London (AFP) – Sunderland defender Papy Djilobodji has been charged with violent conduct by England's governing Football Association following an incident late in Saturday's 2-0 Premier League loss at West Bromwich Albion. Djilobodji, who could be banned for up to four matches if found guilty, appeared to swing his arms at West Brom midfielder Darren […]

Moscow (AFP) – The draw for the 2018 World Cup finals hosted by Russia will take place in the Kremlin on December 1, the country's Football Union (RFU) chief Vitaly Mutko said Monday. Mutko, Russia's deputy prime minister, said that FIFA had approved the plan, which world football's ruling body later confirmed. "The World Cup […]

London (AFP) – Arsene Wenger apologised after he was sent off and then shoved the fourth official during Arsenal's dramatic 2-1 win over Burnley but could still face a significant ban. Having taken the lead through Shkodran Mustafi's first goal for the club on Sunday, Arsenal saw Granit Xhaka dismissed for a needless foul and […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was charged with misconduct by England's governing Football Association on Monday after an alleged altercation with the fourth official during Sunday's 2-1 Premier League win over Burnley. The veteran French boss was dismissed from his technical area by referee Jon Moss after being angered by the award of […]

Dortmund (Germany) (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund on Monday snapped up Swedish teenage prodigy Alexander Isak in the face of intense competition from Real Madrid and other top European clubs. Isak — dubbed the next Zlatan Ibrahimovic — moved from AIK after just 24 games in the Swedish championship for a reported 10 million euros ($10.7m). […]

London (AFP) – Hull City midfielder Ryan Mason has been talking in hospital about the incident which left him with a fractured skull, the Premier League club said Monday. The 25-year-old Mason suffered the injury when he accidentally clashed heads with Chelsea's Gary Cahill in the 14th minute of Hull's eventual 2-0 loss away to […]

Abu Dhabi (AFP) – India was pitted against Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar and Macau when the draw for the final round of qualifying for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup took place Monday. India, which like other Asian nations has invested heavily in football in recent years, is hoping to reach its first Asian Cup finals since 2011. […]

London (AFP) – Ryan Mason's clash of heads with Chelsea's Gary Cahill has again set alarm bells ringing over the risk of head injuries across a number of high profile sports. The 25-year-old Hull City midfielder remained "stable condition" in hospital after the brutal impact with Cahill, 14 minutes into Sunday's Premier League match at […]

Port-Gentil (Gabon) (AFP) – Angry fans attacked the home of Togo's Kossi Agassa and the "scarred" goalkeeper is now a major doubt for the decisive Africa Cup of Nations clash against DR Congo on Tuesday. The 38-year-old was blamed by Togolese fans for his role in the 3-1 defeat to Morocco last Friday and some […]

London (AFP) – Arsene Wenger apologised after he was sent off and then shoved the fourth official during Arsenal's dramatic 2-1 win over Burnley but could still face a significant ban. Having taken the lead through Shkodran Mustafi's first goal for the club on Sunday, Arsenal saw Granit Xhaka dismissed for a needless foul and […]

London (AFP) – The football world rallied around Ryan Mason on Monday after the Hull City midfielder fractured his skull and underwent surgery following a nasty clash of heads with Chelsea's Gary Cahill. The 25-year-old was in a stable condition in hospital following the collision with Cahill 14 minutes into Sunday's Premier League match at […]

Oyem (Gabon) (AFP) – Having guided the Ivory Coast to glory at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, Herve Renard is now hoping to end his former side's defence of the trophy when they face his Morocco team on Tuesday. The script could not have been better written, with Renard's Morocco and the Elephants clashing […]

London (AFP) – Arsene Wenger hailed Arsenal's dramatic 2-1 win over Burnley as proof they have the character to catch runaway leaders Chelsea in the Premier League title race. Wenger's side were on the brink of suffering a damaging setback at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday after conceding a stoppage-time equaliser. Having taken the lead […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea manager Antonio Conte said his side had put on a united front after Diego Costa marked his return with a goal in a 2-0 victory over Hull City. Absent from Chelsea's 3-0 win at Leicester City amid reports he had been unsettled by an offer from China, Costa celebrated his opener […]

Stoke-on-Trent (United Kingdom) (AFP) – He may have found himself alongside Wayne Rooney on the Manchester United's substitutes' bench, but for fellow Old Trafford forward Jesse Lingard the record-breaking goal-scorer remains a role model. Rooney surpassed Bobby Charlton's tally of 249 goals for United when he scored with a superb curling free-kick deep into stoppage-time […]