Lausanne (AFP) – UEFA chief Aleksander Ceferin's promise to wage war on stadium racists will be put to the test when charges of monkey chants and Nazi salutes against Bulgaria fans are heard by a disciplinary commission on October 28. "The Bulgaria case will be examined October 28," a UEFA spokesperson told AFP on Thursday. […]

London (AFP) – Mesut Ozil has opened up about being at the centre of an attempted car-jacking and his explosive resignation from the Germany team following racist abuse. The Arsenal midfielder, his wife Amine and team-mate Sead Kolasinac were involved in a terrifying car-jacking on July 25, two weeks before the Premier League season started. […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde said Thursday he believes next weekend's 'El Clasico' against Real Madrid will go ahead as planned at their Camp Nou stadium despite violent pro-separatist protests in Catalonia. The Spanish football league (LFP) on Wednesday said it had asked the country's football federation (RFEF) to move the October 26 […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal manager Unai Emery praised an "improved" Mesut Ozil but refused to give any guarantees Thursday of a recall after a miserable start to the season for the German playmaker. Ozil, 31, has made just one Premier League appearance this season and has not even been selected in Emery's squad for the […]

Paris (AFP) – Rudi Garcia begins his reign as Lyon manager on Saturday with what should be a simple task against lowly Dijon, as he attempts to win over underwhelmed fans and turn around a season that is already threatening to go off the rails. Garcia, 55, took charge of the off-form outfit on Monday […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United's hopes of upsetting the odds against Premier League leaders Liverpool on Sunday suffered a fresh blow as manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirmed both Paul Pogba and David de Gea will miss the clash at Old Trafford through injury. De Gea pulled up with a muscle problem during Spain's 1-1 draw […]

London (AFP) – Mauricio Pochettino does not want to make major changes at Tottenham in the January transfer window despite a poor start to his sixth season in charge. Spurs have won just three of their opening 11 games in all competitions, crashing out of the League Cup to fourth-tier Colchester and suffering a humiliating […]

Sofia (AFP) – A Bulgarian teenager was indicted for "grave hooliganism" while four others were fined and received stadium bans over racist abuse at a Euro 2020 qualifier against England, officials said Thursday. Monkey chants and apparent Nazi salutes during Monday's match in Sofia sparked a storm of protest that overshadowed England's 6-0 win and […]

London (AFP) – Mezut Ozil has opened up about being at the centre of an attempted car-jacking, saying he feared for his wife's safety during the terrifying ordeal in London. The Arsenal midfielder, his wife Amine and team-mate Sead Kolasinac were all caught up in the incident on July 25, two weeks before the start […]

London (AFP) – British rock legend Elton John says Watford football club were his unlikely saviour as he experienced the "worst period of my life" in the 1980's. The 72-year-old Englishman — known for his zany outfits when performing on stage and hits such as 'Rocket Man' and 'Goodbye Yellowbrick Road' — has been chairman […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is "100 percent sure" that the club has the right structure in place and says money is available to strengthen his struggling squad. United are 12th in the Premier League table, just two points above the relegation zone and 15 adrift of league leaders Liverpool ahead […]

Incheon (South Korea) (AFP) – South Korea's footballers had no idea their surreal World Cup qualifier in Pyongyang would be played in an empty stadium -– a match Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min described as "very aggressive" and one official likened to warfare. The contest against North Korea ended 0-0 on Tuesday, with FIFA president […]

Milan (AFP) – Troubled former Italian footballing giants AC Milan have suffered record losses, according to reports in Italy on Wednesday. Gazzetta Dello Sport claimed that in the year to June 30, 2019, losses rose by 16 percent to 146 million ($162 million) euros compared to 126 million euros for the same period the previous […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – Two years after the seismic shock of failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, the United States men's soccer team is struggling to shake off the hangover. The reign of US manager Gregg Berhalter plunged to a fresh nadir on Tuesday as the Americans were outplayed and beaten 2-0 by […]

Berlin (AFP) – RB Leipzig midfielder Diego Demme will be swapping his boots for a control pad when he joins the club's four-man eSports team ahead of the start of the 2019/20 Virtual Bundesliga season next month. On the pitch, the 27-year-old has played in Leipzig's seven Bundesliga games so far this season under coach […]