Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Brazil's top prosecutor on Thursday urged the Supreme Court to re-incarcerate a star goalkeeper recently released after partially serving a sentence for the gruesome murder of his ex-girlfriend. Prosecutor General Rodrigo Janot asked the court to reverse an earlier ruling that freed Bruno Fernandes das Dores de Souza in February, […]

Madrid (AFP) – Spain's Supreme Court on Thursday started reviewing a 21-month jail sentence handed to Lionel Messi and his father for tax fraud after the Barcelona star lodged an appeal, a spokesman said. But even if the sentence is maintained, neither Messi nor his father are likely to spend time behind bars, as is […]

London (AFP) – Arsene Wenger has slammed suggestions Arsenal's FA Cup fate will have an impact when he decides his Gunners future. Wenger's side face Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley on Sunday with the Gunners boss yet to reveal if he will extend his 21-year stay with the north London club. […]

London (AFP) – Swansea City manager Paul Clement says he is interested in signing John Terry when the veteran central defender leaves Chelsea this summer, providing his struggling side avoid relegation from the Premier League. Clement worked with Terry during his time as an assistant coach under then Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti in the 2009-10 […]

Singapore (AFP) – Singapore police Thursday raided the offices of the city-state's football governing body, which is in the throes of a leadership struggle ahead of a FIFA-ordered election. At least six investigators from the city state's white collar crime unit entered the offices of the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) around 5:30pm (0930 GMT) […]

Madrid (AFP) – Gareth Bale's chances of being fit for Sunday's blockbuster La Liga clash between Real Madrid and Barcelona were boosted as he returned to training on Thursday. The Welshman has missed Madrid's last two games against Sporting Gijon and Bayern Munich due to a flare up of the muscles around where he suffered […]

Milan (AFP) – "Unbeatable" Juventus can finally hand goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon an elusive Champions League title after making five-time winners Barcelona "cry" in the quarter-finals. Those were the headlines splashed across the front pages in Italy after rock-solid Juventus followed their impressive 3-0 first-leg win over the Spanish giants with a defensive masterclass that held […]

Paris (AFP) – Video technology will be used for the first time in refereeing in France in the end-of-season football play-offs, league officials announced Thursday. The system will be introduced for the promotion and relegation matches between Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 in May, said French league (FPL) director general Didier Quillot. "We have adopted […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham's under-23 coach Ugo Ehiogu is in hospital after the former England defender collapsed at the club's training ground on Thursday. Ehiogu, who starred for Aston Villa and Middlesbrough duing his playing career, has been on Tottenham's coaching staff since 2014. The 44-year-old, capped four times by England, needed treatment after becoming […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has ruled out a swoop for exiled Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart. Hart is currently on loan with Serie A side Torino after being banished by City manager Pep Guardiola. He could return to the Premier League next season, but it is unlikely he will play for City […]

Berlin (AFP) – Roman Burki says Borussia Dortmund lacked focus early in their 3-1 Champions League defeat at Monaco amidst the fall-out from last week's bomb attack on their team bus. "We weren't 100 percent ready from the first second, perhaps we were too intent on scoring," said Dortmund goalkeeper Burki after Wednesday's defeat with the […]

London (AFP) – Arsene Wenger is weighing up whether to end Jack Wilshere's Arsenal exile after the injury-plagued England international's latest fitness setback. Wenger sent Wilshere on loan to Bournemouth earlier this season in a bid to give the midfielder a chance to prove his fitness and form after several seasons of injury problems. But […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Lionel Messi ended with a bloodied face, Neymar in tears, but no matter what they tried Barcelona couldn't break down a Juventus defensive wall as the Spanish champions crashed out of the Champions League. Wednesday night's 0-0 draw wasn't the cause of their demise, but an error-strewn 3-0 first leg defeat that […]

Jerusalem (AFP) – Israel is launching a diplomatic offensive against Palestinian calls for FIFA to impose sanctions over football clubs based in Jewish settlements in the occupied territories, an official said on Thursday. The world football governing body meets for its congress in Bahrain from May 10 to 11 and could decide what action to […]

London (AFP) – Table-topping Chelsea and their title rivals Tottenham both have four players in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year. Chelsea midfielders N'Golo Kante and Eden Hazard, both nominated for the PFA Player of the Year award, are included, while Blues central defenders Gary Cahill and David Luiz are also in the […]