London (AFP) – Manchester United's early Champions League exit means Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's position is back under scrutiny ahead of Manchester City's visit to Old Trafford for a game neither side can afford to lose. The Manchester derby is the most eye-catching fixture during a Premier League weekend that includes a trip to Crystal Palace […]

Paris (AFP) – Real Madrid head into the derby against Atletico with a spring in their step, Bayern Munich face one of the stories of the German season so far, and there is a threat to Paris Saint-Germain's position at the top of Ligue 1. AFP Sport selects some of the standout football action in […]

Berlin (AFP) – Robert Lewandowski, the German league's top-scorer, can make his 200th Bundesliga appearance for Bayern Munich in Saturday's tricky away match at FC Union, where Germany's leading clubs have struggled in the past. Lewandowski could claim two milestone in Berlin as he is two short of scoring 250 Bundesliga goals for both Bayern […]

Milan (AFP) – Veteran Brazil international striker Robinho on Thursday had a nine-year sentence for the rape of a young woman upheld by a court in Italy. Judges of the Milan Court of Appeal confirmed the sentence for both Robinho and one of his friends for group sexual violence dating back to January 2013. Robinho […]

Milan (AFP) – Paolo Rossi, who fired Italy to victory in the 1982 World Cup after almost missing the tournament through a match-fixing scandal, has died aged 64, prompting an outpouring of grief and tributes. "He didn't want to go, I hugged him tightly and told him 'Paolo you have suffered too much, now leave […]

Paris (AFP) – Real Sociedad snatched qualification for the last 32 of the Europa League in the final seconds on Thursday after Willian Jose's late leveller in a 1-1 draw at Napoli and AZ Alkmaar's shock 2-1 defeat at Rijeka allowed the Spanish side to progress. La Liga high fliers Sociedad were heading out of […]

Doha (AFP) – Japan's Vissel Kobe edged out 10-man Suwon Bluewings 7-6 in a sudden-death penalty shootout to reach the semi-finals of the Asian Champions League on their first appearance in the tournament on Thursday. Andres Iniesta's side will now meet another South Korean side, Ulsan Hyundai Motors, on Sunday. The winners will take on […]

Naples (Italy) (AFP) – Napoli kicked off a new era, playing the first game in their stadium since it was renamed in honour of club legend Diego Maradona. The match at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona was a Europa League clash against Spanish club Real Sociedad. Argentina football great and former Napoli star Maradona died […]

Berlin (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund revealed Thursday they have given star striker Erling Braut Haaland permission to receive treatment for a hip injury in Qatar, despite the coronavirus pandemic. The 20-year-old, who has scored 33 goals in 32 games for Dortmund, is out until January with a torn hip muscle and is being treated in […]

Istanbul (AFP) – The president of Istanbul Basaksehir has called for a lifetime ban on a Romanian official who was accused of making a racist remark which sparked a mass player walkout in the club's Champions League match with Paris Saint-Germain. Fourth official Sebastian Coltescu had described Basaksehir's Cameroonian assistant coach Pierre Webo as "black", […]

Paris (AFP) – Barcelona's World Cup-winning footballer Antoine Griezmann said Thursday he was ending a commercial deal with Huawei over reports the Chinese telecoms giant was involved in the surveillance of Uighur Muslims. Frenchman Griezmann said on Instagram that following "strong suspicions that Huawei has contributed to the development of a 'Uighurs alert' through the […]

Paris (AFP) – Barcelona's World Cup-winning footballer Antoine Griezmann said Thursday he was ending his sponsorship contract with Huawei over reports the Chinese telecoms giant was involved in the surveillance of Uighur Muslims. Frenchman Griezmann said on Instagram: "Following strong suspicions that Huawei has contributed to the development of a 'Uighurs alert' through the use […]

Milan (AFP) – Paolo Rossi, who fired Italy to victory in the 1982 World Cup after almost missing the tournament through a match-fixing scandal, has died aged 64, prompting an outpouring of grief and tributes. Rossi's wife Federica Cappelletti announced the death in an Instagram post featuring a photo of the couple, accompanied by the […]

Doha (AFP) – Junior Negrao struck two first-half goals and goalkeeper Jo Su-Huk came up with a flurry of saves as Ulsan Hyundai Motors powered through to the semi-finals of the Asian Champions League with a gripping 2-0 win over Beijing Guoan on Thursday. Both teams had cruised into the last-eight phase of the competition […]

Rome (AFP) – Football is mourning the death of Paolo Rossi, the prolific striker whose goals led the Azzurri to World Cup glory in 1982. Here are the stand-out moments from the career of one of Italy's greatest players, who has died at the age of 64: – Inauspicious start – Rossi made his debut […]