London (AFP) – Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez showed why their value to Arsenal is priceless as the peerless duo inspired a 6-0 thrashing of Bulgarian minnows Ludogorets in the Champions League on Wednesday. Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has urged Ozil and Sanchez not to get greedy after reports they both plan to demand Arsenal […]

Libreville (AFP) – Wilfried Bony's Ivory Coast will start their defence of the Africa Cup of Nations against Togo in January, according to the draw made Wednesday. Ivory Coast are in Group C against Togo, Morocco and Democratic Republic of Congo. Hosts Gabon will stage the opening match in Libreville on January 14 against Guinea […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Pep Guardiola dropped top scorer Sergio Aguero to the Manchester City bench on his return to Barcelona for Wednesday's Champions League clash, whilst Lionel Messi will make his first start in a month for the Spanish giants at the Camp Nou. Guardiola oversaw a glorious four-year spell in charge of Barca between […]

Madrid (AFP) – Thirteen Polish supporters of Legia Warsaw were being held Wednesday following clashes with police before the football club's Champions League game against Real Madrid, police said. Among them is the leader of an ultra group, a police spokeswoman said, without giving further details. The clashes started as fans arrived at the Santiago […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Jose Mourinho does not want Marcus Rashford to be selected for next year's European Under-21 Championships if the Manchester United striker is a regular in the senior England squad. The United manager was responding to stories that England's governing Football Association were keen to include Premier League stars, such as […]

Seoul (AFP) – Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors stormed into the AFC Champions League final with a 5-3 aggregate victory over FC Seoul despite losing the all-Korean semi-final's second leg 2-1 on Wednesday. After Jeonbuk had dominated the first leg 4-1, Brazilian marksman Adriano gave the home side hope when he slotted a record-equalling 13th goal of […]

London (AFP) – Peter and Kate Shippey's successful lobbying of Sunderland to install a room dedicated to largely autistic football fans could see more Premier League clubs follow suit. Alex White, Premier League Charitable Fund Executive, said the Shippeys had served as an example and funding has been made available to other clubs to set […]

Since his arrival to Arsenal a decade ago, Theo Walcott has been somewhat of a polarizing figure. While once thought as a possible successor to club legend Thierry Henry, the speedy England international hasn’t exactly filled the Frenchman’s shoes. The hype surrounding his £9.1 million move (a fee that was high at the time, trust […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric wants to play out the rest of his career with the Spanish giants after signing a new contract until 2020. Modric, 31, has become a fundamental part of the Real side, winning two Champions League titles, since his arrival from Tottenham Hotspur in 2012. "My wish is […]

Seoul (AFP) – Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors stormed into the AFC Champions League final with a 5-3 aggregate victory over FC Seoul despite losing the all-Korean semi-final's second leg 2-1 on Wednesday. After Jeonbuk had dominated the first leg 4-1, Brazilian marksman Adriano gave the home side hope when he slotted a record-equalling 13th goal of […]

Milan (AFP) – Former World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi is being tipped to take over as coach of China after being offered the job following the resignation of Gao Hongbo, reports said Wednesday. "Lippi, coach of China," ran the headline on the front page of Italy's second most popular sports daily Corriere dello Sport. It […]

Paris (AFP) – Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster is looking for the Premier League club to make "a massive statement" by beating Italian giants Inter Milan in the Europa League on Thursday. The Saints travel to the San Siro — and as many as seven thousand of their fans are expected to follow them — knowing […]

London (AFP) – In successfully stymying a strongly fancied Liverpool team — and sowing a bit of mischief with his post-match comments — Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho looked like something approaching his old self. Mourinho has made an unsteady start to life at Old Trafford, with three successive defeats in mid-September threatening to derail […]

Leicester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri urged his side to take their fine European form into the Premier League after they closed on a place in the Champions League last 16. Riyad Mahrez's goal earned Leicester a 1-0 win over FC Copenhagen on Tuesday, extending their 100 percent record in Group […]

London (AFP) – Wayne Rooney has insisted he's got a "lot of football left" amid suggestions his days as a regular starting player for Manchester United could be coming to a close. United and England captain Rooney, who made his name as a goal-scoring forward, has been a substitute in five of the last six […]