Saint-Étienne (France) (AFP) – French football is mourning Robert Herbin, the inspirational coach of the flamboyant Saint-Etienne team that was narrowly defeated in the 1976 European Cup final. Herbin died on Monday aged 81 after being taken to hospital last week with heart and lung problems unrelated to coronavirus. He played more than 400 matches […]

Seoul (AFP) – Broadcasters in 10 foreign territories have bought rights to air the upcoming South Korean football season, the K-League said, with major sports on hold around the world over the coronavirus pandemic. South Korea endured one of the worst early outbreaks of the disease outside China, prompting professional sports to suspend or delay […]

London (AFP) – Will Liverpool get the chance to end their long wait for the Premier League title or will there forever be an asterisk against a season that remains unfinished due to coronavirus? Premier League stakeholders are meeting on Friday to discuss the way forward, with widespread speculation over a potential June 8 restart. […]

Buenos Aires (AFP) – The Argentine football association will put an end to the 2019-20 season which has been interrupted since mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic, its president Claudio Tapia said on Monday. "We are going to end the tournaments so we can designate the teams qualified for continental competitions next year," Tapia told […]

Lausanne (AFP) – FIFA president Gianni Infantino is suspected of having intervened with Switzerland's attorney general to try to get an investigation dropped, a Swiss newspaper alleged on Monday. The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) launched an investigation in early 2016, shortly after Infantino was elected president of world football's governing body, about his […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool have halted their planned redevelopment of a stand at Anfield for a year in response to the coronavirus crisis. The Premier League leaders said Monday the pandemic had seen them call a halt to work on the Anfield Road stand that will increase the capacity of the ground to 61,000. Liverpool […]

Lausanne (AFP) – UEFA said on Monday it had allocated 236.5 million euros ($256 million) to its 55 member associations to help overcome the financial impact caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Each national federation will receive 4.3 million euros which can be used towards "its own priorities in light of the negative impact of the […]

Lausanne (AFP) – FIFA said on Monday it is proposing five substitutions per match when football resumes, to help players cope with the increase in the number of games. The world governing body has sent its proposal to the International Board (IFAB), the guardian of the laws of the game, which has to approve it […]

Berlin (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke has warned that the Bundesliga could "go under" unless Angela Merkel's government grants permission for the German football season to resume next month despite the coronavirus pandemic. "It's about nothing more and nothing less than saving football," Watzke told Sky Sport News. "If we don't play […]

Asuncion (AFP) – Former Brazilian football star Ronaldinho said on Monday that his arrest and subsequent house arrest in Paraguay for using a false passport was "a very hard blow". "I would never have imagined myself in such a situation," said the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain striker in an interview with the Paraguayan newspaper […]

Milan (AFP) – The Italian government has ruled out team training before May 18, leaving Serie A chiefs with their backs against the wall if they are to finish a season interrupted by the coronavirus crisis. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Sunday delayed a decision on restarting football despite allowing top athletes to resume training […]

London (AFP) – West Ham, Brighton and Arsenal opened their training grounds to players on Monday as Premier League clubs took steps towards a potential re-start. The English top-flight is reportedly eyeing a resumption of the season on June 8 behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic. "Project Restart" could see the 20 Premier […]

Shanghai (AFP) – A pay dispute, an eccentric owner and smashed-up furniture — and arguing with fans for refusing to bow. When Premier League stars Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka made surprising moves to China in 2012, they put Chinese football on the map. Carlos Tevez, Marouane Fellaini and others would ultimately follow as money […]

Paris (AFP) – Claudio Ranieri won the hearts of the football world when he took Leicester City to the 2016 Premier League title, but six years earlier he came to within touching distance of an even more romantic achievement — a league title with home town team Roma. Ranieri, born and raised in Rome and […]

Madrid (AFP) – Spain's health minister Salvador Illa said Sunday it would be "imprudent" to promise the football season would restart before the summer as the country took steps to ease one of the world's toughest coronavirus lockdowns. "I can't tell you right now if professional football is going to be able to restart its […]