Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid need one victory to secure La Liga after they held off a second-half comeback from Granada on Monday to win 2-1 and move four points clear of Barcelona. With two games left, Madrid will be crowned champions if they beat Villarreal at home on Thursday regardless of how Barca fare […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester United missed the chance to move up to third in the Premier League on Monday after Michael Obafemi's 96th minute equaliser earned Southampton a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford in the latest twist in the race for a place in next season's Champions League. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men were […]

Madrid (AFP) – Villarreal's hopes of Champions League qualification are over after a 2-1 defeat to Real Sociedad on Monday confirmed Atletico Madrid and Sevilla will finish in La Liga's top four. An excellent run of form since the restart had thrust fifth-placed Villarreal into Champions League contention but they were unable to close the […]

Berlin (AFP) – Leroy Sane got down to work at Bayern Munich on Monday after reporting for his first training session a week before the bulk of the squad returns from holiday. The 24-year-old Germany winger signed a five-year contract with Bayern last week after moving from Manchester City for a reported 50 million euros […]

Lausanne (AFP) – Manchester City are free to play Champions League football next season after the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Monday lifted a two-season ban from European competitions imposed by UEFA. The Premier League club were punished in February over "serious breaches" of financial fair play (FFP) regulations but immediately contested the ban. […]

London (AFP) – Manchester City have become the dominant force in English football over the past decade but are still waiting for the final piece in the Abu Dhabi project jigsaw — the Champions League title. Backed by Sheikh Mansour's immense wealth, inspired by Pep Guardiola's managerial genius and boasting a cast of superstars, the […]

Lausanne (AFP) – Monday's decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to overturn Manchester City's European ban marks a significant victory for the English club in their long conflict with UEFA. May 2014: First sanctions — Charged for failing to maintain a balance between their revenue and expenditure, with a deficit that exceeded […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Gauteng will host the remaining 57 matches of the South African season despite the province being the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic in the country, it was announced Monday. There had been 276,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 nationally by late Sunday — the most in an African country — and 4,079 fatalities. […]

London (AFP) – Manchester City can breathe easy after avoiding the painful consequences of a two-season ban from European competition as a result of their successful appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The club can now look forward to the return of this season's Champions League in August safe in the knowledge that […]

Paris (AFP) – Monday's decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to lift a two-season ban on Manchester City from European competitions imposed by UEFA is the latest twist in the tumultuous history of European football's governing body's Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules. Here, AFP Sport looks back at other clubs who have […]

Berlin (AFP) – Germany will host Turkey and the Czech Republic in international friendlies this autumn as part of their Nations League preparations, the German FA confirmed Monday. Germany plan to host Turkey in Cologne on October 7 and the Czech Republic in Leipzig on November 11 followed by Nations League games against either Spain, […]

Paris (AFP) – Mohamed Salah, usually the star Egyptian in the English Premier League, was overshadowed by compatriot and fellow international Mahmoud Trezeguet at the weekend. The 25-year-old forward scored in each half to give relegation-threatened Aston Villa a 2-0 home win over Crystal Palace. Twice African Footballer of the Year Salah failed to add […]

Berlin (AFP) – A video has emerged of Germany and Bayern Munich captain Manuel Neuer singing a Croatian song which has right-wing nationalist links while on holiday. In the filming, Neuer, 34, can be seen in a group at a beachside bar singing "Lijepa li si" (You are beautiful) by controversial Croatian singer Marko Perkovic, […]

London (AFP) – Paul Pogba has hailed Manchester United's improved form, saying they are now a "proper team" as they hunt Champions League qualification for next season. United, on a 17-game unbeaten run in all competitions, host Southampton on Monday, with the chance to leapfrog Chelsea and Leicester into third place in the Premier League. […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu said on Monday discussions with Inter Milan over the possible signing of Argentina striker Lautaro Martinez had stopped. The 22-year-old Martinez, who has scored 17 goals in all competitions for Inter this season, has been heavily linked with a move to the Camp Nou. "We spoke with […]