nine points from safety with two games left after Juan Bernat scored Bayern's winning goal in Munich. The Lillies' two-year stay in […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – David Silva returned from injury with a goal as Manchester City strengthened their Champions League qualification chances with a comfortable 5-0 win over Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. Silva, out for a fortnight after suffering a blow to his knee during the FA Cup semi-final defeat by […]

The Hague (AFP) – Two former youth players at Dutch first-division clubs Vitesse Arnhem and PSV Eindhoven revealed they were sexually abused by coaches as aspiring footballers, in the first such cases reported in The Netherlands, a report said Saturday. It comes after a call by the authoritative De Volkskrant newspaper for abused players to […]

Madrid (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo was again left out of the Real Madrid squad for Saturday's La Liga trip to relegated Granada following his Champions League heroics against Atletico Madrid in midweek. The Portuguese striker, 32, has been rested for four of Real's last five away league games to ensure he is in prime condition […]

Rome (AFP) – Pescara midfielder Sulley Muntari says he was "treated like a criminal" after he complained he was being racially abused in a Serie A match and given a one-game ban. The 32-year-old Ghanaian is now free to play in Sunday's home game against Crotone after the ban was rescinded on appeal. He was […]

Sydney (AFP) – Sydney FC, coming off a record-breaking season with just one defeat, will put it all on the line against Melbourne Victory in Sunday's Australian A-League grand final in Sydney. The Sky Blues have been hailed the A-League's greatest team after finishing the regular season with a record 66 points from 20 wins […]

London (AFP) – Burnley midfielder Joey Barton's betting on football matches should be put into context in that he broke the rules of football but it was not matchfixing, Bill South director of security at leading English bookmakers William Hill told AFP. Barton — who throughout his stormy career has never been far from controversy […]

Alghero (Italy) (AFP) – Cool-headed midfielder Sami Khedira has called for focus as treble-chasing Juventus seek to wrap up a record Serie A title with a derby win over Torino. A Juventus win on Saturday, coupled with a Roma defeat at Europa League-chasing AC Milan on Sunday, would take the champions' lead over the capital […]

Paris (AFP) – Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim has called on his players to put their Champions League disappointment out of their minds and take a big step towards securing the French title when they go to Nancy on Saturday. The principality side look set to bow out of the Champions League in the semi-finals after […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Gabriel Jesus's return has come at a good time for Manchester City as they seek to move closer to Champions League qualification by beating Crystal Palace at home on Saturday. The Brazil striker, 20, has made two appearances since recovering from a broken foot sustained at Bournemouth in February. Having […]

London (AFP) – Mauricio Pochettino believes Tottenham Hotspur are already the "champions" of transfer rumours, but he says nothing will distract his side in their pursuit of the Premier League title. Right-back Kyle Walker is the latest member of Spurs' talented squad to be linked with a move away from White Hart Lane, following reports […]

Paris (AFP) – French Ligue 1 side Bastia were punished on Thursday for crowd violence which forced last month's home match with Lyon to be abandoned at half time. The league's disciplinary commission awarded Lyon a win and ordered Bastia's Furiani stadium to be closed for two games. A Bastia director, Anthony Agostini, was banned […]

Vigo (Spain) (AFP) – Marcus Rashford's stunning free-kick 23 minutes from time put Manchester United on the brink of reaching the Europa League final with a hard-fought 1-0 win at Celta Vigo on Thursday. Celta goalkeeper Sergio Alvarez kept the Spaniards in the tie before half-time with a string of saves to deny Rashford, Henrikh […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – England-born Stuart Baxter was named South Africa coach Thursday for a second time after a saga in which three preferred candidates dropped out of contention. Baxter, 63, who coaches Pretoria-based top-flight club SuperSport United, was hired when plans to lure Carlos Queiroz, Herve Renard or Hugo Broos failed to materialise. Iran wanted […]

London (AFP) – Everton will give winger Aaron Lennon all the time he needs to recover from his mental health problems, manager Ronald Koeman said on Thursday. England international Lennon, 30, was detained by police on Sunday over fears for his welfare and Everton said he was being treated for a "stress-related illness". Lennon has […]