Berlin (AFP) – Players arriving in several sparsely-populated team buses, substitutes wearing masks and goal celebrations limited to elbow bumps — when German football returns to the pitch this weekend, it will have to follow a draconian set of guidelines. The German Football League (DFL) presented political leaders with a 51-page document of guidelines to […]

Madrid (AFP) – Spanish police said Wednesday that a former Real Madrid player was among those arrested when they busted a suspected international smuggling ring which infused cocaine into cardboard boxes. Edwin Congo and a one-time doctor to Argentine football icon Diego Maradona were arrested, along with 16 others, police said. The ring would conceal […]

London (AFP) – Greater Manchester's Police (GMP) chief has warned legislation could be the only way to stop fans gathering outside stadiums if the Premier League restarts amid the coronavirus pandemic. Premier League organisers want to resume the postponed season behind closed doors in June and are thrashing out the controversial issue of where to […]

Vienna (AFP) – Austria's Bundesliga will restart its season on June 2, after more than two months on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, the league said on Wednesday. Games will held behind closed doors every three days to catch up and finish the campaign by the first week of July. "It's a big step […]

Rome (AFP) – Italy's top-flight Serie A clubs said Wednesday they want to return to competition on June 13 if they get the all-clear from the government. "Regarding the resumption of sports activities and in compliance with government decisions and in accordance with medical protocols for the protection of players the date of June 13 […]

Milan (AFP) – Rising Italy star Nicolo Zaniolo returned to training on Wednesday four months after the AS Roma midfielder underwent surgery on a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. "I'm back," declared the 20-year-old on Instagram as he took part in an individual training session for the first time since January 12. […]

London (AFP) – Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson is ready to take part in the Premier League's proposed restart during the coronavirus crisis despite being in the vulnerable age group. Hodgson is the oldest manager in Premier League history at 72, potentially putting the former England coach in danger if he contracts the virus. But […]

London (AFP) – Norwich sporting director Stuart Webber says promotion to the Premier League should be scrapped if the Championship season is not completed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Premier League is pressing on with its "Project Restart" plans to restart the top-flight campaign in June despite a host of issues and objections from […]

Rome (AFP) – Juventus's French midfielder Adrien Rabiot reacted with irony on Wednesday to reports his delay in returning to Turin was because he was on "strike" in protest at the club cutting wages amid the coronavirus pandemic. "When you realise it's your last day on ... STRIKE!" Rabiot wrote on Instagram, alongside two laughing […]

Shanghai (AFP) – Tianjin Tianhai's demise this week highlights "fatal flaws" in the financial models of Chinese football clubs and should serve as a warning to other teams, state media said. The club was once a symbol of Chinese Super League extravagance, hiring Italian legend Fabio Cannavaro as coach in 2016 and luring Brazilian striker […]

London (AFP) – The Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) will not face an independent investigation after winning the support of its member clubs at an extraordinary general meeting on Tuesday. However, the division and rancour that has soured the Scottish game for the past month stands as a warning to other leagues around Europe, who […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich are in pole position to win an eighth straight title, but Borussia Dortmund lead the chasing pack and are spearheaded by Erling Braut Haaland as the Bundesliga comes out of its coronavirus-enforced hibernation this weekend. AFP Sport takes a look at what is at stake on the field when the […]

Paris (AFP) – German football will find itself in an unaccustomed global spotlight this weekend as audiences starved of live football turn to the only major European league back in action. With the Premier League, Spain's La Liga and Serie A in Italy all still sidelined by the coronavirus pandemic, the Bundesliga will take centre […]

London (AFP) – Premier League players are set to be subjected to a strict testing regime if they are to return to training amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to British media reports. The BBC said Tuesday it had seen a copy of official protocols sent to all 20 Premier League clubs detailing the need for […]

London (AFP) – Premier League players are set to be subjected to a strict testing regime if they are to return to training amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to British media reports. The BBC said Tuesday it had seen a copy of official protocols sent to all 20 Premier League clubs detailing the need for […]