London (AFP) – West Brom manager Sam Allardyce on Wednesday taunted old rivals Arsenal by claiming the struggling Gunners are in danger of relegation. Arsenal are languishing in 15th place in the Premier League after their worst start to a league season since 1974-75. Mikel Arteta's team are just four points above the relegation zone […]

Doha (AFP) – Former France coach Laurent Blanc slumped to a defeat in his first game as boss of Qatar's Al-Rayyan who succumbed to a late goal from Spanish great Xavi Hernandez's Al-Sadd on Wednesday. The clash of the European titans highlights the allure of the wealthy Qatari Stars League to foreign talent that also […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea manager Frank Lampard is confident Timo Werner will be back amongst the goals again despite enduring the joint longest goal drought of his career. The 23-year-old — who cost Chelsea £53 million ($72 million) when they signed him from RB Leipzig in the summer — failed to score in the 3-0 […]

Buenos Aires (AFP) – Argentina football legend Diego Maradona was suffering from liver, kidney and cardiovascular disorders but there were no signs of alcohol or narcotics consumption in his autopsy, the public prosecutor said on Wednesday. World Cup winning captain from Mexico '86, Maradona died of a heart-attack on November 25 at the age of […]

London (AFP) – England international Kieran Trippier has been banned for 10 weeks and fined £70,000 ($94,000) for breaching betting rules, the Football Association (FA) announced on Wednesday. The 30-year-old Atletico Madrid defender's worldwide ban from all football and football-related activity will run until February 28. Trippier's ban takes force with immediate effect. The former […]

London (AFP) – England international Kieran Trippier has been banned for 10 weeks and fined £70,000 ($94,000) for breaching betting rules, the Football Association (FA) announced on Wednesday. The 30-year-old Atletico Madrid defender's worldwide ban from all football and football-related activity will run until February 28. Trippier's ban takes force with immediate effect. The former […]

Paris (AFP) – Former France coach Raymond Domenech is to take over as coach of Ligue 1 side Nantes for the remainder of the season, a source at the club confirmed to AFP on Wednesday. Domenech has not held a managerial position since France's disastrous 2010 World Cup campaign where they were eliminated in the first […]

London (AFP) – Nine former professional footballers including England internationals Peter Reid and Viv Anderson have requested British Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden ask parliament to review the links "between neurological diseases and heading the ball." Their letter — British lawmakers have penned a similar one to a Parliamentary Committee — is the latest action taken […]

Madrid (AFP) – Lionel Messi's all-time goalscoring record for one club will never be broken, former England and Barcelona forward Gary Lineker has predicted. Messi beat Pele's record of 643 goals for one club when he scored Barcelona's third goal, and the 644th of his Barca career, in the 3-0 win against Valladolid on Tuesday. […]

Milan (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo and Leonardo Bonucci on Wednesday apologised to Juventus fans for the "worst" performance of the season as the Italian champions' fell to their first Serie A defeat this term against lowly Fiorentina. The 'Bianconeri' played most of the match a man down after Juan Cuadrado was sent off after quarter […]

London (AFP) – The Premier League has become the world's richest league based on its staggering global appeal, with millions tuning in to watch the best talent from around the globe week by week. But a change of rules as a result of Brexit means English clubs will not have the same freedom to hoover […]

London (AFP) – Rotherham's Championship game with Middlesbrough became on Wednesday the latest match to be postponed due to coronavirus after the second tier side informed the English Football League that some of their players had tested positive. Rotherham's previous match against fellow strugglers Derby County was postponed due to one case of Covid-19 in […]

London (AFP) – Mikel Arteta will hope the Arsenal board absorb the defence his former boss Pep Guardiola put up for him after Manchester City thumped the Gunners 4-1 in Tuesday's League Cup quarter-final. Languishing 15th in the Premier League after losing five of their last seven games — their worst start to a season […]

Miami (AFP) – Andre-Pierre Gignac scored a late winner as Mexico's Tigres UANL came from behind to end their long wait for a CONCACAF Champions League crown with a 2-1 final victory over Los Angeles FC on Tuesday. Former Marseille and France international striker Gignac swept home the winner six minutes from time at Orlando's […]

Madrid (AFP) – Lionel Messi overtook Pele's record of goals for a single club on Tuesday as Barcelona strolled to a 3-0 La Liga win at Real Valladolid, while Atletico Madrid kept hold of their place at the top of the table. Messi struck his 644th goal for Barca, one more than Brazil legend Pele […]