London (AFP) – England were on Thursday granted permission to host next week's Nations League match against Iceland at Wembley after the UK Government issued a travel exemption for their opponents. It had been feared England would not be able to stage Wednesday's game because of coronavirus issues surrounding Iceland's match against Denmark in Copenhagen […]

Shanghai (AFP) – Brazilian forward Alex Teixeira starred as Jiangsu Suning won their first Chinese Super League title with a 2-1 victory over Fabio Cannavaro's 10-man Guangzhou Evergrande on Thursday. The second leg of the championship decider belonged to the 30-year-old Teixeira, who was strongly linked with a move to Liverpool before joining Jiangsu for […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool defender Joe Gomez faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines after undergoing knee surgery on Thursday, leaving manager Jurgen Klopp grappling with a deepening defensive crisis. The centre-back damaged a tendon in his left knee on Wednesday during an England training session. There were fears that the injury was similar to […]

London (AFP) – Harry Kane believes an influx of experienced players and the "aura" of manager Jose Mourinho could help Tottenham finally end their trophy drought after falling agonisingly short in recent years. Spurs, without silverware since 2008, are second in the Premier League, through to the League Cup quarter-finals and well-placed to qualify for […]

Berlin (AFP) – Last season's Champions League semi-finalists RB Leipzig are branching into India after announcing on a three-year partnership with Indian Super League (ISL) side FC Goa on Thursday. The Red Bull-backed German club have been in talks since 2018 with Goa, who finished top of the ISL league last season, but lost in […]

Berlin (AFP) – Hoffenheim on Thursday confirmed an eighth case of coronavirus with the squad already quarantined, putting pressure on the Bundesliga club to control the outbreak ahead of their next game in just over a week. Training is suspended after the squad was quarantined Wednesday with Hoffenheim due to host Stuttgart in their next […]

London (AFP) – Former Football Association chairman Greg Clarke resigned from his role as a FIFA vice-president on Thursday, two days after he left the FA over a series of offensive remarks. Clarke quit his role at the English governing body on Tuesday after making a series of "unacceptable" comments to a committee of lawmakers, […]

London (AFP) – The Football Association has asked the government to allow England's UEFA Nations League match against Iceland on November 18 to be played at Wembley. The game looked set to be held in another country, most likely Germany, as the Icelandic team are not currently allowed into the country due to coronavirus travel […]

Zagreb (AFP) – Croatia defender Domagoj Vida was informed that he tested positive for Covid-19 after playing the first half of a friendly with Turkey in Istanbul on Wednesday, the Croatian football federation (HNS) said. All the Croatia squad and staff members tested negative on Monday but additional testing was carried out on Wednesday morning […]

Paris (AFP) – Finland spoiled Marcus Thuram's party on Wednesday after beating France 2-0 on the day the Borussia Moenchengladbach attacker emulated his father Lilian Thuram by making his debut for Les Bleus. Thuram was picked by Didier Deschamps for the friendly at the Stade de France over 22 years after his dad won the […]

The Hague (AFP) – Former referee Charles Corver, who officiated the notorious 1982 World Cup semi-final between West Germany and France, has died aged 84, Dutch football officials announced Wednesday. "Corver died on Tuesday evening after an illness," the Royal Dutch Football Federation (KNVB) said. "Few Dutch referees have officiated such important matches... and in […]

Lisbon (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo edged closer to the all-time record for most international goals as European champions Portugal thrashed Andorra 7-0 in a friendly on Wednesday. The Juventus star came on a substitute to net his 102nd goal for Portugal in the 85th minute. Former Iran striker Ali Daei holds the record on 109 […]

Paris (AFP) – Finland spoiled Marcus Thuram's party on Wednesday after beating France 2-0 on the day the Borussia Moenchengladbach attacker emulated his father Lilian Thuram by making his debut for Les Bleus. Thuram was picked by Didier Deschamps for the friendly at the Stade de France over 22 years after his dad won the […]

Leipzig (Germany) (AFP) – A first-half goal by Benfica striker Luca Waldschmidt sealed Germany a 1-0 friendly win over the Czech Republic on Wednesday as the hosts kept a clean sheet for the first time this year. A makeshift Germany team kept the Czechs goalless in Leipzig in a warm-up for Nations League matches at […]

Amsterdam (AFP) – Frank de Boer's wait for a first win as Netherlands coach goes on after his team drew 1-1 with Spain in a friendly in Amsterdam on Wednesday. De Boer has now gone four matches without a victory since being appointed in September to succeed Ronald Koeman, who left to take over at […]