Paris (AFP) – Fifty years ago this month, modern football was born at the World Cup in Mexico, kicking and yelling, and live in vibrant colour for a global audience. This weekend marks the anniversary of the quarter-finals of that tournament as a star-studded cast played a thrilling series of knock-out games which built to a dazzling final, when the first World Cup […]

Madrid (AFP) – Ten-man Levante scored a 98th-minute penalty on Friday to snatch a 1-1 draw against Valencia as La Liga completed its second day of fixtures since its return from the coronavirus suspension. It was a miserable night for the league's top-four hopefuls as Granada also came from behind to beat Getafe 2-1, meaning […]

Rome (AFP) – Juventus reached the Italian Cup final on Friday after a goalless draw with 10-man AC Milan in the semi-final, second leg in Turin on the day football returned to Italy after three months away. Serie A champions Juve advanced on away goals to Wednesday's final in Rome thanks to February's 1-1 first-leg […]

Berlin (AFP) – Two goals in two minutes from Dani Olmo gave RB Leipzig a 2-0 win at Hoffenheim on Friday to allow them to close within a point of second-placed Borussia Dortmund in the German Bundesliga. Leipzig now have 62 points with three games left although Dortmund, still hopeful of chasing down Bayern Munich […]

Madrid (AFP) – Granada dented Getafe's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League by coming from behind to beat them 2-1 on Friday in La Liga's second game since its return from the coronavirus suspension. Played behind closed doors at Los Carmenes, Granada scored two late goals in nine minutes as a Djene Dakonam own-goal […]

Istanbul (AFP) – Turkey's Super Lig resumed officially on Friday with two games played behind closed doors, after a nearly three-month suspension because of the coronavirus outbreak. The first game was played in Istanbul between Fenerbahce and Kayserispor at 1800 GMT, and the other in western Turkey between Goztepe and Trabzonspor who are currently at […]

Rome (AFP) – Football returned to Italy after three months away on Friday when Juventus and AC Milan kicked off in the second leg of their Italian Cup semi-final in Turin. The match at the Allianz Stadium, on the day Italy would have kicked off Euro 2020 in Rome had the tournament not been postponed […]

Paris (AFP) – Arsene Wenger said on Friday football needs to tackle inflated player pay if it is to bounce back from the ravages of the coronavirus pandemic, saying "thousands" of clubs across Europe risk extinction. Former Arsenal coach Wenger warned a reduction in wages was needed in the wake of the billions set to […]

London (AFP) – The Premier League will support players taking a knee before or during matches in protest against racial discrimination, while "Black Lives Matter" will replace player names on the back of shirts for the first 12 games of the league's restart next week. "The League supports the players' wish to have their names […]

Madrid (AFP) – Lionel Messi will know how to manage his own fitness through La Liga's rapid end to the season but has no injury problems ahead of Barcelona's return against Real Mallorca on Saturday, says coach Quique Setien. Messi missed three sessions last week with some discomfort in his thigh but has been back […]

Munich (Germany) (AFP) – Dr Hans-Wilhelm Mueller-Wohlfahrt, who remains a maverick in medical circles but whose former patients are a "who's who" of sports stars, is to bring an end to a decades-long link with Bayern Munich, the Bundesliga club announced Friday. Mueller-Wohlfahrt, an orthopaedic and sports medicine specialist, has been Bayern's club medic for […]

Berlin (AFP) – The final stages of this season's interrupted Champions League will be played in Lisbon, with the final on August 22 or 23, German newspaper Bild reported on Friday. The assertion by Bild follows reports by several other European media in recent days. An official announcement is expected when UEFA's Executive Committee meets […]

Berlin (AFP) – Borussia Moenchengladbach said they were "flabbergasted" by an avalanche of racist comments that poured into their website and social networks after the club's public support for "Black Lives Matter". The club joined traditional rivals Borussia Dortmund, Schalke and Cologne in posting an anti-racism video last Friday. "What we have experienced since then […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has pledged to keep fighting until no child in Britain goes hungry after helping raise around £20 million ($25 million) for charity during the coronavirus lockdown. The 22-year-old England star teamed up with FareShare, an organisation that distributes food to nearly 11,000 frontline charities and community groups. "I […]

Shanghai (AFP) – England maverick Paul Gascoigne was playing a friendly match against Chinese media when he abruptly sat down, conjured a toothbrush from his sock and began cleaning his teeth. It was classic Gazza — the brilliant, joke-loving but troubled midfielder memorably labelled "daft as a brush" by his former England manager Bobby Robson. […]