Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona coach Luis Enrique stressed his desire for Spanish football to embrace video technology in crucial refereeing decisions on Wednesday, whilst league chiefs expect trials to take place from next season. Barca were denied a clear goal in Sunday's controversial 1-1 draw at Real Betis when referee Alejandro Jose Hernandez failed to […]

London (AFP) – Traditionally renowned for frantic activity among Premier League clubs, the most notable incident for much of Tuesday's transfer deadline day was Leicester City forward Leonardo Ulloa's strike threat. The Argentina front man issued the dramatic warning in a bid to force a move from the defending champions. Bottom-of-the-table Sunderland are reported to […]

London (AFP) – West Ham manager Slaven Bilic has insisted Dimitri Payet has no need to apologise to the London club's supporters for his controversial return to Marseille. Payet rejoined the Ligue 1 side on a four-and-a-half-year deal after Marseille paid 30 million euros ($31.3 million, £25 million) to bring him back to the Stade […]

Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona will be without Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets once more as they face old foes Atletico Madrid in a fifth two-legged clash between the sides in four seasons with a place in the Copa del Rey final at stake on Wednesday. The presence of the Spanish international duo was badly missed […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Pep Guardiola has told "nice guy" Fernandinho he does not need to change his "English" style of play, despite being sent off three times in his last six appearances. The Manchester City midfielder has missed eight of the club's last 11 matches because of suspension, having been dismissed against Borussia […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Jose Mourinho has confirmed Wayne Rooney will remain at Manchester United for the rest of the season despite reports linking him with a move to the Chinese Super League. The Chinese transfer window does not close until the end of February and the England forward’s name has been linked repeatedly […]

Madrid (AFP) – Former Brazilian international Alexandre Pato is the latest high-profile player to be tempted by the riches of China's Super League after joining Tianjin Quanjian from La Liga side Villarreal. Pato, 27, will be coached by Italian World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro and joins Belgian international Axel Witsel at Tianjin after he sealed […]

Istanbul (AFP) – Togo captain and former English Premier League star Emmanuel Adebayor on Tuesday joined Turkish top flight side Medipol Basaksehir of Istanbul, surprise contenders for this year's league title. The club announced that the 32-year-old former Arsenal, Manchester City, Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur forward was joining on its official Instagram page, posting […]

London (AFP) – Leicester's unsettled striker Leonardo Ulloa has threatened to go on strike to force a deadline transfer on Tuesday. Ulloa handed in a transfer request two weeks ago but the Premier League champions have reportedly rejected a bid from Spanish club Alaves because manager Claudio Ranieri would prefer to keep him. The 30-year-old […]

Kinshasa (AFP) – They may be out of the tournament, but the Democratic Republic of Congo's footballers will be forever remembered by Africa Cup of Nations fans for their dance moves on the pitch. DR Congo players danced the "Fimbu" seven times at the CAN 2017 tournament in Gabon — once for each goal scored […]

Oyem (Gabon) (AFP) – Built in rainforest outside Gabon's fourth largest town as one of the venues for the Africa Cup of Nations, the Oyem stadium risks becoming a white elephant now the tournament has moved on. Ghana beat DR Congo at the venue in the quarter-finals on Sunday, the last of seven matches to […]

Libreville (AFP) – Weariness will worry Egypt as they seek to extend an Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals winning streak to six matches by beating Burkina Faso in Libreville Wednesday. Surprise survivors Burkina Faso overcame Tunisia in the first quarter-final last Saturday evening, more than 24 hours before Egypt edged Morocco in the last. Many […]

Libreville (AFP) – Five facts for the Africa Cup of Nations semi-final between Burkina Faso and Egypt at Stade de l'Amitie in Libreville Wednesday (1900 GMT): — Egypt have met Burkina Faso twice before in the Cup of Nations, winning a 1998 semi-final 2-0 and a 2000 group game 4-2. — African legend Hossam Hassan […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has told Leigh Griffiths he must work harder if he is to force his way back into his plans for the rest of the season. Last season the Scottish striker seemingly could do no wrong as his 40 goals for the Hoops propelled the Glasgow giants to the […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Henrikh Mkhitaryan insists Manchester United are taking all four competitions they are involved in seriously as they struggle to cope with a demanding fixture schedule. Jose Mourinho's club is the only one in England still retaining an interest in a quartet of competitions — the Premier League, Europa League, FA Cup […]