Leicester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Antonio Conte insisted he will keep any problems in the Chelsea camp ‘in-house’ after dismissing claims of a row with star striker Diego Costa. Conte saw his Premier League leaders triumph 3-0 at Leicester City without Costa, who was omitted amid reports of an argument with fitness coach Julio Tous […]

London (AFP) – Mauricio Pochettino believes his Tottenham Hotspur side have demonstrated they are now capable of sustaining a Premier League title challenge after falling just short last season. Spurs faded in the final weeks last season, finishing third on the final day of the campaign after pushing eventual champions Leicester close for much of […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Jose Mourinho's resurgent Manchester United will attempt to reel in arch rivals Liverpool when Jurgen Klopp's faltering side visit Old Trafford in Sunday's Premier League headline clash. United have won their last nine games in all competitions — their best run since an 11-match winning streak in early 2009 — […]

Libreville (AFP) – Minnows Guinea-Bissau enjoyed an Africa Cup of Nations debut to remember as they held the host nation Gabon of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to a surprise 1-1 draw in Libreville on Saturday. Juary Soares scored a last-minute equaliser to cancel out the opener from Borussia Dortmund striker Aubameyang at the Stade de l'Amitie in […]

Milan (AFP) – Ivan Perisic and Eder hit late goals as Inter Milan stuttered to a precious 3-1 comeback win at home to Chievo on Saturday. Chievo travelled to the San Siro hoping for a second consecutive upset over the Nerazzurri after a shock 2-0 home win at the start of the campaign when former […]

Leicester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Chelsea manager Antonio Conte played down talk of a problem with Diego Costa after omitting the striker from his squad for Saturday's 3-0 win at Leicester City. Costa, Chelsea's top scorer with 14 league goals, is thought to have been dropped after a training-ground row with fitness coach Julio Tous. […]

Major League Soccer has announced TV coverage plans for the 2017 season, which will include plenty of changes that will disrupt the consistent television windows that fans have only recently become adjusted to after the 2016 season. In the 2016 season, the vast majority of MLS games had consistent television windows where many Friday night games […]

Leicester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Chelsea made light of Diego Costa's controversial absence as the Premier League leaders cruised to a 3-0 win at reigning champions Leicester City on Saturday. Wing-back Marcos Alonso was their unlikely goal hero with a brace — just his second and third goals for the club — either side of […]

London (AFP) – Marcos Alonso proved an unexpected replacement for the absent Diego Costa as Chelsea won 3-0 at Leicester City on Saturday to consolidate their position atop the Premier League table. Costa, Chelsea's top scorer, was missing after reportedly rowing with coaching staff about his fitness, but Spanish wing-back Alonso's double helped Antonio Conte's […]

London (AFP) – West Ham manager Slaven Bilic couldn't resist a dig at want-away star Dimitri Payet following the impressive 3-0 win over Premier League strugglers Crystal Palace on Saturday. The 48-year-old Croat said his players had been 'magnificent' and showed it was more about the team than any individual player as they ended a […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu insists ensuring Lionel Messi's future at the Catalan giants is his top priority after a week littered with embarrassing series of PR own goals for the Spanish champions. "Renewing Messi's contract is indispensable to our club," Bartomeu told Catalan TV station TV3 before Barca's 5-0 thrashing of […]

Libreville (AFP) – Minnows Guinea-Bissau made it a memorable start to the Africa Cup of Nations as a late Juary Soares equaliser saw them hold hosts Gabon to a 1-1 draw in Saturday's opening game. Soares headed home for the tournament debutants in the 90th minute to cancel out Gabonese poster boy Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's opener […]

Paris (AFP) – New boy Julian Draxler produced a brilliant first-time finish to give Paris Saint Germain a 1-0 win at Rennes on his Ligue 1 debut for the champions on Saturday. The victory lifts PSG level second with Monaco on 42 points, two behind table-toppers Nice, who host lowly Metz Sunday, while the Monegasques […]

Burnley (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Substitute Joey Barton marked his return to Burnley, after a short-lived stint at Rangers, by scoring a 78th-minute free-kick to earn his side a 1-0 home win over Southampton on Saturday. The controversial English midfielder returned to the Premier League this month despite having a charge of misconduct hanging over […]

Libreville (AFP) – Juary Soares grabbed a dramatic late equaliser for debutants Guinea-Bissau as they recovered from a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang strike to hold hosts Gabon to a 1-1 draw in the Africa Cup of Nations opening game. Gabon appeared to be heading for victory in Saturday's Group A curtain-raiser after Borussia Dortmund striker Aubameyang turned […]