Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu on Friday said Neymar "did everything" to force through a return to the Camp Nou from Paris Saint-Germain in the close season, but his club could "not meet" the French champions' demands. The long-running transfer saga ended earlier this week with Neymar staying at PSG, who paid […]

London (AFP) – Gareth Southgate said on Friday that England's strength in depth has given him a welcome headache as he plots a path to Euro 2020. Southgate's side can take another step towards next year's tournament when they host Bulgaria at Wembley on Saturday. After reaching last year's World Cup semi-finals, then making it […]

London (AFP) – Bulgaria captain Ivelin Popov plans to add a personal touch to his collection of Wembley memorabilia when his side face England on Saturday. Popov owns the shirt of the only Bulgaria international to score at the English national stadium after buying Georgi Asparuhov's shirt at an auction. Asparuhov netted in a 1-1 […]

Paris (AFP) – Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo will earn 162 million euros ($139 million) from his contract with Nike, documents in the latest Football Leaks revelation carried by Der Spiegel magazine showed on Friday. His most recent deal, which is to run until 2026, also included a bonus of four million euros for […]

London (AFP) – Championship club Sheffield Wednesday have appointed Garry Monk as their new manager. Monk replaces Steve Bruce after the former Wednesday boss took charge of Newcastle in the close-season. First-team coach Lee Bullen had been in temporary charge at Hillsborough since Bruce's departure. Monk, a former Leeds, Swansea and Middlesbrough manager, arrives with […]

Moscow (AFP) – A Russian court on Friday ruled that Russian footballers Pavel Mamaev and Alexander Kokorin could be released on parole after spending 11 months in jail for the drunken assault of a government official. Krasnodar midfielder Mamaev and Zenit Saint Petersburg forward Kokorin will walk free in 10 days following the court's decision, […]

Milan (AFP) – Chris Smalling said Friday he could see himself long-term at new club Roma after arriving in Italy on a year-long loan deal from Manchester United. "This is an opportunity that came to me that I was very interested in, and I was very eager to come," the 29-year-old defender said during his […]

Rennes (France) (AFP) – The head of French football has pulled away from a hardline stance against homophobic chanting and banners in stadiums on Friday, saying that "too many matches" have been stopped due to anti-gay abuse. Noel Le Graet, president of the French Football Federation (FFF), said that the FFF would not instruct referees […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – Argentina and Chile ground out a 0-0 draw here Thursday in a niggly friendly international between the two South American rivals. Argentina, missing the suspended Lionel Messi and several other European-based stars including Sergio Aguero and Angel Di Maria, enjoyed the better chances but were unable to find a goal in […]

London (AFP) – England's Women's Super League (WSL) commences this weekend hoping to ride the wave of interest that accompanied the Lionesses run to the semi-finals of the World Cup and keep fans coming back for more. For the first time Manchester United are part of a 12-team top-tier, making up England's largest ever professional […]

Dublin (AFP) – Mick McCarthy has his sights set on Euro 2020 after David McGoldrick rescued the Republic of Ireland's unbeaten qualifying record with a late equaliser in Thursday's 1-1 draw against Switzerland. McCarthy's side were five minutes away from their first defeat of the campaign after Fabian Schar put the Swiss ahead at the […]

Buenos Aires (AFP) – Argentine legend Diego Maradona will take over as coach of Superliga side Gimnasia, the club announced on its Twitter account Thursday. "Welcome Diego! Every corner of the most beautiful club in the world greets you," the La Plata-based club said. The former Argentina coach quit his job at Mexican second division […]

Paris (AFP) – Spain took a step closer to qualification for Euro 2020 on Thursday after surviving a scare in Romania to win 2-1 and continue their 100 percent record, while Italy also kept their perfect start with a 3-1 win in Armenia. A Sergio Ramos first half penalty and a beautiful team goal finished […]

Miami (AFP) – Brazil coach Tite said Neymar will make a long-awaited return from injury when the South American champions take on Colombia in a friendly in Miami on Friday. Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar has not played since suffering an ankle injury in a friendly against Qatar in June which ruled him out of the […]

Doha (AFP) – Almoez Ali grabbed a hat-trick as Qatar started their build-up to the 2022 World Cup and the 2023 Asian Cup in emphatic fashion, routing minnows Afghanistan 6-0 in a joint qualifying Group E clash in Doha on Thursday. Qatar’s group also includes India, Bangladesh and Oman, with the table toppers along with […]