London (AFP) – Marcus Rashford overcame a deprived childhood to star for Manchester United, giving the socially conscious England striker a platform to show he has not forgotten his roots. Rashford's credentials as one of the world's brightest talents are well-established — he was recently rated as the fifth most valuable player in Europe. While […]

London (AFP) – The British government on Tuesday bowed to demands by Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford to change its policy on free school meals for the poorest children, amid growing concerns about the impact of the coronavirus lockdown on low-income families. The England international drew on his own experience of growing up in poverty […]

London (AFP) – Premier League chief executive Richard Masters has warned fans to stay away from stadiums once the top-flight returns behind closed doors on Wednesday. The Premier League resumes after a three-month hiatus with Aston Villa's home game against Sheffield United and Arsenal's trip to Manchester City. A full programme of matches follows over […]

London (AFP) – No spitting and no handshakes — the Premier League season resumes on Wednesday looking very different from three months ago. Amid the coronavirus crisis, the Premier League have issued detailed guidance before the big kick-off, stating: "Strict protocols have been put in place to ensure that stadiums are as safe as possible […]

London (AFP) – England and Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford stepped up his campaign Tuesday for the government to extend free school meals for the poorest children, drawing widespread support amid concerns about families struggling during the coronavirus lockdown. Rashford used an article in The Times newspaper to plead with Prime Minister Boris Johnson to […]

Munich (Germany) (AFP) – Bayern Munich can be crowned German champions on Tuesday with victory at Werder Bremen, but any festivities will be reduced to a minimum to respect the safety measures in place to combat the coronavirus. When will Bayern be declared champions? The German league (DFL) said, in its rules governing the restart, […]

Shanghai (AFP) – Tibet's first and only professional football team has become the latest in a string of Chinese clubs to fold, following a row over hosting matches in one of the highest cities in the world. Lhasa Chengtou played only two games in the Tibetan capital — which sits at an oxygen-sucking altitude of 3,650 […]

Hong Kong (AFP) – The thousands of coronavirus tests that have enabled the Premier League to return this week have an unlikely source — a little-known start-up in Hong Kong. Prenetics/Circle DNA is playing a key role in rebooting the world's most popular football league after landing a £4 million ($5 million) contract to screen […]

Shanghai (AFP) – Champions League winner Rafael Benitez and former Barcelona star Paulinho have arrived back in China after being locked out by coronavirus, but now face 14 days' quarantine and an indefinite wait for the season to begin. About a third of the foreign players and coaches in the Chinese Super League have been […]

Paris (AFP) – As football around Europe returns after a long suspension, UEFA is set to announce the format for the latter stages of the Champions League at a key meeting on Wednesday which will also raise the thorny issue of the postponed, pan-continental Euro 2020. The Champions League was frozen in mid-March before the […]

Milan (AFP) – Maurizio Sarri takes on his former club Napoli in Wednesday's Italian Cup final looking for his first trophy as Juventus coach days before Serie A resumes after a three-month shutdown. Juventus are chasing a record-extending 14th Italian Cup against five-time winners Napoli in Rome, after the Turin giants' four-year cup-winning streak was […]

London (AFP) – The Premier League returns on Wednesday after 100 days in the deep freeze, with Liverpool on the brink of winning the title in a radically changed football universe. The English top flight follows Germany's Bundesliga and La Liga in Spain in rebooting their seasons after the coronavirus lockdown, aiming to cram 92 […]

London (AFP) – Lucy Bronze believes gender should not be a factor when it comes to selecting a successor to Phil Neville as England women's coach. Former Manchester United and England defender Neville is set to step down next year with the English Football Association looking to appoint a replacement to lead the team into […]

Madrid (AFP) – Sevilla suffered a setback in their bid to qualify for next season's Champions League group stage as a late own goal by Diego Carlos allowed visiting Levante to grab a 1-1 draw on Monday. Julen Lopetegui's side, who sit third in La Liga, hold a five-point lead over fifth-placed Getafe, although their […]

Doha (AFP) – Qatar inaugurated its latest new World Cup stadium on Monday not with a sold-out football fixture, but with a socially-distanced tribute to the workers on the frontline of the fight against coronavirus. Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra musicians sporting masks and gloves surrounded by candles played a soaring orchestral piece on the turf of […]