London (AFP) – Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard said fear of Covid-19 is so heightened that one of his players was reluctant to get out of his car. An outbreak at Villa saw their match against Burnley last Saturday postponed at short notice, with Gerrard warning Wednesday that it will be a "nightmare" if the […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich said Wednesday he had accepted an apology and rewrites after suing the author and publisher of a book about Russian President Vladimir Putin's inner circle. Abramovich sued publisher HarperCollins and investigative journalist Catherine Belton in the High Court over passages about the Russian billionaire's acquisition of […]

Madrid (AFP) – Ronald Araujo struck just before half-time to rescue a point for Barcelona at 10-man Sevilla on Tuesday, a result which benefits La Liga leaders Real Madrid. Papu Gomez put Sevilla ahead after half an hour off a corner in Seville connecting with an Ivan Rakitic cross but Uruguayan defender Araujo headed in […]

London (AFP) – Eddie Nketiah scored a hat-trick as a much-changed Arsenal marched into the League Cup semi-finals by beating Sunderland 5-1 on Tuesday. The 22-year-old striker is out of contract at the end of the season and gave potential suitors in the January transfer window a reminder of his predatory prowess in front of […]

Milan (AFP) – Juventus took advantage of Atalanta's goalless draw at Genoa with a 2-0 win over Cagliari which inched them closer to Serie A's Champions League places, as Salernitana's trip to Udinese became the season's first coronavirus-related casualty. Moise Kean's header five minutes before the break and Federico Bernardeschi's precision finish after a break-away […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham manager Antonio Conte described UEFA's decision throw his side out of the Europa Conference League as "incredible" and suggested Spurs will launch an appeal through the courts. Spurs were handed a 3-0 defeat for their final group stage match against Rennes after the match was postponed due to a wave of […]

Yaoundé (AFP) – African football chief Patrice Motsepe confirmed on Tuesday that the Africa Cup of Nations (AfCon) will go ahead as planned in Cameroon next month despite the Omicron-variant led surge in Covid-19 cases. "I am going to watch, on the 9th of January, Cameroon and Burkina Faso (in the opening match)," Motsepe said, […]

Milan (AFP) – Inter Milan and AC Milan revealed on Tuesday what their new shared home could look like after announcing a project designed by Populous, who drew up the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Named The Cathedral, the new stadium will be located in the same San Siro district of Milan as their current ground, officially […]

London (AFP) – Scottish sports events will become "effectively spectator-free" as part of a drive to slow the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Tuesday. Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament that crowds at outdoor public events would be capped at 500 from December 26 for "up to three […]

Yaoundé (AFP) – African football chief Patrice Motsepe confirmed on Tuesday that the Africa Cup of Nations will go ahead as planned in Cameroon next month. "I am going to watch, on the 9th of January, Cameroon and Burkina Faso," Motsepe said, dispelling rumours that the already delayed continental showpiece could fall victim to the […]

Milan (AFP) – Inter Milan confirmed on Tuesday that Italian prosecutors were investigating the sale of players carried out by the club in recent seasons, the latest probe into football transfer dealings in the country. In a statement, the Italian champions said that they had given investigators documents relating to player sales in the 2017/18 […]

Rome (AFP) – Salernitana's troubles got deeper on Tuesday after Italian football chief Gabriele Gravina said the Serie A club must be sold by the end of the year or be kicked out of the league. Promoted to Italy's top flight this season, Salernitana immediately fell foul of Italian Football Federation (FIGC) rules because they […]

Milan (AFP) – Victor Osimhen said Tuesday that he will be available to play for Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations despite currently being out of action while recovering from a smashed cheekbone. Napoli forward Osimhen looked certain to miss out on the continental tournament, which is scheduled to kick off on January 9, […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United on Tuesday reopened their Carrington training ground following a coronavirus outbreak that forced the postponement of two Premier League matches. United closed Carrington for an initial 24 hours eight days ago and their matches at Brentford and at home against Brighton were subsequently called off. "Manchester United's players have started […]

Paris (AFP) – Three Parisian fans have been arrested for their part in incidents that halted a cup match between Paris FC and Lyon, police announced on Tuesday. The game on Friday was stopped at half-time after fans fled onto the field as flares and smoke bombs were thrown around and fighting broke out in […]