London (AFP) – Manchester City's French international defender Bacary Sagna on Thursday failed in his appeal against a £40,000 fine (46,480 euros, $50,178) for making an Instagram post that questioned a referee's impartiality. Sagna, 32, posted a photo with the caption "10 against 12.. but still fighting and winning as a team" on the social […]

Lausanne (AFP) – Bayer Leverkusen's Turkish international Hakan Calhanoglu was given a four month ban by sports' highest court on Thursday for breach of contract. The Court of Arbitration for Sport was upholding a previous ruling delivered by FIFA in January 2016. Football's governing body had found the German-born forward guilty of breaking his contract […]

Madrid (AFP) – La Liga president Javier Tebas said Thursday criminal action could be taken over threats which saw Ukranian international Roman Zozulya end his loan spell at Rayo Vallecano after just one day. Zozulya joined Madrid-based Rayo on Tuesday from Real Betis on a six-month loan deal, but returned to Betis on Wednesday after […]

Milan (AFP) – AC Milan's bid to end their three-year hiatus from the Champions league suffered another setback Thursday when left-back Luca Antonelli was ruled out for up to a month due to injury. Milan, the seven-time European champions, last featured in the competition in 2014 when they lost 5-1 on aggregate to Atletico Madrid […]

London (AFP) – Cesc Fabregas tried to make peace with Arsenal as the Chelsea midfielder hailed his old club's influence on his career ahead of Saturday's clash between the London rivals. Fabregas made his name at Arsenal after arriving from Barcelona as a teenager, spending eight years as the club's midfield lynchpin. The 29-year-old rejoined […]

London (AFP) – Jose Mourinho is under fire for his furious reaction to decisions that went against Manchester United in their controversial draw with Hull, but Phil Jones says his manager had every right to lose his cool. Mourinho was in a foul mood after referee Mike Jones failed to clamp down on what he […]

Berlin (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund have ordered star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to button it after repeatedly saying that he may leave at the end of the season. "We spoke briefly and I advised him to give less interviews about the summer and to concentrate on the hunt for a Champions League place," Dortmund director of […]

London (AFP) – Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson will miss the rest of the Premier League season after suffering a serious knee injury in training. Wilson ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on Wednesday and isn't expected back in action for at least six months. The 24-year-old, who has scored six goals in […]

London (AFP) – Jurgen Klopp admits he was lucky to avoid punishment for bellowing in the fourth official's face but the Liverpool manager brushed aside Jose Mourinho's claim that he gets special treatment. Klopp apologised following Tuesday's 1-1 draw with Chelsea after a touchline exchange with Neil Swarbrick saw him vent his frustration at the […]

London (AFP) – With rain lashing Chelsea's training ground, Frank Lampard's team-mates had long since retreated to their palatial changing rooms, but for the tireless midfielder the hard work was only just beginning. When Lampard called time on his glittering 21-year career on Thursday, the 38-year-old was typically gracious and humble about his remarkable journey. […]

Nyon (Switzerland) (AFP) – Liverpool led English clubs in taking the lion's share of the 150 million euros ($162 million) compensation handed out by UEFA for freeing players for Euro 2016. Yet while 60 English clubs shared 38.2 million euros ($41.3 million), Icelandic clubs whose country humiliated England at the tournament got just 118,712 euros. […]

London (AFP) – Former England and Chelsea midfield star Frank Lampard said he was retiring Thursday at the age of 38 after turning down "a number of exciting offers" to continue playing. "After 21 incredible years I have decided that now is the right time to finish my career as a professional footballer," he wrote […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Belgian defender Dedryck Boyata scored the only goal in Celtic's 1-0 win over Aberdeen and then revealed late night training sessions had helped him force his way back into the team. His second half header was enough to seal an 18th consecutive league victory and ensure Celtic's unblemished start domestically stretched to […]

Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona coach Luis Enrique admitted missed chances leave his side with still some work to do to reach a fourth consecutive Copa del Rey final despite taking a 2-1 semi-final, first leg lead over Atletico Madrid. Sensational strikes from Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi had Barca cruising at half-time at the Vicente […]

London (AFP) – Pep Guardiola claimed Premier League leaders Chelsea have nothing to fear from Manchester City despite his side's 4-0 demolition of West Ham. Guardiola's team delivered a swaggering display at the London Stadium on Wednesday as goals from Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Gabriel Jesus and Yaya Toure secured City's biggest league win […]