London (AFP) – Former boxing world champion Amir Khan has become the latest sportsman to help in the fight against the coronavirus, offering his wedding venue for use by Britain's National Health Service. Khan is ready to hand over the keys to the 60,000-square-feet (5,600-square-metre) venue in his home town of Bolton as concerns grow […]

Madrid (AFP) – "I'm just doing my bit," says Iragartze Fernandez, the part-time referee turned full-time nurse who has swapped the whistle for a face-mask in the hope of helping Spain combat the deadly coronavirus. The 26-year-old, who officiates matches in La Liga Iberdrola, the top tier of the women's game, and Segunda B, the […]

London (AFP) – Leeds United's players and coaches, including Argentine manager Marcelo Bielsa, have agreed to defer their wages "for the foreseeable future" to ensure all non-football staff at the club can be paid. Leeds were on the brink of ending a 16-year wait to return to the lucrative Premier League before football was suspended […]

Wellington (AFP) – Wellington Phoenix midfielder Tim Payne tearfully apologised Thursday for breaking COVID-19 quarantine in Australia when he drunkenly drove a golf buggy along a Sydney street. Payne and his passenger in the buggy, teammate Oliver Sail, face the prospect of a heavy fine or suspension over the escapade in the early hours of […]

Sydney (AFP) – Australia called Thursday for men's football at the postponed Tokyo Olympics to be changed from an Under-23 tournament to Under-24 so all players who helped their teams qualify can compete. "We would like to open up discussion with FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to consider adjusting the men’s football tournament […]

Milan (AFP) – Italian football federation (FIGC) president Gabriele Gravina said Wednesday he was determined that the Serie A season would be concluded even going into August. All sport in Italy has been suspended until April 3 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic which has forced the postponement of Euro 2020 and the Tokyo […]

London (AFP) – The Professional Footballers' Association called on Wednesday for urgent talks with the Premier League and the English Football League (EFL) over the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic on players and clubs. Football in England has been suspended until at least April 30 and the lay-off could last much longer as Britain […]

Berlin (AFP) – Europe may be the financial powerhouse of global football, but the economic impact from the coronavirus pandemic is already beginning to hit and the consequences could be disastrous for clubs across the continent. When players at Bayern Munich, one of the world's richest clubs, have reportedly agreed to take pay cuts, it […]

Madrid (AFP) – Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales on Wednesday announced lines of credit for lower-level clubs in difficulty because of the coronavirus pandemic and repeated that he hoped the season could be completed. He also told an online press conference he was willing to talk to La Liga, which runs the top two […]

London (AFP) – Everton and England defender Michael Keane said on Wednesday that players will be able to return to Premier League action after only a "couple of weeks' proper training". The coronavirus pandemic has seen professional football in England suspended until at least April 30. Premier League clubs are due to meet on April […]

London (AFP) – Brighton have kicked off a club-to-club "baton" system for donating match tickets to frontline healthcare workers fighting the coronavirus pandemic as Watford offered the use of their stadium to a local hospital. Premier League strugglers Brighton announced they had decided to donate 1,000 tickets to workers battling the crisis and have invited […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham forward Harry Kane will leave the club next year if they fail to win a trophy in that time, Premier League all-time top-scorer Alan Shearer has warned. Kane is yet to lift silverware in his career despite an eye-catching goalscoring record for both club and country. The England captain has not […]

Madrid (AFP) – Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola has donated one million euros ($1.08 million) to help buy medical supplies for the fight against the coronavirus pandemic in his native Spain. The former FC Barcelona boss gave the money to the Medical College of Barcelona to buy "medical equipment that is currently lacking in health […]

London (AFP) – Brighton will allow fans to delay payments on season tickets for the 2020/21 campaign by three months to help ease supporters' cash flow problems amidst the economic crisis caused by COVID-19. Professional football in England has been suspended until at least April 30. On Monday, the British government increased restrictions on people […]

Berlin (AFP) – Footballers at Germany's top teams including Bayern Munich have agreed to take pay cuts to help clubs survive the economic impact of the coronavirus, media reports said Tuesday. Newspaper Bild said players and club officials at champions Bayern, top of the Bundesliga when the season was halted on March 13, have accepted […]