Rome (AFP) – Napoli's stadium has been renamed after Diego Maradona in memory of the late Argentine who led the club to two Italian league titles, Naples town hall said Friday. The city authorities and the club's president had proposed renaming the San Paolo Stadium within hours of Maradona's death on November 25. "The decree […]

London (AFP) – Frank Lampard said he wanted to put his "spygate" spat with Marcelo Bielsa behind him ahead of Chelsea's Premier League clash with Leeds at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Lampard and Bielsa will face off for the first time since the 2019 play-offs in the second-tier Championship, when Derby, then managed by Lampard, […]

Berlin (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund coach Lucien Favre said on Friday defender Mats Hummels has recovered from the ankle injury suffered in midweek quicker than expected and could feature in Saturday's Bundesliga trip to Eintracht Frankfurt. Dortmund are fourth in the Bundesliga, four points behind leaders Bayern Munich after last weekend's shock 2-1 defeat at […]

Madrid (AFP) – Under pressure Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said on Friday he had never taken his position in charge of the record 13-time European champions for granted. Madrid head to Sevilla in La Liga on Saturday after taking just one point from the last nine available in the league. They then host Borussia […]

London (AFP) – Wolves coach Nuno Espirito Santo said on Friday he was scared for Raul Jimenez after the striker suffered a fractured skull in a sickening clash of heads with Arsenal's David Luiz. The Mexico international needed surgery after the incident in Sunday's 2-1 win at Arsenal. Both sets of players and the coaching […]

Rome (AFP) – Italian prosecutors said on Thursday they suspect Juventus of involvement in Luis Suarez allegedly cheating in an Italian language exam earlier this year. The test was a first step required for 33-year-old Suarez to receive an Italian passport ahead of a possible transfer from Barcelona to Juve, a move which was subsequently […]

Berlin (AFP) – Julian Nagelsmann Bayern Munich are showing signs of decline as his RB Leipzig side try to break their goal duck at the Allianz Arena in Saturday's top-of-the-table Bundesliga showdown. Second-placed Leipzig head to Munich two points behind leaders Bayern, who have not lost at home in any competition for over a year. […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said breaking into the Premier League's top four would be a boost for his "bruised" side as they prepare to travel to West Ham on Saturday. United, whose 3-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain this week left their Champions League hopes in the balance, are looking to […]

London (AFP) – Jose Mourinho says Premier League leaders Tottenham will not need to be warned about complacency ahead of Sunday's north London derby despite Arsenal's poor recent form. The Portuguese manager criticised members of his squad following the 3-3 draw with LASK in the Europa League on Thursday. He believes some players have lacked […]

London (AFP) – Marcelo Bielsa said his Leeds players would relish their trip to Chelsea on Saturday, when the two clubs renew one of English football's' most bitter rivalries. Hostilities between the clubs' fans stretch back more than 50 years but it will be the first Premier League meeting between the teams for 16 years. […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman on Friday expressed his irritation with interim president Carles Tusquets who the day before said the club had financial problems and should have sold Lionel Messi in the summer. "The comments from outside do not interest me and those from inside the club do not help us to […]

Doha (AFP) – Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors outclassed Shanghai SIPG with a 2-0 victory in the Asian Champions League on Friday, a result that helped the two-time champions from South Korea bow out of the competition with some of their pride intact. Sydney FC meanwhile claimed a 1-1 draw with Yokohama F. Marinos by holding the […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United are to install 1,500 barrier seats early next year as they prepare to trial "safe standing" at Old Trafford. Fans can finally return to Premier League matches in some parts of England this weekend after coronavirus restrictions were eased. But United have been pressing ahead with plans to create a […]

Marseille (AFP) – Patrick Vieira has been sacked as coach of Nice, paying the price for five consecutive defeats, the French Ligue 1 club announced on Friday. The final straw for the former Arsenal player and France 1998 World Cup winner was Thursday's 3-2 defeat at home to Bayer Leverkusen, which confirmed their elimination from […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Sven Vandenbroeck, a Belgian who has scaled the heights and plumbed the depths in Africa, is on the verge of another uptick in his coaching career, with Tanzanian club Simba SC. The Dar es Salaam outfit hold a 1-0 lead over Plateau United of Nigeria and will have home advantage this weekend […]