Munich (Germany) (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund fought back to defeat bitter rivals Bayern Munich 3-2 on Wednesday to reach the German Cup final and shatter the Bavarian giants' dreams of the double. A brilliant strike from Ousmane Dembele 15 minutes from the end settled a tie at Munich's Allianz Arena which had seen Dortmund trail […]

Paris (AFP) – Edinson Cavani celebrated his new contract with his 45th goal of the season as holders Paris Saint-Germain demolished an inexperienced Monaco 5-0 to reach next month's French Cup final against Angers. Julian Draxler prodded PSG ahead on 26 minutes at the Parc des Princes and Cavani, who on Tuesday signed an extension […]

Paris (AFP) – Star Uruguay forward Edinson Cavani has signed a two-year contract extension with Paris Saint-Germain until 2020, the French champions revealed on Tuesday. "For Edi, it's a passionate love story with the club, the fans and a city where he feels fantastic," said PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi of the 30-year-old, PSG's top scorer […]

London (AFP) – Jose Mourinho claims his stinging criticism of several Manchester United stars is common sense if they are not giving 100 percent. Mourinho has turned his guns on a number of players in his first season at Old Trafford, with England left-back Luke Shaw and French forward Anthony Martial suffering recent blasts from […]

Saint Petersburg (AFP) – Russia on Tuesday defended restrictions on visiting journalists covering the Confederations Cup football tournament, after Germany's biggest-selling newspaper said it would boycott the tournament. Official guidelines for the curtain raiser tournament ahead of the 2018 World Cup in Russia say that media representatives who receive FIFA accreditation will be allowed to […]

Dortmund (Germany) (AFP) – Turkey international Nuri Sahin has signed a contract extension with Borussia Dortmund until 2019, the Bundesliga club said on Tuesday. The 28-year-old midfielder's previous deal was due to run out in 12 months. German-born Sahin first joined Borussia as a 13-year-old and has spent most of his career with the club. […]

London (AFP) – Hull City's hopes of avoiding Premier League relegation were boosted on Tuesday when their appeal against Senegal forward Oumar Niasse's suspension was successful. Niasse, on loan from Everton, had been due to miss struggling Hull's next three matches after being controversially dismissed by referee Robert Madley on Saturday for a challenge on […]

Doha (AFP) – As many as 1,000 Qatar World Cup construction workers are receiving health checks as part of a pilot programme agreed between the 2022 tournament organisers and Weill Cornell Medicine. In a statement Tuesday World Cup organisers said workers, selected at random, are being tested for such things as diet, blood pressure, and […]

London (AFP) – Mauricio Pochettino wants his Tottenham stars to ignore speculation over their futures and focus on making a final push to win the Premier League. Pochettino's side face a critical week in the title race as they try to close the four-point gap on leaders Chelsea just days after suffering a painful FA […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Barcelona boss Luis Enrique insisted on Tuesday he will revel in his memories of coaching Lionel Messi, rather than miss him when he steps down at the end of the season. Messi blew the La Liga title race wide open once more by scoring twice to bring up his 500th Barcelona goal […]

Madrid (AFP) – Bale hobbled off just 38 minutes into Madrid's 3-2 defeat to Barcelona in Sunday's Clasico on his return, having also missed Madrid's previous two matches with an ankle injury. "He is injured but it is a very small thing and we hope he returns quickly," said Zidane. "Hopefully he is with us […]

Madrid (AFP) – Gareth Bale could miss the rest of Real Madrid's season after suffering the latest in a series of calf injuries since he joined the Spanish giants four years ago. Bale hobbled off just 38 minutes into Madrid's 3-2 El Clasico defeat to Barcelona on Sunday on his return having also missed Madrid's […]

London (AFP) – Rafael Benitez has warned Newcastle they must show him a strong blueprint for success in the Premier League as the Spaniard ponders his future. Benitez's side clinched an immediate return to the Premier League following last year's relegation as a 4-1 victory over Preston on Monday guaranteed automatic promotion from the Championship. […]

Zagreb (AFP) – Controversial former Dinamo Zagreb boss Zdravko Mamic on Thursday faces a multi-million euro corruption trial, a crucial case for Croatian football which is already burdened with hooliganism and poor infrastructure. Mamic, considered the most powerful figure in the sport in the former Yugoslav republic, has been charged with abuse of power and […]

Chongqing (China) (AFP) – He does not have the fame — or enormous wages — of Shanghai-based Carlos Tevez or Oscar, and his nickname would be viewed as offensive by many. But Fernandinho, one of the growing number of Brazilian footballers in China, is bridging a wide cultural gap and finding celebrity in the southwestern […]