Milan (AFP) – Mario Balotelli on Monday reacted with anger after the head of Verona's hard core ultras fans group fuelled the racism row by denying any abuse had been directed at the Brescia forward who he said could not even be considered Italian. Italian international Balotelli scored in a 2-1 Serie A defeat on […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has called for an "open conversation" on VAR after another weekend of controversy in the Premier League as he prepares his team to face Ajax in the Champions League. Chelsea, who are fourth in the Premier League, endured a nervy end to their match against Watford on Saturday […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has dismissed Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola's allegation that Sadio Mane is a diver ahead of next weekend's clash between the Premier League title rivals. Mane was booked after failing to win a penalty and then provided an assist before scoring the winner in a last-gasp 2-1 victory […]

Madrid (AFP) – Mexican coach Javier Aguirre will take charge of Leganes for the remainder of the season following the sacking last month of the Argentine Mauricio Pellegrino, the La Liga club announced Monday. "Leganes and Mexican coach Javier Aguirre Onaindia reached an agreement for the Aztec coach to take charge of the Pepineros' bench […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich are looking for a new head coach after Niko Kovac was sacked in the wake of their 5-1 drubbing at Eintracht Frankfurt — their worst Bundesliga defeat in 10 years. Despite his team routing Tottenham 7-2 in the Champions League in early October, Bayern severed ties with Kovac on Sunday […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – UEFA Champions League winner and record South Africa goal scorer Benni McCarthy was sacked Monday as coach of top-flight strugglers Cape Town City. McCarthy, 41, has battled during his third season in charge with City winning only one of nine league matches and making early exits from two knockout competitions. The poor […]

Paris (AFP) – The chances of Sadio Mane succeeding Mohamed Salah as African Footballer of the Year increased at the weekend after another superb performance in a dramatic Premier League win for Liverpool. While Egyptian Salah was substituted, Senegalese forward Mane created the equaliser and scored the winner as the Reds recovered to win […]

London (AFP) – Jamie Vardy is playing with a smile on his face after "little adjustments" helped him rocket to the top of the Premier League goalscoring charts, according to Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers. The 32-year-old former England marksman took his tally to 10 league goals with the Foxes' second goal in their 2-0 win […]

London (AFP) – Manchester City captain David Silva looks set to miss the top of the table clash with leaders Liverpool on Sunday due to injury, said City manager Pep Guardiola. The 33-year-old Spanish attacking midfielder in his last season with the club suffered a muscular injury towards the end of the first-half of Saturday's […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino hinted the club may appeal against Son Heung-min's red card following the horrific injury suffered by Everton's Andre Gomes in the 1-1 draw on Sunday. Pochettino — whose side were denied a first away win in the league since January with a late stoppage time equaliser from Cenk […]

Shanghai (AFP) – Under-fire Fabio Cannavaro will remain coach of struggling Guangzhou Evergrande for now, but only after a stinging rebuke from the club's hierarchy who warned he needed to get things right. Cannavaro's two-year reign as manager had appeared all but over last week after the club announced that he would be sidelined indefinitely […]

Shanghai (AFP) – Yaya Toure's red card after 10 seconds and a last-minute winner completed a great escape from relegation for the only English coach in Chinese football. Gary White's managerial career has taken in the British Virgin Islands, The Bahamas, Guam, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and now mainland China for a second time. But […]

London (AFP) – Christian Pulisic had to be patient in the early months of his Chelsea career, but the United States captain and talisman now has the chance to make his mark on the Champions League after earning his place in a rapidly rising side. Pulisic scored his fourth goal in two Premier League games […]

Berlin (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund and their under-fire coach Lucien Favre hope to maintain the 'feel-good' factor from back-to-back wins as they chase Champions League revenge at home to Inter Milan on Tuesday. A below-par performance saw Dortmund crash to a 2-0 defeat in Milan nearly a fortnight ago, sparking reports Jose Mourinho was waiting […]

Madrid (AFP) – They may be one of Europe's most devastating teams at their best but another collapse in La Liga last weekend has shown Barcelona can be a soft touch. Their 3-1 defeat by Levante on Saturday reopened old wounds from Anfield and Rome and suggests they have not learned from either of those […]