London (AFP) – Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce is expected to be named the new England manager inside the next 24 hours, British press reports said Wednesday, tasked with guiding the under-performing national side to the 2018 World Cup. The 61-year-old former Bolton, Newcastle and West Ham manager will take over from Roy Hodgson, who stepped […]

Munich (Germany) (AFP) – Pep Guardiola's reign as Manchester City boss started with a 1-0 defeat in a friendly at his former club Bayern Munich on Wednesday in a game watched by 68,000 fans. Erdal Ozturk scored the only goal of the game in the 76th minute although both sides were under-strength and under-cooked at […]

Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Brazil's national football coach warned Wednesday against over-pressuring Neymar, just a day after the Olympic coach said he was glad to depend heavily on the star forward. "It's inhuman to put all the responsibility on one person. The responsibility should be on the trainer and on the other team members […]

London (AFP) – Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce is expected to be named the new England manager inside the next 24 hours, British press reports said Wednesday, and tasked with guiding the under-performing national side to the 2018 World Cup. The 61-year-old former Bolton, Newcastle and West Ham manager will take over from Roy Hodgson, who […]

Istanbul (AFP) – German striker Mario Gomez, the top scorer in Turkey's Super Lig last season, on Wednesday said he was leaving Istanbul club Besiktas after just one season due to the political situation in the wake of the failed coup. "I will not be playing for this great club... anymore. The reason for this […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward hasn't travelled to China for the club's pre-season tour, as the Premier League giants try to secure the world record capture of Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba. United reportedly had a record-breaking £86 million ($113 million, 102 million euros) offer for Pogba rejected this week, but they […]

Munich (Germany) (AFP) – New Bayern Munich coach Carlo Ancelotti insisted on Wednesday that he would not allow striker Robert Lewandowski to leave the German champions for Real Madrid. Italian Ancelotti, who led Real to their 10th European crown in 2014, took over at the Allianz Arena from Pep Guardiola, who left for Manchester City, […]

When Jason Kreis announced that he was leaving Real Salt Lake to become the first manager of New York City FC after the 2013 MLS season, he said part of him wanted to take the type of risk he never got around to taking during his playing career. It was an admirable and perfectly understanding […]

London (AFP) – Football Association chief executive Martin Glenn claimed on Wednesday that the new England manager won't be a "short-term mercenary". Glenn is on a three-man panel tasked with finding a replacement for Roy Hodgson and the group have so far formally interviewed Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce and Hull City manager Steve Bruce. Bournemouth […]

There is little doubt that Arsenal are in need of an additional center back heading into the future. While Laurent Koscielny is widely considered as one of the top players at his position in the Premier League, the team’s depth chart in central defense gets a bit murky after the Frenchman. Per Mertesacker has mostly […]

London (AFP) – Juventus and France midfield star Paul Pogba looks set to be the subject of a £100 million ($130 mn, 119 mn euros) bid by his former club, English Premier League giants Manchester United, British media reported on Wednesday. The 23-year-old will cost United dear as he left them for Juventus for nothing in July […]

Teresópolis (Brazil) (AFP) – Brazil's Olympic coach admitted on Tuesday that he was relying on Barcelona star forward Neymar to shoot the hosts to a first Games gold in Rio next month. Current under-20s coach Rogerio Micale has been charged with rejuvenating Brazilian football in Rio after Dunga was fired following Brazil's shock first-round exit […]

London (AFP) – Towering Leicester City captain Wes Morgan has signed a new contract with the club to June 2019, the Premier League champions said on Tuesday. The 32-year-old played every minute of Leicester's title-winning campaign and was a key part of their shock success, forming a rock-solid central defensive partnership with Robert Huth. "To […]

Madrid (AFP) – Spain's football association said Tuesday that its boss Angel Maria Villar would seek to replace the banned Michel Platini as the president of UEFA, the third official candidate for the top job. "Angel Maria Villar has made official his candidacy for the next elections for the UEFA presidency," the Royal Spanish Football […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea manager Antonio Conte insisted Tuesday he has no intention of letting Spain striker Diego Costa leave the Premier League club. Costa, 27, has been linked with a return to former club Atletico Madrid after a troubled second season in England. Conte's decision to sign Belgium striker Michy Batshuayi from Marseille increased […]