London (AFP) – Arsene Wenger again found his future was the focus of attention ahead of Arsenal's final game of the season against Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. At the Gunners' last home game, some supporters staged a protest urging Wenger to quit and two weeks on, the Arsenal manager's contract was […]

Swansea (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manuel Pellegrini ends his reign as Manchester City manager on Sunday with a final opportunity to leave a legacy of Champions League football. Pellegrini takes charge of City for the last time at Swansea before being replaced during the close-season by Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola. Despite reaching the semi-finals […]

London (AFP) – Claudio Ranieri's Premier League story comes full circle on Sunday as he returns in triumph to Chelsea for the final fixture of title-winners Leicester City's momentous and historic season. Ranieri's sacking by Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich in May 2004 set in motion a succession of managerial posts — at Valencia, Parma, Juventus, […]

London (AFP) – Manuel Pellegrini has warned his Manchester City stars to keep their eyes on the prize as they aim to secure a Champions League place at the expense of Manchester United, while champions Leicester will bring down the curtain on their astonishing season at Chelsea on Sunday. With a memorable Premier League campaign […]

Mexico City (AFP) – FIFA admitted Kosovo and Gibraltar as new members on Friday, allowing them to play qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup, but Serbia vowed to take legal action to reverse its former province's admission. Kosovo and Gibraltar became the 210th and 211th members of the world football organization in votes taken at […]

George Town (Cayman Islands) (AFP) – World's fastest man Usain Bolt says he still dreams of playing for Manchester United — as long as Louis Van Gaal is not the manager. Bolt, who owns the 100-meter world record at 9.58 seconds and the world 200m record of 19.19, spoke Friday on the eve of his […]

London (AFP) – Southampton manager Ronald Koeman has insisted he is determined to fulfil his contract after being linked with the vacancy at Premier League rivals Everton. Roberto Martinez was sacked by the Merseysiders on Thursday and Dutch boss Koeman was immediately suggested as a candidate to replace the Spaniard. But Koeman has a year […]

Mexico City (AFP) – FIFA on Friday lifted Indonesia's year-long ban from international competitions but confirmed the suspensions of Kuwait and Benin over government interference in the sport. FIFA president Gianni Infantino said at a congress in Mexico City that Indonesia was reinstated after the government sent a letter notifying that it had lifted sanctions […]

London (AFP) – Leicester defender Danny Simpson will be able to join the Premier League champions' title parade after a judge agreed to quash his curfew sentence for domestic violence on Friday. Simpson asked a court on Thursday to let him pay a fine instead of finishing his community sentence for throttling his ex-girlfriend Stephanie […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal said on Friday that big-name players would still want to come to Old Trafford even if the club failed to qualify for next season's Champions League. Tuesday's 3-2 defeat by West Ham left United fifth in the Premier League table, just outside the top […]

Paris (AFP) – Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas said on Friday he had made a bid to Nice to resign forward Hatem Ben Arfa. After a brilliant season with Nice, Ben Arfa was reported a week ago to be on the verge of a move to Barcelona. But Aulas has always had a nose for a […]

London (AFP) – Newcastle owner Mike Ashley has written an open letter to his relegated club's supporters in which he promises to restore them to the Premier League at the first attempt. The Magpies were condemned to the Championship on Wednesday for the second time in Ashley's tenure after a dismal season on Tyneside. But […]

Paris (AFP) – France's young player of the year Ousmane Dembele was called up on Friday for the French under-21 squad to face Italy in a friendly on June 2. The 18-year-old winger signed a five-year deal to join Borussia Dortmund from Rennes on Thursday, with the German Bundesliga club describing him as "one of […]

Paris (AFP) – Zlatan Ibrahimovic confirmed on Friday that he will leave Paris Saint-Germain at the end of this season, but the French champions said the Swedish star will eventually return in a "management" role. "My last game tomorrow at Parc des Princes. I came like a king, left like a legend," wrote Ibrahimovic on […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Barcelona boss Luis Enrique is adamant that his side will not crumble under the pressure of being favourites to retain their La Liga title at Granada on Saturday. The defending champions need to win in Andalusia to be assured of a 24th Spanish title and hold off a late-season charge by Real […]