Madrid (AFP) – Lionel Messi said on Friday he will stay at Barcelona but only because the club's president Josep Maria Bartomeu broke his word to let him leave. Messi's stinging attack on Bartomeu and the club means his future still remains in doubt. Even if he is not allowed to go this summer, 33-year-old […]

Paris (AFP) – The French football league (LFP) announced Friday that it was loosening the coronavirus medical protocols in the top two divisions to allow clubs to play even if 10 players have tested positive. The LFP said it had taken the decision "in conjunction with the public authorities" and in response to "requests from […]

Miami (AFP) – France World Cup winner Blaise Matuidi is poised to make his debut for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer on Sunday following his move from Juventus last month. The 33-year-old midfielder began training with David Beckham's new MLS franchise earlier this week having satisfied US visa and coronavirus quarantine regulations. Miami coach […]

Madrid (AFP) – Lionel Messi said on Friday he will stay at Barcelona, insisting he could never go to court against "the club of his life". But he launched a stinging attack on Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu, whom he accused of going back on an agreement to let him leave for free at the […]

Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines (France) (AFP) – The French football federation on Friday acknowledged their error had led to goalkeeper Steve Mandanda being excluded from the national squad following a positive Covid-19 test. Mandanda first tested positive on August 16 but remained asymptomatic. Even though "residual" traces of the virus showed up in his tests, he was deemed […]

Lisbon (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo missed his third consecutive training session on Friday with Portugal coach Fernando Santos pessimistic he will recover from a toe infection in time for the start of their UEFA Nations League title defence against Croatia. The Juventus star, who has 99 goals in 164 international matches, is with the squad […]

Madrid (AFP) – Jorge Messi, the father and agent of Lionel Messi, published a response to La Liga on Friday, insisting the Barcelona striker's 700-million-euro release clause no longer applies. Messi senior claims the release clause is removed once the player takes up the option in his contract to leave for free, which Messi's side […]

London (AFP) – Gareth Southgate plans to bring Harry Maguire back into the England set-up next month after withdrawing the defender from the squad following his conviction in a Greek court. Manchester United captain Maguire was last month found guilty on a range of charges, including assaulting a police officer, days after an alleged incident […]

Berlin (AFP) – Kai Havertz left the Germany camp on Friday to travel to London to finalise his transfer from Bayer Leverkusen to Premier League side Chelsea, reportedly costing around 100 million euros ($120 million). Ahead of Sunday's away Nations League match with Switzerland, Germany head coach Joachim Loew allowed the 21-year-old to leave their […]

Lisbon (AFP) – Portuguese hacker Rui Pinto told a Lisbon court on Friday at the opening of his trial that his "Football Leaks" are "a reason for pride and not shame". "I was outraged by what I discovered and I decided to make it public," the 31-year-old said in a brief initial statement at the […]

Berlin (AFP) – Germany head coach Joachim Loew has spoken out against the "insane" fixture list his stars face this season on top of his German team playing eight internationals in a dense schedule until the end of November. Germany will twice play three games in six days in October, then November. "I don't agree with […]

Shanghai (AFP) – Chinese football fans were left sweating on Friday after the Premier League pulled the plug on a mega-money broadcasting deal, just over a week before the new season kicks off. The self-styled best football league in the world on Thursday abruptly terminated its contract with streaming service PPTV, said to be worth […]

London (AFP) – Inter Milan forward Alexis Sanchez has revealed he asked his agent if he could leave Manchester United after just one training session at the Premier League club. Sanchez moved from Arsenal to United, then managed by Jose Mourinho, in 2018. But the Chile international endured a torrid spell at Old Trafford, scoring […]

Lisbon (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo is a doubt as Portugal start the defence of their Nations League title against Croatia on Saturday in Porto and Sweden on Tuesday in Solna. Ronaldo is with the Portugal squad but has a toe infection and did not train on Wednesday or Thursday. He was instead doing "gym work", […]

Kuala Lumpur (AFP) – Asia's football body is "confident" of completing its coronavirus-hit Champions League this year, a senior official told AFP on Friday, as it heads into a frantic period of games with some venues still unknown. The region's showpiece tournament has been on hold since March, creating a heavy backlog before West Asia group […]