Buenos Aires (AFP) – Argentina coach Gerardo Martino named his 23-man squad for the Copa America on Friday, pinning his hopes on Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero but ignoring Carlos Tevez. Idolised by his Boca Juniors club and popular throughout Argentina, Tevez was overlooked in favour of Gonzalo Higuain who smashed a record 36 goals […]

Lisbon (AFP) – Benfica beat Maritimo 6-2 in the Portuguese League Cup final in Coimbra on Friday, less than a week after also sealing a third straight league title. It was also the Lisbon outfit's third consecutive League Cup win, and the match itself was a repeat of last year's final. The season culminates Sunday […]

Madrid (AFP) – A Spanish judge on Friday overturned a controversial ban on Barcelona fans flying Catalan separatist flags at Sunday's Copa del Rey final against Sevilla in Madrid. The Madrid authorities had told Barcelona on Wednesday that the Estelada independence flags could not be flown at the Vicente Calderon stadium, the home of Atletico […]

Rome (AFP) – Iconic Roma captain Francesco Totti will stay at the capital outfit for a 24th season, the club's general manager Mauro Baldissoni said in a television interview on Friday. A one-club player with 600 league appearances, the veteran playmaker has had a tense relationship with coach Luciano Spalletti in recent times and speculation […]

Warsaw (AFP) – Polish international midfielder Pawel Wszolek suffered a broken left hand in training and will miss Euro 2016, the country's football association (PZPN) said Friday. "During training with the national team at Jastarnia, Pawel Wszolek accidentally fell on his left hand," said the PZPN. The 24-year-old Verona player underwent surgery in Warsaw and […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Scottish champions Celtic on Friday named former Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers as their new manager with the target of translating their domestic success into solid European progress. Rodgers, 43, replaces Ronny Deila who stepped down at the end of a two-year spell which brought in two league titles and a League Cup […]

Prague (AFP) – Czech Republic coach Pavel Vrba cut his Euro 2016 finals squad down to 25 players on Friday and will trim two more from their number before the May 31 deadline. Sparta Prague defender Ondrej Zahustel, midfielder Jan Kovarik of Viktoria Plzen and Reading utility striker Matej Vydra were the three unfortunate players […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Scottish champions Celtic on Friday named former Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers as their new manager on a 12-month rolling contract. Rodgers, 43, replaces Ronny Deila who stepped down at the end of a two-year spell which brought in two league titles and a League Cup crown but just frustration in Europe. "Celtic […]

FOX Sports coverage of soccer can be measured two ways. 1- Against previous poor FOX Sports and FOX Soccer efforts, or 2- Against the superior coverage provided by NBC or ESPN for similar competitions. In this analysis, we’ll attempt to weigh both sides of this equation. Has FOX Sports improved its coverage versus the past […]

London (AFP) – English football giants Manchester United will stage their 2016 annual general meeting in Philadelphia on June 23, the club announced Friday. The Premier League side are owned by the US-based Glazer family. United face Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday as they bid to end a season […]

Zurich (AFP) – FIFA's ethics committee on Friday recommended a two-year ban from all football activities for Wolfgang Niersbach, former president of the German Football Association (DFB), over an alleged corruption scandal around the right to host the 2006 World Cup. FIFA's adjudicatory chamber said they had received a final report from world football governing […]

London (AFP) – Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew says he feels the "weight of history" on his shoulders as he tries to lead the south London side to the first major trophy in their 111-year existence. Palace have the chance to claim that long-awaited piece of silverware when they face Manchester United in Saturday's FA […]

Singapore (AFP) – Asian ownership of European football clubs can be tough because of cultural differences, Valencia's Singaporean president said on Friday after a turbulent period at the Mestalla Stadium. Chan Lay Hoon, who was brought in by Valencia's billionaire owner Peter Lim, said she had had a tough first season at the club marked […]

Milan (AFP) – Uncertainty over the future of AC Milan hovers over the stricken Italian giants as they look to avoid the ignominy of a season without European football by wresting the Italian Cup from Juventus on Saturday. "It would be a huge victory for the team but also in terms of sealing direct entry […]

Paris (AFP) – Zlatan Ibrahimovic will aim to lift one final trophy as the curtain comes down on his record-shattering Paris Saint-Germain career in Saturday's French Cup final against bitter rivals Marseille. Ibrahimovic, who obliterated Pauleta's club goals record earlier this season and now stands on 154 from 179 games, announced he will leave Paris […]