Paris (AFP) – Inter Milan were stunned at Sparta Prague, Schalke 04 put their Bundesliga woes to one side when cruising past Salzburg while Mario Balotelli got on the score sheet for Nice again in Europa League action. AFP Sports picks out the best of the early games from matchday two on Thursday: Schalke reborn […]

Milan (AFP) – Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba was targeted by Jose Mourinho for Chelsea last year but was blocked by an agreement between his agent and Juventus, the Frenchman's agent Mino Raiola said Thursday. Pogba, who left United for free to join Juventus in 2012 at the age of 18, returned to Old Trafford […]

beIN SPORTS will debut a brand-new documentary about Argentina's 1986 World Cup triumph this Sunday night in a film that features exclusive interviews, fantastic match highlights and the unbelievable story of a World Cup that almost never happened. The Impossible Champion tells the inspiring story of Argentina’s 1986 World Cup Victory and what is considered […]

Cologne (Germany) (AFP) – Dutch winger Arjen Robben wants to prolong his Bayern Munich contract beyond the end of his current deal which expires at the end of this season, German football magazine Kicker reported on Thursday. "Arjen would like to stay but there are two parties involved in the debate," the 32-year-old forward's father […]

The National Women’s Soccer League returned to the airwaves with the league’s third and final regular season match broadcast on Fox Sports 1 attracting 47,000 viewers, the lowest of the league’s three nationally televised matches. Major League Soccer on Fox Sports 1 did not fare much better either with Columbus Crew and DC United drawing […]

Paris (AFP) – Former France international footballer Franck Ribery on Thursday lost an appeal against the author of a book in which he was described as "scum". A Paris appeals court upheld the original judgement from last January but overturned a 5,000 euro fine against the 32-year-old footballer for abusive proceedings. In his 2013 book […]

Cologne (Germany) (AFP) – Bayer Leverkusen's Finnish midfielder Joel Pohjanpalo has been ruled out for several weeks with a fractured foot, the Bundesliga club said Thursday. The 22-year-old is joint third in the list of goal scorers for Leverkusen this season with four goals including a hat-trick against Hamburg on September 10. He picked up […]

Lausanne (AFP) – Legia Warsaw will play their next Champions League game against Real Madrid behind closed doors, European football's governing body UEFA ruled Thursday, following crowd trouble during their last home game. The club was also fined 80,000 euros ($90,000) for the incidents which included racist behaviour and fighting among the home fans during […]

Lisbon (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo was named in the Portugal squad Thursday after recovering from a knee injury that wrecked his Euro 2016 final and is expected to start in the World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and the Faroe Islands. The European champions need the Real Madrid forward to start firing immediately after they suffered […]

London (AFP) – Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe ruled himself out Thursday of replacing Sam Allardyce as England manager, although he said the "ultimate job" could tempt him later in his career. Allardyce's one-game career as England manager came to a humiliating end after just 67 days on Tuesday following controversial comments made to undercover reporters. […]

Premier League soccer on a Friday Night will take a bit of getting used to for watchers of the English game’s top flight. Opinion is split on the new slot on the weekend schedule. For some, mainly home supporters, the prospect of a live game to round off the working week is an enamoring one, […]

Moscow (AFP) – Russian football authorities on Thursday downplayed a banana-throwing incident at the Champions League match between Rostov and PSV Eindhoven, despite it coming as the club served a punishment for racist abuse. The problem of widespread racism in Russian football is under the microscope as the country gears up to host the 2018 […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – The flow of Chinese billionaires seeking to invest in European clubs, especially the Premier League, must be sensitive to local feeling should they succeed in buying a team, a senior media executive warns. Molly Li Mo, director of international and external relations at sports service platform Alisports, admitted in talks […]

Mumbai (AFP) – The third Indian Super League season kicks off on Saturday with organisers intent on turning it into a global brand — and shrugging off comparisons with big-spending China. Former Atletico Madrid star Diego Forlan, Brazilian World Cup-winner Lucio and Champions League winner John Arne Riise are some of the stars of yesteryear turning out in […]

Monchengladbach (Germany) (AFP) – Gerard Pique said committing fewer second-half errors was the key to Barcelona's 2-1 come-from-behind victory at Borussia Moenchengladbach on Wednesday as they proved they can win in the Champions League without injured Lionel Messi. Thorgan Hazard — the younger brother of Chelsea midfielder Eden — gave Gladbach a shock yet deserved […]