Paris (AFP) – Real Madrid and Manchester United are the richest clubs in Europe, according to a study by Dutch auditors KPMG. Both clubs have been valued at 2.9 billion euros ($3.2 billion) according to KPMG, which looked at 32 major European clubs. Barcelona were next in the list at 2.7 billion euros followed by […]

Chicago (AFP) – Goal-line technology will be used in next month's Copa America Centenario, organizers announced Wednesday, selecting Hawk-Eye as the supplier for the camera replay system. Five of the 10 top-ranked national teams in the world will take the field for the 100th anniversary edition of the South American tournament, a special event hosted […]

Kiev (AFP) – Striker Yevgen Seleznyov and defender Bogdan Butko have been added to Ukraine's provisional squad for Euro 2016, the Football Federation of Ukraine announced Wednesday. Seleznyov, who terminated his contract with Russia's Kuban Krasnodar earlier this month to join Shakhtar Donetsk, had been left out of an initial squad named by coach Mykhaylo […]

Seoul (AFP) – FC Seoul came back from the brink to win a dramatic penalty shoot-out on Wednesday as Hao Junmin's last-minute thunderbolt also put Shandong Luneng into the AFC Champions League quarter-finals. In a breathless night of action, Go Yo-Han struck in the dying seconds of extra time against Urawa Red Diamonds — the […]

Rome (AFP) – Serbia's Sinisa Mihajlovic is back in a Serie A dugout again after signing a two-year deal with Torino, the Italian club said on Wednesday. Torino will be the sixth Italian club Mihajlovic, known as a free-kick specialist in his playing career, has coached after Bologna, Catania, Fiorentina, Sampadoria and AC Milan. The […]

Newcastle (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Rafael Benitez confirmed Wednesday he would stay on as Newcastle United manager in a bid to lead the north-east club's bid for promotion back to the Premier League. The 56-year-old Spaniard has agreed a new three-year deal after opting against exercising a release clause open to him in the event […]

Lisbon (AFP) – Portuguese champions Benfica have secured the services of Brazilian international goalkeeper Julio Cesar for a further two seasons, the club said on Wednesday. The 36-year-old stopper joined Benfica in 2014 in the wake of a 7-1 World Cup semi-final humiliation at the hands of eventual champions Germany. And after a poor stay […]

Piraeus (Greece) (AFP) – Portuguese defender Diogo Figueiras has joined Greek champions Olympiakos, the Piraeus team announced Wednesday. "Olympiakos announces the acquisition of Diogo Figueiras from Sevilla," said a brief statement from the club. Greek media reported that the 24-year-old has signed a three-year contract with an annual wage of 500,000 euros ($558,000). Olympiakos reportedly […]

Paris (AFP) – France coach Didier Deschamps accepted on Wednesday that Raphael Varane's injury is a blow to his side's Euro 2016 hopes, but called on his men to overcome their defensive absences. The injury to Real Madrid centre-back Varane comes after his first-choice international partner Mamadou Sakho was also ruled out of the tournament […]

Madrid (AFP) – Three-time World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo has stressed his desire to remain at Spanish giants Real Madrid beyond the end of his current contract in 2018. "It is clear I want to stay here, I want to continue here," he told Spanish television station La Sexta on Wednesday. Ronaldo has […]

Paris (AFP) – France said Wednesday it will deploy more than 90,000 police and security guards for Euro 2016, vowing to do "everything possible to avoid a terrorist attack" during the football tournament that starts next month. The announcement followed chaos on Saturday at the Stade de France national stadium when smoke bombs were set […]

Seoul (AFP) – FC Seoul came back from the brink to win a dramatic penalty shoot-out on Wednesday as Hao Junmin's last-minute thunderbolt also put Shandong Luneng into the AFC Champions League quarter-finals. In a breathless night of action, Go Yo-Han struck in the dying seconds of extra time against Urawa Red Diamonds — the […]

MLS fans and American soccer fans in general often take umbrage with every perceived slight against their leagues and how the sport is perceived on these shores. Take yesterday’s comments from Antonio Conte about his decision to leave out Sebastian Giovinco and Andrea Pirlo from his Euro 2016 preliminary squad. "When you make a certain […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo alleviated concerns over his fitness ahead of the Champions League final against Atletico Madrid as the three-time World Player of the Year returned to training on Wednesday. Ronaldo limped off towards the end of training on Tuesday after suffering a knock on a persistent left thigh problem. […]

Recent reports have claimed that Real Madrid will exercise their buy-back clause for former player Alvaro Morata. Morata departed Madrid for Juventus just two years ago and the cost to bring the 23-year-old back to his former club would be £22 million. Los Blancos, however, do not have any intention of actually keeping Morata with the […]