Pristina (AFP) – Gareth Southgate is set to bring Raheem Sterling back from his brief England exile in Sunday's Euro 2020 qualifier against Kosovo as he seeks to end the controversy over the Manchester City star's row with Joe Gomez. Sterling was dropped for Thursday's 7-0 rout of Montenegro after clashing with England team-mate Gomez […]

Munich (Germany) (AFP) – After 40 years in charge, Uli Hoeness fought back tears as he officially stepped down as Bayern Munich president on Friday, when it was also confirmed interim coach Hansi Flick will remain in charge "at least until Christmas". Hoeness bowed out after former Adidas CEO Herbert Hainer was voted in as Bayern's […]

Paris (AFP) – Finland qualified for the first major tournament in their history on Friday with a 3-0 win over Liechtenstein while Sweden sealed their place at the Euro 2020 finals following a victory in Romania. Norwich City forward Teemu Pukki scored twice in Helsinki and Jasse Tuominen also netted to bring the home crowd […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – A poor start by Bosnian Vahid Halilhodzic as coach of Morocco continued Friday when lower ranked Mauritania forced a 0-0 Africa Cup of Nations matchday one qualifying draw in Rabat. Morocco are ranked 42nd in the world, 63 places above Mauritania, and the barren deadlock left Halilhodzic with only one win from […]

Paris (AFP) – Finland qualified for their first major tournament on Friday with a 3-0 win over Liechtenstein while Sweden sealed their place at the Euro 2020 finals following a victory in Romania. Norwich City forward Teemu Pukki scored twice in Helsinki and Jasse Tuominen also netted to bring the home crowd pouring onto the […]

Paris (AFP) – Gareth Bale has risked fuelling the criticism of his commitment to Real Madrid by admitting on Friday he is more excited playing for Wales than for the Spanish giants. Bale has not featured for Real since scoring in his country's 1-1 draw against Croatia on October 13 and a calf injury has […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Nigeria missed out on a chance to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games football tournament when they were held 0-0 by South Africa in Cairo on Friday. Unmarked Sunday Faleye wasted a great chance to snatch victory for the Nigerians in the final minute by heading a cross wide when a […]

Munich (Germany) (AFP) – Interim coach Hansi Flick will remain in charge of Bayern Munich until at least Christmas, and possibly longer, club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge stated Friday. Flick was appointed caretaker coach of the defending German champions when Niko Kovac was sacked a fortnight ago and has overseen wins over Olympiakos and Dortmund. Rummenigge […]

Riyadh (AFP) – Lionel Messi struck on his return to international duty Friday following a three-month ban as Argentina defeated fierce rivals Brazil 1-0 in a friendly in Riyadh. The Barcelona forward was suspended by CONMEBOL for accusing South American football's ruling body of "corruption" after he was sent off in July's third-place play-off with […]

Helsinki (AFP) – Finland qualified for their first major tournament finals as they beat Liechtenstein 3-0 on Friday to guarantee a place at Euro 2020. Norwich City forward Teemu Pukki scored twice in Helsinki and Jasse Tuominen also netted to bring the home crowd pouring onto the pitch at the final whistle as Finland secured […]

Belfast (AFP) – Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill plans to remain in charge should his country reach the Euro 2020 qualifying play-offs despite his impending move to Stoke. Northern Ireland host the Netherlands in what could be O'Neill's final match in charge at Windsor Park on Saturday after he was announced as Stoke's new boss […]

Madrid (AFP) – Footballers in Spain's women's league launched an indefinite strike on Friday seeking to double the minimum wage to 16,000 euros ($17,680), the players' union AFE announced. The Association of Women's Football Clubs (ACFF) believes the more modest clubs will be unable to afford wages with the minimum currently set at 8,000 euros. […]

Abidjan (AFP) – Football legend Didier Drogba helped launch a drive Friday to plant a million trees to halt deforestation in Ivory Coast. The "One Day, One Million Trees" campaign "is a first step, the start of the recovery," Forestry and Water Resources Minister Alain Richard Donwahi said in Abidjan, the country's main city. "Our […]

Madrid (AFP) – Attempts to stage a Spanish La Liga match in Miami were foiled on Friday by a Madrid court which ruled the Villarreal v Atletico Madrid tie scheduled for December 6 cannot be played in the United States. Spanish football's top flight features star attractions Barcelona and Real Madrid and enjoys a worldwide […]

Düsseldorf (Germany) (AFP) – Germany head coach Joachim Loew insisted Friday his fledgling team can not be considered among the favourites for Euro 2020 as they look to wrap up qualification against Belarus this weekend. "I don't think we're among the top favourites," said Loew ahead of Saturday's Group C qualifier, citing world champions France, […]