Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich striker Thomas Mueller expects sparks to fly in Tuesday's behind closed doors, top-of-the-table clash at Borussia Dortmund which could help settle this season's title race. Mueller scored in Bayern's 5-2 home win over Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday while second-placed Dortmund stayed four points behind after their a 2-0 win at […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bundesliga second division footballer Dimitrij Nazarov said he ignored coronavirus health protocols to embrace his team manager, who he said "saved our lives" following a road accident en route to their game at the weekend. The 30-year-old Azerbaijan midfielder, who plays for Erzgebirge Aue, hugged Thomas Romeyke, who also doubles as the […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich cruised to victory once more as Borussia Dortmund kept within touching ahead of next week's top-two showdown but there were still plenty of unusual sights and sounds in the Bundesliga this weekend. AFP Sport looks at some of the most notable moments from the second round of matches since football's […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich resisted a second-half fightback by Eintracht Frankfurt to claim a 5-2 win behind closed doors on Saturday ahead of their top-of-the-table clash at Dortmund in midweek. Goals by Leon Goretzka, the league's top-scorer Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Mueller saw Bayern lead 3-0 before Frankfurt rattled the hosts after […]

Mönchengladbach (Germany) (AFP) – Despite having 13,000 cardboard cut-outs of watching home fans, Borussia Moenchengladbach lost ground in the Bundesliga title race with a 3-1 defeat at home to Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday behind closed doors. With football fans in Germany locked out in a bid to halt the spread of the coronavirus, Gladbach fans […]

Berlin (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund warmed up for their looming top-of-the-table clash against Bayern Munich with a 2-0 win at Wolfsburg on Saturday in the second weekend of the Bundesliga's restart from the coronavirus-enforced suspension. Goals by Raphael Guerreiro and Achraf Hakimi sealed an away win in front of empty stands to leave them a […]

London (AFP) – Scottish Football Association chief executive Ian Maxwell believes a return to action in August is likely after the 2019/20 Premiership season was ended earlier this week. September or October had previously been mooted as possible return dates but Maxwell is more optimistic. "I think it is likely that we will see football […]

Berlin (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund sports director Michael Zorc confirmed Saturday that Mario Goetze, who scored the winning goal in the 2014 World Cup final, will leave at the end of the season. "We will stop working together with Mario Goetze in the summer," Zorc told Sky before Saturday's Bundesliga game away to Wolfsburg. "It […]

Madrid (AFP) – Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced on Saturday that La Liga can resume from its coronavirus lockdown on the week of June 8. "The resumption of major professional sporting competitions and in particular La Liga will be allowed from the week of June 8," Sanchez told a press conference. More than two […]

Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona coach Quique Setien says he would love to coach Neymar and would be "delighted" if the Brazilian returns to the club from Paris Saint-Germain. Barca tried to re-sign Neymar last year but were unable to agree a deal with French champions PSG, whom he joined for a world-record fee of 222 […]

London (AFP) – Mauricio Pochettino says returning to the Premier League is his "priority", stating he is eager to manage again six months after being sacked by Tottenham. The 48-year-old transformed Spurs' fortunes during his five-and-a-half-year reign but failed to win a trophy and was sacked less than a year after leading them to the Champions […]

Paris (AFP) – Euro 2020 may have been swept from the calendar due to coronavirus, but UEFA's video-game eTournament version kicks off on Saturday regardless. Instead of Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane or Cristiano Ronaldo racing around the pitch, gamers will slug it out, contesting the first ever eEuro from their armchairs. "The weight of the […]

London (AFP) – Mauricio Pochettino insisted Friday that he was "happy" that Jose Mourinho replaced him as Tottenham coach. Mourinho took over in November despite Pochettino having enjoyed a successful five-and-a-half year spell in charge of the London side. "I am so happy that he is at Tottenham, replacing me," admitted Pochettino who is now […]

Berlin (AFP) – Hosts Hertha claimed the Berlin derby bragging rights over Union on Friday with a convincing 4-0 victory in their almost empty 74,000-capacity Olympic Stadium. Hertha moved up to 10th place after the opening match of the second round of games since the Bundesliga restarted last week under strict coronavirus measures thanks to […]

Munich (Germany) (AFP) – Bayern Munich will not activate a 120-million-euro ($130 million) option to buy on-loan Brazilian star Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona, the German champions' chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told Der Spiegel magazine on Friday. The option expired and "we haven't activated it," said Rummenigge. "Now we're going to draw up squad planning internally (for […]