Paris (AFP) – This week has seen new doubts raised about Kylian Mbappe's long-term future at Paris Saint-Germain, but the World Cup winner also underlined how vital he is to his club as they prepare for a make-or-break Champions League date with Borussia Dortmund. On Tuesday, the main story in sports daily L'Equipe wondered why […]

Asuncion (AFP) – Former Brazilian football star Ronaldinho and his brother were "deceived" and will not face prosecution for traveling to Paraguay on false documents, officials said Thursday. Prosecutor Federico Delfino said he had recommended not pursuing Ronaldinho and his brother Roberto de Assis Moreira. "But on the condition of admitting committing the crime of […]

London (AFP) – Sadio Mane has urged Liverpool to use the worst week of their season as fuel to power the Premier League leaders a step closer to the title when they face Bournemouth on Saturday. Jurgen Klopp's side crashed to a stunning 3-0 defeat against struggling Watford last weekend that ended their hopes of […]

Berlin (AFP) – When Hoffenheim kick off at Schalke in the Bundesliga on Saturday many eyes will be on the fans behind the goals rather than the players on the field. Last week, away to Hoffenheim, Bayern fans unveiled a banner with 17 minutes to go which halted the match. When the players returned, they […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid's victory in the Clasico gave them a one-point lead that might mean little in La Liga's error-strewn title race but whether it causes a decisive shift in momentum will be easier to read after this weekend. Barcelona host Real Sociedad on Saturday, an awkward fixture against a team that have […]

Orlando (AFP) – Superbly taken second-half strikes from Christen Press and Carli Lloyd fired the United States to a 2-0 win over England as the reigning world champions began the SheBelieves Cup in style on Thursday. Press and Lloyd struck within three minutes of each other just after half-time to complete a routine win over […]

Saint-Étienne (France) (AFP) – Ryad Boudebouz struck a stoppage-time winner as Saint-Etienne defeated French Cup holders Rennes 2-1 on Thursday to qualify for the final for the first time in 38 years. Saint-Etienne will take on record 12-time winners Paris Saint-Germain in the final at the Stade de France on April 25. Saint-Etienne won the […]

Derby (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Odion Ighalo ruined Wayne Rooney's hopes of leading Derby to an FA Cup upset against Manchester United as the Nigeria striker's double sealed a 3-0 win in the fifth round on Thursday. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side were always in control at Pride Park and Luke Shaw opened the scoring before […]

Asuncion (AFP) – Former Brazilian football star Ronaldinho's lawyer denied on Thursday that he and his brother had used fake passports to enter Paraguay. The World Cup winner and his brother were questioned for more than seven hours by the public prosecutor in Asuncion after allegedly entering Paraguay using forged documents. Ronaldinho had been invited […]

Paris (AFP) – Monaco winger Gelson Martins received a six-month ban from French football's disciplinary committee Thursday for twice pushing a referee in a Ligue 1 defeat at Nimes last month. The Portuguese international had been banned indefinitely following the incident on February 1, after he reacted angrily to the dismissal of team-mate Tiemoue Bakayoko. […]

London (AFP) – Premier League players and officials will not take part in the traditional pre-match handshake from this weekend over fears about the spread of the coronavirus. Teams have been told by Premier League chiefs that they will still line up as usual before kick-of, but the home team will walk past the away […]

Derby (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester United captain Harry Maguire could miss the derby against Manchester City after being ruled out of Thursday's FA Cup tie against Derby. Maguire suffered an ankle injury in training this week and was immediately ruled out of the fifth round trip to second tier Derby. United manager Ole Gunnar […]

Orlando (AFP) – Megan Rapinoe's life has changed before her very eyes. Eight months after helping the United States win a fourth women's World Cup crown, Rapinoe is in high demand, on and off the pitch. The 34-year-old swept the individual prizes at the World Cup, scooping the Golden Boot for top-scorer and the Golden […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool said on Thursday that they will not use child mascots as the Premier League leaders react to the threat of the coronavirus. Liverpool announced a series of measures aimed at dealing with the global health threat. In addition to the suspension of the youngsters who accompany the players as they who […]

London (AFP) – UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin claims it would "not be a problem" if Manchester City won the Champions League this season despite the club's two-year European ban. City have been suspended from the Champions League and Europa League for the next two years by UEFA after being found guilty of breaching the European […]