Paris (AFP) – Kylian Mbappe came off the bench to score a late equaliser as France settled for a 1-1 draw with Austria in their Nations League encounter in Vienna on Friday. Mbappe appeared as a second-half replacement for Antoine Griezmann at the Ernst-Happel Stadium and burst through in characteristic fashion to smash in the […]

Santiago (AFP) – Ecuador kept their place in the Qatar World Cup after football governing body FIFA on Friday closed an inquiry sought by non-qualifying Chile into the eligibility of a key player. The FIFA disciplinary committee said in a statement it had decided to "close the proceedings" against the Ecuador Football Federation (FEF) after […]

London (AFP) – Gareth Bale has warned "crazy" demands will have serious consequences for players as he dismissed talk that he will be joining Spanish club Getafe after leaving Real Madrid. Bale, a free agent after his nine-year stay at the European champions came to an end, again stressed that he would resolve his future […]

Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona will play a pre-season Clasico against Real Madrid in the United States next month, the clubs announced on Friday. The friendly will be played on July 23 at the 65,000-capacity Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas as the two Spanish clubs go head-to-head before the start of La Liga in August. Real […]

London (AFP) – Gareth Southgate said on Friday it is an "embarrassment" that his England side have to face Italy in front of a tiny crowd at Molineux this weekend as punishment for fan violence at the Euro 2020 final. England were given a two-match stadium ban, with one game suspended, after ticketless supporters fought […]

Suwon (South Korea) (AFP) – Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min scored in his second straight match, while SC Freiburg midfielder Jeong Woo-yeong netted a last-gasp equaliser for South Korea's hard-fought 2-2 draw with Paraguay in their latest pre-World Cup friendly on Friday. Newcastle United's Miguel Almiron netted a brace for Paraguay, as the visiting South Americans […]

Berlin (AFP) – Germany coach Hansi Flick has told his side to keep their composure in Budapest during Saturday's Nations League match against Hungary, where the home crowd is expected to give the Germans a hostile reception. "Everyone of us has played so many games where the atmosphere was heated," Flick said Friday. "There may […]

London (AFP) – Former Northern Ireland and Everton manager Billy Bingham, who twice took his country to the World Cup, died on Friday at the age of 90. Bingham guided Northern Ireland to the World Cup in 1982, when the minnows enjoyed a shock win over hosts Spain thanks to Gerry Armstrong's goal in the […]

Kobe (Japan) (AFP) – Real Madrid starlet Takefusa Kubo scored his first international goal as Japan thrashed Ghana 4-1 on Friday to step up their World Cup preparations. The 21-year-old Kubo, who spent last season on loan at Mallorca, turned home Kaoru Mitoma's cross midway through the second half to open his account for Japan […]

Paris (AFP) – French champions Paris Saint-Germain are near to reaching an agreement for Zinedine Zidane to replace Mauricio Pochettino as coach, French media reported on Friday. According to Europe 1 an agreement in principle is in place between the club and 49-year-old Zidane for the former Real Madrid boss ahead of the new season. […]

Kobe (Japan) (AFP) – Chile coach Eduardo Berizzo says reports that they are set to replace Ecuador at the World Cup have "absolutely no impact" on his players despite a 2-0 defeat Friday to Qatar-bound Tunisia. Reports this week said Ecuador are set to be kicked out of the November-December showpiece for fielding an ineligible […]

Jerusalem (AFP) – Israeli citizens will be allowed to travel to Qatar to watch football's 2022 World Cup, despite the absence of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the government said. World football's governing body "FIFA has confirmed that Israeli citizens will be able to enter Qatar during the World Cup and watch games, just […]

Vancouver (AFP) – Alphonso Davies celebrated his return to international duty with two goals Thursday as World Cup-bound Canada thrashed Curacao 4-0 in the CONCACAF Nations League. The 21-year-old Bayern Munich star missed Canada's last six matches after developing symptoms of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart, after Covid-19. Sidelined since December, he had returned […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Egypt sorely missed injured captain Mohamed Salah as they slumped to a shock 2-0 defeat by Ethiopia on Thursday in 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying. A strain ruled out the prolific Liverpool scorer after he defied his club last Sunday and played in a victory over Guinea despite not […]

Geneva (AFP) – Spain registered the first win of their Nations League campaign on Thursday as Pablo Sarabia's early goal was enough for a 1-0 victory over Switzerland. Sarabia capitalised on a Swiss error at the back to give Luis Enrique's side the lead in Geneva and that was enough for the visitors in a […]