Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Combating match-fixing in football is absolutely crucial for the integrity of the sport, says Emilio Garcia UEFA's head of disciplinary and integrity matters. However, he concedes that it is not an easy task with the mafia behind a lot of corruption. Garcia, who was speaking at the SoccerEx Global Football […]

Paris (AFP) – Manchester United host unheralded Ukrainians Zorya Luhansk at Old Trafford on Thursday with Jose Mourinho's side aiming to get their Europa League campaign off the ground after a bumpy start. Mourinho's reluctant contenders in Europe's second-tier club competition kicked off their campaign with a 1-0 defeat at Feyenoord in Rotterdam a fortnight ago. […]

Leicester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manager Claudio Ranieri said he had seen reassuring signs of the 'old' Leicester City after his team's 1-0 Champions League victory over Porto at the King Power Stadium. Leicester's fairytale Premier League title success was built on a miserly defence, but they have suffered some heavy losses already this season, […]

Dortmund (Germany) (AFP) – Zinedine Zidane admitted he was frustrated at Real Madrid's third straight draw after Andre Schuerrle's late equaliser ensured a 2-2 stalemate at Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday. Real's serene run since Zidane took charge in January has hit a minor slump in the past week as Real dropped […]

Under the guidance of new manager Carlo Ancelotti, Bayern Munich’s immaculate start to the season hasn’t taken up too many column inches. For the apex juggernaut of the German game five wins from five Bundesliga games—including 15 goals scored and just one conceded—is par for the course, such is the depth of their squad and […]

London (AFP) – Sam Allardyce's departure as England manager was essential to preserve the Football Association's integrity as "guardians of the game", the governing body's senior figures said on Tuesday. FA chairman Greg Clarke and chief executive Martin Glenn met with Allardyce at Wembley to seal his fate after damaging newspaper revelations left his position […]

There is no shortage when discussing talented, young Premier League players. Dele Alli, Raheem Sterling, Ross Barkley, Anthony Martial, and Marcus Rashford are regularly praised for their high level of play, and rightfully so; however, Arsenal’s Alex Iwobi should also soon be considered a budding star as well. No, the 20-year-old winger is not necessarily […]

Paris (AFP) – Andre Schuerrle smashed in a late equaliser as Borussia Dortmund held Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday, while Leicester City claimed another famous European victory. Premier League champions Leicester made it two wins from two in their debut Champions League campaign as Islam Slimani's first-half goal secured a 1-0 win […]

Leicester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Leicester City striker Islam Slimani resumed his torment of Porto as the Premier League champions preserved their 100 percent Champions League record with a narrow 1-0 victory on Tuesday. Playing in their first ever Champions League home game, Claudio Ranieri's Leicester prevailed thanks to Slimani's 25th-minute header to make it […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – US international striker Clint Dempsey has been ruled out of the remainder of the 2016 season as he battles his irregular heartbeat problem, his club said Tuesday. The Seattle Sounders said the forward, who returned to light training on September 14 after discovery of the problem in August, had stopped training […]

Moscow (AFP) – South Korean winger Son Heung-min got Tottenham Hotspur's Champions League campaign up and running with a 1-0 win at CSKA Moscow on Tuesday. Son picked up a pass from Erik Lamela after 71 minutes to score his fifth goal in five games for the north Londoners. The three points put Tottenham second, […]

Dortmund (Germany) (AFP) – Andre Schuerrle rescued Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday with an 87th-minute equaliser to seal a 2-2 draw with Real Madrid and deny the Spaniards a rare Champions League win in Germany. Real were minutes from a first win in Dortmund in six attempts, and the result means the Spanish giants have won […]

London (AFP) – Arsene Wenger has challenged Arsenal to aim for top spot in their Champions League group as they prepare to face Basel on Wednesday. Wenger's side have made it through the group stage for the past 16 years but have failed to get beyond the last 16 in the previous six attempts. The […]

Seville (Spain) (AFP) – Sevilla took a big step towards reaching the knockout stage of the Champions League for the first time in six years as Wissam Ben Yedder's header ensured a 1-0 win over Lyon on Tuesday. Ben Yedder was left with the simple task of heading into an empty net from Luciano Vietto's […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Title-holders Ivory Coast, hosts Gabon and former champions Algeria and Ghana were named Tuesday as the top seeds for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations tournament. Ivory Coast defeated four-time champions Ghana after a penalty shootout in Equatorial Guinea last year to win the African football showpiece a second time. Algeria conquered […]