London (AFP) – Chelsea's Kai Havertz is to auction off the specially-designed boots he will wear in Sunday's Premier League match against Arsenal in a bid to raise funds for those affected by flooding in his native Germany. Some 189 people lost their lives in severe floods that pummelled western Germany in mid-July, with houses […]

Madrid (AFP) – French striker Karim Benzema has signed a new deal with Real Madrid to keep him at the La Liga club until 2023, the Spanish outfit said on Friday. The versatile 33-year-old forward joined Madrid back in 2009 from Lyon and he has racked up an impressive 560 matches for them since. He […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said on Friday he was surprised his side were forced to play their Premier League opener at Brentford last week despite a coronavirus outbreak that saw four players test positive. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, Willian and reserve goalkeeper Alex Runarsson missed the match. An extra round of testing […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal secured the signing of Martin Odegaard from Real Madrid on a permanent deal on Friday after the Norwegian international midfielder impressed during a loan spell at the Emirates last season. The 22-year-old will reportedly cost the Gunners an initial £30 million ($41 million) with Arsenal also expected to splash £30 million […]

Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona face Athletic Bilbao on Saturday in their first away match since the departure of Lionel Messi, hoping to back up a promising La Liga opener last weekend, while Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid also look to notch second straight wins. Ronald Koeman's Barca beat Real Sociedad 4-2 last weekend despite the […]

Paris (AFP) – With Serie A getting underway six weeks after Italy's triumph at Euro 2020, the 2021/22 season is in full swing across Europe. AFP Sport previews the pick of the action on the continent, as Lionel Messi waits for his Paris Saint-Germain debut, his old club focus on life after the Argentine, and […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal's miserable start to the Premier League season could get even worse as Chelsea unleash record signing Romelu Lukaku for his debut on Sunday, while Liverpool and Manchester United look to build on a promising start to their title challenge. Lukaku has returned to Stamford Bridge, seven years after his first spell […]

Berlin (AFP) – After thwarting Dortmund star Erling Braut Haaland, Bayern Munich's new centre-back pairing Niklas Suele and Dayot Upamecano can help the defending champions claim their first Bundesliga win this season at home to Cologne on Sunday. The pressure was on Suele and Upamecano to forge a partnership after the departures of double Champions […]

Milan (AFP) – Jose Mourinho is the biggest name to arrive on a Serie A bench this summer but the once Special One's shock move to Roma is one of 12 managerial changes in Italy's top flight in a chaotic summer. AFP Sport picks out the key new faces leading the country's top clubs. Jose […]

Paris (AFP) – A new-look Tottenham slipped to a 1-0 defeat at Pacos de Ferreira of Portugal in their Europa Conference League play-off first leg on Thursday. Coach Nuno Espirito Santo made 11 changes to the team that defeated champions Manchester City in their Premier League opener at the weekend. Not surprisingly, it was a […]

Miami (AFP) – Two-time reigning champion United States will have a revamped qualifying path to the 2023 Women's World Cup under changes announced Thursday by CONCACAF. North American football's governing body will stage a new women's event, the CONCACAF W Championship, in 2022 and an inaugural 12-team Women's Gold Cup in 2024. Qualifiers for the […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea defender Emerson Palmieri has joined French side Lyon on loan for the remainder of the season, the Premier League club announced Thursday. The 27-year-old Brazil-born Italy international, who can play at left-back or wing-back, joined the Blues from Roma in January 2018. Emerson, a member of the Italy squad that won […]

Paramount+ will offer Italian-language commentary of Serie A games, starting with select matches during the opening weekend of coverage of the 2021/22 season. For subscribers of Paramount+, an option will be available to choose the Italian language or English-language commentary of select games. The intention is that more games will be available in the native […]

Rome (AFP) – Pedro has become the first player to move between fierce rivals Roma and Lazio for 36 years, as the latter announced the Spanish winger's signing on Thursday. The 34-year-old former Barcelona and Chelsea player has joined Lazio on a free transfer after new Roma coach Jose Mourinho deemed him surplus to requirements. […]

Paris (AFP) – Real Madrid are not hiding their desire to sign Kylian Mbappe but Paris Saint-Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino insists he can't imagine the France superstar playing for another club this season. Mbappe is out of contract next June and his future has dominated headlines in France and in Spain since Lionel Messi's shock […]