If there was any confirmation that this has been a down Premier League season, look no further to the Champions League race. Spurs are in, but by math only, as they’ve only taken two points from their last three games. Arsenal could, by the final day of the season, also still be in within a […]

London (AFP) – Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale was not included in the 29-man Wales squad announced by manager Chris Coleman on Monday for a pre-Euro 2016 training camp in Portugal. Wales head to the Algarve for a five-day get-together on May 24 and Bale is due to line up for Real against Atletico Madrid […]

Lausanne (AFP) – Michel Platini will quit as the head of European football after a sports tribunal on Monday rejected his final appeal against his ban from football over a suspect $2.0 million payment he received from FIFA. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), where Platini appealed against his sanction, reduced his suspension from […]

Here are the ten things we learned from Week 10 of the 2016 MLS season. 1. Triumph in Toronto No one needed to be told that Saturday night in Toronto was a Bloody Big Deal. It just was. After an eight-game road trip to begin the 2016 season, TFC returned home to play FC Dallas […]

Berlin (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund say Ilkay Gundogan's knee injury has left a question mark over a potential transfer, with the Germany midfielder heavily linked to Manchester City. The 25-year-old is set to miss the rest of the season, including Euro 2016 in France, after dislocating his knee cap in training. His current Borussia contract […]

Paris (AFP) – Making the right pass at a crucial moment made Michel Platini one of the world's greatest footballers, but poor timing cost him his place as one of the most powerful men in sport. The 60-year-old Frenchman, who quit as UEFA president Monday after failing to overturn a ban from world football, regularly […]

London (AFP) – Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri has warned his freshly crowned Premier League champions that they would regret leaving the club, in comments published by British newspapers on Monday. Leicester were presented with the Premier League trophy following Saturday's 3-1 home win over Everton, having overcome odds of 5,000-1 to win the first […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Outgoing Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini strived to put on a brave face after his team's chances of Champions League qualification were compromised by a 2-2 draw with Arsenal. Sunday's result at the Etihad Stadium means that City can only finish in the top four if Manchester United drop points […]

Paris (AFP) – Having scaled the international football heights as a player, Didier Deschamps now has his sights set on leading France to European Championship glory on home soil as coach. Deschamps was captain of the French team that won the World Cup at home in 1998 and also led Les Bleus to glory at […]

Bucharest (AFP) – Fiorentina goalkeeper Ciprian Tatarusanu has been a rock in a Romania side that has thrown up an impressive defensive shield on the road to the European Championship finals. First-choice goalkeeper for Romania since his international debut in 2010, the 30-year-old, capped 34 times, anchored a defence that conceded just two goals in […]

Geneva (AFP) – Multi-million dollar transfer rumours surround Granit Xhaka which is increasing pressure on the Swiss midfielder to perform at the European Championship finals. Despite being just 23, the rising star has been capped 40 times, with former Swiss national coach Ottmar Hitzfeld branding Xhaka a "young (Bastian) Schweinsteiger," in a widely quoted comparison […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Jurgen Klopp was happy enough with Liverpool's low-key 2-0 victory over Watford at Anfield after goals from Joe Allen and Roberto Firmino sank the Hornets. This contest failed to capture the imagination as both teams have virtually finished caring about the Premier League this season. Watford are mathematically safe after a wonderful […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United have the glinting incentive of a Champions League place in their sights as they prepare for an emotion-charged Premier League contest at West Ham United on Tuesday. Manchester City's 2-2 draw with Arsenal at the weekend means that United can pip their cross-town rivals to a top-four spot if they […]

Tirana (AFP) – Five things about Albania who make their major tournament debut at Euro 2016 in Group A against France, Romania and Switzerland. The Italian job Not many coaches are decorated with state honours for their work but Gianni De Biasi managed it for steering Albania into the uncharted waters of successful qualification for […]

Tirana (AFP) – Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri is not the only Italian coach to have brought unprecedented success to an unfancied football team: Gianni de Biasi has become a national hero in Albania. The canny 59-year-old steered the Balkan country to Euro 2016, their first major tournament, a feat that prompted Albania's president to […]