London (AFP) – The Premier League season is set to restart on June 17, three months after it was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, British media reported on Thursday. No matches have been played since Leicester's 4-0 win over Aston Villa on March 9. Top-flight clubs voted unanimously in favour of a return to […]

Toulouse (France) (AFP) – Toulouse have joined the growing number of clubs appealing the way the season ended by taking the French league to the country's highest administrative court, regional media reported on Thursday. Toulouse, last in Ligue 1 when play was halted by the coronavirus have appealed to the Council of State, La Depeche […]

Milan (AFP) – Mario Balotelli's future with Brescia remains uncertain after the Italian club's president said his "mind is no longer" with his hometown club. "Mario is an unusual boy and it is also obvious that his mind is no longer with us, nothing different from what he has always been," Massimo Cellino told Telelombardia. […]

Berlin (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund visit bottom side Paderborn on Sunday with uncertainty surrounding the future of coach Lucien Favre after Tuesday's 1-0 defeat by Bayern Munich left their Bundesliga title dreams in tatters. Favre and Dortmund were forced to deny rumours that he is set to resign, and face Paderborn attempting to at least […]

Rome (AFP) – Serie A will learn the fate of the Italian season on Thursday with a government decision awaited on whether football can resume after three months in a country hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora will hold a video conference at 6:30pm (1630GMT) with representatives of Italian football including […]

London (AFP) – Watford captain Troy Deeney has revealed that people have told him they want his baby son to contract coronavirus after he chose not to return to training at the Premier League club. Deeney has been absent from training since Watford and other Premier League clubs returned to non-contact sessions last week. The […]

London (AFP) – The father of Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has died after contracting the coronavirus, the English Premier League club announced late Wednesday. Villa said 79-year-old Ron Smith, a lifelong fan of the Birmingham side, had been suffering from COVID-19 for four weeks. "The Aston Villa family are saddened to announce that Ron […]

Berlin (AFP) – RB Leipzig missed out on the chance to leapfrog Borussia Dortmund to second place, Schalke continued their poor form despite some standout displays and Paderborn boasted their own 'Gladiator' on Wednesday. AFP Sport looks at some of notable moments from the third round of matches since football's restart in Germany: Bench marks […]

Berlin (AFP) – Julian Nagelsman slammed 10-man RB Leipzig for defending like "a school team" in Wednesday's 2-2 draw at home to Hertha Berlin behind closed doors which cost them the chance to go second in the Bundesliga. Hertha forward Krzysztof Piatek equalised with a late penalty to seal the draw and save the blushes […]

Berlin (AFP) – Ten-man RB Leipzig missed the chance to go second in the Bundesliga on Wednesday as Hertha Berlin forward Krzysztof Piatek equalised with a late penalty to seal a 2-2 draw behind closed doors – and save the blushes of goalkeeper Rune Jarstein. Piatek, who joined Hertha in January for around 25 million […]

London (AFP) – Ianis Hagi, the son of former Romania great Gheorge Hagi, has signed a long-term contract at Ibrox, the Scottish Premiership side announced Wednesday. The 21-year-old attacker had been on loan at Ibrox from Belgian club Genk but the midfielder has now made a full-time move to Glasgow. "I am excited about rejoining […]

Tunis (AFP) – The Tunisian football championship will resume its season, in August behind closed doors, the Tunisian football federation said Wednesday. Play was suspended in March due to the coronavirus pandemic. Closed-door training will restart at the beginning of June, the Tunisian Football Federation (FTF) told AFP. No further details were available on the […]

London (AFP) – Scottish football club Livingston have taken an unusual approach to working out whether to keep goalkeeper Gary Maley... asking supporters on Twitter to decide his fate. The part-time goalkeeper's contract expires in June and the Scottish Premiership side, whose season has now finished, reached out with a tongue-in-cheek post. "Quite possibly a […]

Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona and Argentina captain Lionel Messi said he was eager to start playing again but thought La Liga games behind closed doors would feel "weird". Messi, who after a few weeks confined like the rest of Spain by the coronavirus pandemic, is training with Barca again ahead of a planned resumption of […]

Rome (AFP) – Serie A club Bologna announced on Wednesday a member of their coaching staff might have tested positive for coronavirus which could lead to quarantine. The Italian top-flight has been suspended since March but the league wants the campaign to resume on the weekend of June 13-14 after group training restarted in mid-May. […]