Asuncion (AFP) – Former Brazilian football star Ronaldinho and his brother appeared in an Asuncion court on Thursday accused of having entered Paraguay using forged passports. The former World Cup winner arrived at court in the morning alongside Paraguayan lawyer Adolfo Marin, AFP reporters at the scene said. According to the inspector leading the investigation […]

London (AFP) – Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli has called for Europe's historic superpowers to be protected from the damage caused by "one bad season". In his role as chairman of the European Club Association, Agnelli has made it clear the structure of continental competitions should be tweaked to give the big guns an increased chances […]

London (AFP) – Mikel Arteta is desperate to keep Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at Arsenal "under any circumstances", saying the club need to sit down with their captain before the end of the season. The 30-year-old has scored 20 goals in all competitions for the Gunners so far this season, double the amount of any of his […]

Hong Kong (AFP) – FIFA and Asia's football governing body are considering postponing upcoming World Cup qualifiers over the novel coronavirus, a statement said on Thursday. A "formal proposal" has been circulated among Asian countries, FIFA said after talks with the Asian Football Confederation, with a decision expected in the coming days. "For both FIFA […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal midfielder Lucas Torreira faces a spell on the sidelines after he suffered a fractured ankle in Monday's 2-0 FA Cup victory over third-tier Portmsouth, the Premier League side announced on Thursday. The 24-year-old Uruguayan international was stretchered off early on in the fifth round clash but Arsenal have not indicated when […]

London (AFP) – Eric Dier's confrontation with a Tottenham supporter in the stands after they were knocked out of the FA Cup showed that the club's season is in danger of crumbling fast. The Dier incident may have dominated the headlines after Wednesday's home defeat to Norwich — he was apparently defending his brother — […]

London (AFP) – Wayne Rooney has urged Manchester United fans to be patient, saying it could take "two or three years" before they return to the top of the game. Rooney, United's record scorer with 253 goals, is set to face his old club in the FA Cup fifth round when the Red Devils travel […]

Asuncion (AFP) – Former Brazilian football star Ronaldinho and his brother have been detained in Paraguay after allegedly using fake passports to enter the South American country, authorities said Wednesday. "Ronaldinho will be heard at eight in the morning on Thursday at the prosecutor's office," Interior Minister Euclides Acevedo told reporters. Paraguayan police raided the […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho defended Eric Dier after the England international stormed into the stands following his side's FA Cup exit to Norwich on Wednesday. Dier climbed over rows of seats to confront a fan, who had allegedly been involved in an altercation with the player's brother. The incident rounded off a […]

Orlando (AFP) – Megan Rapinoe thanked the US men's national team for showing solidarity in their fight for equal pay on Thursday, adding she was "very confident" of a positive outcome in the long-running dispute. The US women have been fighting since 2016 for equality with their male counterparts and are seeking backpay totalling nearly […]

Orlando (AFP) – England manager Phil Neville shrugged off speculation about his future on Wednesday as his players prepare for their SheBelieves Cup opener against the United States. Neville's position has come under scrutiny following a post-World Cup slump that has seen his team win just twice in seven matches. The former Manchester United and […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Steven Gerrard's Rangers suffered a dreadful 1-0 defeat at home to relegation-threatened Hamilton as Celtic snatched a late 2-2 draw at Livingston to move 13 points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership. Already reeling from Saturday's Scottish Cup defeat to Hearts that forced Gerrard to consider his future, Rangers slipped […]

London (AFP) – Manchester City won a 20th consecutive domestic cup tie to move into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup with a 1-0 win at Sheffield Wednesday as Tottenham crashed out on penalties to Norwich on Wednesday. Sergio Aguero scored the only goal for the holders eight minutes into the second half as Wednesday […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayer Leverkusen came from behind to beat 10-man Union Berlin 3-1 on Wednesday at the BayArena to reach the German Cup semi-finals. Peter Bosz's side are looking to win the competition for only the second time in the club's history and join Bayern Munich and Saarbruecken in the last four. Marcus Ingvartsen […]

Lyon (AFP) – Kylian Mbappe hit a hat-trick as Paris Saint-Germain cruised into the final of the French Cup with a thumping 5-1 win at Lyon on Wednesday. World Cup winner Mbappe equalised for the away side with a simple tap-in just three minutes after Martin Terrier had given the raucous home fans hope with […]