Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Burnley captain Ben Mee told fans who flew a "White Lives Matter" banner above the Etihad Stadium at the start of a 5-0 defeat by Manchester City on Monday "to come into the 21st century". The banner reading "White lives matter Burnley" was seen shortly after all players and match […]

Paris (AFP) – Fans of Serie A around the world were deprived of the chance to watch the league's return from the coronavirus shutdown after BeIN Sports pulled its coverage from the air over a dispute with the league, the broadcaster confirmed on Monday. Subscribers to the Qatar-owned network who tuned in to watch Saturday's […]

Milan (AFP) – AC Milan shrugged off the absence of Zlatan Ibrahimovic to sweep past Lecce 4-1 and keep their bid for European football next season alive on Monday as 10-man Fiorentina were held 1-1 by basement club Brescia. Swedish star Ibrahimovic has yet to return from a calf injury but Milan put their exit […]

Madrid (AFP) – Sevilla climbed back up to third place in La Liga on Monday after a 2-2 draw at Villarreal, as Bruno Soriano played for the first time in over three years following his injury nightmare. Paco Alcacer put Villarreal ahead on 18 minutes and Pau Torres restored the lead on the stroke of half-time […]

London (AFP) – Burnley manager Sean Dyche was unable to name a full bench for Monday's trip to Manchester City as a number of players refused to take part after not being offered contract extensions. The Clarets have five players whose deals are due to expire at the end of June: Phil Bardsley, Aaron Lennon, […]

Madrid (AFP) – The return of fans to stadiums in Spain will be subject to strict limitations, with supporters having to register in advance, take turns at attending games and have their temperature taken on arrival, according to guidelines issued to clubs by La Liga. The document, seen by AFP, outlines the need for fans […]

Paris (AFP) – Fans of Serie A around the world were deprived of the chance to watch the league's return from the coronavirus shutdown after BeIN Sports pulled its coverage from the air over a dispute with the league, the broadcaster confirmed on Monday. Subscribers to the Qatar-owned network who tuned in to watch Saturday's […]

Berlin (AFP) – The value of TV rights for the Bundesliga will drop slightly over the 2021-2025 period from 1.16 billion euros ($1.3 billion) to 1.1 billion euros per season, German football league CEO Christian Seifert said on Monday. With a total figure of 4.4 billion euros, it is the first decrease in the value […]

Rennes (France) (AFP) – Rennes youngster Eduardo Camavinga, linked with a possible move to Real Madrid, will stay at the Ligue 1 side for next season, club president Nicolas Holveck said Monday. Holveck also denied reports the Bretons had received offers for the 17-year-old midfielder from other clubs. "He is set to stay with us […]

Milan (AFP) – Atalanta have activated their option to buy Croatian international Mario Pasalic from Premier League club Chelsea, the Serie A side said on Monday. The 25-year-old midfielder had been on loan in Bergamo since July 2018 and the permanent deal reportedly cost Atalanta 15 million euros ($16.9 million). "Mario Pasalic stays with us! […]

London (AFP) – Jose Mourinho strongly defended his record of getting the best from top strikers on Monday after criticism the Portuguese manager's style could see Harry Kane look for pastures new. Kane played his first game for six months in Tottenham's 1-1 draw against Manchester United on Friday, but failed to get a single […]

Tokyo (AFP) – Japan is dropping its bid for the 2023 Women's World Cup, the country's football association said Monday, just days before the sport's governing body is set to announce its decision on the hosts. The Japan Football Association president said the country is still preparing to host the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, now postponed […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid and Barcelona may be neck-and-neck on points at the top of La Liga but the pendulum has swung back in Madrid's favour. Kind fixtures allowed Spain's top two to ease into the resumption of Europe's closest title race but a testing few days has delivered a more accurate gauge of […]

Madrid (AFP) – Spanish prosecutors announced on Monday that they had filed a tax fraud suit against Carlo Ancelotti, accusing the former Real Madrid coach of having hidden a seven-figure sum from the country's tax authorities. Prosecutors said the suit had been filed against Ancelotti, the current Everton manager, for two alleged incidences of tax […]

Belgrade (AFP) – Five players from Serbian club Red Star Belgrade have tested positive for coronavirus after playing several matches attended by thousands of people, the club said Monday. The announcement came 12 days after Red Star faced city rivals Partizan Belgrade in front of a crowd of around 16,000 people, the largest gathering of […]