London (AFP) – The Premier League wanted the Saudi state to become a director of Newcastle United for a takeover deal to go through, according to a leading member of the investment group who were looking to buy the club. A proposed £300 million ($391 million) takeover collapsed on Thursday when the investment group of […]

Shanghai (AFP) – Wu Lei contemplated "giving up and returning to China" after testing positive for coronavirus in March and says he turned down offers from Germany and England to remain at Espanyol. The 28-year-old forward is China's best-known player and there is intense interest back home in what he plans to do following Espanyol's […]

London (AFP) – Mikel Arteta believes Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's future at Arsenal could be influenced by the outcome of Saturday's FA Cup final against Chelsea as the Gunners try to convince the Gabon international to extend his contract. Aubameyang, 31, has just one year left on his deal at the Emirates and given Arsenal's financial predicament, […]

London (AFP) – Clinical passports may be the solution in getting fans back to football stadia, the Premier League's chief executive Richard Masters said on Friday. Masters says having defied the sceptics in resuming and bringing the season to a climax — behind closed doors — after the hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the […]

Milan (AFP) – Lazio's Ciro Immobile is set to join an exclusive club as the highest-scoring player in Europe this season. In a decade dominated by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the underrated Italian is near assured of winning the European Golden Shoe for the continent's top scorer. From Messi, to Ronaldo, Mohamed Salah, Robert […]

London (AFP) – Celtic launch their quest for a record 10th consecutive Scottish Premiership title this weekend, with Rangers manager Steven Gerrard under intense pressure to stop them. Nearly five months after the coronavirus shut down Scottish football, the 2020/21 season starts on Saturday with the battle for supremacy in Glasgow as fierce as ever […]

London (AFP) – Mikel Arteta insists even winning the FA Cup final against Chelsea on Saturday will not salvage Arsenal's season, but a trophy just eight months into his first managerial role will strengthen the impression the Gunners now have the right man in charge to right the ship. Arteta won the FA Cup as […]

Milan (AFP) – Juventus have already sealed their ninth Serie A title in a row, but the league's single-season scoring record could yet be broken and the battle against the drop is going down to the wire. Here AFP sport looks at five talking points before the final round of Italian top-flight games this weekend. […]

Sao Paulo (AFP) – The coach of the women's team of Brazilian football club Rio Branco quit Thursday in protest at the men's team's decision to sign star goalkeeper Bruno, who was convicted in 2013 of murdering his girlfriend. Bruno Fernandes das Dores de Souza — the player's full name — was one of Brazil's […]

Saint-Étienne (France) (AFP) – Loic Perrin, who played his entire career with his home-town club Saint-Etienne, announced on Thursday that he was retiring. The 34-year-old's final apparance was in the French Cup final last Friday when he was sent off for a foul on Kylian Mbappe of Paris Saint-Germain as Saint-Etienne lost 1-0. "Even if […]

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain can belatedly wrap up another domestic treble on Friday when they face Lyon in the final of the French League Cup, but their build-up to the game has been overshadowed by Kylian Mbappe's ankle injury. The World Cup-winning superstar was crocked in last Friday's French Cup final against Saint-Etienne in […]

London (AFP) – A Saudi-backed consortium on Thursday announced it had ended its bid to buy Newcastle United after months of waiting for approval from the Premier League. The investment group, which included the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), PCP Capital Partners and billionaire brothers David and Simon Reuben, had reportedly struck a £300 million ($391 […]

London (AFP) – A takeover bid for Newcastle United by a consortium backed by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund has been withdrawn after weeks of waiting for the Premier League's approval, the group said on Thursday. The investment group of the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), Amanda Staveley's PCP Capital Partners and billionaire brothers, David and […]

Milan (AFP) – Former Italy star Andrea Pirlo has been appointed coach of the Juventus Under-23 team, the Serie A champions announced on Thursday. "Andrea is the new coach of the Under 23 team. Welcome back coach Pirlo," Juventus said in a statement. Pirlo began his career at Brescia and went on to play for […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayer Leverkusen have yet to receive a transfer offer for their rising star Kai Havertz, the club's sporting director Simon Rolfes said on Thursday. The 21-year-old has been heavily linked with English side Chelsea and Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich. But Rolfes is confident that Havertz will at least stay with Leverkusen until […]