Paris (AFP) – With Cristiano Ronaldo still missing due to injury, European champions Portugal began their bid to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia with a disappointing 2-0 defeat in Switzerland on Tuesday. Goals seven minutes apart in the first half from teenage sensation Breel Embolo and Admir Mehmedi gave the Swiss the […]

Athens (AFP) – An Athens prosecutor suggested Tuesday that shipping magnate and Olympiakos owner Evangelos Marinakis be held in custody before he stands trial for his alleged involvement in the establishment of a criminal gang which fixed football matches. Prosecutor Stamatis Daskalopoulos said that Marinakis, 49, violated an existing order that banned him from getting […]

Soweto (South Africa) (AFP) – South Africa defeated Egypt 1-0 Tuesday in the Nelson Mandela Challenge friendly match in Soweto, but the win may not save coach Ephraim 'Shakes' Mashaba from the axe. There is strong media speculation that Mashaba will be fired this weekend after a disastrous 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign […]

Abu Dhabi (AFP) – Tim Cahill came off the bench to score with only his second touch as Australia edged the United Arab Emirates 1-0 in 2018 World Cup qualifying on Tuesday. The 36-year-old, who replaced Tomi Juric in the 71st minute at the Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, took only four minutes […]

Abu Dhabi (AFP) – Tim Cahill came off the bench to score with only his second touch as Australia edged the United Arab Emirates 1-0 in 2018 World Cup qualifying on Tuesday. The 36-year-old, who replaced Tomi Juric in the 71st minute at the Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, took only four minutes […]

FOX Sports kicks off its 2016 coverage of the National Women’s Soccer League on Wednesday, Sept. 7, when Christen Press and the Chicago Red Stars host Becky Sauerbrunn and FC Kansas City at Toyota Park in Illinois. Jenn Hildreth calls the match alongside Kyndra de St. Aubin. Coverage begins at 7:55 PM ET on FS1. […]

London (AFP) – England great Peter Shilton said Tuesday that Wayne Rooney should have retired from international football after this year's European Championships. Manchester United forward Rooney, 30, has said he intends to retire from England duty after the 2018 World Cup in Russia, but former goalkeeper Shilton believes he should already have called time […]

San Salvador (AFP) – Members of El Salvador's national team say a businessman offered them bribes to ensure their World Cup qualifier against Canada on Tuesday helps Honduras make it through to the next round. At a press conference hosted by El Salvador captain Nelson Bonilla, the group played an audio recording they said was […]

Milan (AFP) – A Rome court on Tuesday rejected a 444-million-euro lawsuit by Italian champions Juventus over damages suffered by the loss of their 2006 Serie A title and consequent demotion to Serie B. Juventus were handed the sanctions following their role in the "Calciopoli" match-fixing affair which rocked the world of football in the […]

Shenyang (China) (AFP) – China's World Cup hopes brightened on Tuesday when they held heavyweights Iran 0-0 and group rivals South Korea slipped up in an embarrassing stalemate against war-ravaged Syria. Defeat to Asia's top-ranked side would have dented China's hopes of reaching only their second World Cup but in the end it was a […]

Major League Soccer today announced that the 2016 MLS Cup final will be played on Saturday, December 10 during primetime and will be televised live on FOX broadcast network, Univision Deportes and UniMas in the United States. By broadcasting the game at 8pm ET on the over-the-air FOX network, MLS ensures that the league will […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Christian Eriksen has signed a four-year contract extension, the Premier League club announced on Tuesday. Eriksen had been in negotiations with Tottenham since early last season and those talks have finally yielded an extended deal worth a reported £75,000 per week ($100,000, 90,000 euros). The 24-year-old had been linked […]

Shenyang (China) (AFP) – China held heavyweights Iran to a gritty 0-0 draw to lift their hopes of reaching just their second World Cup in Asian qualifying on Tuesday. Asia's sleeping giants lacked ambition in the first half but they went for broke in the second in a performance that was good enough to earn […]

Seremban (Malaysia) (AFP) – South Korea hit a speed bump in their bid to reach a 10th World Cup as they were held to a goalless draw on Tuesday against a Syrian side that is unable to play at home due to the country’s long-running, bloody conflict. The frustrated South Koreans dominated possession during the […]

Shah Alam (Malaysia) (AFP) – Nawaf Al Abed buried two penalties in the last nine minutes as Saudi Arabia came from a goal down to beat regional rivals Iraq 2-1 in World Cup qualifying on Tuesday. War-torn Iraq, playing their home fixture in Malaysia's Shah Alam, struck early through Mohannad Abdul-Raheem and looked headed for […]