Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester United edged closer to qualifying for the Champions League as Mason Greenwood rescued a 1-1 draw against West Ham on Wednesday. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side fell behind to Michail Antonio's penalty in the first half at Old Trafford. But teenage forward Greenwood struck after the interval to lift United […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool great Graeme Souness has hailed the "incredible" consistency of Jurgen Klopp's champions as they prepare to receive the Premier League trophy at Anfield on Wednesday. Liverpool, who won the title with a record seven games to spare, have lost just four matches over the past two seasons in the English top […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Major African league football will resume amid the coronavirus pandemic on July 27 in Morocco, with Tunisia, Egypt and South Africa set to follow soon after. Every national championship, apart from the one in tiny east African state Burundi, shut down in mid-March as the COVID-19 disease took hold in the continent. […]

Shanghai (AFP) – Former Sevilla and Espanyol boss Pablo Machin was named head coach of Qingdao Huanghai on Wednesday, just three days before the Chinese Super League (CSL) kicks off. The 45-year-old replaces fellow Spaniard Juanma Lillo, who left newly promoted Qingdao last month to become Pep Guardiola's assistant at Manchester City. With Lillo at the […]

Shanghai (AFP) – The Chinese Super League is poised to kick off on Saturday as planned after all players registered negative for coronavirus as part of a vast testing programme. A total of 1,870 people, including players and coaching staff, were tested as they entered a safe "bubble" designed to prevent infections. All were negative, […]

Milan (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo is eyeing more records as Juventus head for Udinese on Thursday with a ninth consecutive Serie A title within their grasp. Ronaldo scored a double on Monday against Lazio to bring his tally to 51 Serie A goals since arriving in Turin in July 2018. The 35-year-old not only became […]

Milan (AFP) – AC Milan have rewarded coach Stefano Pioli for the club's return to form after the coronavirus lockdown with a two-year contract extension, the Serie A side confirmed on Tuesday. Pioli, 54, took over last October after his predecessor Marco Giampaolo was sacked after just seven games in charge. The announcement of the […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – A group of celebrities led by Hollywood star Natalie Portman has founded a women's professional soccer team set to debut in 2022, the women's pro soccer league said Tuesday. Big-names involved in the effort include tennis megastar Serena Williams, as well as Hollywood stars Jessica Chastain, Eva Longoria, America Ferrera and […]

New York (AFP) – A New York federal judge on Tuesday refused to grant early release to former South American football boss Juan Angel Napout, who is serving a nine-year corruption sentence and has contracted COVID-19. Napout tested positive for the coronavirus on July 16 and is one of 95 out of the total 700 […]

Milan (AFP) – Luis Muriel came off the bench to score the only goal as Atalanta beat Bologna 1-0 in a fiery Serie A clash on Tuesday to move back second behind leaders Juventus. Muriel struck just after an hour as Atalanta extended their unbeaten run to 15 games to move six points behind Juventus, […]

Birmingham (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Aston Villa climbed out of the Premier League relegation zone as Egypt winger Trezeguet clinched a priceless 1-0 win against Arsenal on Tuesday. Dean Smith's side have their survival fate in their own hands after Trezeguet's first-half strike at Villa Park. Watford's 4-0 thrashing against Manchester City earlier on Tuesday […]

London (AFP) – Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster admitted the Hornets' confidence is "crazy low" as they slipped into the relegation zone with one game of the Premier League season to go after being thrashed 4-0 at home by Manchester City on Tuesday. A change of management did little good after Watford became the first Premier […]

Milan (AFP) – Luis Muriel came off the bench to score the only goal as Atalanta beat Bologna 1-0 in a fiery Serie A clash on Tuesday to move back second behind leaders Juventus. Muriel struck just after an hour as Atalanta extended their unbeaten run to 15 games to move six points behind Juventus, […]

London (AFP) – Everton look set to sign Danish international Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg from Southampton for a fee of £25 million ($31.5 million), according to reports on Tuesday. Hojbjerg was stripped of the captaincy at St Mary's prior to the Premier League's restart last month for refusing to extend his contract at Southampton. "Hojbjerg has visited […]

London (AFP) – The Scottish Football Association (SFA) is hoping for the Nations League clash against Israel on September 4 can be a test event for the return of supporters to stadiums as coronavirus restrictions are gradually eased. The 2020/2021 Scottish season is due to get underway on August 1 behind closed doors. However, with […]