Lisbon (AFP) – Greek international striker Kostas Mitroglou has completed a permanent transfer to Benfica from English second-tier side Fulham, the Portuguese champions announced on Tuesday. The 28-year-old Mitroglou, who has spent this season on loan at Benfica, has signed a four-year deal through to 2020 with Portuguese press reports putting the transfer fee at […]

Berlin (AFP) – Uncapped midfielders Joshua Kimmich, Julian Brandt and Julian Weigl were on Tuesday included in Germany's provisional 27-man squad for next month's European championships in France. Defensive midfielder Kimmich, 21, only broke into Bayern Munich's first team earlier this season and has now been promoted from Germany's under-21 team, along with 20-year-old Bayer […]

Berlin (AFP) – Jos Luhukay has been named as the new coach of VfB Stuttgart after their relegation to the German second tier, while Robin Dutt became the third senior figure to leave the club on Tuesday. Director of sport Dutt became the latest victim of Stuttgart's first relegation for more than 40 years when […]

Nantes (France) (AFP) – New Nantes coach Rene Girard said on Tuesday that his target at the club is just to bring them consistent top-10 finishes in Ligue 1, after taking over from Michel Der Zakarian. The Canaries finished down in 14th place under Armenian-born Der Zakarian after a 4-0 thrashing at champions Paris Saint-Germain […]

Berlin (AFP) – David Alaba says that Bayern Munich are determined to give Pep Guardiola a winning send-off and a seventh title in three years in Saturday's German Cup final. Bayern face Borussia Dortmund at Berlin's Olympic Stadium in what will be Guardiola's final game in charge before taking over at Manchester City next season. […]

FOX Sports has teamed up with National Geographic to complement its coverage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which will be shown on US television. National Geographic Channel, which is owned by 21st Century FOX, will collaborate with FOX Sports to help create features, vignettes and bumpers that will try to capture Russia's diversity, culture […]

Las Rozas de Madrid (Spain) (AFP) – Chelsea striker Diego Costa was left out of Spain coach Vicente del Bosque's provisional 25-man squad for Euro 2016 on Tuesday. The naturalized Brazilian missed Chelsea's last two games of the season due to a persistent hamstring injury and has struggled at international level with just one goal […]

Copenhagen (AFP) – Danish and Norwegian players on Tuesday criticised the "cruel" working conditions of labourers at Qatar's 2022 World Cup stadiums in a video published by world football players' union, FIFPro. "Working conditions in Qatar are, unfortunately, cruel," Norway's Tom Hogli, who currently plays for Danish side FC Copenhagen, said in a video clip, […]

This summer, ESPN will present exclusive programming and comprehensive coverage from EURO 2016 across digital platforms worldwide. This multiplatform approach will share resources and complement coverage between WatchESPN, ESPN3, ESPNFC.com, ESPNDeportes.com and ESPN.com editions in the U.S., UK, India and Australia. Aspects of ESPN’s coverage, analysis and video will also appear on the recently launched […]

Las Rozas de Madrid (Spain) (AFP) – Chelsea striker Diego Costa was left out of Spain coach Vicente del Bosque's provisional 25-man squad for Euro 2016 on Tuesday. The nationalised Brazilian missed Chelsea's last two games of the season due to a persistent hamstring injury and has struggled at international level with just one goal […]

Biarritz (France) (AFP) – Euro 2016 hosts France kick off preparations for next month's tournament with a first training camp from Tuesday in Biarritz on the southwestern French coast. Coach Didier Deschamps, who comes from nearby Bayonne, opted to bring his squad here for five days and four training sessions at the Stade Aguilera, which […]

London (AFP) – Former Football Association executive Adrian Bevington has left his advisory post at Aston Villa, the relegated Premier League club announced on Tuesday. Bevington joined Villa in March to review and evaluate the managerial position and playing staff at the ailing Midlands club, who finished the season at the foot of the table […]

London (AFP) – Leicester City's inspirational manager Claudio Ranieri has picked up another piece of silverware after being elected Manager of the Year by England's League Managers Association (LMA). The 64-year-old Italian, who led Leicester to a 5,000-1 Premier League title triumph, becomes only the second non-Briton to win the award after Arsenal's French manager […]

Basel (Switzerland) (AFP) – Liverpool midfielder Emre Can believes the Reds' legendary battling qualities can help end their 11-year wait for a continental trophy against treble-chasing Sevilla in Wednesday's Europa League final. In their first European final since defeat by AC Milan in the 2007 Champions League, Liverpool are bidding to scupper the Spanish side's […]

Sydney (AFP) – Veteran Tim Cahill was included Tuesday in Australia's squad for a double-header against Greece, one of 10 changes from the Socceroos line-up unveiled last week to play England. The Australians face the Greeks on June 4 in Sydney and three days later in Melbourne. The games follow a clash with Roy Hodgson's […]