Moscow (AFP) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday slammed the detention of Russian football fans in France as "absolutely unacceptable" while French authorities remain wary of more clashes at Euro 2016. "It was an absolutely unacceptable incident when a bus with more than 40 Russian fans was stopped by police," Lavrov said, referring […]

Paris (AFP) – French police moved onto the streets of Lille to keep order on Wednesday as tens of thousands of Russian, English, Welsh and Slovak fans arrived for the latest round of high-risk Euro 2016 football matches. Authorities fear that Russia's game against Slovakia on Wednesday followed by a key England-Wales clash in the […]

London (AFP) – Jose Mourinho faces a trip to the seaside to face Bournemouth in his first Premier League game in charge of Manchester United while champions Leicester start their title defence away at Hull. Manchester City, under new boss Pep Guardiola — Mourinho's bitter rival when they went head-to-head in Spain, will host Sunderland, […]

Seattle (AFP) – Argentina maintained their 100 percent record at the Copa America Centenario on Tuesday with a 3-0 victory over hapless Bolivia. The tournament favorites, already assured of a quarter-final berth after wins over Chile and Panama, wrapped up their Group D campaign with an easy win at Seattle's CenturyLink Field. The victory sees […]

Lyon (AFP) – Northern Ireland face Ukraine in Lyon on Thursday with both sides needing a win to keep their Euro 2016 knockout stage dreams alive while the Irish are mourning the death of a young fan. Irish fans plan a round of applause at the Stade de Lyon in the 24th-minute of the Group […]

Philadelphia (AFP) – Alexis Sanchez and Eduardo Vargas both scored twice as Chile advanced to the quarter-finals of the Copa America Centenario on Tuesday with a 4-2 victory over Panama. The defending Copa America champions responded to the shock of falling behind to a Miguel Camargo goal after only five minutes with two goals by […]

Seattle (AFP) – United States manager Jurgen Klinsmann wants his team to shed their "underdog" mentality as they prepare for a Copa America Centenario quarter-final showdown with Ecuador on Thursday. Klinsmann's side upset the form book by qualifying as winners of Group A, topping a pool that included World Cup quarter-finalists Colombia and Costa Rica […]

Paris (AFP) – Old rivalries and fresh memories face Germany when they return to the Stade de France in Paris to face familiar foes Poland in a crucial Euro 2016 clash just seven months after being caught up in last November's terror attacks in Paris. Die Mannschaft were forced to spend a traumatic night in […]

Paris (AFP) – Tournament hosts and leading title contenders France can secure their place in the knockout phase of Euro 2016 on Wednesday when they face Group A rivals Albania in Marseille. Switzerland, who also won their opening match, can effectively clinch a last-16 berth with victory against Romania in Paris, while Russia and Slovakia […]

Chantilly (France) (AFP) – England face the twin threats of a disqualification warning if their fans misbehave and a super-motivated Gareth Bale ahead of their Euro 2016 showdown with neighbours Wales in Lens on Thursday. The bloody clashes between rival fans that marred England's opening 1-1 draw with Russia in Marseille at the weekend left […]

Saint-Étienne (France) (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo slammed minnows Iceland for proverbially 'parking the bus' in front of their goal as the north Atlantic Islanders held Group F favourites Portugal to a 1-1 draw. Real Madrid ace Ronaldo had ten of Portugal's 24 shots on goal in Saint Etienne on Tuesday, but failed to become the […]

Saint-Étienne (France) (AFP) – Goalscorer Nani said Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portugal must improve their finishing at Euro 2016 after failing to take a string of chances in their 1-1 draw against minnows Iceland. Real Madrid ace Ronaldo had ten of Portugal's 24 shots on goal in Saint Etienne, but failed to become the first man to […]

Saint-Étienne (France) (AFP) – Iceland goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson was on cloud nine after stopping Cristiano Ronaldo from making history as the Atlantic island minnows held Portugal to a 1-1 draw on their Euro 2016 debut. The Real Madrid ace had ten shots on goal in Saint Etienne but failed to become the first man to […]

TV viewing audiences for ESPN's coverage of Euro 2016 are greater so far than FOX Sports' numbers for Copa America Centenario. That's based on the reported ratings data that's available for the first 7 games of the tournament on cable/satellite. For ESPN's first seven Euro 2016 games, the network's viewing average is 872,857 per match (6 games on ESPN, 1 game […]

Zurich (AFP) – Diego Maradona has offered to support new FIFA chief Gianni Infantino's bid to improve the running of football in Argentina. Speaking upon his arrival in Buenos Aires on Tuesday, the Argentine legend said: "I'm not going to be a FIFA observer, I'm coming to collaborate directly with Gianni Infantino. "I'm not going […]