Barcelona (AFP) – Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu repeated on Sunday that he had "no doubt" that Lionel Messi would sign a new contract adding that he can only see Neymar returning in a player exchange. "Messi has said many times that he wants to retire here and I have no doubt that he will […]

Shanghai (AFP) – Marouane Fellaini, who spent three weeks in hospital with coronavirus, scored a hat-trick of headers in less than 10 minutes to give Shandong Luneng a 3-2 win over Rafa Benitez's Dalian Pro on Sunday. Former Newcastle United striker Salomon Rondon looked to have given Benitez's side a winning start to the Chinese […]

Tokyo (AFP) – Japan's top-flight football league called off a match Sunday after two Nagoya Grampus players tested positive for coronavirus, the first game shelved since the J-League resumed a month ago. Sanfrecce Hiroshima's home match against Nagoya on Sunday evening was called off as Japan battles a surge of COVID-19 infections, particularly in cities […]

London (AFP) – The Premier League's longest season is set for a dramatic finish on Sunday as Chelsea, Manchester United and Leicester compete for Champions League places, while Aston Villa, Watford and Bournemouth fight to avoid relegation. At a time of year when Premier League clubs are usually jetting off for lucrative pre-season tours, the […]

Milan (AFP) – Romelu Lukaku scored in either half as Inter Milan claimed a 3-0 win against struggling Genoa to move second in Serie A behind Juventus who can win a a ninth title in a row on Sunday. Antonio Conte's title ambitions took a knock with back-to-back stalemates against Roma and Fiorentina. But Inter pulled […]

Milan (AFP) – Inter Milan coach Antonio Conte on Saturday dismissed talk of a reported move by the Chinese-owned Italian club for Barcelona star Lionel Messi. "We're talking fantasy football, a situation that cannot be approached at Inter for many reasons," Conte said after Inter beat Genoa 3-0 to move second in Serie A. Six-time […]

Milan (AFP) – Romelu Lukaku scored in either half as Inter Milan claimed a 3-0 win against struggling Genoa on Saturday to move second in Serie A behind Juventus. Antonio Conte's side's title ambitions took a knock with back-to-back stalemates against Roma and Fiorentina. But they pulled back ahead of Atalanta, and within four points of […]

Milan (AFP) – Bologna coach Sinisa Mihajlovic said Saturday he would prefer to not play at all next season rather than continue behind closed doors, competing in "frigid football". "Playing without a crowd is not nice and you get tired of it," said the 51-year-old Serb. "I know this was the only way to finish […]

Milan (AFP) – Maurizio Sarri urged his Juventus players not to lose their focus as they have a second chance to clinch their ninth Serie A title in a row on Sunday at home against Sampdoria. The champions fell to a shock 2-1 defeat at struggling Udinese on Thursday to miss out on wrapping up […]

London (AFP) – Brendan Rodgers insists Leicester's season will not be a failure if they miss out on a place in the Champions League on Sunday. Rodgers' side host Manchester United on the last day of the Premier League season knowing a victory would clinch qualification for next season's Champions League. Leicester are fifth, a […]

Suzhou (China) (AFP) – Wuhan Zall were given a guard of honour on the way to victory and medical staff from the city were applauded as Chinese football made a poignant return Saturday following a long delay because of coronavirus. The team from ground zero of the pandemic defeated Qingdao Huanghai 2-0 in an empty […]

Milan (AFP) – AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has ruled out hanging up his boots after this season, insisting Saturday he is "just warming up". "So you think that I'm done, that my career will soon be over? You don't know me," the 38-year-old said in a dramatic video posted on Instagram. "All my life […]

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe is doubtful for the Champions League after suffering a serious ankle injury in the French Cup final, the French champions announced on Saturday. Mbappe hobbled off in the first half of Friday's game after a dreadful tackle by Saint-Etienne captain Loic Perrin. And after tests PSG revealed that […]

Suzhou (China) (AFP) – The Chinese Super League held a minute's silence on Saturday before the season kicked off five months late because of the coronavirus pandemic. Players bowed their heads to remember virus victims and medical staff as Fabio Cannavaro's reigning champions Guangzhou Evergrande faced FA Cup winners Shanghai Shenhua. The opening match of […]

Doha (AFP) – Former Barcelona star Xavi Hernandez has tested positive for coronavirus, his Qatari club Al-Sadd said on Saturday, adding he would miss their league restart fixture against Al-Khor. Xavi, 40, recently quashed rumours that he was preparing to move back to Barcelona and signed on for another season at the helm of the […]