Leeds (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Angelo Ogbonna headed home the winner as West Ham came from behind to beat Leeds 2-1 and move up to fifth in the Premier League on Friday. The Hammers could not have had a worse start as Mateusz Klich opened the scoring at the second attempt from the penalty spot […]

Paris (AFP) – The three finalists for FIFA's 'The Best' awards were named on Friday with Robert Lewandowski, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo topping the men's list. The award winners will be revealed on 17 December with England's Lucy Bronze, Pernille Harder of Chelsea and the tall French defender Wendie Renard in the running for […]

Port Elizabeth (South Africa) (AFP) – Zambian national football team coach Milutin Sredojevic on Friday appeared in a South African court charged with the sexual assault of a waitress. The 51-year-old was released on 10,000 rand ($662) bail to reappear in February. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Anelisa Ncakane told AFP that on Monday the […]

Madrid (AFP) – With the Madrid derby looming Real coach Zinedine Zidane admitted Friday that La Liga leaders Atletico were likely to win the title. Atletico last won the Spanish title in 2014 and came third last season as Real won it with Barcelona second. "They are favourites and they demonstrate that every time they […]

London (AFP) – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said the Manchester derby was the "best game that you can ask for" as Manchester United seek to bounce back from the disappointment of their Champions League exit. United had one foot in the knockout stages after opening wins against Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig but Tuesday's 3-2 defeat […]

Paris (AFP) – The defamation case brought by France coach Didier Deschamps against Manchester United legend Eric Cantona was declared void Friday for procedural reasons. Deschamps brought the case against Cantona after the latter accused his former international teammate of racial discrimination in his choice of players for the 2016 European championships. Cantona claimed Deschamps […]

London (AFP) – Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola said he does not need to give any advice to under-fire Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on the pressures of management. The two clubs clash in a derby on Saturday with big ramifications for both sides' hopes of challenging for the Premier League title this season. […]

London (AFP) – Jose Mourinho has warned his Tottenham players they face a searching test of their Premier League title credentials over the gruelling Christmas period. Spurs, top of the table on goal difference, are about to embark on a run of seven fixtures in 21 days, which could have a huge say in whether […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said he has changed his mind over the need for VAR in football and believes the change to using technology to determine the finest of margins has made the game less enjoyable. The Reds were involved in three lengthy stoppages during a 1-1 draw away to Midtjylland in the […]

Aix-en-Provence (France) (AFP) – French prosecutors on Friday called for a 15-year prison sentence for one of two Russian men accused of beating an English supporter during Euro 2016, an attack that left him with brain injuries. One prosecutor, Christophe Raffin, asked for the "legal maximum... between 14 and 15 years" for Pavel Kossov, who […]

Paris (AFP) – France's football league is terminating its deal with troubled TV partner Mediapro after a bitter two-month standoff over the rights for Ligue 1, a source with knowledge of the contract said Friday. The decision is likely to send financial shockwaves through France's top-flight league. The Chinese-Spanish broadcaster, which has suffered severe financial […]

Kathmandu (AFP) – Nepal's football governing body is to give the national women's football team a 150 percent pay hike so that their wages are equal with men — even though their world ranking is way ahead. Nepal joins a short list of federations — including England, Brazil, Australia, Norway and New Zealand — who […]

Milan (AFP) – Inter Milan turn their focus back to Serie A after their Champions League flop with a trip to Cagliari awaiting on Sunday following their group stage exit midweek. "There's no time to sit and mope," warned captain Samir Handanovic with his side out of Europe after finishing bottom of their Champions League […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid, having avoided a disastrous Champions League exit, face city rivals Atletico on Saturday looking suddenly well-equipped to ruin their unbeaten run. Karim Benzema scored twice against Borussia Moenchengladbach on Wednesday to end any fears that Real would fail to progress to the group stage after they had started the match […]

Paris (AFP) – Neymar played a leading part in the unprecedented anti-racism protest which saw Paris Saint-Germain and Istanbul Basaksehir players leave the field in their Champions League match this week, and the Brazilian has also been living up to his status as the world's most expensive player in recent weeks. The former Barcelona superstar's […]