Berlin (AFP) – Germany coach Hansi Flick has told his side to keep their composure in Budapest during Saturday's Nations League match against Hungary, where the home crowd is expected to give the Germans a hostile reception. "Everyone of us has played so many games where the atmosphere was heated," Flick said Friday. "There may […]

London (AFP) – Former Northern Ireland and Everton manager Billy Bingham, who twice took his country to the World Cup, died on Friday at the age of 90. Bingham guided Northern Ireland to the World Cup in 1982, when the minnows enjoyed a shock win over hosts Spain thanks to Gerry Armstrong's goal in the […]

Kobe (Japan) (AFP) – Real Madrid starlet Takefusa Kubo scored his first international goal as Japan thrashed Ghana 4-1 on Friday to step up their World Cup preparations. The 21-year-old Kubo, who spent last season on loan at Mallorca, turned home Kaoru Mitoma's cross midway through the second half to open his account for Japan […]

Paris (AFP) – French champions Paris Saint-Germain are near to reaching an agreement for Zinedine Zidane to replace Mauricio Pochettino as coach, French media reported on Friday. According to Europe 1 an agreement in principle is in place between the club and 49-year-old Zidane for the former Real Madrid boss ahead of the new season. […]

Kobe (Japan) (AFP) – Chile coach Eduardo Berizzo says reports that they are set to replace Ecuador at the World Cup have "absolutely no impact" on his players despite a 2-0 defeat Friday to Qatar-bound Tunisia. Reports this week said Ecuador are set to be kicked out of the November-December showpiece for fielding an ineligible […]

Jerusalem (AFP) – Israeli citizens will be allowed to travel to Qatar to watch football's 2022 World Cup, despite the absence of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the government said. World football's governing body "FIFA has confirmed that Israeli citizens will be able to enter Qatar during the World Cup and watch games, just […]

Vancouver (AFP) – Alphonso Davies celebrated his return to international duty with two goals Thursday as World Cup-bound Canada thrashed Curacao 4-0 in the CONCACAF Nations League. The 21-year-old Bayern Munich star missed Canada's last six matches after developing symptoms of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart, after Covid-19. Sidelined since December, he had returned […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Egypt sorely missed injured captain Mohamed Salah as they slumped to a shock 2-0 defeat by Ethiopia on Thursday in 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying. A strain ruled out the prolific Liverpool scorer after he defied his club last Sunday and played in a victory over Guinea despite not […]

Geneva (AFP) – Spain registered the first win of their Nations League campaign on Thursday as Pablo Sarabia's early goal was enough for a 1-0 victory over Switzerland. Sarabia capitalised on a Swiss error at the back to give Luis Enrique's side the lead in Geneva and that was enough for the visitors in a […]

Lisbon (AFP) – Portugal scored twice in five minutes to beat the Czech Republic on Thursday and open up a two-point lead at the top of Group A2 in the Nations League. Joao Cancelo and Goncalo Guedes were on target in the 33rd and 38th minutes in Lisbon as Portugal continued their strong start in […]

Bellinzona (Switzerland) (AFP) – Sepp Blatter struck a "gentleman's agreement" with Michel Platini to pay him a million Swiss francs ($1.02 million) a year as an adviser, the former world football chief told their trial on Thursday. The French football legend had jokingly asked Blatter for a million, without specifying the currency, and the then-FIFA […]

Algiers (AFP) – An Algerian court sentenced Algerian football star and ex-Porto striker Rabah Madjer to six months in jail on Thursday for making "false declarations", local media reported. Madjer, who owned two newspapers, was found to have continued to bank cheques from a public advertising agency for a year after the papers were closed. […]

Peter Drury's top 5 goal calls are some of the most hallowed in the recent history of the sport. He has history calling the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, FIFA World Cup and more. Frankly, he is always in the conversation for the best soccer commentator for English-language broadcasts. For American fans of soccer, he […]

Madrid (AFP) – Gennaro Gattuso has been confirmed as the new coach of Valencia, the La Liga side announced on Thursday. The 44-year-old, who last managed Napoli, will replace Jose Bordalas who was sacked by the club last week. Gattuso has also managed AC Milan, where he played as a combative midfielder for 13 years, […]

Paris (AFP) – The head of Paris police acknowledged on Thursday the "failure" of security operations for the Champions League final last month and apologised for tear-gassing supporters as they tried to enter the stadium. The football showpiece hosted by Paris on May 28 was marred by scenes of mayhem as Liverpool fans struggled to […]