Paris (AFP) – Marseille won their first match under new coach Andre Villas-Boas on Wednesday thanks to a 2-1 derby win at Nice in a match that was suspended in the first half following homophobic abuse from the home side's hardcore supporters. Dimitri Payet moved his side up to 13th on four points with a […]

London (AFP) – Manchester City will start their defence of the English League Cup with a third-round trip to second-tier side Preston next month, while Wednesday's draw also pitted Liverpool against MK Dons. Championship outfit Preston will be the first team to attempt to end City's bid for a second straight domestic treble when they […]

Paris (AFP) – Summer signing Edson Alvarez and captain Dusan Tadic scored as last season's semi-finalists Ajax beat APOEL 2-0 in their Champions League play-off second leg on Wednesday to secure their spot in Thursday's draw for the group stage. Mexican international defender Alvarez, a 15 million-euro ($16.6 million) recruit from Club America to replace […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – A woeful start to the season by famed South African club Orlando Pirates continued Wednesday when they were held 0-0 at home by modest Golden Arrows in the Premiership. The Soweto Buccaneers are winless in six matches in all competitions and have scored just one goal in 540 minutes. After defeating Bloemfontein […]

London (AFP) – Historic football club Bolton, one of the founders of the English Football League, avoided the fate of their historic rivals Bury from being expelled from the league when a takeover was finally approved on Wednesday. Bolton had been under threat of suffering the same fate as fellow third tier side Bury, who […]

Nice (France) (AFP) – The Ligue 1 derby between Nice and Marseille was suspended on Wednesday following homophobic chants from the home side's hardcore supporters. Players from both teams were escorted from the pitch in the 28th minute of the contest following repeated appeals to stop chants of "Marseille are a bunch of queers" and […]

Lyon (AFP) – Portuguese international goalkeeper Anthony Lopes has signed a extension to his Lyon contract which will keep him at his boyhood club until at least 2023, the Ligue 1 side announced on Wednesday. Lyon revealed in a statement that 28-year-old Lopes, who was born near the city and has been at the club […]

Lille (France) (AFP) – Nigerian starlet Victor Osimhen shot a brace that took him to the top of the Ligue 1 scoring charts as Lille cruised to a simple 3-0 win over Saint-Etienne on Wednesday. The 20-year-old fired in the hosts' opener shortly before the break and sealed the points with a fine turn-and-strike 15 […]

London (AFP) – A buyer has been found for stricken Bolton Wanderers, staving off the imminent threat of extinction, the English third-tier club announced on Wednesday. "We are pleased to announce the sale of Bolton Wanderers to Football Ventures (Whites) Limited has been completed," the club, who were on the verge of liquidation, said in […]

Paris (AFP) – Neymar trained with his Paris Saint-Germain teammates on Wednesday as reports in France and Spain indicated a protracted deal to take him back to his old club Barcelona may still be reached before the transfer deadline. The transfer window closes on Monday, September 2, leaving Barcelona in a race against time to […]

Milan (AFP) – Manchester United forward Alexis Sanchez arrived in Milan on Wednesday ahead of a reported one-year loan move to Inter, according to multiple reports. The 30-year-old was photographed waving to fans at the airport and was whisked away for a medical before signing a contract later in the day, Sky Sports Italia and […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – Ajax teenager Sergino Dest earned his first call-up to the United States senior squad on Wednesday as coach Gregg Berhalter named a 26-man roster for upcoming friendlies with Mexico and Uruguay. Dest, the son of an American father and Dutch mother, is one of two players from the USA's 2019 FIFA […]

Milan (AFP) – Bologna coach Sinisa Mihajlovic was discharged from hospital on Wednesday after undergoing a gruelling schedule of chemotherapy for acute leukaemia. The 50-year-old had been hailed for his exceptional courage in attending his team's Serie A opener last weekend, in spite of his condition. The Serb watched from the bench at Stadio Marc'Antonio […]

London (AFP) – Egyptian star Mohamed Salah may be setting European and English football alight now but when he arrived in Switzerland he cast a few doubts in the mind of his first coach Heiko Vogel. The 27-year-old forward — an integral part of Liverpool's Champions League success last season — has started the campaign […]

London (AFP) – Historic English club Bury became the first team to be expelled from the English Football League since Maidstone United in 1992 on Tuesday. Here AFP Sport picks out the most striking reactions to the expulsion of the two-time FA Cup winners: "I've obviously been living it as my mum's been secretary for […]