Sao Paulo (AFP) – When Tite found out the Brazil team he has coached back from the abyss had become the first to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, he gave thanks to God. Then he said he was ready for a giant caipirinha. Most Brazil fans would agree the 55-year-old coach deserves a celebratory […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho says he is "totally against" international friendlies following injuries to key central defenders Chris Smalling and Phil Jones on England duty. Mourinho expects to be without five first-team players against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, including the injured Paul Pogba and suspended Zlatan Ibrahimovic. "I am totally […]

Chicago (AFP) – German star Bastian Schweinsteiger said he is ready to make an immediate start to his Major League Soccer career with Chicago Fire at a formal presentation before journalists here Wednesday. The 32-year-old former Bayern Munich and Manchester United midfielder told reporters he was available to make his debut in Chicago's clash with […]

Paris (AFP) – The experiment with video assistance that backfired on France against Spain earned mixed reviews on Wednesday, praised by most for being more fair but condemned by some for killing the spectacle. France lost 2-0 in Paris on Tuesday in a game in which the Spanish side benefited twice from crucial video assistant […]

Buenos Aires (AFP) – The world's top-ranked football nation Argentina risk failing to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1970 after Lionel Messi's suspension and a humiliating defeat to Bolivia. The two-time world champions' woes deepened just as the Argentine Football Association (AFA) named new executives on Wednesday. They are ostensibly […]

Madrid (AFP) – Obscene chants from Sevilla fans targeting former favourite Sergio Ramos earned the La Liga team a one-match partial stadium closure, Spanish football authorities ruled on Wednesday. The incidents took place at a highly charged January 16 La Liga encounter when Sevilla ended Real Madrid's 40-match unbeaten streak at the Ramon Sanchez […]

Madrid (AFP) – La Liga's president says Gerard Pique should choose his words more carefully after the Barcelona and Spain defender lashed out at perceived preferential treatment of Real Madrid players. Javier Tebas said Pique's comments after a 2-0 win against France on Tuesday in Paris would only create "tension" between Spain's two biggest clubs. […]

Berlin (AFP) – Germany defender Benedikt Hoewedes will miss June's Confederations Cup in Russia to undergo surgery on a long-standing groin injury, his club Schalke 04 confirmed on Wednesday. The 29-year-old Schalke captain, who was part of Germany's World Cup-winning side in 2014, has delayed an operation to see out the rest of the season […]

Lisbon (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo had an international airport renamed in his honour on Wednesday but it was a newly unveiled bust of him that soon became a major talking point. Five thousand screaming fans, the Portuguese talisman himself and the country's prime minister and the president were all in attendance at the airport of […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham Hotspur could remain at White Hart Lane next season instead of moving to Wembley for the campaign, chairman Daniel Levy revealed on Wednesday. Spurs have until Friday to activate an option to play at Wembley while their new stadium, due to open next year, is being built on the site of […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Lionel Messi's four-match international ban for swearing at an assistant referee was "unfair and totally disproportionate", his Spanish club Barcelona said Wednesday. "FC Barcelona expresses its surprise and indignation at the decision by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee to suspend Leo Messi following the FIFA World Cup qualifying fixture between Argentina and Chile," Barca said in a […]

London (AFP) – Zlatan Ibrahimovic has indicated he could prolong his time with Manchester United after saying Wednesday he will "never leave a job unfinished". The 35-year-old striker has quickly established himself as a fans' favourite at Old Trafford, having so far scored 26 goals in 41 appearances in his debut season after joining on […]

Lisbon (AFP) – The airport of Madeira, the Atlantic Ocean island birthplace of Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo, was renamed in his honour on Wednesday. "To see this airport bear my name is a very special thing," said Ronaldo, who skippered Portugal to victory in the European championships last year. "Everyone knows I am proud of […]

Berlin (AFP) – Germany's World Cup-winning head coach Joachim Loew has named rising Bundesliga star Julian Nagelsmann, 29, as a possible future successor to take charge of the national team. Hoffenheim's Nagelsmann is the youngest head coach in Bundesliga history and was last week named coach of 2016 in Germany. The 57-year-old Loew steered his […]

Kuala Lumpur (AFP) – Iran's Esteghlal FC have been fined $51,000 after fans flashed laser beams at opposing players and referees during AFC Champions League games, Asia's football body said on Wednesday. Esteghlal supporters flashed lasers during their Champions qualifier against Al Sadd in February, and again in their group stage game against Uzbekistan's PFC […]