Berlin (AFP) – German World Cup final hero Mario Goetze, who was a free agent after Borussia Dortmund allowed him to leave, has signed a two-year contract with PSV Eindhoven. Goetze, scorer of the extra-time goal that gave Germany a 1-0 victory over Argentina in Brazil in 2014, made only five Bundesliga starts at Dortmund […]

Singapore (AFP) – A top executive at a Singapore firm seeking to buy Newcastle United has quit after police launched a probe into his activities, the company said Wednesday, the latest turmoil for the bid. Bellagraph Nova Group, founded by two Singaporean entrepreneurs and a Chinese business partner, announced in August it was in "advanced […]

Pristina (AFP) – It's just football, some say, but for Kosovo, one match means so much more than that. Not only can Thursday's game in Skopje take Kosovo a step closer to the re-scheduled Euro 2020 but it is also being seen as a chance for the Kosovar people to stand up and be noticed […]

Buenos Aires (AFP) – Superstar footballer Lionel Messi will take a break from his Barcelona soap opera as he bids to fire Argentina to the World Cup in Qatar and what will probably be his last chance to try to win the coveted trophy. The 33-year-old, a record six-time winner of the Ballon d'Or, has […]

London (AFP) – Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland are among the 16 sides hoping to take a step closer to qualifying for next year's European championships in the Euro 2020 playoffs on Thursday. AFP Sport explains how the new format will work and who can claim one of the four remaining places at the rescheduled […]

Paris (AFP) – A member of the France national squad Leo Dubois has tested positive for Covid-19 at their training head-quarters in Clairefontaine, the French football federation said on Tuesday. Having returned a negative test ahead of joining Didier Deschamps' squad for a series of internationals Dubois took part in a training session ahead of […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – Phoenix Rising player Junior Flemmings was given a six-game suspension for subjecting an opponent to homophobic abuse in an incident which triggered a dramatic pitch walk-off, officials said Tuesday. The United Soccer League championship said in a statement that Flemmings had been found guilty of using "foul and abusive language in […]

Amsterdam (AFP) – Frank de Boer begins his reign as Netherlands coach on Wednesday hoping to continue the revival of an exciting Dutch team following the departure of previous coach Ronald Koeman for Barcelona. His team take on Mexico in a friendly before two UEFA Nations League clashes with Italy and Bosnia & Herzegovina provide […]

London (AFP) – Dominic Calvert-Lewin has pointed to Carlo Ancelotti's arrival at Everton as the key factor behind his stunning form that has earned him a first England call-up. The 23-year-old has scored nine goals already this season, including two hat-tricks, as the Toffees have soared to the top of the Premier League table and […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil has stepped in to save the club's giant Gunnersaurus from extinction after it was revealed the man behind the mascot had been released as part of cost-cutting measures. Jerry Quy, who has played the role of the dinosaur mascot since 1993, has been let go, with stadiums empty […]

Kiev (AFP) – Ukraine have just one fit goalkeeper for Wednesday's friendly with world champions France after Real Madrid's Andriy Lunin and Yuriy Pankiv contracted coronavirus following first-choice Andriy Pyatov's positive test earlier in the week. Regular stand-in Lunin, who is yet to feature for Madrid, and veteran Pankiv returned positive tests on Tuesday, hours […]

London (AFP) – The spectre of empty stands and uncertainty over future broadcast and commercial contracts failed to halt the Premier League's arms race as clubs again splashed out more than £1 billion in the transfer window. English top-flight clubs committed to deals worth a reported £1.2 billion ($1.5 billion), the lowest spend for a […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Tug-of-war forward Adama Traore from English Premier League club Wolves is training with Spain, effectively ending Malian hopes he might play for them. The 24-year-old was born in Barcelona to parents from the west African country, making him eligible to play for either national team. He got two call-ups last week — […]

The Hague (AFP) – A musical about the life of legendary Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff is set to start late next year, paying tribute to one of the game's greatest-ever players. "14 de musical", referring to the famous number on the back of Cruyff's jersey, is expected to open at the AFAS Theatre in Leusden, […]

Lausanne (AFP) – Switzerland forward Xherdan Shaqiri has joined Liverpool team-mates Thiago Alcantara and Sadio Mane in contracting coronavirus, the Swiss football federation announced on Tuesday. Shaqiri had joined up with the national set-up at the start of the week hoping to make his first appearance for his country since June 2019, but will now […]