Paris (AFP) – Lille recorded their fifth consecutive Ligue 1 victory on Wednesday with a 3-0 win at Bordeaux that sent the leaders five points clear at the top. Yusuf Yazici, Timothy Weah and Jonathan David scored second-half goals as Lille put the pressure back on chasing duo Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain, who play Dijon […]

London (AFP) – Leicester beat struggling Fulham 2-0 to improve their stunning Premier League away record on Wednesday, climbing back to third in the table. Defeat at home to Leeds at the weekend ended a seven-match unbeaten run in the league but the Foxes rediscovered their mojo at Craven Cottage. Kelechi Iheanacho opened the scoring […]

Burnley (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City moved three points clear at the top of the Premier League as goals from Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling sealed a 2-0 win at Burnley on Wednesday. Pep Guardiola's side had watched Manchester United draw level on points with them on Tuesday after their bitter rivals crushed Southampton […]

Marseille (AFP) – An official complaint was filed Wednesday against Marseille defender Alvaro Gonzalez, who was fined after refusing to wear a mask and insulted a police officer asking him to comply with the Covid-19 health rules, police sources said. The incident occurred Wednesday morning as Marseille were preparing to fly to Lens for their […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho expects Harry Kane to return next week after a speedy recovery from his ankle injury. The England captain suffered injuries to both ankles during the 3-1 defeat to Liverpool last week and Spurs feared he would face an extended spell on the sidelines. But the 27-year-old has made […]

Madrid (AFP) – Eden Hazard has suffered yet another injury blow after damaging his left thigh muscle, Real Madrid announced on Wednesday. Hazard is expected to be out for around a month, meaning he would miss Madrid's first leg away at Atalanta in the Champions League on February 24. The Belgian is also likely to […]

Dubai (AFP) – UAE club Al-Ain will play Israel's Maccabi Haifa in two friendlies, the Emirati side said on Wednesday, the first such fixtures since the two countries normalised relations last year. The announcement came during the virtual signing of a deal between the two clubs and follows the United Arab Emirates' landmark move to […]

London (AFP) – Jose Mourinho hopes a talk he had with injured Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli will act as a spark for a return to his old form when he is fit again. The 24-year-old England international has been a shadow of the player who impressed at the 2018 World Cup and when Spurs […]

London (AFP) – Timo Werner is "working hard with a smile" as he tries to end his scoring drought in the Premier League dating back to last November said Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel. The 24-year-old German international has failed as of yet to justify the £52 million ($71 million) former Chelsea manager Frank Lampard persuaded […]

London (AFP) – England will play home warm-up games against Austria and Romania in June ahead of the delayed 2020 European Championships, the Football Association announced Wednesday. Both countries were meant to take part in friendly internationals against England last year before those fixtures were shelved when the coronavirus pandemic led to the postponement of […]

London (AFP) – West Brom manager Sam Allardyce's proud managerial record of never being relegated is in peril after what he admitted was a "very damaging" defeat to fellow Premier League strugglers Sheffield United. Allardyce's ability to keep clubs in the Premier League led West Brom to call on him to replace Slaven Bilic in […]

New Delhi (AFP) – Former South Africa coach Stuart Baxter has been sacked as the manager of Indian Super League's Odisha FC for "unacceptable" comments about rape during a post-match interview, the club said. On Monday, after his side lost 1-0 to Jamshedpur, the English manager and former player said in a complaint against referees: "I think […]

Paris (AFP) – Bayern Munich jet off to Qatar this week targeting another title at the FIFA Club World Cup, taking their place in the six-team tournament as winners of last year's UEFA Champions League. These are the teams who will be challenging the Germans, overwhelming favourites to make it an eighth straight European winner […]

Doha (AFP) – Bayern Munich are the overwhelming favourites to cap a remarkable last year as they head to Qatar for the delayed FIFA Club World Cup, taking place later than scheduled because of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic which overshadows the tournament. Bayern qualified after their triumph in last season's UEFA Champions League, […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – A 25 percent win rate in a tournament is not normally associated with Al Ahly of Egypt, the most successful club on the continent with 20 Confederation of African Football (CAF) titles. But that is the disappointing FIFA Club World Cup record the Cairo Red Devils take into a quarter-final on Thursday […]