Barcelona (AFP) – Lawyers for Brazilian footballer Neymar and Spanish champions Barcelona failed Friday in their bid to avert a multi-million-dollar court battle over a tangled contact dispute. "It is going to court," Barcelona lawyer Josep Vives told journalists outside the court after the closed-door reconciliation talks had collapsed. A court official told journalists that […]

Berlin (AFP) – Philippe Coutinho says he already feels part of the "family" after forging a potent partnership with Robert Lewandowski at Bayern Munich. The defending German champions play three games in eight days, starting at Bundesliga bottom side Paderborn on Saturday before travelling to Spurs in the Champions League on Tuesday and then hosting […]

Barcelona (AFP) – A Spanish court will on Friday attempt to untangle a bitter multi-million-euro contract dispute between Brazilian star striker Neymar and his former club Barcelona. Although a court spokesman said the 27-year-old was obliged to show up person, his lawyers have said nothing although Spanish newspapers published videos of him arriving at Barcelona […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid have each averted a mini-crisis already this season and one of the rewards for the winner of the derby on Saturday would be to stall their rival's recovery. In a press conference last week, Zinedine Zidane was asked six questions about his future as coach of Real […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Everton played their part in denying Liverpool a long-awaited Premier League title last season, but could now come to the aid of their local rivals on Saturday when Manchester City travel to Goodison Park. City showed what they are capable of at their destructive best in a 8-0 humiliation of Watford last […]

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain will look to shake off a rare home league defeat this weekend when they travel to Bordeaux, where Kylian Mbappe could return from a month out with a thigh injury. Thomas Tuchel's side, depleted by a raft of injuries, slumped to a 2-0 loss against Reims on Wednesday which ended […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool and Manchester City are again threatening to streak clear in the Premier League title race with their main challengers looking ill-equipped to keep up. Both teams were irresistible last season, with runners-up Liverpool finishing 25 points ahead of third-placed Chelsea, and they look a class apart again in this campaign. The […]

Milan (AFP) – Skipper Andrea Belotti's quick-fire second-half double, including a sensational overhead kick in front of goal, sealed a 2-1 comeback win in Serie A over AC Milan on Thursday. Polish striker Krzysztof Piątek had put AC Milan ahead from the spot after 18 minutes in the clash between midtable rivals in the Olympic Stadium. […]

Madrid (AFP) – Sevilla threw away a two-goal lead and with it the chance to go second in La Liga as they lost 3-2 to Eibar on Thursday. Julen Lopetegui's side could have climbed above Atletico Madrid but instead slipped to their second consecutive defeat after conceding three times in 16 minutes at Ipurua. Lucas […]

Doha (AFP) – A top Qatari World Cup official has said that transgender and gay fans would be welcomed to the 2022 tournament but stressed that visitors would have to respect Qatari customs. Homosexual acts are banned in Qatar but the law around transgender people is unclear and the issue is seldom addressed in public […]

Zurich (AFP) – FIFA is weighing sending a delegation to Tehran to make sure women fans are admitted to the World Cup qualifying match between Iran and Cambodia on October 10. Former French World Cup winner Youri Djorkaeff told AFP on Thursday that he would be part of any delegation. "Iran is a hot topic and […]

London (AFP) – Derby have condemned an "alcohol-related incident" that has ruled captain Richard Keogh out of action until the end of the season because of a serious knee injury. The Telegraph reported that Keogh was injured in a car crash that also saw Rams duo Tom Lawrence and Mason Bennett charged with drink-driving shortly […]

Zurich (AFP) – FIFA will send a delegation to Tehran to make sure women fans are admitted to the World Cup qualifying match between Iran and Cambodia on October 10. Former French World Cup winner Youri Djorkaeff told AFP on Thursday that he would be part of the delegation. "Iran is a hot topic and I […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino accepted he must bear the brunt of criticism for his side's slump in form in 2019, but insisted things are not as bad for Spurs as a run of four wins in 17 games seems. Pochettino saw another opportunity to win the first trophy of his managerial career […]

Milan (AFP) – An oval stadium with interlocked rings or a 'cathedral' to football inspired by Milan's Duomo, the two short-listed projects for a new 1.2 billion euro ($1.34 billion) San Siro Stadium were officially unveiled by the city's two rival clubs on Thursday. AC Milan and Inter Milan — who share the iconic stadium […]