Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines (France) (AFP) – Attacking midfielder Dimitri Payet played down reports of a possible move away from West Ham United on Saturday, saying that he is likely to stay in east London. "Journalists have been announcing me everywhere, but I've had no contact for now and I signed a long contract with West Ham. So […]

Paris (AFP) – France international Lassana Diarra confirmed Saturday that he has been ordered by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to pay a 10 million euro ($11 million) fine to former club Lokomotiv Moscow. The 31-year-old midfielder arrived in Russia to join Anzhi Makhachkala from Real Madrid in August 2012 but moved to […]

Funchal (Portugal) (AFP) – A car park with a spectacular view of Funchal bay now stands on the site of the house where Cristiano Ronaldo grew up and became a football genius. The superstar's name now brings tourists to the island of Madeira and the main town will again fall silent each time Ronaldo plays […]

Paris (AFP) – French football chief Noel Le Graet on Saturday slammed claims by former international Eric Cantona that France coach Didier Deschamps was guilty of racial discrimination in his Euro 2016 selection as "stupid" and "pathetic". Cantona told British daily The Guardian on Thursday that Deschamps had snubbed Karim Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa […]

Milan (AFP) – Milan's San Siro stadium is preparing for a glitzy all-Spanish final of the Champions League on Saturday as fans of Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid packed the city in glorious summer sunshine. Record ten-time champions Real, who won the inaugural trophy in 1956, are gunning for their 11th title from European football's […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham Hotspur will play their European fixtures at Wembley Stadium next season, the club and the Football Association announced Saturday. The 2016/17 season will be the last Spurs spend at their White Hart Lane home in London, with work on a new purpose built £400 million ($585 million, 526 million euros) home […]

San Juan (Argentina) (AFP) – Lionel Messi was taken to hospital after suffering an injury scare on Friday as Argentina defeated Honduras 1-0 in their only warm-up game before next month's Copa America Centenario in the United States. A first-half goal from in-form Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain settled a low-key encounter in San Juan, with […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester United will be expecting to make it third time lucky in their attempt to replace Alex Ferguson with the appointment of Jose Mourinho as the club's new manager. Ferguson's retirement in 2013 was always going to leave an enormous void to fill at Old Trafford after the legendary Scot […]

Sunderland (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Roy Hodgson insisted Marcus Rashford's dream debut for England came as no surprise after the Manchester United sensation staked his claim for a Euro 2016 place with a record-breaking strike in a 2-1 win over Australia. England manager Hodgson had claimed the world would be watching to see if Rashford […]

Berlin (AFP) – World champions Germany are set to blood a crop of rising stars in Sunday's friendly at home to Slovakia as head coach Joachim Loew fine-tunes his Euro 2016 squad. Loew purposefully chose Slovakia, who will make their debut at a European championships in France, as they are expected to play in a […]

Two friendlies down, one to go for the US Men's National Team before the Copa America kicks off. With a pair of lackluster wins under its belt, the US looks like it might finally be moving in a positive direction going into the Copa America. To keep that momentum, the US needs to play better […]

Dublin (AFP) – Ireland maintained their Euro 2016 momentum with a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands at Lansdowne Road in Dublin on Saturday night. Martin O'Neill's side were ahead at half time thanks to Shane Long's 16th international goal, and looked set for victory only for substitute Luuk de Jong to head home a late […]

Sunderland (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Marcus Rashford made a bold claim for a place at Euro 2016 as the Manchester United sensation took just 135 seconds to became the youngest player to score on his England debut in Friday's 2-1 win against Australia. Rashford's meteoric rise hit new heights when the teenage striker opened the […]

Milan (AFP) – Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said he expects Cristiano Ronaldo to "transcend" the Champions League final on Saturday and lead them to victory over Atletico Madrid. Real striker Ronaldo gave fans a scare when he limped out of training on Tuesday. But not only is the Portuguese superstar fully fit and in […]

Lausanne (AFP) – Belgium star Eden Hazard insisted on Friday he is back on top form after a frustrating season for Chelsea in the Premier League. Hazard will captain Belgium at Euro 2016, which starts in two weeks, as Manchester City centre-back Vincent Kompany misses the tournament due to a groin injury. But after a […]