Johannesburg (AFP) – South African club Orlando Pirates were given a good chance to reach a second CAF Confederation Cup final after being handed favourable quarter-finals and semi-finals draws in Cairo on Tuesday. The Buccaneers face Tanzanian outfit Simba in the last-eight phase of the African equivalent of the UEFA Europa League with the first […]

Berlin (AFP) – Julian Nagelsmann has slammed Freiburg for appealing to the German Football Association (DFB) after a substitution mix up saw Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich briefly field 12 players last Saturday. Bayern won 4-1 at Freiburg, but the host club has appealed after Bayern had an extra player on the pitch for 18 seconds […]

Kyiv (AFP) – In 2013 he achieved one of the great shocks in tennis history, knocking defending champion Roger Federer out of Wimbledon. Today, the Ukrainian player Sergiy Stakhovsky is a volunteer fighter on a military patrol in Kyiv, which he vows to defend "to the end" against Russian forces. Now 36, he looks much […]

Kyiv (AFP) – In 2013 he achieved one of the great shocks in tennis history, knocking defending champion Roger Federer out of Wimbledon. Today, the Ukranian player Sergiy Stakhovsky is a volunteer fighter on a military patrol in Kyiv, which he vows to defend "to the end" against Russian forces. Now 36, he looks much […]

Paris (AFP) – Tennis' Grand Slam tournaments will all trial using a first-to-10 tie-break in final sets this year, the four competitions announced on Wednesday. Until now, the major events all employed different rules on how to end a match which reaches 6-6 in a deciding set. The Australian Open already uses a first-to-10 breaker, […]

Athens (AFP) – Greek-Russian billionaire Ivan Savvidis, a key investor in Greece who is thought to be close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, finds himself in an uncomfortable position as one Russian oligarch after another is targeted by sanctions in Europe. Savvidis, a former member of the Russian parliament, has a fortune estimated by Forbes […]

London (AFP) – The future of European champions Chelsea has been plunged into doubt after Russian owner Roman Abramovich was hit with UK government sanctions in response to the invasion of Ukraine. Abramovich has bankrolled the most successful era in the Blues' history since taking charge in 2003 — the club have won five Premier […]

London (AFP) – Roman Abramovich rose from a penniless background in Russia's frozen north to become a multi-billionaire and a celebrity football tycoon, but his empire is teetering on collapse after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The UK government's decision to freeze his assets cripples the activities of Chelsea Football Club, the jewel in Abramovich's crown, […]

Paris (AFP) – The Covid-19 pandemic has been an "El Dorado" for match fixers due to the negative impact the virus has had on the finances of individual sports, a leading sports technology company has told AFP. Sportradar Integrity Services, which works with over 100 sports federations and leagues, detected 903 suspicious matches in 2021 […]

Madrid (AFP) – Karim Benzema said Real Madrid showed they are still "alive" by completing a thrilling comeback to defeat Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday and reach the Champions League quarter-finals. Madrid trailed 2-0 on aggregate when Kylian Mbappe put PSG in front at the Santiago Bernabeu but Benzema scored a stunning second-half hat-trick, including two […]

Madrid (AFP) – The old French striker outshone the young French striker as Real Madrid reasserted the old order, coming from two goals down to eliminate Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday. AFP looks at three things we learned from the game: Wait goes on for PSG With less than half an hour […]

Madrid (AFP) – Karim Benzema said Real Madrid showed they are still "alive" by completing a thrilling comeback to defeat Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday and reach the Champions League quarter-finals. Madrid trailed 2-0 on aggregate when Kylian Mbappe put PSG in front at the Santiago Bernabeu but Benzema scored a stunning second-half hat-trick, including two […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Pep Guardiola said Manchester City's routine stroll into the Champions League quarter-finals is cause for celebration despite a subdued 0-0 draw against Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday. All the hard work for the English champions was done with a 5-0 win in the Portuguese capital three weeks ago as City reached […]

Madrid (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino said the decision not to give a foul against Karim Benzema for Real Madrid's first goal "changed everything" in his team's Champions League implosion on Wednesday. The French giants were cruising at 2-0 up on aggregate when Benzema scored the first goal of his hat-trick just after […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid pulled off one of the great Champions League comebacks on Wednesday as Karim Benzema scored a breath-taking hat-trick to upstage Kylian Mbappe and dump Paris Saint-Germain out in the last 16. Madrid were set to be the latest victims of another Mbappe masterclass at the Santiago Bernabeu after the 23-year-old […]