Port-Gentil (Gabon) (AFP) – Essam El Hadary became the oldest player ever to appear at the Africa Cup of Nations as Egypt drew 0-0 with Mali on their return to the tournament on Tuesday. The 44-year-old goalkeeper came off the bench in the first half to replace the injured Ahmed El Shennawy and beat the […]

London (AFP) – Antonio Valencia will stay at Manchester United until 2018 after the Premier League club triggered a one-year extension clause in his contract. Valencia has established himself as Jose Mourinho's first-choice right-back and has now been rewarded with an extended stay at United. The 31-year-old is a key figure at Old Trafford, making […]

Port-Gentil (Gabon) (AFP) – Egypt goalkeeper Essam El Hadary smashed the record for the oldest player ever to appear at the Africa Cup of Nations when he came on against Mali on Tuesday. El Hadary, the Egypt captain who turned 44 on Sunday, was not named in the Pharaohs' starting line-up for their Group D […]

Port-Gentil (Gabon) (AFP) – Uganda coach Milutin Sredojevic admitted that the occasion got to his players as they succumbed to a 1-0 defeat to Ghana in their first match back at the Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday. Thirty-nine years after losing to Ghana in the 1978 final, the Cranes made their comeback in the […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen faces an anxious wait to discover how long he will be sidelined after suffering ankle ligament damage. The Belgian international sustained the injury in Tottenham's 4-0 home win over West Brom on Saturday. Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said the injury looked "very bad" in the immediate aftermath of […]

Metz (France) (AFP) – French basement club Metz are appealing a two-point deduction imposed after a Ligue 1 match against Lyon last month was abandoned after firecrackers thrown by their fans injured visiting goalkeeper Anthony Lopes. The game on December 3 at Metz's Stade Saint-Symphorien was abandoned in the 31st minute following the incidents, which […]

Port-Gentil (Gabon) (AFP) – Andre Ayew converted a first-half penalty as Ghana started their latest bid to reclaim the Africa Cup of Nations title with a hard-earned 1-0 victory against Uganda in Port-Gentil on Tuesday. The West Ham United star's 32nd-minute conversion from the spot was all that separated the sides on an awful pitch […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said Tuesday he could not understand why "retired" Cameroon defender Joel Matip was currently unavailable to the Reds because of the African Nations Cup.Klopp had to pull Matip out of Sunday's Premier League draw with Manchester United because of confusion over the player's international status. Both Matip and […]

Beijing (AFP) – China's clampdown on big-spending football clubs has scuppered a bid by Tianjin to buy Diego Costa and a host of other Europe-based stars, its chairman said. Tianjin had Chelsea striker Costa, Paris Saint-Germain's Edinson Cavani, Radamel Falcao at Monaco and Raul Jimenez at Benfica in their sights until the authorities imposed limits […]

London (AFP) – Manchester City defender Bacary Sagna was fined £40,000 ($49,439, 46,214 euros) and warned about his future conduct by the Football Association on Tuesday after making an Instagram post that questioned referee Lee Mason's impartiality. Sagna, 32, posted a photo with the caption "10 against 12.. but still fighting and winning as a […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane insists he has no reason to panic and will once again use the depths of his squad against Celta Vigo in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday looking to bounce back from a first defeat in 40 games. Madrid conceded twice in the final five minutes in […]

Milan (AFP) – Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis says a global ambassador's role will be offered to Diego Maradona — if the former club legend settles his score with the Italian tax man. Maradona was served with a tax bill of around 39 million euros (£33m) four years ago when he returned to Italy, where […]

Libreville (AFP) – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and hosts Gabon vowed to put a poor start to their Africa Cup of Nations behind them and beat Burkina Faso on Wednesday in the second series of Group A matches. A "Panthers" team captained by the Borussia Dortmund star striker conceded a last-minute goal to only draw 1-1 with […]

Leipzig (Germany) (AFP) – Scotland's Oliver Burke plans to fly his mum over to Germany to supply a taste of home cooking as he seeks to cement his future at RB Leipzig. A Scotland international at just 19, the pacy teenage winger was told to forget everything he had learned tactically at Nottingham Forest after […]

London (AFP) – Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahmovic says the pressure on him that comes from outside is like a kindergarten compared to the pressure he places on himself every time he trains or plays for Manchester United. The 35-year-old striker — who has defied the sceptics who thought he was too old to flourish at […]