Glasgow (AFP) – Rangers manager Mark Warburton says winning the Scottish Cup final against Hibernian on Saturday wouldn't compare to the euphoria of securing promotion back to the top flight. Warburton's side clinched the Championship title to claim a place in the Scottish Premiership for the first time since they were forced to start life […]

Berlin (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund aim to ruin Bayern Munich's plans to farewell Pep Guardiola with a seventh title in three years when Germany's top teams meet in Saturday's crunch German Cup final. Victory over their main rivals at Berlin's Olympic Stadium would give Bayern the league and cup double before Guardiola leaves for Manchester […]

London (AFP) – While the FA Cup final will always inspire a degree of reverence, Crystal Palace winger Yannick Bolasie will have more reason than most to feel emotional at Wembley on Saturday. Bolasie grew up just a few miles from Wembley and could see the famous stadium glimmering in the distance from his parents' […]

London (AFP) – He started the season derided as an expensive panic buy, but Anthony Martial goes into Saturday's FA Cup final against Crystal Palace as the potential saviour of Manchester United's season. The French forward's deadline-day move from Monaco, at an initial cost of £36 million ($52.6 million, 47 million euros), rising to £58 […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United will attempt to salvage something from their tumultuous season — and potentially keep manager Louis van Gaal in a job — in Saturday's FA Cup final against Crystal Palace. After failing to qualify for the Champions League for the second time in three years, the Wembley showpiece represents United's last […]

Berlin (AFP) – Eintracht Frankfurt's Marco Russ capped a traumatic 24 hours by scoring an own-goal in Thursday's 1-1 Bundesliga play-off, first-leg draw against Nuremberg, a day after discovering he has a tumour. The 30-year-old centre-back only found out he had a tumour on Wednesday after abnormal levels of the pregnancy hormone HCG showed up […]

London (AFP) – Aston Villa's Chinese owner Tony Xia has pledged to restore the relegated Premier League club to their former glory as soon as possible. Xia, whose Chinese name is Xia Jiantong, purchased Villa on Wednesday for a reported $87 million and is looking to hire a new manager quickly before bringing in a […]

Nice (France) (AFP) – Former French international star David Ginola suffered a suspected heart attack on Thursday and was airlifted to hospital, the Nice-Matin newspaper reported. However, the 49-year-old ex-PSG and Newcastle star later moved to reassure fans over his condition and blamed his illness on playing football in the searing afternoon heat. "Footy match […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – Brazilian star Kaka is the highest paid player in Major League Soccer, topping the earnings rankings ahead of Italy international Sebastian Giovinco and United States captain Michael Bradley, figures showed Thursday. Former world footballer of the year Kaka, who plays for Florida club Orlando City, led the earnings with a guaranteed […]

London (AFP) – English football could be set for its biggest revamp in decades after the Football League proposed a plan to introduce a fifth division into the professional game. Football League chiefs want to have four divisions of 20 teams below the Premier League by the 2019-20 campaign as they seek a solution to […]

Kiev (AFP) – Ukraine coach Mykhaylo Fomenko on Thursday announced a provisional 28-man squad for Euro 2016, led by Dynamo Kiev forward Andriy Yarmolenko and Yevgen Konoplyanka who starred in Sevilla's Europa League triumph. The 67-year-old coach will have to trim his squad to 23 players by the end of the month. In a confusing […]

Brussels (AFP) – French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault vowed Thursday that France will provide security at this summer's Euro 2016 football tournament "with all our strength". Ayrault spoke in a response to a question about the EgyptAir flight from Paris to Cairo that crashed inexplicably carrying 66 people. "We are committed with all our strength […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Louis van Gaal claims victory over Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final on Saturday would restore Manchester United's pride after a turbulent season. United have struggled to live up to their potential under van Gaal and failed to qualify for next season's Champions League after finishing fifth in the […]

With all of the major European domestic soccer leagues finishing their seasons until they start again in August, and before the Champions League final next Saturday, the attention turns this weekend to domestic cup finals across the continent. And thanks to the coverage from ESPN, GolTV, beIN SPORTS and FOX Sports, all of the games will be […]

Paris (AFP) – France's parliament approved Thursday a two-month extension of the state of emergency, in place since November's jihadist attacks, to cover the Euro 2016 football tournament and Tour de France. Already backed by a large majority in the upper house Senate last week, the lower house National Assembly confirmed the measure on Thursday […]