London (AFP) – Footballers should be allowed to speak their minds rather than being forced to act as PR machines, says Manchester United and England great Gary Neville. The 45-year-old, a member of Alex Ferguson's famed "Class of '92" at Old Trafford, believes players should take "ownership of themselves". Several high-profile footballers have spoken out […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool have signalled their intent to build on a first league title for 30 years with the signing of a serial winner in Bayern Munich playmaker Thiago Alcantara. At 29, the Spanish international fits a very different profile from the young and hungry transfer targets of recent years that have helped transform […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool signed Spain midfielder Thiago Alcantara from Bayern Munich for a reported fee of £20 million ($26 million) on Friday. Thiago agreed a "long-term contract" with the Premier League champions after deciding to end his seven-year stay with Bayern. The 29-year-old moves to Anfield after helping Bayern win the Bundesliga, the German […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea manager Frank Lampard insists he has "huge respect" for Jurgen Klopp despite his stormy relationship with the Liverpool boss. Lampard launched an expletive-laced touchline tirade at Klopp and his assistant Pep Lijnders as tempers rose during Chelsea's 5-3 loss at Liverpool last season. He followed that blast by warning Klopp not […]

Miami (AFP) – Gonzalo Higuain has signed with David Beckham's Major League Soccer outfit Inter Miami, the club announced Friday, a day after he departed Serie A champion Juventus. The 32-year-old forward joins former Juve teammate Blaise Matuidi on the Florida squad and will play in the same league as his older brother Federico, a […]

London (AFP) – Pep Guardiola said Friday that only Lionel Messi knows if a move to Manchester City is a possibility next year after the Argentine reluctantly decided to stay at Barcelona this season. In an explosive interview earlier this month, Messi blasted Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu, accusing him of not keeping his promise […]

Nice (France) (AFP) – Nice announced on Friday that their Ligue 1 home clash with Paris Saint-Germain this weekend will be played behind closed doors after a tightening of coronavirus restrictions on the Cote d'Azure. Nice had hoped to admit 5,000 fans on Sunday, but the club said that it "regrets to inform its public that the […]

London (AFP) – Mikel Arteta said Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's decision to sign a new deal at Arsenal showed the Premier League club were on the same level as European giants such as Barcelona. The Gabon forward, 31, committed his future to Arsenal this week after months of speculation that he would leave for a club in […]

London (AFP) – Jurgen Klopp told Liverpool fans to stay tuned for the announcement of Thiago Alcantara on Friday after the Spanish midfielder admitted leaving Champions League winners Bayern Munich was the most difficult decision of his career. Thiago is due to undergo a medical on Friday before sealing a move that will reportedly cost Liverpool […]

Rome (AFP) – Up to 1,000 fans will be allowed at open-air sports events in Italy, sports minister Vincenzo Spadafora said on Friday, on the eve of the return of Serie A football. The change will come on Sunday, meaning Saturday's opening Serie A games (Fiorentina v Torino Verona v Roma) will be behind closed […]

London (AFP) – Thiago Alcantara says agreeing to leave Champions League winners Bayern Munich for English champions Liverpool was the most difficult decision of his career. Thiago is due to undergo a medical later on Friday before sealing a move that will reportedly cost Liverpool an initial fee of £20 million ($26 million), with a further […]

London (AFP) – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer revealed he asked England not to pick Mason Greenwood before the Manchester United forward was withdrawn from the squad after breaching coronavirus protocols. Greenwood and Manchester City's Phil Foden were forced to fly home from Iceland earlier this month after they were caught mixing with local women in the […]

Milan (AFP) – There will be a clutch of new faces when the 2020/21 Serie A season kicks off this weekend. AFP Sport looks at five new signings to look out for in Italy this season: Victor Osimhen (Napoli) Napoli paid French club Lille a club record fee of up to 80 million euros ($94.6 […]

Rome (AFP) – Antonio Conte begins his second season as Inter Milan coach with a mission to stop his former club Juventus winning a 10th consecutive Serie A title. Conte led Juve to the first three of their current run of nine straight league crowns starting in 2012 before moving on to coach Italy and Chelsea, […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United made undoubted progress in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's first full season in charge with a third-placed finish in the Premier League and runs to three semi-finals in cup competitions. But with United still languishing well behind rivals Liverpool and Manchester City in the table, the Norwegian is now under the spotlight […]