London (AFP) – Norway suffered a shock exit from Euro 2022 as the pre-tournament title contenders crashed to a 1-0 defeat against Austria on Friday. Despite the presence of Lyon star Ada Hegerberg in their line-up, Norway paid the price for another lacklustre display in Brighton. Norway failed to advance from Group A after a […]

New York (AFP) – Major League Soccer issued a 10-game doping suspension to Sporting Kansas City defender Kortne Ford on Friday and fined him 20% of his annual salary. The 26-year-old American tested positive for an unspecified performance-enhancing substance in a violation of the MLS Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health Policy. The ban began Wednesday […]

New York (AFP) – Darren Eales, president of Major League Soccer's Atlanta United and a former executive director at Tottenham Hotspur, will become the new chief executive officer at Newcastle United, clubs announced Friday. Eales, a 49-year-old Englishman, was hired by the US side in 2014. He will remain with Atlanta through August 8 and […]

London (AFP) – Riyad Mahrez signed a two-year contract extension with Premier League champions Manchester City on Friday. Algeria winger Mahrez has been rewarded with a new deal that keeps him at City until 2025 after helping them retain the English title. Since arriving from Leicester for £60 million ($71 million) four years ago, Mahrez […]

Singapore (AFP) – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was ruing an untimely injury suffered by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain after his side's 2-0 win over Crystal Palace in Singapore on Friday. Goals by Jordan Henderson and Mohamed Salah sealed victory in front of a packed National Stadium, but the Reds will be concerned about injuries to key players […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Christian Eriksen said he chose to join Manchester United on a free transfer because the Old Trafford club is "special". Eriksen agreed a three-year contract with United on Friday after an impressive loan spell with Brentford in the second half of last season. The 30-year-old's switch to United completes an […]

Singapore (AFP) – Jordan Henderson and Mohamed Salah netted goals either side of half-time as Liverpool rounded off their pre-season tour of Southeast Asia with a 2-0 win over Premier League rivals Crystal Palace in Singapore on Friday. Reds captain Henderson broke the deadlock with a crisply struck effort after 12 minutes, and Salah extended […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Brazilian winger Raphinha said Friday that he is "fulfilling a childhood dream" as he was officially presented as a new Barcelona player. "It's a huge honour to be here," Raphinha said during the event at Barca's training centre. "I have many idols who have passed through here and made history. If I can […]

Melbourne (AFP) – Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford got on the scoresheet as Manchester United rallied from a goal down to beat Melbourne Victory 4-1 Friday and hand manager Erik ten Hag his second win since taking over. It followed their 4-0 thumping of Liverpool in Bangkok on Tuesday when Jadon Sancho, Fred, Martial and […]

Monterrey (Mexico) (AFP) – The United States downed Costa Rica 3-0 on Thursday to book a meeting with Canada in the CONCACAF W Championship with a 2024 Olympic berth on the line. Emily Sonnett and Mallory Pugh scored first-half goals before Ashley Sanchez added a third in injury time to seal a victory in a […]

Monterrey (Mexico) (AFP) – The United States eased into the final of the CONCACAF W Championship on Thursday, easing past Costa Rica 3-0 to move within one win of a place at the 2024 Olympics. Emily Sonnett and Mallory Pugh scored first half goals before Ashley Sanchez added a third in injury time to seal […]

Nairobi (AFP) – Africa's fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala on Thursday secured a last-minute visa to travel to the United States for the World Athletics Championships although he will have to start his 100m campaign just hours after arriving. Another African sprinter, Gift Leotlela, a semi-finalist in the 100m at the Tokyo Olympics, posted on social […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Italy and Iceland will take their bid to reach the Euro 2022 quarter-finals down to the last group game after sharing a 1-1 draw on Thursday. Karolina Lea Vilhjalmsdottir put Iceland ahead in the third minute with a sliced finished after Sveindis Jane Jonsdottir's long throw into the penalty area […]

After a turbulent season, the acquisition of Raheem Sterling marks the beginning of a new era for Chelsea FC. Last summer, the Blues stood as the kings of Europe. The Champions League title from 2020/21 is just the second in the club's history. Like their opponents in that final, Manchester City, Chelsea relied on a […]

Barcelona (AFP) – French international winger Ousmane Dembele, whose contract with Barcelona expired last month, ended six months of speculation by agreeing to 'rejoin' the Catalan side, the club announced on Thursday. "Staying at Barca was always my first choice," Dembele said on the pitch at Barcelona's training ground as he signed his two-year contract […]