Rome (AFP) – Netherlands defender Matthijs De Ligt has become the third Juventus player to test positive for coronavirus this week, the Italian champions said on Friday. De Ligt follows team-mates Alex Sandro and Juan Cuadrado in missing this weekend's league match against Sassuolo as well as next Sunday's trip to Inter Milan and January […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane backed striker Karim Benzema to focus "on his job and his family" and not get distracted by having to face a blackmail trial over a sex tape. Benzema, 33, is accused of involvement in a plot to extort money from former France teammate Mathieu Valbuena by threatening […]

London (AFP) – Newcastle boss Steve Bruce questioned the morality of playing football during the worsening coronavirus pandemic on Friday while Aston Villa prepared to field a second-string team against Liverpool in the FA Cup. There are growing concerns over whether the Premier League season can be completed on time as a new variant of […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – The CAF Confederation Cup playoffs draw made in Cairo Friday produced the appealing prospect of an all-Nigerian showdown between Enyimba and Rivers United. Enyimba have secured a place and Rivers are set to join them once an outstanding fixture against Bloemfontein Celtic of South Africa is staged. Celtic are trailing 2-0 […]

Paris (AFP) – Neymar will again be missing when Paris Saint Germain face Brest in Ligue 1, manager Mauricio Pochettino said on Friday. Absent since being stretchered off in the defeat against Lyon in December, Neymar has not fully recovered from his ankle injury. "He will be evaluated today, and we will work out a […]

London (AFP) – Frank Lampard said on Friday that Chelsea's poor run of form makes his Stamford Bridge job "more exciting" as he seeks to pull his side out of their slump. Lampard, whose team have suffered four defeats in six Premier League matches, said he expected pressure when he became Chelsea boss in 2019. […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool and Everton have helped out Merseyside neighbours Marine as they bid to pull off the greatest upset in FA Cup history against Tottenham on Sunday, the manager of the eighth-tier club has revealed. There has never been such a wide disparity in league positions between two teams at the third-round stage […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Title-holders Al Ahly of Egypt will face Sudanese sharpshooter Seifeldin Malik in the group stage of the CAF Champions League after the draw was made Friday in Cairo. The record nine-time African champions were placed in Group A with Malik-inspired Al Merrikh, V Club from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Simba […]

The Hague (AFP) – Striker Sebastien Haller has joined Ajax Amsterdam from West Ham on a four and a half year deal, the Dutch champions announced on Friday. "Ajax, West Ham United and Sebastien Haller have reached an agreement for the transfer of the French-Ivorian player," said a statement on the Ajax website. The club […]

London (AFP) – Aston Villa have confirmed that Friday's FA Cup third-round clash with Liverpool will go ahead despite a large number of their players and staff testing positive for coronavirus. Villa were forced to close their training ground on Thursday and there had been concerns they would have to forfeit their match against Jurgen […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bundesliga bottom side Schalke welcome back Arsenal loanee Sead Kolasinac on Saturday in their desperate bid to avoid a league-record equalling 31 games without a win. Having joined Arsenal in 2017, Kolasinac, a product of Schalke's academy, returns on loan until the end of the season to help the club fight relegation […]

London (AFP) – Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour has bought the first piece of silverware won by the club — the Football Association Challenge Cup used from 1896 to 1910. The trophy, a forerunner of the FA Cup in use today, was won by the club in 1904, when they beat Bolton Wanderers 1-0 in the […]

Paris (AFP) – Struggling German giants Schalke have to win to avoid equalling an unwanted record, while a chastened Atletico Madrid return to their La Liga title quest and there are big games at the top of the table in Italy and Holland. AFP Sport selects some of the standout football action in Europe […]

London (AFP) – Premier League clubs shrugged off the coronavirus crisis to splash out £1.2 billion ($1.6 billion) in the summer transfer window but reality is expected to bite in a depressed market this month. Since the last window closed in early October, hopes for a large-scale return of fans have been dashed by soaring […]

Paris (AFP) – Schalke host Hoffenheim on Saturday needing victory to avoid equalling the all-time Bundesliga record for most matches without a win of 31 games, set by Tasmania Berlin in the 1965/66 season. Here, AFP Sport takes a look at other miserable winless streaks in Europe's biggest leagues: England Derby County: 32 Premier League […]