Cardiff (United Kingdom) (AFP) – France's World Cup winner Marcel Desailly is worried about security for Euro 2016 after the deadly attacks on Paris last November. "Of course, there is a little fear," the 1998 World Cup winner and Euro 2000 champion told AFP. "Because of the level of security, we hope nothing will happen, […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Jose Mourinho was on the verge of fulfilling his dream of managing Manchester United on Tuesday after Louis van Gaal's troubled two-year reign came to a bitter end. The path was clear for the former Chelsea manager to be confirmed as the new United boss after Van Gaal was sacked […]

Madrid (AFP) – Doubts over Cristiano Ronaldo's fitness for Real Madrid's Champions League final against Atletico Madrid on Saturday intensified after the three-time World Player of the Year limped off towards the end of training on Tuesday. Ronaldo has been dogged by a persistent thigh injury which forced him to miss three games last month. […]

London (AFP) – Jose Mourinho is on the verge of fulfilling his dream of managing Manchester United after Louis van Gaal's troubled two-year reign at Old Trafford came to a bitter end. Van Gaal said he was "very disappointed" to be sacked on Monday just 48 hours after leading United to victory in the FA […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – England manager Roy Hodgson defended his decision to deploy Jamie Vardy in a wide role after the Leicester City striker struck the winner in a 2-1 success against Turkey. Vardy scored 24 goals from a central role to fire Leicester to Premier League glory this season, only to find himself […]

Berlin (AFP) – Switzerland striker Haris Seferovic threw down a marker for Euro 2016 on Monday by scoring the crucial goal in Eintracht Frankfurt's 1-0 play-off win at Nuremberg to keep them in the German league. After last Thursday's relegation play-off first-leg in Frankfurt finished in a 1-1 draw, Seferovic netted at Nuremberg's sold-out Grundig […]

London (AFP) – Louis van Gaal's sacking as Manchester United manager was finally confirmed on Monday as Jose Mourinho prepared to take charge at Old Trafford. Van Gaal had appeared certain to lose his job since reports leaked out after United's FA Cup final victory against Crystal Palace on Saturday that former Chelsea boss Mourinho […]

London (AFP) – The realisation that Louis van Gaal was not the manager Manchester United had hoped for seemed to dawn on him at roughly the same time as it did the club's supporters. Defending his record after a 2-1 home defeat by Norwich City back in December that exposed him to the full venom […]

Lyon (AFP) – Former Lyon coach Gerard Houllier is set to rejoin the French Ligue 1 runners-up as general manager, club president Jean-Michel Aulas said on Monday. The return of the 68-year-old Houllier, who coached the Rhone club to two Ligue 1 titles during his previous spell from 2005-07, depends on him passing a medical. […]

Berlin (AFP) – Germany defender Mats Hummels has formally completed his transfer back to Bayern Munich from Borussia Dortmund by signing a five-year contract for the Bavarian giants on Monday. The 27-year-old Borussia Dortmund captain finally put pen to paper and his transfer has reportedly cost Bayern 38 million euros ($42.5m). Both clubs had confirmed […]

Lens (France) (AFP) – Champions League finalists Atletico Madrid on Monday completed the takeover of bankrupt French second division side Lens through a Luxembourg company. "We hope to bring in Atletico's expertise," said Ignacio Aguillo, a member of the Spanish side's board, told a press conference after a French commercial court approved the takeover. Atletico […]

Lisbon (AFP) – Portugal on Monday began preparations for Euro 2016 in Lisbon without talismanic captain Cristiano Ronaldo. The Real Madrid forward and club teammate Pepe will join the squad after the Champions League final against Atletico Madrid in Milan on Saturday. Fifteen of the 23 players named in Fernando Santos' squad were present at […]

Glasgow (AFP) – The Scottish Football Association announced on Monday it will set up an Independent Commission to investigate crowd trouble that marred Hibernian's Scottish Cup final win over Rangers. Thousands of Hibernian fans flooded onto the Hampden Park pitch to celebrate their side's dramatic 3-2 victory, but the party atmosphere quickly turned ugly. Rangers […]

Paris (AFP) – The French Football Federation (FFF) opened disciplinary proceedings against both Marseille and Paris Saint-Germain on Monday, after crowd disturbances in the French Cup final at the Stade de France at the weekend raised further concerns about security just weeks before Euro 2016. "The body condemns the unacceptable behaviour of some supporters of […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers claimed he has joined one of the world's biggest clubs after being officially unveiled by the Scottish champions on Monday. Rodgers' appointment on a 12-month rolling contract was announced last week and the former Liverpool boss got his first taste of the size of the Glasgow club when […]