London (AFP) – Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew says he feels the "weight of history" on his shoulders as he tries to lead the south London side to the first major trophy in their 111-year existence. Palace have the chance to claim that long-awaited piece of silverware when they face Manchester United in Saturday's FA […]

Singapore (AFP) – Asian ownership of European football clubs can be tough because of cultural differences, Valencia's Singaporean president said on Friday after a turbulent period at the Mestalla Stadium. Chan Lay Hoon, who was brought in by Valencia's billionaire owner Peter Lim, said she had had a tough first season at the club marked […]

Milan (AFP) – Uncertainty over the future of AC Milan hovers over the stricken Italian giants as they look to avoid the ignominy of a season without European football by wresting the Italian Cup from Juventus on Saturday. "It would be a huge victory for the team but also in terms of sealing direct entry […]

Paris (AFP) – Zlatan Ibrahimovic will aim to lift one final trophy as the curtain comes down on his record-shattering Paris Saint-Germain career in Saturday's French Cup final against bitter rivals Marseille. Ibrahimovic, who obliterated Pauleta's club goals record earlier this season and now stands on 154 from 179 games, announced he will leave Paris […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Rangers manager Mark Warburton says winning the Scottish Cup final against Hibernian on Saturday wouldn't compare to the euphoria of securing promotion back to the top flight. Warburton's side clinched the Championship title to claim a place in the Scottish Premiership for the first time since they were forced to start life […]

Berlin (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund aim to ruin Bayern Munich's plans to farewell Pep Guardiola with a seventh title in three years when Germany's top teams meet in Saturday's crunch German Cup final. Victory over their main rivals at Berlin's Olympic Stadium would give Bayern the league and cup double before Guardiola leaves for Manchester […]

London (AFP) – While the FA Cup final will always inspire a degree of reverence, Crystal Palace winger Yannick Bolasie will have more reason than most to feel emotional at Wembley on Saturday. Bolasie grew up just a few miles from Wembley and could see the famous stadium glimmering in the distance from his parents' […]

London (AFP) – He started the season derided as an expensive panic buy, but Anthony Martial goes into Saturday's FA Cup final against Crystal Palace as the potential saviour of Manchester United's season. The French forward's deadline-day move from Monaco, at an initial cost of £36 million ($52.6 million, 47 million euros), rising to £58 […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United will attempt to salvage something from their tumultuous season — and potentially keep manager Louis van Gaal in a job — in Saturday's FA Cup final against Crystal Palace. After failing to qualify for the Champions League for the second time in three years, the Wembley showpiece represents United's last […]

Berlin (AFP) – Eintracht Frankfurt's Marco Russ capped a traumatic 24 hours by scoring an own-goal in Thursday's 1-1 Bundesliga play-off, first-leg draw against Nuremberg, a day after discovering he has a tumour. The 30-year-old centre-back only found out he had a tumour on Wednesday after abnormal levels of the pregnancy hormone HCG showed up […]

London (AFP) – Aston Villa's Chinese owner Tony Xia has pledged to restore the relegated Premier League club to their former glory as soon as possible. Xia, whose Chinese name is Xia Jiantong, purchased Villa on Wednesday for a reported $87 million and is looking to hire a new manager quickly before bringing in a […]

Nice (France) (AFP) – Former French international star David Ginola suffered a suspected heart attack on Thursday and was airlifted to hospital, the Nice-Matin newspaper reported. However, the 49-year-old ex-PSG and Newcastle star later moved to reassure fans over his condition and blamed his illness on playing football in the searing afternoon heat. "Footy match […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – Brazilian star Kaka is the highest paid player in Major League Soccer, topping the earnings rankings ahead of Italy international Sebastian Giovinco and United States captain Michael Bradley, figures showed Thursday. Former world footballer of the year Kaka, who plays for Florida club Orlando City, led the earnings with a guaranteed […]

London (AFP) – English football could be set for its biggest revamp in decades after the Football League proposed a plan to introduce a fifth division into the professional game. Football League chiefs want to have four divisions of 20 teams below the Premier League by the 2019-20 campaign as they seek a solution to […]

Kiev (AFP) – Ukraine coach Mykhaylo Fomenko on Thursday announced a provisional 28-man squad for Euro 2016, led by Dynamo Kiev forward Andriy Yarmolenko and Yevgen Konoplyanka who starred in Sevilla's Europa League triumph. The 67-year-old coach will have to trim his squad to 23 players by the end of the month. In a confusing […]