Lausanne (AFP) – Legia Warsaw will play their next Champions League game against Real Madrid behind closed doors, European football's governing body UEFA ruled Thursday, following crowd trouble during their last home game. The club was also fined 80,000 euros ($90,000) for the incidents which included racist behaviour and fighting among the home fans during […]

Lisbon (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo was named in the Portugal squad Thursday after recovering from a knee injury that wrecked his Euro 2016 final and is expected to start in the World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and the Faroe Islands. The European champions need the Real Madrid forward to start firing immediately after they suffered […]

London (AFP) – Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe ruled himself out Thursday of replacing Sam Allardyce as England manager, although he said the "ultimate job" could tempt him later in his career. Allardyce's one-game career as England manager came to a humiliating end after just 67 days on Tuesday following controversial comments made to undercover reporters. […]

Premier League soccer on a Friday Night will take a bit of getting used to for watchers of the English game’s top flight. Opinion is split on the new slot on the weekend schedule. For some, mainly home supporters, the prospect of a live game to round off the working week is an enamoring one, […]

Moscow (AFP) – Russian football authorities on Thursday downplayed a banana-throwing incident at the Champions League match between Rostov and PSV Eindhoven, despite it coming as the club served a punishment for racist abuse. The problem of widespread racism in Russian football is under the microscope as the country gears up to host the 2018 […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – The flow of Chinese billionaires seeking to invest in European clubs, especially the Premier League, must be sensitive to local feeling should they succeed in buying a team, a senior media executive warns. Molly Li Mo, director of international and external relations at sports service platform Alisports, admitted in talks […]

Mumbai (AFP) – The third Indian Super League season kicks off on Saturday with organisers intent on turning it into a global brand — and shrugging off comparisons with big-spending China. Former Atletico Madrid star Diego Forlan, Brazilian World Cup-winner Lucio and Champions League winner John Arne Riise are some of the stars of yesteryear turning out in […]

Monchengladbach (Germany) (AFP) – Gerard Pique said committing fewer second-half errors was the key to Barcelona's 2-1 come-from-behind victory at Borussia Moenchengladbach on Wednesday as they proved they can win in the Champions League without injured Lionel Messi. Thorgan Hazard — the younger brother of Chelsea midfielder Eden — gave Gladbach a shock yet deserved […]

Naples (Italy) (AFP) – Emotional Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri called for calm after a 4-2 demolition of Benfica on Wednesday put the Italian giants within sight of a coveted place in the last 16 of the Champions League. "Mentally, this is only a confirmation for us and it will give us a spur. But we […]

London (AFP) – Gareth Southgate promised to bring some "stability" to the England set-up after Sam Allardyce admitted an "error of judgement" was behind his shock exit as the national side's manager. Allardyce's one-game career as England manager came to a humiliating end after just 67 days on Tuesday following controversial comments made to undercover […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola expressed hope his players would learn their lesson after losing their 100 percent season record in a spectacular 3-3 Champions League draw at Celtic. Aiming to equal Tottenham Hotspur's English record of 11 straight wins at the start of a season, City had to come from behind […]

Madrid (AFP) – Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone hailed his side's display as one of the best in his hugely successful five-year reign in charge as Yannick Carrasco inflicted another 1-0 defeat for Bayern Munich at the Vicente Calderon. Simeone's men also beat Bayern at home in April on their way to a second Champions […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has refused to completely rule out accepting a potential offer to take charge of England at the end of the season. Wenger has been linked with the England job following the Football Association's decision to part company with Sam Allardyce on Tuesday. Quizzed on possible England interest after […]

Istanbul (AFP) – Dynamo Kiev substitutes Nikita Korzun and teenage star Viktor Tsygankov made crucial impacts as the Ukrainians battled to a 1-1 Champions League draw at Besiktas on Wednesday. Korzun gave away the free-kick that led to Besiktas's first-half opener in Istanbul before Tsygankov came off the bench in the second period to secure […]

Milan (AFP) – Arkadiusz Milik struck his third Champions League goal and Dries Mertens hit a brace as Napoli staked an early claim for a place in the last 16 with a 4-2 win against Benfica on Wednesday. Milik, signed as a replacement for Juventus striker Gonzalo Higuain, headed a brace in a 2-1 come-from-behind […]