Johannesburg (AFP) – Nigerian football boss Amaju Pinnick has accused Kano Pillars and Rivers United of lacking "steel" as the clubs prepare for CAF Confederation Cup preliminary round second legs this weekend. Kano fell 3-1 to ASC Jaraaf in Senegal after taking an early lead while Rivers lost 2-1 to Futuro Kings in Equatorial […]

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain this week averted a crisis by beating Manchester United to revive their Champions League campaign and the club's followers might even be getting giddy at the possibility of seeing Lionel Messi in the French capital next season. Neymar scored twice in Manchester and then publicly stated his wish to team […]

Milan (AFP) – Juventus host city rivals Torino on Saturday looking to close the gap on high-flying Serie A leaders AC Milan before next week's final Champions League group clash at Barcelona. The Italian champions are fourth in the table, six points behind Milan, who head to Sampdoria on Sunday looking to extend their unbeaten […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – Kevin Molino scored two goals for the second straight postseason game as Minnesota United extended their unbeaten string to 10 straight by upsetting top-seeded Kansas City 3-0 in a MLS playoff game on Thursday. Fourth seeded Minnesota advanced to their first MLS semi-final in their three year franchise history and won […]

Paris (AFP) – Zinedine Zidane's days as Real Madrid coach could be numbered, Juventus will aim to continue their long dominance in the Turin derby and Bayern Munich look to keep their nearest challengers in the Bundesliga at arm's length. AFP Sport previews the standout football action on the continent this weekend: – Zidane in […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane takes his side to Sevilla in La Liga this weekend days insisting he is not planning on resigning despite a disastrous recent run. Madrid have won just once in La Liga since October and also lost at Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions on Tuesday and must beat […]

Berlin (AFP) – RB Leipzig chase a first away win at Bayern Munich in Saturday's top-of-the-table Bundesliga clash after being buoyed by their last-gasp winner in the Champions League. Alexander Sorloth's last-minute goal sealed a 4-3 win at Basaksehir Istanbul on Wednesday and Leipzig can reach the last 16 by beating Manchester United at home […]

Sao Paulo (AFP) – The coronavirus pandemic has swollen the unemployment rolls to record levels in Brazil, but take a moment to pity another kind of jobless worker: football coaches in the Brazilian top flight routinely fired for as few as four bad results. Brazilian clubs are the world champions of sacking coaches, and the […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho protects a proud personal unbeaten home record against struggling Arsenal this weekend as fans return to the Premier League for the first time since March. Pacesetters Spurs have amassed 21 points after 10 games and are ahead of champions Liverpool on goal difference, while Arsenal are stumbling badly. […]

London (AFP) – For the first time in 270 days, fans were back inside a Premier League ground as Arsenal welcomed 2,000 supporters into the Emirates for Thursday's routine 4-1 Europa League win over Rapid Vienna. The sparse crowd in a 60,000 capacity stadium were well distanced between two stands and in high spirits despite […]

Paris (AFP) – Premier League leaders Tottenham struggled to gain the draw they needed in Linz, finishing 3-3 on Thursday thanks to two penalties, to secure a place in the knock-out rounds of the Europa League. The result in Austria ensured that Antwerp will also advance from Group J. Elsewhere, Braga, AC Milan, Lille, Villarreal, […]

London (AFP) – For the first time in 270 days, fans were back inside a Premier League ground as Arsenal welcomed 2,000 supporters into the Emirates for Thursday's routine 4-1 Europa League win over Rapid Vienna. The sparse crowd in a 60,000 capacity stadium, were well distanced between two stands and in high spirits despite […]

Doha (AFP) – Melbourne Victory squeaked to a shock 2-1 win over FC Seoul on Thursday, ensuring Australian representation in the round-of-16 phase of the Asian Champions League after Perth Glory were derailed by FC Tokyo. With Beijing Guoan sealing their spot as comfortable leaders with two matches to spare, all the three other teams […]

Paris (AFP) – Albanian capital Tirana will be the host for the first final of the new third-tier UEFA Conference League in 2022, European football's governing body announced on Thursday. The final will be played at the brand-new 21,690-capacity National Arena on May 25, 2022. The Conference League is being introduced as a new tournament […]

Paris (AFP) – World Cup holders France will play Belgium in the semi-finals of the UEFA Nations League following Thursday's draw for the final stages of the tournament. Finals hosts Italy will play Spain in the other semi-final tie, with the matches being staged on October 6 and 7, 2021, European football's governing body announced. […]