Libreville (AFP) – Burkina Faso's Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte says Jose Mourinho is "like a father" to him and revealed he received a phone call from his illustrious compatriot ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals. Duarte's side take on record seven-time champions Egypt in the first semi-final in Libreville on Wednesday after beating […]

London (AFP) – Premier League relegation battlers Hull signed Italian international defender Andrea Ranocchia on loan from Serie A side Inter Milan for the rest of the season on Tuesday. The 28-year-old — who won the last of his 21 caps in 2016 — has been at Inter since 2010 but fell out of favour […]

London (AFP) – Hull City midfielder Ryan Mason says he is lucky to be alive after fracturing his skull in a horrific clash of heads with Chelsea's Gary Cahill. Mason was rushed to hospital following the nasty incident in the first half of Hull's 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge on January 22. The 25-year-old feared […]

Lille (France) (AFP) – French club Lille have offered free tickets to women for their home game this weekend after sexist banners were unfurled in Saturday's Ligue 1 clash at Lyon. "Ladies, you are welcome with us!" Lille wrote on the club's Twitter account, offering tickets for Saturday's game against Lorient at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. A […]

Paris (AFP) – With Tuesday's transfer deadline fast approaching, Europe's major clubs have largely remained inactive this month with the exception of Manchester City, who completed the transfer of Brazilian starlet Gabriel Jesus, and Sevilla. European champions Real Madrid and city rivals Atletico Madrid were barred from signing new players under a FIFA imposed ban, […]

Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona coach Luis Enrique stressed his desire for Spanish football to embrace video technology in crucial refereeing decisions on Wednesday, whilst league chiefs expect trials to take place from next season. Barca were denied a clear goal in Sunday's controversial 1-1 draw at Real Betis when referee Alejandro Jose Hernandez failed to […]

London (AFP) – Traditionally renowned for frantic activity among Premier League clubs, the most notable incident for much of Tuesday's transfer deadline day was Leicester City forward Leonardo Ulloa's strike threat. The Argentina front man issued the dramatic warning in a bid to force a move from the defending champions. Bottom-of-the-table Sunderland are reported to […]

London (AFP) – West Ham manager Slaven Bilic has insisted Dimitri Payet has no need to apologise to the London club's supporters for his controversial return to Marseille. Payet rejoined the Ligue 1 side on a four-and-a-half-year deal after Marseille paid 30 million euros ($31.3 million, £25 million) to bring him back to the Stade […]

Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona will be without Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets once more as they face old foes Atletico Madrid in a fifth two-legged clash between the sides in four seasons with a place in the Copa del Rey final at stake on Wednesday. The presence of the Spanish international duo was badly missed […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Pep Guardiola has told "nice guy" Fernandinho he does not need to change his "English" style of play, despite being sent off three times in his last six appearances. The Manchester City midfielder has missed eight of the club's last 11 matches because of suspension, having been dismissed against Borussia […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Jose Mourinho has confirmed Wayne Rooney will remain at Manchester United for the rest of the season despite reports linking him with a move to the Chinese Super League. The Chinese transfer window does not close until the end of February and the England forward’s name has been linked repeatedly […]

Madrid (AFP) – Former Brazilian international Alexandre Pato is the latest high-profile player to be tempted by the riches of China's Super League after joining Tianjin Quanjian from La Liga side Villarreal. Pato, 27, will be coached by Italian World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro and joins Belgian international Axel Witsel at Tianjin after he sealed […]

Istanbul (AFP) – Togo captain and former English Premier League star Emmanuel Adebayor on Tuesday joined Turkish top flight side Medipol Basaksehir of Istanbul, surprise contenders for this year's league title. The club announced that the 32-year-old former Arsenal, Manchester City, Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur forward was joining on its official Instagram page, posting […]

London (AFP) – Leicester's unsettled striker Leonardo Ulloa has threatened to go on strike to force a deadline transfer on Tuesday. Ulloa handed in a transfer request two weeks ago but the Premier League champions have reportedly rejected a bid from Spanish club Alaves because manager Claudio Ranieri would prefer to keep him. The 30-year-old […]

Kinshasa (AFP) – They may be out of the tournament, but the Democratic Republic of Congo's footballers will be forever remembered by Africa Cup of Nations fans for their dance moves on the pitch. DR Congo players danced the "Fimbu" seven times at the CAN 2017 tournament in Gabon — once for each goal scored […]