Los Angeles (AFP) – United States coach Bruce Arena will have his eyes firmly fixed on World Cup qualifying Sunday as he launches the first match of his second stint in charge with a friendly against Serbia. Arena, who returned to the helm last November following the sacking of Jurgen Klinsmann, has only two friendlies […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Anthony Martial’s Manchester United future has looked to be in severe doubt lately, so Sunday's FA Cup fourth round tie against Wigan carries extra significance for him. United boss Jose Mourinho has confirmed that the France forward will start the match, having been omitted from the squad for the last […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Pep Guardiola insists chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak is happy with Manchester City's season — as he promised Sam Allardyce a hug. City go to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday, with Guardiola aiming to keep his hopes for a first trophy in England alive on two […]

London (AFP) – Anthony Martial can play his way into Manchester United's starting XI with a convincing performance against Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup on Sunday, manager Jose Mourinho has said. Martial was left out of the squad for last weekend's 1-1 Premier League draw at Stoke City and Thursday's League Cup game at […]

Marseille (AFP) – Former France striker Bafetimbi Gomis notched a hattrick on Friday as Marseille returned to form with a 5-1 blitzing of Montpellier in Ligue 1. Marseille were coming off defeats against leaders Monaco and Lyon as they moved into the top five thanks to an irresistible attack showing at the Stade Velodrome. Handing […]

Derby (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Wes Morgan spared Leicester's blushes as his late equaliser rescued a 2-2 draw against second tier Derby in the FA Cup fourth round on Friday. Claudio Ranieri's spluttering side were just four minutes away from an embarrassing exit at the hands of their local rivals when Foxes defender Morgan headed […]

Last weekend was another huge weekend for Liga MX on US television as the two most popular clubs in Mexico — Club América and Chivas de Guadalajara — featured on the Univision network Saturday night. Over 1.7 million people watched as Club América fell to Tigres by a score of 4-2. Following that match, 1.55 million saw […]

London (AFP) – West Ham signed Scotland winger Robert Snodgrass in a £10.2 million ($12 million) deal from Hull on Friday. Snodgrass agreed a three-and-a-half-year contract to become West Ham's second January signing after their swoop for Southampton defender Jose Fonte. With Hammers playmaker Dimitri Payet still trying to engineer a move back to his […]

Monaco (AFP) – Colombian striker Radamel Falcao says he is back in the groove after two misfit years with first Manchester United, then Chelsea in England. Falcao, who made his name first with Porto then Atletico Madrid by scoring hatfuls of goals, was regarded as one of the world's top strikers when he headed to […]

London (AFP) – Arsene Wenger was given a four-game touchline ban with "immediate effect" by the Football Association on Friday after accepting a misconduct charge following an incident that saw the veteran Arsenal manager sent off in Sunday's dramatic win over Burnley. Wenger was sent to the stands by referee Jon Moss after allegedly using […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City are to appear before the Football Association after admitting breaching anti-doping rules, a club spokesman told AFP on Friday. The Premier League side are now set to be fined around £25,000 ($31,000, 29,000 euros) after being charged with failing to ensure anti-doping officials knew where their players were […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney has revealed he wants to go into management when he hangs up his boots. The 31-year-old, who recently became United's record goalscorer, has made more than enough money to retire and spend the rest of his life relaxing, but the England captain loves the sport too much […]

Montpellier (France) (AFP) – South African international midfielder Keagan Dolly has signed a four-and-a-half-year deal with Ligue 1 outfit Montpellier, the French club confirmed on Friday. The 24-year-old arrives from 2016 African Champions League winners Mamelodi Sundowns on a deal worth 1.8 million euros ($1.9 million). The five-times capped player becomes Montpellier's fourth recruit of […]

London (AFP) – Jurgen Klopp is confident Daniel Sturridge's numerous injury problems have not led to a permanent decline in the Liverpool forward's ability. The 27-year-old striker has not scored for five games and, following Liverpool's League Cup semi-final loss to Southampton, former Reds defender Jamie Carragher suggested Sturridge had lost a significant amount of […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Pep Guardiola has urged his players to help come up with a plan to spark a Manchester City revival, saying clubs can only be successful if a manager and his squad are on the same wavelength. City boss Guardiola is under pressure to salvage something from the season after conceding […]