London (AFP) – Scotland international Matt Ritchie is expected to be out for up two months due to an ankle injury in a major blow to struggling Premier League side Newcastle. The 29-year-old midfielder suffered ligament damage and cuts, which required stitches, following a tackle by Leicester's Hamza Choudhury in the League Cup clash on […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Springbok Aphiwe Dyantyi's B sample has tested positive for banned substances, the South African Institute for Drug Free Sport said Friday. It was disclosed last weekend that the 2018 Rugby World Breakthrough Player of the Year had tested positive after a Springbok training camp in July. Dyantyi, who missed out on […]

Madrid (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain winger Pablo Sarabia was handed a first call-up to the Spain squad Friday but the announcement was overshadowed by news of the death of former coach Luis Enrique's daughter. Luis Enrique, who stood down in June for personal reasons that were not made public at the time, announced on Thursday […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has laughed off the idea that Zlatan Ibrahimovic could make a shock return to Manchester United. Ibrahimovic will be out of contract at LA Galaxy in November, once the MLS season has ended, and stated in an interview earlier this week that he would be open to […]

Rome (AFP) – Manchester United defender Chris Smalling has travelled to Italy to complete a loan move to Serie A club Roma, the English team's manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirmed on Friday. The 29-year-old England centre-back joined United from Fulham in 2010 and extended his contract until 2022 last December. "Chris is on his way […]

Berlin (AFP) – Ex-Germany goalkeeper Oliver Kahn will join Bayern Munich's board in January to be groomed to replace club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the Bundesliga giants announced Friday amid a backroom upheaval. The appointment of Kahn, who played for Bayern from 1994 until 2008, was approved by Bayern's board late Thursday, just hours after club […]

London (AFP) – Frank Lampard's first season at Chelsea remains a work in progress but the emergence of Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham means there are already significant positives to be drawn from the new era at Stamford Bridge. Lampard – whose side face Sheffield United at home this weekend – promised to provide opportunities […]

Paris (AFP) – French football is in the midst of a culture war over homophobic chanting as Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain prepare for a trip to Metz on Friday shorn of their superstar frontline amid rumours of Neymar's imminent departure for Barcelona. Prosecutors in Nice revealed on Thursday they had opened an investigation after […]

Berlin (AFP) – Polish striker Robert Lewandowski will once again take centre-stage as Bayern Munich look to catch up with their Bundesliga title challengers with a home win over strugglers Mainz on Saturday. Two days after signing a new contract which will keep him at the club until 2023, the 31-year-old will be eager to […]

Madrid (AFP) – Zinedine Zidane has said he will breathe a sigh of relief when the transfer window closes but Barcelona might need every minute until midnight on Monday to get a deal for Neymar finally done. "I can't wait for September 2 so I don't have to answer these questions anymore," said Zidane last […]

New York (AFP) – Veteran striker Carli Lloyd bagged the 115th goal of her international career as the all-conquering United States beat Portugal 4-0 in the latest leg of their World Cup victory tour on Thursday. Philadelphia native Lloyd, 37, prodded home a close-range finish on 52 minutes to put the US 3-0 up before […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal and Tottenham battle for North London supremacy on Sunday in an early indicator as to who will be Manchester City and Liverpool's closest challengers for the Premier League title. City and Liverpool have already moved clear of the chasing pack with Jurgen Klopp's men boasting the only 100 percent record after […]

Paris (AFP) – Celtic cruised into the Europa League group stage on Thursday, the Scottish champions later joined in Friday's draw by their fierce rivals Rangers. While Celtic crushed Swedish club AIK 4-1 in their play-off second leg to progress 6-1 on aggregate, Rangers edged Legia Warsaw 1-0 thanks to Alfredo Morelos' injury-time header after […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United cut their losses on Alexis Sanchez on Thursday as the Chilean joined Inter Milan on a 10-month loan deal with the English giants still on the hook for much of his reported £400,000 a week salary. The Red Devils believed they were closing the gap on Manchester City when they […]

London (AFP) – Alexis Sanchez joined Italian giants Inter Milan on a season-long loan deal from Manchester United, both clubs announced on Thursday. Sanchez, 30, has endured a miserable time in Manchester since joining the Red Devils in January 2018 as reportedly the highest paid player in the Premier League. The Chilean scored just five […]