Barcelona (AFP) – Barcelona are aiming to hold presidential elections in the festive season, the la Liga giants said Monday, as they try to rebuild following the resignation of previous chief Josep Maria Bartomeu. In a press conference interim president Carles Tusquets said that the club was hoping for the vote to take place "towards […]

Berlin (AFP) – David Alaba said Monday he was "hurt and disappointed" after learning that Bayern Munich had withdrawn a proposed contract extension following months of wrangling over a new deal. "I was surprised, I learned about it through the press. It was obviously a very odd situation," Alaba said at a news conference ahead of Tuesday's […]

Stockholm (AFP) – Zlatan Ibrahimovic on Monday sent a signal that he might be considering an international comeback as he continues to produce show-stopping displays for AC Milan that defy his advancing years. Ibrahimovic, who turned 39 last month, posted a picture of himself on his social media channels in a Sweden kit with the […]

Berlin (AFP) – Former Germany striker German Mueller "is slowly passing to the afterlife in his sleep", his wife Uschi said before he celebrates his 75th birthday on Tuesday. 'The Bomber' Mueller, who won the World Cup in 1974 and countless domestic and European titles with Bayern Munich, suffers from dementia and lives in a […]

Shanghai (AFP) – Former Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur star Paulinho scored twice in the second half Monday to send reigning champions Guangzhou Evergrande into a title decider with Jiangsu Suning in the Chinese Super League. The Brazilian international midfielder, 32, was the difference in a 3-1 victory over Beijing Guoan in their semi-final second leg, […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Pep Guardiola said Manchester City's consistent qualification from the group stages of the Champions League is not given enough credit ahead of hosting Olympiakos on Tuesday. City can move to the brink of a place in the last 16 of Europe's premier club competition for the eighth straight season with […]

Paris (AFP) – Barcelona are enduring their worst start to a La Liga season in nearly two decades, but the evergreen David Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovic continue to flourish, helping Real Sociedad and AC Milan top their respective leagues. AFP Sport rounds up some of the main talking points from the weekend across the continent: […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich centre-back Niklas Suele will miss this week's Champions League group stage match at RB Salzburg after testing positive for coronavirus, the German club announced on Monday. The title holders play in Austria on Tuesday after winning their opening two games of the competition. "The Bayern Munich defender is currently at […]

Nicosia (AFP) – Former Republic of Ireland coach Mick McCarthy on Monday was named boss of Cypriot top-flight side APOEL in a surprise return to football. Nicosia's APOEL, the island's record league title holders who have struggled this season, announced the signing of a 19-month contract with McCarthy until May 2022. APOEL reached the last […]

Bergamo (Italy) (AFP) – Trent Alexander-Arnold is confident Liverpool can still aspire to win the Champions League and Premier League even without the talismanic presence of Virgil van Dijk. The Dutch defender is expected to miss the rest of the season after suffering cruciate ligament damage in a contentious Merseyside derby against Everton last month. […]

Paris (AFP) – Chelsea midfielder Hakim Ziyech and Arsenal forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored significant goals in the English Premier League at the weekend. Moroccan Ziyech netted in his first league start for Chelsea as they cruised to a 3-0 win at Burnley while Gabonese Aubameyang ended a five-match goal drought by converting the penalty that […]

London (AFP) – Rangers have suspended Jordan Jones and George Edmundson after the pair broke Covid-19 regulations to attend a party. Northern Irish international winger Jones and English centre-back Edmundson have been bit-part players in an unbeaten start to the season for Steven Gerrard's men to move nine points clear at the top of the […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid defender Eder Militao has contracted coronavirus on the eve of the Champions League group stage tie with Inter Milan, the Spanish giants said Monday. Brazil's 22-year-old centre-back, who has featured three times in the league and in Europe this, returned the result after tests on Sunday. "All the other players […]

Madrid (AFP) – Antonio Conte might have been in the Real Madrid dugout for Tuesday's Champions League game against Inter Milan were it not for the five words spoken by Sergio Ramos in October 2018. "Respect is earned, not imposed," Ramos said, when asked about the prospect of a hard-line coach like Conte taking charge. […]

Seoul (AFP) – Celebrated South Korea striker Lee Dong-gook bowed out as a K-League champion for the eighth time as Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors beat Daegu FC 2-0 to seal the title in his final game. The 41-year-old played the full 90 minutes in his 548th K-league match, but did not add to his record tally […]