London (AFP) – Jurgen Klopp has responded to Steven Gerrard's comment that the Liverpool manager should sign a contract for life by making it clear his Anfield reign is "far from being over". Asked this week if he harbours dreams of one day managing Liverpool, new Aston Villa boss Gerrard said he would be happy […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool will pose a stern test of Arsenal's revival when the Premier League title chasers host Mikel Arteta's resurgent side on Saturday. The international break offered a welcome respite for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but Manchester United's beleaguered manager is in the firing line again as his troubled team head to Watford. Liverpool […]

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain defeated Real Madrid 2-0 to clinch their place in the quarter-finals of the Women's Champions League on Thursday, while Sam Kerr's second-half goal edged Chelsea past Servette. Shaken by a mystery attack on France international Kheira Hamraoui and a crushing 6-1 loss to domestic title rivals Lyon, PSG earned a […]

London (AFP) – Steven Gerrard has slammed claims he will use the Aston Villa job as a stepping stone towards eventually taking charge of his former club Liverpool. Gerrard was hired as Villa boss last week after agreeing to leave Scottish champions Rangers. Premier League strugglers Villa host Brighton in Gerrard's first match on Saturday […]

London (AFP) – Manchester City and France international Benjamin Mendy on Wednesday appeared in court charged with two additional counts of rape. The 27-year-old defender is facing six allegations of rape and one of sexual assault, after the new charges were added on Tuesday. The offences are alleged to been committed on four women over […]

Madrid (AFP) – Dani Alves said he has returned to Barcelona to fight for his place, not "put his feet up", after the 38-year-old was presented to almost 10,000 fans at Camp Nou on Wednesday. A grinning Alves bowed, waved and kissed the badge in front of adoring Barca supporters chanting his name, before signing […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United's wage bill rocketed by 23 percent during the period in which they re-signed Cristiano Ronaldo, the club's latest set of financial results showed on Wednesday. Figures for the first quarter of the 2021/22 financial year show a rise of £16.6 million ($22 million) in "employee benefit expenses" compared with the […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich have been hit by a fresh Covid-19 scare ahead of Friday's match at Augsburg, with defender Josip Stanisic and two club employees testing positive for the virus. Stanisic, who is fully vaccinated, tested positive on his return to Munich after playing in Croatia's 1-0 victory over Russia on […]

Montevideo (AFP) – Argentina qualified for next year's World Cup in Qatar as a point in their 0-0 draw with Brazil on Tuesday proved enough after defeats for Chile and Uruguay. The reigning Copa America champions came into the match against their arch rivals knowing that a win might not be enough to secure their […]

Montevideo (AFP) – Argentina moved to the brink of qualifying for the World Cup in Qatar despite a tight and turgid 0-0 draw with Brazil on Tuesday. Results elsewhere meant Argentina need only a point from their final five qualification matches to book their ticket, although they may yet qualify sooner if Chile lose the […]

London (AFP) – England manager Gareth Southgate says there should be no complications with his negotiations over a new contract. Southgate's side booked their place at next year's World Cup in Qatar with a 10-0 thrashing of San Marino on Monday. Reports over recent weeks suggested Southgate is set to sign an extension to his […]

Rotterdam (Netherlands) (AFP) – Two late goals by Steven Bergwijn and Memphis Depay on Tuesday saw the Netherlands book a ticket to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, as they held Norway at bay with a 2-0 victory in Rotterdam. Bergwijn, the standout player of the evening on the right wing, drilled the ball into […]

Paris (AFP) – The Netherlands clinched the final automatic place in European qualifying for the 2022 World Cup as late goals from Steven Bergwijn and Memphis Depay sealed a 2-0 win over Norway on Tuesday, with Turkey and Ukraine grabbing play-off spots. The Dutch, with injured coach Louis van Gaal watching from the stands in […]

Cardiff (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Wales secured a home semi-final in the World Cup qualifying play-offs as Kieffer Moore's equaliser earned an impressive 1-1 draw against Belgium on Tuesday. Rob Page's side were already guaranteed a World Cup play-off spot in March through their Nations League results. But finishing second in Group E would ensure […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Karl Toko Ekambi was the toast of Cameroon on Tuesday as his first-half goal delivered a 1-0 win over Ivory Coast and a place in the African play-offs for the 2022 World Cup. The 29-year-old Lyon forward struck on 21 minutes to decide a clash of giants with Cameroon having qualified for […]