Berlin (AFP) – Footballers may not have enough time to get match fit if the German league resumes next month amid the coronavirus pandemic, warns Eintracht Frankfurt director Fredi Bobic. "Should the politicians decide that we can play Bundesliga football again, we will need full team training again at some point," Bobic, 48, a former […]

London (AFP) – Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has told players at the Premier League's top clubs to ignore pressure to take pay cuts during the coronavirus crisis. English football has been halted since mid-March in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19 and clubs at all levels are feeling the pinch. Premier […]

Lausanne (AFP) – FIFA will release $150 million (139 million euros) to its member football associations to help handle financial troubles caused by the coronavirus, the global governing body said on Friday. FIFA said that "all operational funding" for 2019 and 2020 would be distributed amongst the 211 member associations in the next few days […]

London (AFP) – Celtic captain Scott Brown insists he does not want the Scottish season to be declared over, even if it means the Glasgow giants sealing a record-equalling ninth consecutive title. UEFA is committed to leagues being completed, but on Thursday opened the door to shutting down the seasons based on government advice that […]

Berlin (AFP) – The German FA announced Friday that the national cup final, planned for May 23 at Berlin's Olympic Stadium, has been postponed, but said it hopes it can still take place this season behind closed doors. The semi-finals of the Cup, which had been scheduled for this week, were postponed when the season […]

Berlin (AFP) – Germany's ministry of labour wants footballers to wear masks as protection against the coronavirus if Angela Merkel's government gives the green light for the Bundesliga to return next month. The German Football League (DFL) confirmed Thursday that they are ready for the Bundesliga to resume from May 9, albeit without fans in […]

Madrid (AFP) – Andres Iniesta has described his struggle with depression while playing for Barcelona, which his mother says was a "bottomless pit" that caused her 25-year-old son to ask to sleep with his parents. Iniesta recalls his experience with the illness in a Rakuten TV documentary, 'Andres Iniesta – The Unexpected Hero', which was […]

London (AFP) – Phil Neville will leave his role as England women's manager when his contract expires next year, the Football Association confirmed on Friday. The former Manchester United and England defender's deal would have seen him take charge of the Lionesses' European championship campaign on home soil next year. However, the reorganisation of the […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid star Gareth Bale says there should be no rush to restart La Liga during the coronavirus lockdown as the Spanish football federation plans tests and a return to training. Testing players is being discussed with a view to completing the Liga season and thereby avoiding financial disaster, a source cose […]

Milan (AFP) – Italian football chiefs on Thursday announced that the end of the Serie A season will be pushed back from June 30 to August 2 to finish the season suspended amid the coronavirus pandemic. Federation president Gabriele Gravina said the FIGC would "adopt a resolution in the coming hours to postpone the end […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham midfielder Eric Dier has been charged by England's Football Association for climbing into the stand to confront a supporter after Spurs' FA Cup exit to Norwich. The England international could face a lengthy suspension for climbing several rows to intervene after he saw his brother in an argument with a fan […]

London (AFP) – One of the mayors for Liverpool has called for an investigation into why Liverpool's Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid was allowed to go ahead in front of 52,000 supporters last month. Despite the game taking place after a plan was agreed to play La Liga matches behind closed doors, 3,000 visiting […]

Paris (AFP) – UEFA on Thursday left the door open for leagues to bring an early end to their seasons during the coronavirus pandemic but said qualification for the next Champions League should be "based on sporting merit". The announcement by European football's governing body came after a videoconference meeting of its Executive Committee and […]

Paris (AFP) – The next European Championship will continue to be called Euro 2020 despite being postponed by a year to 2021, UEFA confirmed on Thursday. Following an Executive Committee meeting of European football's governing body by videoconference, UEFA said maintaining the same name would be a way of remembering the coronavirus pandemic and the […]

Paris (AFP) – Qualification for the next Champions League should be "on sporting merit" if domestic leagues cannot be completed but countries should "explore all possible options" to finish seasons suspended because of the coronavirus crisis, UEFA said on Thursday. "If a domestic competition is prematurely terminated for legitimate reasons...UEFA would require (leagues) to select […]