London (AFP) – Injured West Ham United striker Diafra Sakho is facing a two-month lay-off, ruling the Senegal international out of the Africa Cup of Nations, Hammers' manager Slaven Bilic revealed on Thursday. Bilic reported: "He had a back operation and he's going to be out for six to eight weeks. Of course it will […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham Hotspur and France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has extended his contract until 2022, the Premier League club announced on Thursday. "We are delighted to announce that Hugo Lloris has signed a new contract with the club, which will run until 2022," Spurs announced on their official Twitter account. Lloris, 29, moved to […]

Univision Deportes has revealed the announcers and studio analysts for this week's Liga MX Apertura Final between Club America and Tigres. The first leg of the final will be played on Thursday, December 22 at 10pm ET at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. The second leg will be featured on Christmas Day, December 25 at […]

Berlin (AFP) – Dieter Hecking was on Thursday named as the new coach of Borussia Moenchengladbach, the former Wolfsburg manager's arrival coming 24 hours after the sacking of Andre Schubert. Hecking, dismissed by Wolfsburg in October, has signed a deal with the struggling Bundesliga side until 2019. Schubert on Wednesday became the seventh Bundesliga coach […]

Zurich (AFP) – Lionel Messi's beaten Copa America finalists Argentina end the year top of FIFA's world rankings while France, defeated in the Euro 2016 final, were named "mover of the year". Argentina finish 2016 out in front of arch rivals Brazil to inherit the 'team of the year' title from Belgium, displaced from the […]

Launched in November, 2016, DIRECTV NOW lets you stream your favorite live sports, on demand, premium channels, popular shows, and hit movies right to your tablet, smartphone or TV. To answer your questions, we've compiled the following FAQ. If there are any questions you still have that aren't answered below, post them in the comments […]

Madrid (AFP) – Turkey international Arda Turan scored a hat-trick as holders Barcelona thrashed third-division side Hercules 7-0 in the second leg of their Copa del Rey last-32 tie. Turan struck his second hat-trick in as many weeks — following a quickfire treble against Borussia Moenchengladbach in the Champions League a fortnight ago — as […]

London (AFP) – The Irish FA on Wednesday sought an "urgent" meeting with FIFA president Gianni Infantino to protest over a 15,000 Swiss franc fine imposed for Northern Ireland's tribute to Britain's war dead. The Irish FA board expressed "severe disappoiment" at the fine (14,000 euros/$14,600) imposed by FIFA's disciplinary commission on Monday. The English […]

Berlin (AFP) – Ralph Hasenhuettl admitted 10-man RB Leipzig had been taught a tough "lesson" as leaders Bayern Munich handed out a 3-0 hammering to their nearest Bundesliga rivals. Bayern coach Carlo Ancelotti hailed a "perfect" opening 30 minutes in which Thiago Alcantara and Xabi Alonso scored early goals before Leipzig winger Emil Forsberg was […]

Milan (AFP) – Mauro Icardi took his Serie A goal tally to a league-leading 14 with a brace in a 3-0 win over Lazio that gave Inter Milan's fans some unexpected festive cheer. Icardi hailed Inter's fourth win in a row, while Lazio boss Simone Inzaghi was left bemoaning second half lapses. "A team like […]

Paris (AFP) – Mario Balotelli and Younes Belhanda were sent off in the dying seconds as Ligue 1 leaders Nice stumbled into the winter break with 0-0 draw at Bordeaux, allowing Monaco to trim the gap at the top to two points. Paris Saint-Germain eased the pressure on coach Unai Emery by beating Lorient 5-0. […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich defender Mats Hummels dyed his hair blond for Wednesday's 3-0 top-of-the-table win over RB Leipzig after losing a bet at the Oktoberfest beer festival, he revealed. The 28-year-old World Cup winner, who normally has dark hair, went peroxide blond for the high-profile showdown at Munich's Allianz Arena which saw Bundesliga […]

Berlin (AFP) – Robert Lewandowski led Bayern Munich to a 3-0 triumph in their Bundesliga showdown against ten-man RB Leipzig that opened up a three-point lead over their rivals. Coach Carlo Ancelotti hailed a "perfect" first half in which Bayern's Thiago Alcantara and Xabi Alonso scored early goals before Leipzig winger Emil Forsberg was shown […]

Madrid (AFP) – Spanish international Aritz Aduriz, still a prolific scorer this year for Athletic Bilbao at the age of 35, has signed a contract extension that will keep him at the La Liga club until he is 37. Bilbao said the new deal meant Aduriz could only leave if another club offers 40 million […]

Aix-en-Provence (France) (AFP) – Three Russians jailed in France following clashes with England fans before their Euro 2016 match in June will be released from prison and deported next month, a lawyer said on Wednesday. The trio, who filed a request for conditional freedom, will be released on January 9 and expelled January 16, said […]