London (AFP) – For a man nicknamed 'El Loco' (mad man) and with little silverware in his long managerial career, Marcelo Bielsa is an unlikely hero to a younger generation of coaches including Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino. However, hordes of Leeds fans will now treat him with similar reverence after he guided one of […]

London (AFP) – Leeds United were promoted to the Premier League on Friday after West Bromwich Albion's 2-1 defeat at Huddersfield ensured the Championship leaders will end their 16-year exile from the top-flight. Marcelo Bielsa's side were able to celebrate promotion without kicking a ball as second placed Albion's failure to take three points guaranteed […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Egypt, Tunisia and possibly a Middle East country will be candidates to replace Cameroon as hosts of the 2019/2020 CAF Champions League semi-finals and final. Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Ahmad Ahmad announced this month the closing stages of the premier African club competition would be staged in Douala. But the […]

London (AFP) – Frank Lampard has rejected Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's claims that Chelsea will have an unfair advantage in Sunday's FA Cup semi-final because they have had more time to rest. Chelsea slipped up 3-0 at Sheffield United on Saturday but then beat Norwich at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, leaving five days […]

London (AFP) – Spectators could return to sports stadiums in October after a series of test events that will start later this month, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday. Mass gatherings have been banned since March as part of social-distancing measures brought in to combat the coronavirus pandemic. But as Johnson set out […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho has told his players they will win the Europa League next season if they can qualify for the competition as they seek to end the season with a flourish. Three wins from their past four games have made them favourites to book a spot in Europe's second-tier competition […]

London (AFP) – Pep Guardiola has challenged Manchester City to extend his impressive record at Wembley when the FA Cup holders face Arsenal in Saturday's semi-final. City have won the League Cup three years in a row and are bidding to retain the FA Cup after thrashing Watford in last season's final. With City also […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Zambia will resume their 2019/2020 season Saturday, joining Tanzania as countries who have restarted campaigns halted during March by the coronavirus pandemic. But unlike Tanzania, where crowds of up to 30,000 have been permitted to attend matches, spectators will be barred in Zambia. There have been 2,810 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 […]

Berlin (AFP) – Germany winger Andre Schuerrle on Friday announced his retirement, aged just 29, as the 2014 World Cup winner opened up on his experiences of professional football. On Wednesday, Borussia Dortmund cancelled the former Chelsea player's contract by mutual consent with a year left to run and Schuerrle said the decision to retire […]

London (AFP) – Mikel Arteta said he would be "depressed" if he focused too much on Arsenal's recent record against the top clubs as he prepares his team for an FA Cup semi-final clash with Manchester City. The Gunners head coach needs to rewrite recent history if Arsenal, who have won the trophy a record […]

Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona made it all about the Champions League and after surrendering La Liga to Real Madrid, now it is all they have left. Winning the title last season for an eighth time in 11 years was never going to be enough. Winning the double had not been either the year before. La […]

Berlin (AFP) – Spain midfielder Thiago Alcantara is on the verge of joining Premier League champions Liverpool after stalling over signing a contract extension at Bayern Munich, according to a report in Bild on Friday. The paper claims Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp wants to sign the playmaker who helped Munich win the Bundesliga title and […]

Milan (AFP) – Lazio travel to Serie A leaders Juventus on Monday desperate to recapture the form which saw the Romans beat the Turin giants twice earlier this season and keep their slim hopes of a first Scudetto in two decades alive. Just one point separated Juventus from Lazio when Serie A returned on June […]

Madrid (AFP) – Few expected Zinedine Zidane to leave Real Madrid and even fewer expected him to come back as coach. And yet almost 500 days later, he has won the La Liga title, without fuss, without even the improvements he was promised. On Thursday, in an empty Alfredo di Stefano Stadium at Real Madrid's […]

London (AFP) – "Voice of Anfield" George Sephton has had to adjust to vast swathes of empty seats as his beloved Liverpool ended their three-decade wait to be crowned English champions. Not many football fans would associate the name of Sephton with those of Kenny Dalglish and Jurgen Klopp but the 74-year-old bridges the gap […]