Newcastle (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Rafael Benitez admits his 'heart says yes' to staying at Newcastle as he leans towards pledging his long-term future to the club despite their relegation from the Premier League. Benitez held talks with Newcastle owner Mike Ashley after the 5-1 victory over Tottenham on Sunday that denied the visitors a second place finish on […]

Swansea (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manuel Pellegrini might be unsure about his own future but he is certain Pep Guardiola will be successful when he takes over as Manchester City manager. Pellegrini's side ground out a 1-1 draw at Swansea City on Sunday to ensure they pipped neighbours Manchester United to the Premier League's fourth […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – A Manchester United fan from Sierra Leone, whose hopes of watching his first game at Old Trafford were dashed on Sunday, saw his despair turn to elation after other supporters clubbed together for him to attend next weekend's FA Cup final at Wembley. Army experts blew up a suspect device […]

London (AFP) – Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri has told his players to expect the full force of the Premier League's leading clubs when they attempt to defend their fairytale title next season. Leicester concluded their astonishing campaign on Sunday with a 1-1 draw at deposed champions Chelsea, Ranieri's former club, which left the 5,000-1 […]

London (AFP) – Arsene Wenger admitted Arsenal endured a disappointing campaign despite securing the runners-up spot, behind champions Leicester, for the first time since 2005. Arsenal's 4-0 victory over Aston Villa combined with Tottenham's disastrous 5-1 defeat at Newcastle on Sunday ensured Wenger's side finished above their local rivals, who had seemed certain to take […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – A fake bomb left behind following a training exercise was responsible for the abandonment of Sunday's match between Manchester United and Bournemouth at Old Trafford, police said. Amid a nerve-jangling scare with much of Europe on alert for militant attacks, the device was blown up by army bomb disposal experts […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – The suspect package that saw Manchester United's Premier League game with Bournemouth at Old Trafford abandoned on Sunday was in fact a dummy device left behind following a training exercise held at the ground four days earlier, police announced. Amid a nerve-jangling scare with much of Europe on alert for […]

Istanbul (AFP) – Besiktas clinched the Turkish Super Lig title with a game to spare on Sunday, topping the league for the first time since 2009 and claiming Turkey's sole automatic Champions League spot. Driven on by over 40,000 fans inside their new stadium on the Bosphorus, Besiktas thrashed Osmanlispor of Ankara 3-1 to gain […]

Palermo (Italy) (AFP) – Palermo secured their Serie A status for next season by beating bottom club Verona 3-2 in an action-packed encounter on Sunday, meaning that Carpi are relegated despite a 2-1 win at Udinese. Palermo chairman Maurizio Zamparini has made eight managerial changes in a turbulent season, but second-half headers from Enzo Maresca […]

Yaoundé (AFP) – The funeral of Cameroon international Patrick Ekeng, who died earlier this month playing for his club Dinamo Bucharest, was held in Yaounde on Sunday. Several hundred people, including Cameroon's minister for sport and physical education, Pierre Ismael Bidoung Mpatt, attended the service at the player's family home in Yaounde. "Nobody can take […]

Madrid (AFP) – Madrid's representation in La Liga was reduced from four to two teams for next season as Getafe and Rayo Vallecano were relegated, while Sporting Gijon saved themselves with a 2-0 win over Villarreal on Sunday. Getafe were the only side with matters in their own hands but succumbed to a 2-1 defeat […]

Lisbon (AFP) – Benfica held off the challenge of bitter rivals Sporting to win a third straight Portuguese title by beating Nacional 4-1 on the final day of the season on Sunday. Captain Nico Gaitan scored twice with top scorer Jonas, with his 32nd league goal of the season, and Pizzi also on target for […]

Southampton (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Southampton booked their place in next season's Europa League by finishing their Premier League campaign with a 4-1 thrashing of FA Cup finalists Crystal Palace on Sunday. Goals from Sadio Mane, Graziano Pelle, Ryan Bertrand and Steven Davis set up an emphatic win for the hosts, with Jason Puncheon pulling […]

Stoke-on-Trent (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Stoke City staged a stirring fightback to beat West Ham United 2-1 on Sunday and leave the visitors facing the possibility of missing out on a Europa League place. Slaven Bilic's side went ahead at the Britannia Stadium through Michail Antonio's 23rd-minute goal. But West Ham were pegged back in […]

Watford (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Watford failed to send off departing manager Quique Sanchez Flores with a victory as Sunderland left Vicarage Road with a 2-2 draw on Sunday. Fresh from securing their Premier League future in midweek with a 3-0 rout of Everton, Sunderland twice took the lead through Jack Rodwell and Jeremain Lens, […]