Paris (AFP) – England and Italy are closing in on qualification for Euro 2020 as the two countries' talented young squads search for the single win that would guarantee them a place at a landmark tournament with matches to spare. The pair are two of five teams that can qualify for next summer's tournament in the […]

Lyon (AFP) – Lyon have decided to sack Brazilian coach Sylvinho just 11 matches into the season after a dreadful run of form, the Ligue 1 club said on Monday. The former Arsenal and Barcelona full-back only took over at the Groupama Stadium in May to replace Bruno Genesio. "OL have decided to implement a […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Espanyol, in the bottom two in La Liga with just one win eight matches, fired manager David Gallego on Monday and hired Pablo Machin. Gallego, who played much of his career for lower-division teams in Catalonia, joined Espanyol as a youth coach in 2013 and became head coach in June. "The club […]

Rome (AFP) – Coach Eusebio Di Francesco has left Sampdoria by mutual consent after only eight games in charge, the struggling Serie A club announced on Monday. The 50-year-old, who was sacked by Roma in March, had seen his Sampdoria outfit slump to the bottom of the Italian top flight after six defeats in their […]

Washington (AFP) – Los Angeles FC defender Walker Zimmerman is out and Toronto FC striker Jozy Altidore is questionable for the United States for Friday's match against Cuba, US Soccer said on Monday. Zimmerman was injured in the 66th minute of LAFC's 3-1 victory over the Colorado Rapids, which gave the club a final regular-season […]

Berlin (AFP) – RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner became the latest player to be ruled out of Germany's friendly with Argentina, prompting coach Joachim Loew to call for reinforcements on Monday. Loew added Hoffenheim midfielder Sebastian Rudy and uncapped Freiburg defender Robin Koch to the squad that will host Argentina on Wednesday and then travel […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris will be sidelined for the rest of the year after suffering a dislocated elbow in a dismal defeat at Brighton on Saturday. Lloris was stretchered from the field screaming in pain after dropping a cross before falling backwards and landing badly as he conceded Brighton's opening goal […]

Lausanne (AFP) – The former chief of the El Salvador football federation Reynaldo Vasquez was banned for life from all soccer-related activities after a corruption investigation, FIFA said on Monday. Vasquez was sentenced to eight years in jail on charges of embezzlement by a Salvadoran court in March 2017. On Monday, FIFA banned him for […]

Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines (France) (AFP) – Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris will "almost certainly" be out of action for the rest of the year after his horror injury at the weekend, France coach Didier Deschamps said on Monday. "It is difficult to say exactly how long he will not be available," said Deschamps as France players gathered […]

London (AFP) – Mohamed Salah sustained a twisted ankle in Liverpool's late victory over Leicester according to reports on Monday, but the Egyptian could still return for the Premier League leaders' clash at Manchester United on October 20. Salah hobbled off in added time during the 2-1 win over the Foxes on Saturday after being […]

London (AFP) – How far will Manchester United sink? Just two points above the relegation places, the one-time powerhouses of English football are without an away win since March and are enduring their worst start to a league season for 30 years. Old Trafford has witnessed a decline in fortunes since Alex Ferguson stepped down […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool have lived through enough near misses in 30 years not to take anything for granted in October, but an eight-point lead in the Premier League gives Jurgen Klopp's men a golden opportunity to end that long wait. The European champions came agonisingly close to fulfilling their title dreams in May, losing […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich chief Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has spoken out against the world champions France after they called up the injured defender Lucas Hernandez for their Euro 2020 qualifiers with Iceland and Turkey. Rummenigge had told the French football federation last week that Hernandez was unavailable because of the knee injury but the French […]

Paris (AFP) – Bayern Munich went from boom to bust after crushing Tottenham in the Champions League, while, Spain's big guns may be misfiring but top La Liga anyway. In Italy Antonio Conte's rebuilding of Inter is still a work in progress following defeat to dominant Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain have no real domestic rival. […]

Paris (AFP) – Sadio Mane goes into Senegal's friendly against Brazil in Singapore on Thursday after playing a pivotal role for Liverpool in a dramatic 2-1 Premier League win over Leicester. The Senegalese was the star African performer in the major European leagues, putting the Reds ahead, before a foul on him also led to […]