London (AFP) – Chelsea signed former Nice defender Malang Sarr on a free transfer on Tuesday. Sarr left Nice when his contract expired in the close season and agreed a five-year deal with the Premier League club. The 21-year-old centre-back is seen as one for the future by Chelsea manager Frank Lampard and will be […]

Paris (AFP) – Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba was omitted from the France squad announced Thursday for next month's Nations League matches against Sweden and Croatia after testing positive for Covid-19, coach Didier Deschamps said. World Cup winner Pogba has been replaced by teenager Eduardo Camavinga, who was called up for the first time alongside […]

London (AFP) – Gareth Barry who made a record 653 appearances in the Premier League retired on Thursday at the age of 39. The former England international midfielder was released by newly-promoted Premier League side West Bromwich Albion at the end of the season having played just six times for them in the 2019/20 campaign. […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Lionel Messi has provoked a football frenzy by announcing he wants to leave Barcelona, the club he joined as a 13-year-old in 2000 and has led to four Champions League titles. This has been a season of problems, on and off the field for Barcelona, but Tuesday's declaration of divorce, though more […]

London (AFP) – Neil Lennon has told players not committed to Celtic to find another club, blaming their attitude for the Scottish champion's humiliating 2-1 Champions League exit to Hungarian outfit Ferencvaros. The 49-year-old Celtic manager was also left counting the financial cost for the club of their second qualifying round exi, the first time […]

Shanghai (AFP) – Barbra Banda defied her parents on the way to becoming the first Zambian woman to play professional football in Europe, then as captain led her country to a maiden Olympics. She is also an undefeated boxer. Not bad for someone who is still only 20. The latest chapter in Banda's journey saw […]

Bilbao (Spain) (AFP) – Towering defender Wendie Renard headed the only goal as Lyon edged Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in a cagey women's Champions League semi-final in Bilbao on Wednesday to continue their domination of French rivals. Both teams finished with 10 players as Lyon stayed on track for a fifth straight European title. In France, […]

Milan (AFP) – New Napoli signing Victor Osimhen said Wednesday he had been sceptical before agreeing to join the Serie A club because of the racist reputation of some fans in Italy. Napoli splashed out a club record fee of up to 80 million euros ($94.6 million) to sign the Nigeria forward from French outfit […]

London (AFP) – England left-back Ben Chilwell on Wednesday became Chelsea's third high-profile signing of the summer, leaving Leicester for a fee reported to be around £50 million ($66 million). Chilwell's arrival at Stamford Bridge on a five-year deal follows the signings of Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner from Ajax and RB Leipzig, with more […]

London (AFP) – Goalkeeper Dean Henderson has signed a new long-term contract with Manchester United, the Premier League club announced on Wednesday. Henderson, 23, included in Gareth Southgate's senior England squad for next month's Nations League games against Iceland and Denmark, has spent the past two seasons on loan at Sheffield United. The club said: […]

London (AFP) – Defender Ben Chilwell is the latest piece in the expensive Chelsea rebuild as Frank Lampard puts together a squad to challenge for the biggest prizes. AFP Sport picks out three things about Chilwell, who rose rapidly through Leicester City's ranks to become an England international and is considered one of the best […]

London (AFP) – A Brighton v Chelsea friendly and Women's Super League fixture are among a list of sporting events that will welcome a limited number of fans, the British government announced on Wednesday. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) confirmed a series of new events in England at which spectators would […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Harry Maguire's legal team has lodged an appeal against the guilty verdict in a Greek court that led to a suspended jail sentence for the Manchester United captain, the club confirmed on Wednesday. The England defender was handed a suspended sentence of 21 months and 10 days on Tuesday after […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea on Wednesday announced the signing of defender Ben Chilwell from Leicester on a five-year deal for an undisclosed fee. The England left-back is Blues manager Frank Lampard's third major signing of the summer, following the arrivals of Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner from Ajax and RB Leipzig. "I am delighted to […]

London (AFP) – Jose Mourinho told Harry Kane that he wanted to help make him a global superstar after the Portuguese manager's appointment at Tottenham. Mourinho called England captain Kane into his office in his third day in the job after he replaced Mauricio Pochettino in the Spurs hotseat in November last year. A scene […]