London (AFP) – Everton owner Farhad Moshiri has apologised to fans after the Premier League club only narrowly avoided relegation in the penultimate game of the season. A dramatic 3-2 victory against Crystal Palace extended Everton's top-flight stay to 69 years. But that uplifting end to the season for Frank Lampard's team could not obscure […]

London (AFP) – Gareth Southgate insists England's established stars deserve his loyalty because they would "die for each other" on the pitch. Southgate's side have gone two games without a win in the Nations League after rescuing a 1-1 draw in Germany in their Nations League group clash on Tuesday. Harry Kane's late penalty cancelled […]

Paris (AFP) – Belgium tore Poland apart to win their Nations League match 6-1 in Brussels on Wednesday. Belgium lost their opening game to neighbours Netherlands but responded with an increasingly dominant performance and finished the game with five goals in just over 30 minutes. "It brings extra emotion when you lose against your rivals […]

Dublin (AFP) – Viktor Tsygankov lifted Ukraine's spirits after their painful failure to qualify for the World Cup as the midfielder clinched a 1-0 Nations League victory over the Republic of Ireland on Wednesday. Tsygankov struck with a fine free-kick early in the second at Dublin's Aviva Stadium. Ukraine held on to that slender lead […]

Cardiff (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Wout Weghorst ended Wales' World Cup party and shattered their 19-match unbeaten home record in dramatic fashion as the Netherlands won 2-1 in Wednesday's Nations League clash in Cardiff. Wales will head to Qatar in November for their first World Cup appearance in 64 years after beating Ukraine 1-0 in […]

London (AFP) – Everton owner Farhad Moshiri has apologised to fans after the Premier League club only narrowly avoided relegation in the penultimate game of the season. A dramatic 3-2 victory against Crystal Palace extended Everton's top-flight stay to 69 years. But that uplifting end to the season for Frank Lampard's team could not obscure […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Senegal coach Aliou Cisse wants the September Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers postponed to allow the five countries representing the continent at the World Cup to play friendly matches. Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia have qualified for the November 21-December 18 Qatar tournament and the African sides have only […]

Vienna (AFP) – An independent inspection of the Ernst-Happel Stadium pitch on Wednesday concluded that Austria's game against France could go ahead even though a huge hole appeared during a Nations League match against Denmark earlier in the week. With a sold-out match against world champions France scheduled for Friday, the Austrian football federation (OFB), […]

London (AFP) – Newcastle signed Aston Villa defender Matt Targett on a permanent basis on Wednesday after his successful loan spell at St James' Park. Targett spent the second half of the season on loan with Newcastle as part of boss Eddie Howe's revamp of the Premier League side. The left-back made 16 appearances as […]

London (AFP) – Leeds signed Denmark defender Rasmus Kristensen from RB Salzburg for a reported £8.5 million ($10.6 million) on Wednesday. Kristensen agreed a five-year deal with the Premier League club and will officially move to Elland Road on July 1. The 24-year-old right-back has six caps for Denmark and helped Salzburg win the Austrian […]

FC Barcelona have revealed their new home top for next season, and it's another in a recent string of non-traditional designs from the Catalan giants. At the same time, this shirt manages to check all the boxes a Barça shirt should have, but is also quite different from what we've seen in the past. Reviewing […]

Madrid (AFP) – Luka Modric said he still has the same motivation as when he arrived at Real Madrid after the 36-year-old signed a new one-year contract with the club on Wednesday. Modric joined Madrid from Tottenham in 2012 and has gone on to make 436 appearances for the Spanish giants, winning the Champions League […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich have doubled down by again telling Robert Lewandowski that he cannot leave before his contract expires next year. The 33-year-old Poland star has been linked with a transfer to Barcelona, but Bayern insist Lewandowski must fulfil his contract which runs out in June 2023. Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic told […]

Bellinzona (Switzerland) (AFP) – Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini, once the chiefs of world and European football, appeared in a Swiss court on Wednesday to face trial over a suspected fraudulent payment. Former FIFA president Blatter, 86, and Platini, 66, appeared in Switzerland's Federal Criminal Court in the southern city of Bellinzona, following an investigation […]

Madrid (AFP) – Luka Modric has signed a new deal to keep him at Real Madrid until the end of next season, the European champions said on Wednesday. The Croatia midfielder, who turns 37 in September, played a key role in Carlo Ancelotti's side last term as they won the La Liga and Champions League […]