Berlin (AFP) – German football coach Markus Gisdol said Tuesday that he quit as head coach of Russian side Lokomotiv Moscow in protest over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "Being a football coach is the best job in the world, but I can't pursue my vocation in a country whose leader is responsible for a war of […]

London (AFP) – England's referees' chief has apologised to Everton manager Frank Lampard for mistakes made in Saturday's defeat by Manchester City, according to British media reports. An angry Lampard labelled VAR official Chris Kavanagh a "professional who cannot do his job right" after the 1-0 loss to the Premier League champions at Goodison Park. […]

London (AFP) – West Ham manager David Moyes said Tuesday he would not rush Andriy Yarmolenko back into action after the club gave the Ukraine international time off following the invasion of his country by Russia. The 32-year-old winger was not part of the Hammers' squad for Sunday's 1-0 Premier League win over Wolves. Moyes, […]

London (AFP) – Pep Guardiola has urged Jack Grealish to ignore his critics and his underwhelming statistics after a slow start to his Manchester City career. The England midfielder has not been the dominant force he was at Aston Villa since his British-record £100 million ($134 million) move to the Premier League champions in August, […]

Bergamo (Italy) (AFP) – Atalanta cruised past Sampdoria 4-0 on Monday to keep pace with Juventus in Serie A's race for the Champions League. Mario Pasalic's early strike, goals in each half from Teun Koopmeiners and Aleksei Miranchuk's late finish ensured that Atalanta stayed three points behind Juve, who sit in fourth after their win […]

London (AFP) – Premier League strugglers Leeds named American Jesse Marsch as their new manager on Monday, a day after sacking Marcelo Bielsa. The 48-year-old former RB Leipzig boss arrives with Leeds sitting just two points above the relegation zone. The club said Marsch had been appointed "pending international clearance" on a deal running until […]

Barcelona (AFP) – After accusing Ousmane Dembele of "blackmail" in January, Barcelona president Joan Laporta on Monday said he "hoped" the French winger would "think" about extending his contract "at the end of the season." Laporta's remarks followed a dazzling display by the 24-year-old French World Cup winner against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday. Dembele's contract […]

Geneva (AFP) – The International Olympic Committee on Monday urged sports federations and organisers to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from international events following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Just hours later, FIFA kicked Russia out of the 2022 World Cup as football's global governing body and UEFA joined forces to expel Russian national […]

Paris (AFP) – Russia has been expelled from the World Cup after being suspended from all international competitions "until further notice", FIFA and UEFA announced in a joint statement on Monday, while European football's governing body also ended its partnership with Russian energy giant Gazprom. The men's team had been due to play in qualifying […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal on Monday announced record losses of £107.3 million ($143 million) for the financial year ending May 31, 2021. After losses of less than £50 million in the previous year, the Premier League club hit their highest ever post-tax losses in their latest financial statement. Around £85 million of that downturn was […]

London (AFP) – English Football League chiefs have asked Derby's administrators for an "urgent update" on how the financially stricken Championship club will be funded for the rest of the season. Derby's administrators Quantuma agreed a four-week extension to the deadline to provide proof of funding in late January. But the Football League on Monday […]

London (AFP) – "Your input and passion made it possible," Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel told Roman Abramovich as the pair celebrated a 19th trophy of the Russian billionaire's reign as owner at the Club World Cup earlier this month. Just a few weeks on, the future for Abramovich and the London club he has owned […]

London (AFP) – Pep Guardiola says Ukraine defender Oleksandr Zinchenko will play in Manchester City's FA Cup fifth-round tie at Peterborough on Tuesday. In the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Zinchenko was an unused substitute for City's victory against Everton on Saturday. The 25-year-old attended an anti-war vigil in Manchester city centre following the […]

Geneva (AFP) – The International Olympic Committee on Monday urged sports federations and organisers to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from international events following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The recommendation could trigger further announcements with FIFA in "advanced discussions" to expel Russia from the 2022 World Cup, a source with knowledge of the […]

Naples (Italy) (AFP) – Barcelona cruised into the last 16 of the Europa League on Thursday after comfortably seeing off Napoli 4-2 to go through 5-3 on aggregate in a serious show of force. The Catalan giants were on top almost from the off in Naples thanks to Jordi Alba expertly finishing a lightning counter-attack […]