London (AFP) – Newcastle owner Mike Ashley has written an open letter to his relegated club's supporters in which he promises to restore them to the Premier League at the first attempt. The Magpies were condemned to the Championship on Wednesday for the second time in Ashley's tenure after a dismal season on Tyneside. But […]

Paris (AFP) – France's young player of the year Ousmane Dembele was called up on Friday for the French under-21 squad to face Italy in a friendly on June 2. The 18-year-old winger signed a five-year deal to join Borussia Dortmund from Rennes on Thursday, with the German Bundesliga club describing him as "one of […]

Paris (AFP) – Zlatan Ibrahimovic confirmed on Friday that he will leave Paris Saint-Germain at the end of this season, but the French champions said the Swedish star will eventually return in a "management" role. "My last game tomorrow at Parc des Princes. I came like a king, left like a legend," wrote Ibrahimovic on […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Barcelona boss Luis Enrique is adamant that his side will not crumble under the pressure of being favourites to retain their La Liga title at Granada on Saturday. The defending champions need to win in Andalusia to be assured of a 24th Spanish title and hold off a late-season charge by Real […]

The 2016 season of the Campeonato Brasileiro kicks off May 14-15 and runs through December 2016. The top-flight league of the Championship, known as Serie A, showcases the top 20 teams in the country and is formatted as a traditional 38 round home-and-away competition. In the US, two broadcasters share TV rights to the competition: […]

Leicester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Claudio Ranieri believes Leicester City's shock title triumph has restored his reputation in the minds of his critics ahead of an emotional return to former club Chelsea this Sunday. The 64-year-old's appointment last July was heavily criticised by pundits and former players alike but the Italian's side have since undergone […]

For the last 14 years, Evertonians have only known two managers in David Moyes and Roberto Martinez. So, quite naturally, there have always been comparisons made between the two. Those contrasts have been easy to formulate because of the striking differences in the principles held by each man. Moyes was a pragmatist and a conservative […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea captain John Terry has been offered a new one-year deal, the English Premier League club said Friday. The 35-year-old centre-half, who has spent his entire senior club career with the west London side, is out of contract at the end of the season. In January, Terry — who has made more […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane believes his side can dream of pulling off an incredible comeback to usurp Barcelona and win La Liga on Saturday. Madrid need to win a 12th consecutive La Liga game at Deportivo la Coruna and hope that Barca slip up away at Granada to deny their eternal […]

Paris (AFP) – Zlatan Ibrahimovic has one of the hottest shots in football and he is not at all modest about it. "One thing is for sure, a World Cup without me is nothing to watch," said the Swedish superstar after his country failed to qualify for Brazil 2014. So it is just as well […]

Madrid (AFP) – Players of La Liga strugglers Rayo Vallecano vehemently denied any wrongdoing on Friday amid an investigation from the Spanish league into suspicious betting patterns before their 2-1 defeat to Real Sociedad last weekend. Rayo now need to win against Levante on Sunday and hope other results go their way to avoid relegation. […]

London (AFP) – Quique Sanchez Flores will leave his position as head coach of Watford after Sunday's final game of the season, the English Premier League club announced on Friday. "Watford Football Club can confirm that Quique Sanchez Flores will leave Vicarage Road at the end of the season following the Sunderland game this weekend," […]

Milan (AFP) – Antonio Conte has established himself as one of the continent's top coaches going into Euro 2016, but he is a hate figure in his home town of Lecce and prosecutors are chasing him with jail threats. After three successful years as Juventus coach, Conte takes the 'Azzurri' to France looking for redemption […]

Paris (AFP) – Monaco must avoid a slip-up on the final day of the French season on Saturday or risk losing out on a Champions League berth at the expense of local rivals Nice. The principality club have been in the top three since December but have stumbled in recent weeks and a 6-1 trouncing […]

London (AFP) – Manuel Pellegrini has vowed to give Manchester City the perfect parting gift of a Champions League place at the expense of Manchester United, while champions Leicester will bring down the curtain on their astonishing season at Chelsea on Sunday. With a memorable Premier League campaign coming to a conclusion with the final […]