Seville (Spain) (AFP) – Spain dealt Germany their worst defeat in 89 years on Tuesday as a stunning 6-0 victory in Seville sent them through to the Nations League semi-finals. Germany have not been beaten so heavily since losing to Austria by the same scoreline in a friendly in 1931. Spain were as sublime as […]

Paris (AFP) – Olivier Giroud continued his remarkable scoring record for France with a brace as the World Cup holders came from behind to beat Sweden 4-2 in their UEFA Nations League clash on Tuesday. Viktor Claesson's deflected early strike gave the away side the lead behind closed doors at the Stade de France, but […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Mali and Tunisia qualified for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations finals on Tuesday to follow in the footsteps of title holders Algeria, Senegal and hosts Cameroon. Another 19 places will be up for grabs during the final two matchdays between March 22 and 30 with record seven-time champions Egypt among those […]

London (AFP) – Jack Grealish is mature enough to handle the extra attention he is getting after making an eye-catching first start for England, manager Gareth Southgate said on Tuesday. The 25-year-old Aston Villa playmaker was the one positive to emerge for England from Sunday's 2-0 defeat to Belgium which ended their hopes of reaching […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United star Marcus Rashford, after forcing British government to feed poorer children in school holidays, on Tuesday launched a new campaign to encourage kids to read — this time with official blessing. "I only started reading at 17, and it completely changed my outlook and mentality," the 23-year-old England striker said. […]

London (AFP) – The English Professional Footballers' Association should be doing far more for older players who suffer from dementia, the family of late 1966 World Cup winner Nobby Stiles said on Tuesday. They said in a statement it was wrong that players had to sell their medals — like Stiles did — to provide for […]

Doha (AFP) – Qatar will host the coronavirus-delayed Club World Cup, an important test event ahead of the 2022 World Cup, in February, FIFA said on Tuesday. The virus has thrown the sporting calendar into chaos with organisers forced to postpone flagship events like the Olympics and Euro 2020, while other events have been cancelled […]

Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona's salary cap for this season has been cut by almost 300 million euros according to La Liga's list of spending limits for Spanish clubs, announced on Tuesday. The coronavirus pandemic has had huge economic effects on Spain's top-flight teams, with Barca among those worst affected. Their wage cap for the 2020-21 […]

London (AFP) – Gareth Bale said Wales must secure the point they need in a "massive match" with Finland on Wednesday and guarantee promotion to the top tier of the Nations League. Bale says making the step up to League A is key to facing stronger opposition and gauging the progress the team is making. […]

Kiev (AFP) – Tuesday's Nations League match between Switzerland and Ukraine has been called off, the Ukrainian football association said, after six of its players tested positive for the coronavirus. The association said in a statement that it was informed by UEFA the match "cannot take place" after Swiss health authorities made the decision "to […]

Hong Kong (AFP) – Two-time winners Guangzhou Evergrande will have to do without star man Paulinho as the delayed Asian Champions League East returns this week with a heavy schedule of games played in "bubble" conditions in Qatar. Fifteen teams will race through 33 matches in a little over two weeks to complete the group […]

London (AFP) – Jordan Henderson and Raheem Sterling will miss England's Nations League fixture against Iceland on Wednesday, the Football Association has announced. Liverpool captain Henderson suffered a knock during Sunday's loss away to Belgium, while Manchester City forward Sterling has withdrawn because of a calf problem. An FA statement issued Monday said the two […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal and Egypt midfielder Mohamed Elneny has tested positive for Covid-19, his agent said Monday, as figures published by the Premier League showed a sharp increase in cases coinciding with the international break. Already unpopular with Premier League clubs because of the risk of injury to key players, the mood among the […]

Montevideo (AFP) – Uruguay's Luis Suarez has tested positive for Covid-19 and will miss the World Cup qualifying match against Brazil, Uruguay's football association announced Monday. "Tests have been carried out on all the members of the national team, with the result that the players Luis Suarez (and) Rodrigo Munoz and the official, Matias Faral, […]

London (AFP) – Jordan Henderson and Raheem Sterling will miss England's Nations League fixture against Iceland on Wednesday, the Football Association has announced. Liverpool captain Henderson suffered a knock during Sunday's loss away to Belgium, while Manchester City forward Sterling has withdrawn because of a calf problem. An FA statement issued Monday said the two […]