Lyon (AFP) – In the face of furious criticism, French Ligue 1 outfit Lyon defended their president Jean-Michel Aulas on Sunday, who had suggested wiping out the French season. Aulas, his club said in a statement, had only envisaged "a hypothesis" when he talked about "a blank season", if Ligue 1 could not completed its […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United star Paul Pogba has promised to financially support the fight to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Pogba has organised a fundraising page on Facebook and the France midfielder will double the amount raised if the target of £27,000 is reached. World Cup winner Pogba, who had his 27th birthday […]

Madrid (AFP) – Valencia confirmed on Sunday five of the club's players and staff have tested positive for coronavirus, including Argentinian defender Ezequiel Garay. Valencia said all those affected were "now at home, in good health and obeying self-isolation measures." Garay, who was set to miss the rest of the season with a knee injury, […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane had mixed feelings after a dogged 1-0 South African FA Cup quarter-final victory at Highlands Park this weekend. The 55-year-old former South Africa forward and coach was thrilled that his side reached the last four before a capacity 12,000 crowd and kept alive hopes of a domestic […]

London (AFP) – Virgil Van Dijk fears Liverpool will be forced to celebrate their first English title for 30 years in an empty stadium as a result of coronavirus chaos. All Premier League games have been postponed until at least April 3 due to the spread of the global pandemic. Premier League chiefs are set […]

London (AFP) – Jan Vertonghen's family were held at knife-point during a terrifying burglary while the Tottenham defender was away with his Premier League club. British police said four men wearing balaclavas and armed with knives broke into Vertonghen's house while the Belgian international's wife and children were inside. The 32-year-old was in Germany for […]

Madrid (AFP) – Valencia's Argentinian centre-back Ezequiel Garay said on Sunday he had tested positive for coronavirus, becoming the first player in the Spanish Liga known to have the disease. "It's clear that 2020 has started on the wrong foot," he posted on Instagram alongside a smiling selfie giving the thumbs up. "I tested positive […]

Paris (AFP) – French Football Federation (FFF) president Noel le Graet on Sunday said a call by Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas to annul the season was "ridiculous, stupid, clumsy and inappropriate." He also told Aulas and other club officials to stop bickering during the coronavirus epidemic which has forced the cancellation of all the competitions […]

Gracanica (Kosovo) (AFP) – Sixteen-year-old Ilija Ivic just wants to dodge the abuse and play football. But as the first ethnic Serb picked to represent Kosovo on a professional youth squad, there is a price to pay in a region still bitterly divided along ethnic lines. After he was invited to join Kosovo's under-19 team […]

Rome (AFP) – Serie A doctors have issued a joint warning advising against a return to club training after four more players on Saturday tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the tally in the Italian top flight to 11. Fiorentina's Patrick Cutrone and German Pezzella contracted the virus, the Tuscan club said, with Sampdoria's Fabio Depaoli […]

Halifax (United Kingdom) (AFP) – With the rest of European football locked down in response to the coronavirus, England's fifth-tier National League provided a controversial respite for fans looking to satisfy their craving for sport on Saturday. The growing threat of the deadly pandemic forced the Premier League, the Championship, League One and League Two […]

Paris (AFP) – With the league shut down "until further notice" by coronavirus, football in France is agonising over whether keeping players in training will preserve their fitness or endanger their health. "For us footballers, it's a new situation," said Dijon defender Fouad Chafik. "We're going to training, not knowing when we're going to play […]

New Delhi (AFP) – The Indian Super League remained one of the few sporting events to go ahead Saturday with ATK winning a record third title in front of an empty stadium in Goa. ATK, which won the popular franchise-based football competition in 2014 and 2016, beat Chennaiyin FC 3-1 in the final to become […]

Miami (AFP) – David Beckham's six-year wait to watch his Major League Soccer club make its home debut, which was to have ended Saturday, has been extended by the league's coronavirus shutdown. Beckham's Inter Miami was to have hosted the Los Angeles Galaxy, the MLS club where the former England and Manchester United star played from […]

Rome (AFP) – Serie A doctors on Saturday unanimously warned against a return to club training after Fiorentina's Patrick Cutrone, Fabio Depaoli and German Pezzella brought the number of Italian top flight players with coronavirus to nine. "Serie A medics express their strong concern about protecting the health of club employees should training and other […]