London (AFP) – Celtic's plans for the first Old Firm clash against Rangers of a potentially historic season have been thrown into disarray by a series of positive coronavirus cases while players have been away on international duty. The Scottish champions have expressed their frustration after star striker Odsonne Edouard and Israeli pair Nir Bitton […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Pitso Mosimane, the first sub-Saharan African to coach Al Ahly of Egypt, faces his bogey club, Wydad Casablanca of Morocco, Saturday in a CAF Champions League semi-final first leg. Before moving to the 113-year-old Cairo club last month, the South African had tackled Wydad eight times as coach of Mamelodi Sundowns […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool face Premier League pacesetters Everton this weekend determined to prove their 7-2 drubbing by Aston Villa was just a bizarre blip while misfiring Manchester United could slip into the relegation zone. The Merseyside derby kicks off the Premier League action on Saturday after the international break, with Manchester City's match against […]

London (AFP) – England's lower league clubs have rejected the Premier League's offer of a £50 million ($64 million) rescue package aimed at easing the financial fallout from the coronavirus. The Premier League had agreed to offer the aid package to clubs in League One and League Two following government calls for top-flight teams to […]

Paris (AFP) – With Neymar and Kylian Mbappe just back after international duty, and ahead of a Champions League showdown with Manchester United, one of Paris Saint-Germain's latest signings will hope to make an immediate impact this weekend. Italy forward Moise Kean, 20, joined on loan from Everton just before the transfer window shut earlier […]

London (AFP) – Britain's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on Thursday said it had charged a man in connection with the death of Argentine footballer Emiliano Sala in a light aircraft crash last year. "The UK Civil Aviation Authority has commenced a prosecution of David Henderson for offences associated with the fatal light aircraft accident over […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has revealed he sent a "long, long" text message to his players after their humiliating 7-2 defeat against Aston Villa. Klopp suffered the heaviest loss of his managerial career on a traumatic afternoon at Villa Park earlier this month. The shocking performance from the Premier League champions ended […]

Milan (AFP) – Juventus president Andrea Agnelli reflected Thursday on a "bittersweet season" for the Italian champions with losses of 89.7 million euros ($105 million) despite lifting a ninth consecutive Serie A trophy. Agnelli told a shareholders' meeting in Turin that the losses compared to 39.9m euros the previous financial year. "The balance of the […]

Paris (AFP) – The French Football League has threatened to rip up its domestic TV rights agreement with Mediapro and turn to other broadcasters following the Chinese-owned group's refusal to make payments due earlier this month. In an email sent to clubs in France's top two divisions and seen on Thursday by AFP, the league […]

Milan (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo could have violated Italian coronavirus measures by returning to Turin from Portugal after testing positive, Italy's sports minister Vincenzo Spadafora said on Thursday. "Yes, I think so, if there were no specific authorisations from the health authority," Spadafora told Radio Uno when asked whether the 35-year-old Portuguese star's return had […]

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain will be without injured Argentinian striker Mauro Icardi for their opening Champions League group match against Manchester United, coach Thomas Tuchel announced Thursday. The French champions will also miss Marco Verratti, Marquinhos and Julian Draxler in their Ligue 1 game against Nimes on Friday — all three are uncertain for […]

Milan (AFP) – Juventus recorded losses of 89.7 million euros ($105 million) for the financial year to June 30, the Italian league champions announced on Thursday. Club president Andrea Agnelli chaired the Ordinary Shareholders' Meeting in Turin through video conference because of the coronavirus pandemic. And the nine-time reigning Serie A champions reported a deficit […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is hoping to have defender Kieran Tierney available for Saturday's Premier League trip to Manchester City as discussions over his need to self-isolate continue. Tierney, as well as compatriot Ryan Christie, were instructed to quarantine for 14 days after Scotland team-mate Stuart Armstrong tested positive for coronavirus while […]

London (AFP) – Exeter are two games away from completing a remarkable European-domestic double just a decade after emerging from English rugby's backwaters. Rob Baxter's men take on French club Racing 92 in Saturday's European Champions Cup final in Bristol before facing a Premiership title decider against Wasps at Twickenham the following weekend. Although they […]

New York (AFP) – Minnesota United's Major League Soccer match against the Chicago Fire was postponed on Wednesday due to a suspected Covid-19 positive among the Minnesota team delegation. The postponement was made to allow for more testing and evaluation, MLS said in a statement. The delay to an unspecified date came only minutes before […]