Gibraltar (AFP) – Norway stars Erling Braut Haaland and Martin Odegaard on Wednesday donned t-shirts with the slogan 'Human rights, on and off the pitch' in support of migrant workers building World Cup venues in Qatar for the 2022 finals. Haaland, national captain Odegaard as well as teammates wore the shirts, with their protest printed […]

Istanbul (AFP) – The Netherlands slumped to a "disappointing" 4-2 loss to Turkey in Istanbul in their dramatic opening 2022 World Cup qualifier as Burak Yilmaz scored a hat-trick on Wednesday. Turkey led 3-0 shortly after half-time through two Yilmaz goals and a Hakan Calhanoglu strike, but substitutes Davy Klaassen and Luuk de Jong gave […]

London (AFP) – England manager Gareth Southgate said on Wednesday he will seek input from his senior players over whether the Three Lions continue to take the knee before matches. The gesture has been made before every Premier League match since the English top-flight resumed from a coronavirus shutdown in June as a sign of […]

Paris (AFP) – Pernille Harder scored what turned out to be the winner against her old side as Chelsea beat Wolfsburg 2-1 in the first leg of their Women's Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday, while Wendie Renard's late penalty gave holders Lyon a precious 1-0 victory at French rivals Paris Saint-Germain. German champions Wolfsburg were […]

Istanbul (AFP) – The Netherlands slumped to a dramatic 4-2 loss to Turkey in Istanbul in their opening 2022 World Cup qualifier as Burak Yilmaz scored a hat-trick on Wednesday. Turkey led 3-0 shortly after half-time through two Yilmaz goals and a Hakan Calhanoglu strike, but substitutes Davy Klaassen and Luuk de Jong gave Frank […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Burkina Faso and Guinea qualified Wednesday for the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon next January, while Ethiopia trounced Madagascar 4-0 as matchday 5 kicked off. The Burkinabe secured a place for the sixth time in their last seven attempts by forcing a 0-0 Group B draw away to Uganda near Kampala. […]

Madrid (AFP) – Luis Enrique said Wednesday that Spain "must apply ourselves from minute one" as they start their World Cup qualifying with a trio of matches against teams they are expected to beat. "Bearing in mind that in every World Cup there are teams of a level like ours who don't qualify, we are […]

Washington (AFP) – US soccer star Megan Rapinoe testified before Congress Wednesday highlighting the pay inequities between men and women as she urged lawmakers to help end the gender pay gap, a push supported by President Joe Biden. The hearing before the House Oversight and Reform Committee occurred on Equal Pay Day, which marks the […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies on Wednesday became the first footballer to be appointed a UN special ambassador to help refugees. The 20-year-old, who was born in a refugee camp in Ghana before emigrating to Canada, has been appointed as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Refugee Agency. "My own experiences make […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Scotland manager Steve Clarke has challenged his players to show they are not "one-tournament wonders" as they start their World Cup qualifiers looking to build on their run to Euro 2020. Scotland will end a 23-year absence from major tournaments when they feature at the delayed European Championship starting in June. But […]

Paris (AFP) – Gamers are used to taking control of Neymar in virtual football pitches, but the Brazilian star has found a new field to run wild on: the shoot'em up mega-hit "Fortnite". Neymar's recruitment is part of a strategy by Epic Games to expand the universe of "Fortnite" beyond its kill-or-be-killed "Battle Royale" by […]

Berlin (AFP) – Germany head coach Joachim Loew has urged his side to take out their "anger and disappointment" from the humiliating defeat against Spain when they host Iceland on Thursday. Their opening World Cup qualifier in Duisburg will be their first appearance since Loew's men were thrashed 6-0 in Seville last November. In the […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Slavia Prague defender Ondrej Kudela will likely face questions from Scottish police over allegations he racially abused Glen Kamara if he returns to Britain, the Rangers midfielder's lawyer said on Wednesday. Police Scotland are investigating Kamara's racism claims following Slavia's Europa League last-16, second-leg win in Glasgow last week. Kudela made comments […]

Lausanne (AFP) – FIFA banned its former president Sepp Blatter until 2028 on Wednesday after handing him a new suspension of six years and eight months for receiving huge bonuses. Former FIFA secretary-general Jerome Valcke also had his existing suspension extended by the same amount. The new bans will only come into force when the […]

Lausanne (AFP) – FIFA said Wednesday it had extended the ban on its former president Sepp Blatter and former secretary-general Jerome Valcke by six years and eight months, in relation to the receipt of huge bonuses. Blatter, who is 85, received 23 million Swiss francs ($24.6 million) in "extraordinary bonuses" linked to the 2010 World […]