Berlin (AFP) – VfL Wolfsburg on Monday reportedly sacked coach Dieter Hecking after their latest defeat left the ambitious Bundesliga club winless in their last six league games. According to both German daily Bild and broadcaster Sport1, ex-French defender Valerien Ismael, 41, has already been promoted from the Under-23 team to be caretaker coach for […]

Paris (AFP) – American tycoon Frank McCourt on Monday officially completed his purchase of French Ligue 1 side Marseille, his communications office confirmed. The 63-year-old former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers signed the necessary paperwork in Paris having entered into exclusive discussions to buy Marseille from owner Margarita Louis-Dreyfus on August 29. McCourt's ownership […]

London (AFP) – Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri says he is not worried about the English champions' poor domestic run and is confident they will rediscover their winning ways. The 64-year-old Italian added the manner in which the team were showing fighting qualities satisfied him they would turn the corner sooner or later. The Foxes have […]

London (AFP) – Chinese group Trillion Trophy Asia (TTA) completed their lengthy takeover of English club Birmingham City on Monday making it the third club based in the city to fall under Chinese control. The confirmation of the purchase of the second tier side by TTA — who are controlled by 55-year-old Hong Kong businessman […]

Here are the ten things we learned from the penultimate week of the 2016 MLS season. 1. Who Would You Want To Be In The West? We will enter the final day of the MLS regular season next weekend with four teams vying for the final three Western Conference playoff spots. All four teams – […]

Sydney (AFP) – Australia could play their World Cup qualifier against Thailand on neutral territory if efforts fail to keep the match in Bangkok following the death of King Bhumibol, Football Federation Australia said on Monday. The venue for the November 15 match has been in limbo since the world's longest-reigning monarch died Thursday aged […]

Seoul (AFP) – Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors hope to ride out a bribery storm and reach the AFC Champions League final when they take a 4-1 lead into their semi-final second leg against FC Seoul. The K-League leaders were slapped with a nine-point deduction and a 100 million won ($88,000) fine last month after one of […]

Paris (AFP) – AFP Sports looks ahead to Tuesday's Champions League action as champions Real Madrid go on the goal trail against minnows Legia Warsaw. (all kick-offs 1845 GMT): Group E At Leverkusen, Germany Bayer Leverkusen (GER) v Tottenham (ENG) Tottenham's surprise home defeat to Monaco on the opening day has put a spanner in […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – Amid drama surrounding the absence of Didier Drogba, the Montreal Impact settled for a 2-2 draw against Toronto that proved enough to secure a Major League Soccer playoff spot. The Impact announced on their Twitter feed before Sunday's game that Drogba was absent with back trouble. But coach Mauro Biello confirmed […]

Milan (AFP) – Paulo Dybala hit a brace as champions Juventus underscored their Serie A title credentials with a battling 2-1 win over Udinese as rivals Napoli and Inter Milan crumbled. Juventus had been given a huge incentive before their late kick-off against the league's other 'bianconeri' side on Saturday evening after Roma stunned Napoli […]

Paris (AFP) – Marseille prepared for a new US-owned era by squeezing past Metz 1-0 on Sunday thanks to Bafetimbi Gomis's first half goal. In the last match of the Louis-Dreyfus era, under-performing Marseille gave their long-suffering fans some rare cheer in a miserable season that regardless sees them sit 12th in Ligue 1. Gomis […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich's chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge describes as 'unacceptable' their 2-2 draw at ten-man Eintracht Frankfurt which leaves the German league leaders winless in their last three games. Bayern host PSV Eindhoven in a key European match on Wednesday needing a win following last month's 1-0 Champions League defeat at Atletico Madrid and […]

Madrid (AFP) – Cesare Prandelli enjoyed the perfect start to life in charge of Valencia as Mario Suarez's double lifted Los Che out of the relegation zone with a 2-1 win at Sporting Gijon. The former Italy boss is Valencia's fourth coach in under a year, but got an instant response as Suarez finished off […]

Southampton (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Charlie Austin scored twice as Southampton beat Burnley 3-1 at St Mary's on Sunday to climb into the top eight of the Premier League. The south coast club were in dominant form, with Nathan Redmond also on target before Sam Vokes pulled a goal back for the visitors late on. […]

Moscow (AFP) – Zenit St Petersburg beat Ural Yekaterinburg 2-0 on Sunday to go level on points with Russian Premier League leaders Spartak Moscow. Spartak kept top spot having won more games, with Zenit joining them on 22 points after maintaining their unbeaten start to the season. Reigning champions CSKA, who beat Ufa 1-0 on […]