Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich could secure an eighth straight Bundesliga title this weekend, but host Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday without suspended duo Thomas Mueller and Robert Lewandowski. Bayern will be confirmed champions with a win on Saturday if second-placed Borussia Dortmund lose at relegation-threatened Fortuna Duesseldorf earlier in the day. That scenario would give […]

London (AFP) – The green light for the Premier League's return owes much to a political will for the national game to lift spirits in the country hardest hit by coronavirus in Europe. Suspected and confirmed deaths from coronavirus in Britain passed 50,000 according to analysis from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) this week. […]

Madrid (AFP) – Sevilla beat Real Betis 2-0 as La Liga returned after three months away on Thursday, becoming the second of Europe's five major leagues to resume following the coronavirus pandemic. After the Bundesliga in Germany restarted on May 16, La Liga opened its doors again to players but not supporters at the Ramon […]

Madrid (AFP) – Spain's La Liga resumed on Thursday after three months away due to the coronavirus as Sevilla hosted local rivals Real Betis behind closed doors at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. The match was the first to kick off in Spain's top flight since March 10 and makes La Liga the second of Europe's […]

Paris (AFP) – FIFA will allow leagues to open their transfer windows before the current, delayed season has been completed as football recovers from the impact of the lengthy coronavirus shutdown, the game's world governing body announced on Thursday. FIFA has passed a series of temporary amendments to help deal with the havoc to the […]

Madrid (AFP) – "What you have to understand is I really, really like football," says Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong. "It's not pretend. I enjoy every minute of it." De Jong's first touch at the Camp Nou came between a thumbs up and a smile. As he juggled the ball in his new kit, the […]

Beijing (AFP) – Beijing Guoan head coach Bruno Genesio gave a press conference Thursday from 8,000 kilometres (5,000 miles) away in his native France via mobile phone because he is locked out of China by coronavirus. About a third of the foreign coaches and players in the Chinese Super League (CSL) are missing because China […]

Madrid (AFP) – The president of Spain's La Liga says players could be forced to go into quarantine as the season restarts after its coronavirus-induced suspension, following reports that Barcelona's Nelson Semedo had breached strict health protocol. Barcelona said on Thursday that Portuguese defender Semedo "did not train as per protocol established by La Liga". […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli has been given a one-match ban by the Football Association after joking about the coronavirus in a social media video and will miss his side's first Premier League match after the restart. In the weeks before the virus took hold across the world, Alli posted a Snapchat clip […]

Istanbul (AFP) – Turkey is "confident" the Champions League final will still be held in Istanbul, the Turkish sports minister said Thursday, as UEFA considers other options because of the novel coronavirus. UEFA's decision could be made during an Executive Committee meeting on June 17. The names of several cities, including Lisbon and Frankfurt, have […]

Angoulême (France) (AFP) – Former Poland football star Andrzej Szarmach has been handed an eight-month suspended prison sentence for domestic violence by a French court. The 69-year-old, who scored five goals at the 1974 World Cup as Poland finished third, will also have psychological care to fight against an alcohol addiction. Szarmach, who spent much […]

Belgrade (AFP) – A crowd of around 16,000 attended Partizan's Belgrade derby victory over Red Star on Wednesday in the latest sign that football is starting to edge towards normality following the coronavirus pandemic. The Serbian government has been loosening lockdown rules and earlier this month it announced that open-air gatherings with an unlimited amount […]

Shanghai (AFP) – Manchester City's former defender Sun Jihai is spearheading a drive to develop football in China's troubled Xinjiang region — while also instilling loyalty to the ruling Communist Party. The 42-year-old, who also played for Crystal Palace and Sheffield United, has used his connections with City to model youth football in Xinjiang on […]

Madrid (AFP) – Sevilla and Real Betis is the game in Spain most defined by its fans and on Thursday it will be a first glimpse of La Liga without them as the season resumes behind closed doors after three months away due to the coronavirus. Fireworks, banners, plumes of smoke and crowds, delirious at […]

Soweto (South Africa) (AFP) – Danny Jordaan, the man who spearheaded the 2010 World Cup, believes the tournament put an end to "Afro-pessimism" and helped transform the African continent from "hopeless to hopeful". Ten years after the event, Jordaan told AFP the World Cup put sceptics firmly in their place and sparked a boom for […]