Columbus (AFP) – The election of Donald Trump as President of the United States would not impact any decision the country may make to bid for the 2026 World Cup, US Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati said on Friday. The US is considered favourite to host the tournament with the bidding process expected to get […]

London (AFP) – England captain Wayne Rooney and Scotland counterpart Darren Fletcher led out teams sporting black armbands with red poppy motifs for Friday's World Cup qualifier, paying a commemorative war dead tribute at Wembley that leaves both nations at risk of FIFA sanctions. Football's world governing body has warned the move could contravene rules […]

Zurich (AFP) – FIFA's ethics commission on Friday called for a life ban from football for the former head of the CONCACAF federation and former Honduras federation president Alfredo Hawit on corruption charges. Hawit was extradited from Switzerland last January to the United States to face charges a month after his arrest in Zurich on […]

London (AFP) – Sam Allardyce will not face a police investigation over the newspaper sting operation that saw his time as England manager brought to an end after just one game in charge, it was announced Friday. Allardyce, 62, was sacked following the publication by the Daily Telegraph in September of controversial comments made to […]

Sunday's broadcast of Sevilla against Barcelona on beIN SPORTS and beIN SPORTS en Espanol was the most-watched La Liga game of the 2016/17 season thus far. The match averaged 552,000 viewers. The game averaged 408,000 on the Spanish-language beIN SPORTS en Espanol as well as 144,000 on beIN SPORTS. The game, which ended 2-1 to […]

London (AFP) – Football global governing body FIFA insisted Friday it was a "distortion of the facts" to suggest they would punish British national associations determined to mark this weekend's World Cup qualifiers with poppy tributes. Both England and Scotland pan to defy what they believe to be a FIFA ban on the wearing of […]

Abuja (AFP) – Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr claims Mikel Obi is being “punished” by Premier League club Chelsea for playing at the Rio Olympics. Mikel, 29, missed most of Chelsea pre-season as he helped his country win a bronze medal at the football event of the Summer Olympic Games. He has yet to play for […]

Montevideo (AFP) – Neymar scored his 50th international goal as Brazil thrashed Argentina 3-0 to tighten their grip on South America's 2018 World Cup qualification campaign and leave their arch-rivals struggling to reach the finals. Barcelona superstar Neymar outshone club-mate Lionel Messi in Belo Horizonte — the venue where Brazil were humiliated 7-1 by Germany […]

Montevideo (AFP) – Brazil thrashed arch-rivals Argentina to tighten their grip on South America's 2018 World Cup qualification campaign as Uruguay maintained their push towards the finals with a hard-fought defeat of Ecuador. Barcelona superstar Neymar outshone club-mate Lionel Messi with his 50th international goal for Brazil in Belo Horizonte as the five-time World Cup […]

Belo Horizonte (Brazil) (AFP) – Neymar scored his 50th international goal as Brazil thrashed arch-rivals Argentina 3-0 in their 2018 World Cup qualifying duel here Thursday. Barcelona superstar Neymar took his tally to 50 goals in 74 games as Brazil recorded their fifth consecutive victory under new coach Tite to remain on top of South […]

Paris (AFP) – From poppies and black armbands in a moving remembrance of millions of war dead to brutally graphic nightmares caused by terrorist carnage, Friday's World Cup qualifiers will be sobering as well as raucous. At Wembley in London, football's oldest rivalry will be renewed when England and Scotland face off in the latest […]

Barranquilla (Colombia) (AFP) – Claudio Bravo was the hero as Chile ground out a hard-fought 0-0 draw in their 2018 World Cup qualifier with Colombia here Thursday before departing with a leg injury. Manchester City goalkeeper and Chile captain Bravo pulled off two superb first half saves as the Copa America champions dug in for […]

Burton-on-Trent (United Kingdom) (AFP) – England must learn to be more streetwise but ward against arrogance, interim manager Gareth Southgate said ahead of Friday's World Cup qualifier against old enemies Scotland at Wembley. Southgate said the difference between arrogance and confidence had come up during a squad meeting before the game, which is the third […]

Rome (AFP) – Italy midfielder Marco Verratti categorically dismissed the possibility of him leaving Paris Saint-Germain on Thursday and insisted that no player was worth 100 million euros ($108.9 million). The 24-year-old has regularly been the subject of media reports linking him with a move away from Paris, with Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Juventus all […]

Doha (AFP) – Qatar beat fellow future World Cup hosts Russia in Doha on Thursday, in a friendly game which featured four penalties. A smart 72nd minute header from Karim Boudiaf was enough to secure a morale-boosting 2-1 victory for Qatar ahead of next week's crucial World Cup qualifier in China. They also owed their […]