London (AFP) – Ivory Coast football great Yaya Toure has been banned from driving for 18 months and fined £54,000 ($68,500, 64,600 euros) for drink driving, he said on Facebook on Tuesday. The 33-year-old Manchester City midfielder insisted though he imbibed the alcohol by accident. Toure, a four-time African player of the Year and a […]

Berlin (AFP) – Germany stars Jerome Boateng of Bayern Munich and Arsenal's Mesut Ozil have traded good-natured digs on Twitter after their respective clubs drew each other in the Champions League. Bayern were paired with Arsenal in the draw for the last 16 and will resume their European battle with the Gunners on February 15 […]

Kuala Lumpur (AFP) – Hong Kong trailblazer Chan Yuen-ting, the first woman coach to win a top-flight men's football title, faces a brutal AFC Champions League initiation after her Eastern SC were bracketed Tuesday with Chinese giants Guangzhou Evergrande. Chan will face off in Group G against World Cup-winning Brazilian coach Luiz Felipe Scolari and […]

Middlesbrough (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Jurgen Klopp has dropped his biggest hint yet he is ready to strengthen his Liverpool squad in January but on his freescoring attack and not his error-prone defence. Liverpool travel to Middlesbrough aiming for a first victory in three games to reignite their Premier League title hopes in the wake […]

London (AFP) – Jose Mourinho has warned Wayne Rooney he cannot be sure of being involved in Manchester United's clash with Crystal Palace on Wednesday despite Henrikh Mkhitaryan's injury. The United and England captain has been relegated to the bench by both this season and has started just one league game since being left out […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Bacary Sagna confesses Manchester City did not give 100 per cent in their 4-2 defeat at Leicester and must show more desire to get their season back on course when they host Watford on Wednesday. Pep Guardiola's side have not won a home league game since the middle of September […]

London (AFP) – Diego Costa is beginning to have the same impact at Chelsea as Didier Drogba once did, central defender Gary Cahill believes. Costa has come to symbolise the club's transformation under Antonio Conte and ensured the Blues extended their winning streak to nine Premier League games with the winning goal against West Bromwich […]

London (AFP) – England international striker Harry Kane says teams have worked Tottenham Hotspur out and the Londoners need to adapt if they are to reignite their Premier League title challenge. Mauricio Pochettino’s side have stalled in recent weeks with Sunday’s defeat at Manchester United extending a sticky run that has brought just two wins […]

Milan (AFP) – Radja Nainggolan hit a second-half scorcher to secure a 1-0 win over AC Milan, who saw M'Baye Niang miss a first-half penalty, to close to within four points of leaders Juventus on Monday. Roma and Milan had both dropped to seven points behind Juventus after Gonzalo Higuain scored twice on Sunday to […]

Madrid (AFP) – Atletico Madrid's feint hopes of challenging for the La Liga title evaporated as they fell to sixth, 12 points adrift of leaders Real Madrid, with a 3-0 defeat at Villarreal on Monday. The hosts capitalised on rare defensive errors from Atletico to go 2-0 up before half-time thanks to goals from Manu […]

Milan (AFP) – Croatia striker Nikola Kalinic struck a stunning first-half brace as Fiorentina held off a spirited fightback from Sassuolo to prevail 2-1 and move up to seventh in Serie A on Monday. Fiorentina were missing Borja Valero through injury and had to do without Senegal striker Khouma Babacar, who headed a last-gasp winner […]

Madrid (AFP) – For the fourth time in his career Cristiano Ronaldo was crowned the best player in the world by winning the Ballon d'Or on Monday. Here, AFP Sports looks at five key moments from 2016 that landed the Portuguese the biggest individual prize in football. – Snaps unbeaten Barca run Real Madrid are […]

Paris (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo won his fourth Ballon d'Or on Monday to get one over his nemesis Lionel Messi in their long-running duel for the title of best footballer on the planet. It was the perfect ending to another fantastic year for the Real Madrid star, who won the Champions League for the second […]

London (AFP) – Algerian international Riyad Mahrez' dynamic performances in Leicester's remarkable Premier League title win last season garnered him the prestigious BBC African player of the year award on Monday. The 25-year-old France-born forward — who earlier this year became the first African to win the Professional Footballers Association Player of the Year award on […]

Nyon (Switzerland) (AFP) – Manchester United will take on Saint-Etienne in the last 32 of the Europa League pitting world-record signing Paul Pogba against his elder brother Florentin for the first time. Jose Mourinho's side will host the French club in the first leg on February 16 at Old Trafford, with the return the following […]