London (AFP) – Former England boss Sam Allardyce returned to management for the first time in two-and-a-half years after being appointed as West Brom manager on Wednesday. Allardyce, 66, takes over the Premier League strugglers after Slaven Bilic was sacked despite earning a 1-1 draw at Manchester City on Tuesday. The Baggies are 19th in […]

Paris (AFP) – A topsy turvy football year could end with another surprise as Robert Lewandowski challenges the golden duo of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for FIFA's player of the year award. The coronavirus pandemic is playing havoc with football's glitzy year-ends awards galas just as it has on the field. The venerable Ballon […]

London (AFP) – The widow of England's 1966 World Cup-winning midfielder Nobby Stiles says that the high wages that footballers earn is no compensation if they end their days with dementia. Stiles died in October aged 78, becoming the most recent member of the England team to die of dementia-related causes. "Nobody wants to end […]

Madrid (AFP) – Former Barcelona star Andres Iniesta will be sidelined for four months after breaking a leg bone while playing for Vissel Kobe in the final stages of the Asian Champions League. Iniesta, 36, underwent "successful" surgery in Barcelona, his club said, and recovery time was expected to be four months. The injury occurred […]

Berlin (AFP) – Robert Lewandowski is confident of being named FIFA's best male footballer on Thursday on the strength of his 55-goal haul to help Bayern Munich win the treble last season. The Poland striker, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are shortlisted in the men's category for FIFA's 'The Best' awards. "We were the best, […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – A blunder by veteran goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune cost Kaizer Chiefs dearly as they lost 2-1 at SuperSport United in the South African Premiership. The 33-year-old capped 91 times by South Africa kicked a short clearance to a SuperSport player, who set up Bradley Grobler to put the hosts ahead just before half-time. […]

London (AFP) – Edinson Cavani will not be rushed back for Thursday's Premier League clash with bottom side Sheffield United says Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer ahead of the hectic end-of-year schedule. The 33-year-old Uruguayan striker returned to training after missing the past two games due to a muscle injury he suffered against West […]

Lausanne (AFP) – Sport's highest court will on Thursday deliver its verdict on whether to overturn Russia's four-year ban from international sport imposed following allegations of state-sanctioned doping. The much-anticipated decision from the Court of Arbitration for Sport follows a four-day arbitration hearing between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) […]

Madrid (AFP) – Former Barcelona star Andres Iniesta broke a bone in his leg while playing for Japanese club Vissel Kobe in the Asian Champions League and will be out for four months, his club said Wednesday. Iniesta, 36, underwent successful surgery in Barcelona. The injury occurred in last week's ACL quarter-final against Suwon. Iniesta […]

London (AFP) – Slaven Bilic became the first Premier League manager to lose his job this season when he was sacked by struggling West Bromwich Albion on Wednesday. The 52-year-old Croatian's sacking comes with the side 19th in the table but on the back of an encouraging 1-1 draw with Manchester City on Tuesday. Bilic […]

New Delhi (AFP) – India on Wednesday joined a five-nation race to host the 2027 Asian Cup, the continent's biggest football tournament, as it steps up efforts to secure international sporting recognition. Saudi Arabia and Qatar have already officially entered the fray and an All India Football Federation (AIFF) spokesman said the country's documents would […]

Miami (AFP) – Montreal Impact and New York City FC were dumped out of the CONCACAF Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday in a blow to Major League Soccer's hopes of ending a 20-year wait for victory in the competition. New York's campaign was snuffed out in clinical fashion by Mexican side Tigres UANL, who are […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane hailed Karim Benzema as the best centre-forward in French history after his match-winning double against Athletic Bilbao put them joint top of La Liga on Tuesday. Bilbao's Ander Capa had cancelled out Toni Kroos's thumping strike before Benzema, 32, struck twice late on, heading home a cross […]

Madrid (AFP) – Karim Benzema spared Real Madrid's blushes on Tuesday with the winning brace which shot the reigning champions to a 3-1 win over Athletic Bilbao that draws them level on points with La Liga Leaders Real Sociedad. Frenchman Benzema headed home a cross from Dani Carvajal with 16 minutes remaining to put Real […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Ilkay Gundogan blamed a congested calendar in a unique season for Manchester City's failure to match the standards they have set under Pep Guardiola after a 1-1 draw with West Brom dealt another blow to their title challenge. Gundogan appeared to have opened the floodgates on the half hour mark, […]