Berlin (AFP) – Scotland's teenage international Oliver Burke says his German league club RB Leipzig can knock Bayern Munich from their perch at the top of the Bundesliga. "I want to win the Bundesliga and I want to win it with RB Leipzig. Why not?" he told Sky. "We have the players, the quality. We […]

Columbus (AFP) – United States captain Michael Bradley says he expects the team's supporters to show respect to Mexican fans in Friday's World Cup qualifier which comes in the wake of Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential vote. Trump's controversial rhetoric about Mexican illegal immigrants during the campaign adds to the already strong rivalry […]

Ticket prices for Friday's World Cup qualifier between the United States and Mexico have declined on the secondary market ahead of the game in Columbus, Ohio. The cheapest price on the secondary market for a ticket to USA-Mexico has decreased 49% from October 27. At the end of October, prices started at $268. But as […]

Zurich (AFP) – FIFA's ethics committee on Wednesday recommended a life ban from all football-related activities for former Honduras president Rafael Callejas, who is awaiting judgement in the United States on kick-back charges. Head of state between 1990-1994, Callejas previously pleaded guilty to racketeering to a New York court in March, and now faces a […]

Lisbon (AFP) – There was a time, before TV deals brought untold riches to the game, when retiring footballers had little in the bank and few options for the rest of their lives. But as the boom of the past two decades has transformed the business fortunes of the big clubs, so has it opened […]

Viewership of Premier League matches on NBC Sports in the United States is down 18.96%, according to a report. For gameweek one through eleven of the 2016/17 Premier League season, the average viewership for a game on NBC Sports is 381,418 (for 67 matches in total). That compares to an average viewership of 470,681 for […]

Berlin (AFP) – Captain Manuel Neuer is the latest Germany star ruled out of Friday's World Cup qualifier against minnows San Marino, the German FA (DFB) confirmed on Wednesday. The 30-year-old Bayern Munich goalkeeper withdrew because he felt unwell shortly before Germany's flight to Rimini to face the microstate in northern Italy. He will also […]

Barcelona (AFP) – European Golden Shoe winner Luis Suarez said negotiations to extend his contract with Barcelona until 2021 were running smoothly. The 29-year-old, who claimed the award for a second time after finishing top scorer across Europe last season, originally joined Barcelona on a five-year deal from Liverpool in 2014. "Negotiations are moving along […]

Belo Horizonte (Brazil) (AFP) – A resurgent Brazil return to the scene of the most humiliating defeat in their history on Thursday when they face Argentina in a titantic 2018 World Cup qualifier. Two years ago at Belo Horizonte's Estadio Mineirao, Brazil were ripped apart 7-1 by Germany in the World Cup semi-finals, a traumatic […]

Doha (AFP) – Alcohol will be banned from streets and public places and if Qatari officials get their way even stadiums during the 2022 World Cup, the head of the country's tournament organising committee said on Tuesday. The comments by Hassan Al-Thawadi will further alarm football traditionalists already unhappy that the tournament will be moved […]

Univision's announcers for Friday's must-watch game between USA and Mexico will be José Luis López Salido and Enrique Bermudez. Alongside Lopez and Bermudez in the booth will be analysts Diego Balado, former Mexican national team player Gonzalo Pineda and former captain of the U.S. national team Marcelo Balboa. The USA-Mexico match will be shown live on […]

Belo Horizonte (Brazil) (AFP) – They may be about to lock horns in the latest instalment of Brazil and Argentina's ferocious football rivalry, but Neymar was not about to let 102 years of South American footballing enmity get in the way of his friendship with Barcelona mates Lionel Messi and Javier Mascherano. So when the […]

Jerusalem (AFP) – Israel said on Tuesday that the Islamic State group had been planning attacks "in the Balkans" and specifically warned its citizens not to attend an upcoming Israel-Albania football match. Albanian football officials said earlier Tuesday that the country's 2018 World Cup qualifier with Israel this weekend would be moved for "security reasons", […]

Madrid (AFP) – A day after signing a bumper fresh contract with Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo has boosted his mind-boggling earnings with a new deal with Nike, the American sports giant said on Tuesday. Together the multimillion mega-deals are expected to cement Ronaldo's status as the world's highest-paid sportsman, ahead of great Barcelona rival Lionel […]

Burton-on-Trent (United Kingdom) (AFP) – England's players are pleased they will be able to wear commemorative poppies in Friday's World Cup qualifier against Scotland, striker Harry Kane said on Tuesday. World governing body FIFA forbids teams from wearing political, commercial or religious symbols during matches and has warned England and Scotland they could face sanctions […]