Paris (AFP) – Plans to radically reform the UEFA Champions League are set to be confirmed in April, despite a delay caused by certain leading European clubs looking for more say over commercial rights. An announcement had been expected at an executive committee meeting of European football's governing body on Wednesday, but UEFA said no […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – South Africa sacked coach Molefi Ntseki on Wednesday, three days after losing in Sudan and failing to qualify for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. The decision was announced at a press conference in Soweto by South African Football Association chief executive Teboho Motlanthe. South Africa finished third in Group C behind […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said on Wednesday that the European champions had no interest in signing Borussia Dortmund's highly-coveted forward Erling Braut Haaland. The Bavarians and a host of other European clubs including Real Madrid have been linked with a move for the 20-year-old. Haaland's departure could be hastened if […]

London (AFP) – Sergio Aguero is "irreplaceable in the souls, in the hearts, in the minds of our fans," Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said of the club's record goalscorer who is to leave at the end of the season. Aguero joined City from Atletico Madrid in 2011, three years after the club was […]

Cardiff (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Gareth Bale has praised Wales caretaker coach Robert Page for keeping the team focused despite off-the-field distractions and securing a "massive win" over the Czech Republic in a 2022 World Cup qualifier. Manchester United forward Daniel James's goal secured a 1-0 win over the Czechs on Tuesday. The victory moved […]

Paris (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo helped Portugal to a hard-fought 3-1 win over Luxembourg on Tuesday with his first goal of the 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign, while Belgium became the latest team to join the protests over human rights in Qatar before hitting eight past Belarus. Juventus forward Ronaldo bagged his 103rd international goal […]

Buenos Aires (AFP) – Manchester City star Sergio Aguero is wanted by Independiente, the Argentine club's coach Julio Falcioni revealed on Tuesday. Runaway English Premier League leaders City announced on Monday that Aguero, 32, would leave the club at the end of this season. And record seven-time Copa Libertadores winners Independiente are trying to tempt […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Benin refused to play a key Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Sierra Leone Tuesday after challenging positive Covid-19 tests for five of their players. A dramatic final day of qualifying for the 2021 tournament in Cameroon also saw a referee collapse, leading to a match between the Ivory Coast and Ethiopia […]

Cardiff (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Wales ended a turbulent period on a high note as Daniel James' late goal earned a vital 1-0 win against the Czech Republic in Tuesday's World Cup qualifier. Manchester United forward James settled a hard-fought clash with a towering header from Gareth Bale's superb cross nine minutes from full-time at […]

London (AFP) – Declan Rice on Tuesday said England players could consider boycotting social media in the future if the current abuse of Premier League stars is not resolved. Former Arsenal and France star Thierry Henry left all of his platforms earlier this week after saying enough had not been done to tackle racist abuse […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – The NFL's regular season will be expanded to include 17 games from 2021, a much-anticipated move that follows the league's record-breaking media rights deals announced earlier this month. A statement from the National Football League said each team will now play 17 regular season games and three preseason games for the […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Mauritania and Guinea-Bissau won and Ethiopia were trailing when a match was abandoned as all three teams secured places Tuesday at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, raising the number of qualifiers to 22. Ethiopia were losing 3-1 to already-qualified Ivory Coast in Abidjan on 80 minutes when the Ghanaian referee collapsed […]

London (AFP) – Gareth Southgate has warned England not to underestimate Poland in Wednesday's World Cup qualifier after Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski was ruled out with a knee injury. Lewandowski is widely regarded as one of the world's top forwards and would have posed a threat to England's 100 percent start to the qualifying […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Mauritania won and Ethiopia were trailing in an abandoned match as they secured places Tuesday at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, raising the number of qualifiers to 21 for the 24-team tournament. Ethiopia were losing 3-1 to already-qualified Ivory Coast in Abidjan after 80 minutes when the Ghanaian referee collapsed and […]

Berlin (AFP) – Robert Lewandowski will miss both legs of holders Bayern Munich's Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain after being ruled out for nearly a month with a knee injury, the Bundesliga giants said Tuesday. "The striker will be out for around four weeks", Bayern said in a statement, confirming Lewandowski injured ligaments in […]