London (AFP) – Liverpool face an early test of their Premier League title defence against Chelsea this weekend as Manchester City and Manchester United launch their quest to be champions. Arsenal, Everton and Leicester hope to build on encouraging opening wins while Jose Mourinho needs a morale-boosting victory for Tottenham. AFP Sport looks at some […]

Berlin (AFP) – Jadon Sancho is set to show what Manchester United have so far missed out on when he spearheads Borussia Dortmund's challenge as the new Bundesliga season starts this weekend. Dortmund have spent the summer rebuffing interest from United and have insisted again and again they will not sell the England winger. After […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich must host Schalke behind closed doors in Friday's opening game of the new Bundesliga season as the defending champions begin their hunt for a ninth straight league title minus playmaker Thiago Alcantara and with Kingsley Coman in quarantine. On Thursday, it was confirmed that Spain midfielder Alcantara is joining Liverpool, […]

Milan (AFP) – Serie A champions Juventus confirmed on Thursday they had terminated Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain's contract by mutual consent. The former Real Madrid and Napoli forward is reportedly set to join David Beckham's Major League Soccer franchise Inter Miami. Shortly before Juventus announced the termination of Higuain's contract, Inter Miami coach Diego Alonso […]

Marseille (AFP) – Saint-Etienne claimed their first win at Marseille since 1979 with a 2-0 Ligue 1 victory on Thursday as Romain Hamouma and Denis Bouanga scored against the depleted hosts. It was a blow for Andre Villas-Boas' side whose victory against bitter rivals Paris Saint-Germain at the weekend took its toll, as forward Dario Benedetto […]

Milan (AFP) – Serie A champions Juventus confirmed on Thursday they had terminated Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain's contract by mutual consent. The former Real Madrid and Napoli forward is reportedly set to join David Beckham's Major League Soccer franchise Inter Miami. "This operation generates a negative economic effect of approximately 18.3 million euros on the […]

London (AFP) – Championship outfit Stoke dumped Wolves out of the League Cup on Thursday as the Premier League side's club record signing Fabio Silva had a nightmare debut in a 1-0 defeat. The 18-year-old, who cost 40 million euros ($47 million £36 million) from Porto despite scoring just three goals for the Portuguese giants, […]

Doha (AFP) – Al Shorta took a giant step towards qualifying for the Asian Champions League round of 16 with their first-ever victory in the tournament with a 2-1 shock win against Al Ahli on Thursday. The most successful club side in Iraq stunned the Saudis at the rebuilt Khalifa International Stadium, one of the […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham scored twice in the final 10 minutes to avoid a humiliating Europa League exit to Lokomotiv Plovdiv as Jose Mourinho's men came from behind to beat the nine-man Bulgarians 2-1 on Thursday. Harry Kane's penalty and Tanguy Ndombele's winner five minutes from time ensured the 2019 Champions League finalists did not […]

London (AFP) – Premier League clubs on Thursday urged the government to stick to its proposal to allow a partial return of fans to stadiums from October 1. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said last week ministers would review the target date for a return of crowds following a spike in coronavirus cases. Pilot events […]

Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu is set to face a vote of no confidence after a petition to remove him gained the required number of signatures from members on Thursday. If the signatures are approved, a vote will be held in October, when two thirds of those voting must go against the […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge on Thursday took the unusual step of criticising the club's honorary president Uli Hoeness for branding David Alaba's agent a "money-hungry piranha" amid delicate contract re-negotiations. After months of speculation Bayern confirmed that playmaker Thiago Alcantara will join Premier League title holders Liverpool, but the European champions […]

Madrid (AFP) – Gareth Bale arrived at Real Madrid as the world's most expensive player and the heir to Cristiano Ronaldo. After seven years, he will leave for next to nothing, a dramatic return to Tottenham allowing Madrid's fans and accountants to breathe a heavy sigh of relief. They will be rid of the player […]

London (AFP) – New Chelsea signing Kai Havertz says he does not feel under pressure to justify his £70 million ($90 million) price tag at Stamford Bridge as he sets his sights on emulating manager Frank Lampard. The Germany playmaker has made one of the highest-profile moves of the transfer window as part of Lampard's […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich must kick off the new Bundesliga season behind closed doors because of a rising coronavirus infection rate in the Bavarian capital, city officials said on Thursday. The decision puts an end the European champions' plans to allow 7,500 fans into the Allianz Arena to watch Friday's opening game at home […]