Miami (AFP) – The final round of CONCACAF's qualifying tournament for the 2022 World Cup is to be expanded from six to eight teams, the governing body for football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean confirmed on Monday. CONCACAF said in a statement that five teams — Mexico, United States, Costa Rica, Jamaica […]

London (AFP) – Jurgen Klopp was voted the League Managers' Association Manager of the Year on Monday after ending Liverpool's 30-year wait to win the Premier League. Klopp led Liverpool to the Premier League title in the same season they were FIFA Club World champions. The German's award was announced by former Manchester United boss […]

London (AFP) – Brighton signed former Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana on a free transfer on Monday. Former England international Lallana agreed a three-year contract with Brighton just 24 hours after the end of the Premier League season. The 32-year-old, whose deal with Liverpool expired after their final game on Sunday, was targeted by Everton, Leicester […]

Bucharest (AFP) – Dynamo Kiev on Monday denied their new head coach Mircea Lucescu was leaving after he said he was quitting less than a week after signing a deal with the Ukrainian club. Earlier Monday, the 74-year-old Romanian coach said he decided to quit following a backlash from Dynamo's fans. "With regret I decided […]

Madrid (AFP) – Valencia have appointed former Watford and Malaga boss Javi Gracia as their new coach on a two-year deal, the La Liga club announced on Monday. The 50-year-old becomes Valencia's third full-time manager since the start of the recently-concluded La Liga season, after the sackings of Marcelino in September 2019 and Albert Celades […]

Milan (AFP) – Gian Piero Gasperini urged Atalanta on Monday to seal second spot in Serie A to send a strong message to Champions League quarter-final opponents Paris Saint-Germain. "We're masters of our destiny, the second place depends only on us," said coach Gasperini ahead of Tuesday's match at Parma, with their final league game […]

Milan (AFP) – Italian football federation president (FIGC) Gabriele Gravina said Monday he was "worried" about next season, saying that the current coronavirus protocols are impossible to apply in the long term. "I am very, very worried about next season," Gravina told Italian radio station Rai Gr Parlamento. "Teams will have to start preparations soon […]

Paris (AFP) – Kylian Mbappe will be sidelined for "around three weeks" after spraining his ankle in the French Cup final, likely ruling him out of Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League quarter-final against Atalanta on August 12. The France forward limped off in the first half of Friday's 1-0 win over Saint-Etienne after a dreadful tackle […]

Milan (AFP) – Argentina forward Paulo Dybala faces a race to be fit for Juventus's Champions League last 16 return-leg game against Lyon on August 7 after the Italian champions' confirmed Monday he had suffered a thigh injury. Both Dybala and Brazilian right-back Danilo were forced off as Juventus sealed a ninth consecutive league title […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – South African officials voted Monday to restart the Absa Premiership — the richest football league in the continent — on August 11 after it was halted in March by the coronavirus. An official involved in the online decision-making meeting told AFP that the 2019/2020 campaign would conclude on September 5. The remaining […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren has completed a move to Russian side Zenit St Petersburg for a reported £10.9 million ($14 million) after slipping down the pecking order at Anfield. The 31-year-old, who joined the newly crowned Premier League champions from Southampton in 2014, made just 15 appearances this season, falling to fourth-choice […]

London (AFP) – Bruno Fernandes is targeting Europa League glory after helping lead Manchester United back to the Champions League. The midfielder scored in United's 2-0 win at Leicester on Sunday as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side sealed third spot in the Premier League, meaning they will return to Europe's elite competition next season after a […]

London (AFP) – Kevin De Bruyne is hoping to crown David Silva's glorious 10 years at Manchester City by completing the Spaniard's set of medals with a Champions League win next month. Silva has won four Premier League titles among 11 major trophies since joining City in 2010, as well as the World Cup and […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United's return to the Champions League is a significant milestone as the Red Devils seek to close the gap to rivals Liverpool and Manchester City in the battle for Premier League supremacy. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men held their nerve on a final-day shootout for a place in the top four, winning […]

Paris (AFP) – Former African Footballer of the Year Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored twice in the final round of the English Premier League, but missed out on winning the Golden Boot. He netted 22 times this season in the league after a brace in a 3-2 win over Watford at the weekend, but had to settle […]