Madrid (AFP) – Spain's 2022 World Cup qualifier against Kosovo on Wednesday is more than a simple game of football, with the meeting in Seville also at the centre of a diplomatic row. The controversy stems from the description of Kosovo as a "territory" by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) when it published Spain's opening […]

Paris (AFP) – Argentina striker Sergio Aguero will leave Manchester City when his contract runs out this July, newspaper the Manchester Evening News reported on Monday. Aguero joined City from Atletico Madrid in 2011 and has scored 257 goals in 384 gams since, making him their record goal-scorer. City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said he […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Richard Mbulu scored after 16 minutes to give Malawi a 1-0 Group B victory over Uganda on Monday, and qualification for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. The 27-year-old forward headed powerfully past Uganda goalkeeper Denis Onyango off a cross from former Atletico Madrid youth squad member Robin Ngalande. It was the […]

London (AFP) – An FA Cup semi-final and the World Snooker Championship are to be used as pilot events for the return of fans as coronavirus restrictions in England are eased, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said on Monday. The nation has entered the second phase of its roadmap out of lockdown thanks in large part […]

London (AFP) – Gareth Bale admits his international career could be drawing to a close, with the current World Cup qualifying campaign possibly his last in a Wales shirt. Wales play the Czech Republic in Cardiff on Tuesday seeking their first points in Group E after an opening defeat to Belgium. Wales still have the […]

London (AFP) – Wales star Gareth Bale said he would be willing to join a boycott of social media to tackle online abuse after former Arsenal and France striker Thierry Henry disabled his accounts. Henry quit social media at the weekend, saying he would stay away until platforms did more to tackle "toxic" racism and […]

Paris (AFP) – UEFA has said the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic meant plans to use VAR in the European 2022 World Cup qualifiers had to be abandoned after a weekend in which Cristiano Ronaldo's anger at being denied a late winner for Portugal against Serbia highlighted the lack of technology to help officials. "In […]

London (AFP) – Football faces a huge challenge in tackling the issue of brain injuries — including changing the mindset of players who are prepared to stay on the pitch until they "cannot walk any more". That is the warning from John Mousinho of the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA), speaking at a time of growing […]

Warsaw (AFP) – Robert Lewandowski will miss Poland's 2022 World Cup qualifier against England with a right knee injury, the Polish Football Association said on Monday. The Bayern Munich forward suffered the injury during Sunday's 3-0 win over Andorra in Warsaw in which he scored two goals but had to leave the field in the […]

London (AFP) – England manager Gareth Southgate says it has taken Thomas Tuchel's arrival at Chelsea to persuade many fans that Mason Mount is an "exceptional player." Mount produced an impressive goalscoring performance in England's 2-0 win against Albania in Sunday's World Cup qualifier in Tirana. The midfielder is the first Chelsea player to score […]

Guadalajara (Mexico) (AFP) – Honduras reached the Tokyo Olympics football tournament on Sunday, denying the United States a place with a 2-1 semi-final victory in the CONCACAF qualifying tournament. Mexico joined Honduras at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Games after beating Canada 2-0 in the second semi-final to secure the second berth available from the North […]

Bucharest (AFP) – The Germany football team came up with a cryptic message on Sunday in their latest protest aimed at 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar. The Germans joined Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands in a growing movement in support of workers involved in building World Cup venues in the Gulf state. Human rights groups […]

Bucharest (AFP) – A first-half goal by Serge Gnabry was enough to seal a tight 1-0 away win for Germany against Romania on Sunday in their World Cup qualifier as the Germans again protested in support of human rights. Bayern Munich winger Gnabry has now scored 15 goals in just 19 appearances for the national […]

Tel Aviv (AFP) – Scotland rescued a 1-1 draw against Israel after Ryan Fraser netted in the second half of Sunday's World Cup qualifier in Tel Aviv. Steve Clarke's side fell behind when Scotland keeper David Marshall palmed Dor Peretz's long-range strike into the net just before half-time. Fraser silenced around 5,000 fans at the […]

St. Gallen (Switzerland) (AFP) – Kick-off in Switzerland's World Cup qualifier against Lithuania was delayed by 15 minutes on Sunday because one of the goals was too big. Ground staff at the Kybunpark Stadium worked feverishly to replace the goalposts which some media reports claimed were between five and 10cm too high on one side […]