London (AFP) – Southampton manager Ronald Koeman has insisted he is determined to fulfil his contract after being linked with the vacancy at Premier League rivals Everton. Roberto Martinez was sacked by the Merseysiders on Thursday and Dutch boss Koeman was immediately suggested as a candidate to replace the Spaniard. But Koeman has a year […]

Mexico City (AFP) – FIFA on Friday lifted Indonesia's year-long ban from international competitions but confirmed the suspensions of Kuwait and Benin over government interference in the sport. FIFA president Gianni Infantino said at a congress in Mexico City that Indonesia was reinstated after the government sent a letter notifying that it had lifted sanctions […]

London (AFP) – Leicester defender Danny Simpson will be able to join the Premier League champions' title parade after a judge agreed to quash his curfew sentence for domestic violence on Friday. Simpson asked a court on Thursday to let him pay a fine instead of finishing his community sentence for throttling his ex-girlfriend Stephanie […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal said on Friday that big-name players would still want to come to Old Trafford even if the club failed to qualify for next season's Champions League. Tuesday's 3-2 defeat by West Ham left United fifth in the Premier League table, just outside the top […]

Paris (AFP) – Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas said on Friday he had made a bid to Nice to resign forward Hatem Ben Arfa. After a brilliant season with Nice, Ben Arfa was reported a week ago to be on the verge of a move to Barcelona. But Aulas has always had a nose for a […]

London (AFP) – Newcastle owner Mike Ashley has written an open letter to his relegated club's supporters in which he promises to restore them to the Premier League at the first attempt. The Magpies were condemned to the Championship on Wednesday for the second time in Ashley's tenure after a dismal season on Tyneside. But […]

Paris (AFP) – France's young player of the year Ousmane Dembele was called up on Friday for the French under-21 squad to face Italy in a friendly on June 2. The 18-year-old winger signed a five-year deal to join Borussia Dortmund from Rennes on Thursday, with the German Bundesliga club describing him as "one of […]

Paris (AFP) – Zlatan Ibrahimovic confirmed on Friday that he will leave Paris Saint-Germain at the end of this season, but the French champions said the Swedish star will eventually return in a "management" role. "My last game tomorrow at Parc des Princes. I came like a king, left like a legend," wrote Ibrahimovic on […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Barcelona boss Luis Enrique is adamant that his side will not crumble under the pressure of being favourites to retain their La Liga title at Granada on Saturday. The defending champions need to win in Andalusia to be assured of a 24th Spanish title and hold off a late-season charge by Real […]

The 2016 season of the Campeonato Brasileiro kicks off May 14-15 and runs through December 2016. The top-flight league of the Championship, known as Serie A, showcases the top 20 teams in the country and is formatted as a traditional 38 round home-and-away competition. In the US, two broadcasters share TV rights to the competition: […]

Leicester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Claudio Ranieri believes Leicester City's shock title triumph has restored his reputation in the minds of his critics ahead of an emotional return to former club Chelsea this Sunday. The 64-year-old's appointment last July was heavily criticised by pundits and former players alike but the Italian's side have since undergone […]

For the last 14 years, Evertonians have only known two managers in David Moyes and Roberto Martinez. So, quite naturally, there have always been comparisons made between the two. Those contrasts have been easy to formulate because of the striking differences in the principles held by each man. Moyes was a pragmatist and a conservative […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea captain John Terry has been offered a new one-year deal, the English Premier League club said Friday. The 35-year-old centre-half, who has spent his entire senior club career with the west London side, is out of contract at the end of the season. In January, Terry — who has made more […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane believes his side can dream of pulling off an incredible comeback to usurp Barcelona and win La Liga on Saturday. Madrid need to win a 12th consecutive La Liga game at Deportivo la Coruna and hope that Barca slip up away at Granada to deny their eternal […]

Paris (AFP) – Zlatan Ibrahimovic has one of the hottest shots in football and he is not at all modest about it. "One thing is for sure, a World Cup without me is nothing to watch," said the Swedish superstar after his country failed to qualify for Brazil 2014. So it is just as well […]