London (AFP) – Newcastle have tied down French winger Allan Saint-Maximin to a new six-year contract, the Premier League club announced on Wednesday. Saint-Maximin has scored five goals and provided eight assists in 34 games for the Magpies since joining for 18 million euros (£16 million, $21 million) from Nice last year. "Newcastle United are […]

London (AFP) – Former Liverpool defender Nathaniel Clyne rejoined Crystal Palace on a short-term deal on Wednesday. Clyne left Premier League champions Liverpool at the end of last season and has been training with Palace in recent weeks. The 29-year-old endured an injury-plagued spell at Anfield after joining the Reds from Southampton in 2015. He […]

London (AFP) – Premier League clubs unanimously agreed on Wednesday to reject the radical "Project Big Picture" plan to restructure English football. Under the controversial proposals, backed by Liverpool and Manchester United, the number of teams in the English top-flight would have been cut from 20 to 18 and the League Cup scrapped. More power […]

Milan (AFP) – Napoli have been given a 3-0 defeat and deducted one point for failing to turn up for their Serie A clash at Juventus earlier this month, the league announced on Wednesday. The Serie A disciplinary commission ruled that there was no "force majeure" preventing Napoli from travelling despite two positive coronavirus tests. […]

Milan (AFP) – US midfielder Weston McKennie has tested positive for coronavirus sending Juventus back into isolation, the Italian champions announced on Wednesday. McKennie, 22, is the second Juventus player to test positive this week after Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, who failed a test while on national team duty. "During the checks provided for by […]

Lisbon (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo, who has tested positive for Covid-19, left the Portuguese team camp near Lisbon on Wednesday to fly back to Northern Italy on his private jet, local media reported. The Juventus player's jet took off in the afternoon from the Tires airfield, in the outskirts of Lisbon, according to images broadcast […]

Prague (AFP) – Czech football legend Antonin Panenka, known for his trademark penalty kick, has been released from hospital after a Covid-19 scare, his former club said Wednesday citing his son. "I picked up dad at the hospital at 11 am today and took him home," Tomas Panenka told the website of the Prague-based Bohemians […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – CAF club football resumes this weekend — five months behind schedule because of the coronavirus pandemic — with 2019/2020 Champions League semi-final first legs in Morocco. Casablanca teams Wydad and Raja host Egyptian giants Al Ahly and Zamalek respectively on Saturday and Sunday with the return matches next weekend. The single-match […]

London (AFP) – New Arsenal signing Thomas Partey has revealed seeing the club hold on to captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang proved to him that they are serious about matching his ambitions. Partey was a long-term target for Arsenal, who finally landed the Ghana international from Atletico Madrid on transfer deadline day as they paid his release […]

Paris (AFP) – Football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and men's golf world number one Dustin Johnson both tested positive for the coronavirus as a surge in cases cast a shadow over the return of professional sport. Ronaldo, the 35-year-old five-time Ballon d'Or winner, is asymptomatic but has withdrawn from Portugal's Nations League game against Sweden on […]

London (AFP) – Premier League clubs are holding a shareholders' meeting on Wednesday after Football Association chairman Greg Clarke said a breakaway from the top flight was wielded "as a threat" during talks over radical proposals to restructure English football. The "Project Big Picture" plan, backed by Liverpool and Manchester United, has been criticised by […]

Wellington (AFP) – New Zealand pulled out of next month's football friendly against England on Wednesday, saying "complications" caused by Covid-19 had made it too difficult to field a team at Wembley on November 12. The withdrawal follows a number of coronavirus cases during the current round of international fixtures, including a positive test by […]

Hong Kong (AFP) – Asian football's governing body said player welfare was its "main priority" after criticism from the global players' union that it had been slow to provide enough support since the coronavirus shutdown. FIFPro general secretary Jonas Baer-Hoffmann last week said the Asian Football Confederation's engagement had been "lacking severely", adding that player […]

Montevideo (AFP) – Neymar scored a hat-trick to become the second highest scorer in Brazil's history as the Copa America champions won 4-2 away to 10-man Peru in a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday. The goals took Neymar to 64 international strikes, two more than Ronaldo but still well behind Pele's record of 77. Elsewhere, […]

London (AFP) – New proposals backed by Liverpool and Manchester United for wide-ranging reform of English football have been criticised by the UK government, Premier League and fans' groups. The so-called "Project Big Picture" has been labelled a "power grab" by the Premier League's biggest and wealthiest clubs, taking advantage of the dire financial position […]