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 […]

Brussels (AFP) – French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault vowed Thursday that France will provide security at this summer's Euro 2016 football tournament "with all our strength". Ayrault spoke in a response to a question about the EgyptAir flight from Paris to Cairo that crashed inexplicably carrying 66 people. "We are committed with all our strength […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Louis van Gaal claims victory over Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final on Saturday would restore Manchester United's pride after a turbulent season. United have struggled to live up to their potential under van Gaal and failed to qualify for next season's Champions League after finishing fifth in the […]

With all of the major European domestic soccer leagues finishing their seasons until they start again in August, and before the Champions League final next Saturday, the attention turns this weekend to domestic cup finals across the continent. And thanks to the coverage from ESPN, GolTV, beIN SPORTS and FOX Sports, all of the games will be […]

Paris (AFP) – France's parliament approved Thursday a two-month extension of the state of emergency, in place since November's jihadist attacks, to cover the Euro 2016 football tournament and Tour de France. Already backed by a large majority in the upper house Senate last week, the lower house National Assembly confirmed the measure on Thursday […]

Bangkok (AFP) – Newly crowned English Premier League champions Leicester City received a royal seal of approval Thursday at Bangkok's Grand Palace, with the Thai-owned team presenting its trophy to a portrait of the king before a bus parade through the capital. The East Midlands team is currently visiting the football-mad Southeast Asian nation as […]

NBC Sports has announced that the 2015/16 season of its coverage of the Premier League was its most successful yet. NBC Sports Group’s coverage of the 2015-16 Premier League season reached more than 36 million viewers, a record and an increase of 26% over last season (28.7 million). For the third consecutive year, NBC Sports […]

Madrid (AFP) – Sevilla's rout of Liverpool in the Europa League final is a new sign of which country rules the continent's football and a powerful warning to Barcelona ahead of their kings of Spain clash. Coke's double in the 3-1 win in Basel highlighted the value of the Spanish system of turning home talent […]

Shanghai (AFP) – The new Chinese owner of English football club Aston Villa appears to be a highly educated, politically well-connected businessman — but questions have been raised over Tony Xia's academic credentials and background. Xia, whose Chinese name is Xia Jiantong, and his private conglomerate Recon Group were largely unknown to the outside world […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool's failure to qualify for the Champions League will make it harder for manager Jurgen Klopp to attract leading players to the club, according to former Anfield favourite Steve McManaman. Liverpool could have secured a return to Europe's top competition by beating Sevilla in Wednesday's Europa League final in Basel, but despite […]

London (AFP) – Aston Villa revealed ambitions to become the most popular team in China after Harvard-educated businessman Tony Jiantong Xia snapped up the relegated club for a reported $87 million. The "Villains" crashed out of England's Premier League after winning only three times this season, but they will have their fingers crossed for better […]