Johannesburg (AFP) – Morocco and the Ivory Coast secured places at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in contrasting ways Friday, as they raised the number of finalists to 16 with eight more places up for grabs. The Moroccans booked an 18th appearance after Group E rivals Burundi and the Central African Republic drew 2-2 […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Morocco became the 15th qualifiers for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations after Group E rivals Burundi and the Central African Republic drew 2-2 in Bujumbura Friday. That result assured former champions Morocco of a top-two finish four hours before playing Mauritania in Nouakchott. Morocco have 10 points, Burundi and Mauritania five […]

Berlin (AFP) – Germany head coach Joachim Loew appears to have a luxury problem to solve before this summer's Euro 2020 finals in deciding which midfield stars to leave out. Germany's midfield axis of Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, Ilkay Gundogan and Kai Havertz shone in Thursday's 3-0 win over Iceland in a World Cup qualifier […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho says he has learned to deal with people questioning the methods of "one of the most important managers in the game". Mourinho has been a serial trophy winner throughout his career with Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Manchester United. But in more recent years, the Portuguese, […]

Rome (AFP) – Streaming service DAZN has won the rights to broadcast Italy's Serie A football for the next three seasons, a league source confirmed on Friday, in a deal worth 2.52 billion euros ($2.97 billion). DAZN offered 840 million euros per season for the 2021-2024 period, and their offer was preferred to that of […]

London (AFP) – Everton's plans for a new 53,000-capacity stadium have received government approval, the club announced on Friday — a major stepping stone as they seek to compete with the Premier League's "Big Six". The club currently play at Goodison Park and have been English champions nine times in their illustrious history, but have […]

London (AFP) – The Premier League announced on Friday that heading guidelines for training in the professional game are set to be in place for the start of next season as concerns grow over health risks for players. Campaigners have long called for a reduction in the amount of heading done in training at senior […]

Moroni (Comoros) (AFP) – Comoros coach Amir Abdou said it was "great" to be level on points with Egypt as his history-making squad left for Cairo on Friday for their final Africa Cup of Nations qualifier. On Thursday Comoros secured their place at the 24-team tournament in Cameroon next January thanks to a goalless home […]

London (AFP) – Wales midfielder Joe Allen will miss the World Cup qualifier against the Czech Republic after picking up an injury in this week's 3-1 defeat to Belgium, caretaker boss Robert Page confirmed on Friday. Allen, 31, limped off only seven minutes into the match against Group E favourites Belgium on Wednesday — a […]

Berlin (AFP) – World football's governing body FIFA on Friday said it will not sanction the German national team for its T-shirt protest in support of human rights before a World Cup qualifier. Germany head coach Joachim Loew said he supported the players after they wore black T-shirts with white lettering to spell out "Human […]

Berlin (AFP) – World football's governing body FIFA on Friday said it will not sanction the German national team for its T-shirt protest in support of human rights before a World Cup qualifier. Germany head coach Joachim Loew said he supported the players after they wore black T-shirts with white lettering to spell out "Human […]

Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Brazil's football confederation (CBF) has decided to put the brakes on the managing merry-go-round by limiting clubs' ability to sack their coach. The country's 20 Serie A sides will only be allowed to fire a maximum of two coaches per season following a new rule approved late on Wednesday night. […]

Parma (Italy) (AFP) – Italy got their World Cup qualifying campaign off the mark on Thursday with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Northern Ireland in Group C. Domenico Berardi and Ciro Immobile scored the crucial goals in the first half at the Stadio Ennio Tardini in Parma as the hosts extended their unbeaten run under coach […]

Granada (Spain) (AFP) – Former champions Spain were held to a 1-1 draw by Greece in their opening 2022 World Cup qualifier on Thursday with the visitors earning a point from a disputed penalty as coach Luis Enrique insisted his side deserved to have been winners. Spain dominated the first half in Granada with Juventus […]

Duisburg (Germany) (AFP) – Germany cruised to a 3-0 win over Iceland on Thursday to get their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign off to a winning start after their players staged a pre-match, DIY demonstration for human rights. The Germans lined up before kick-off wearing black T-shirts with white hand-painted lettering that spelled out "HUMAN […]