London (AFP) – Wales manager Robert Page said on Tuesday the decision to make his side play their World Cup qualifier against Belarus in Russia next month was "crazy". UEFA had to move the qualifier on September 5 to a neutral venue as teams from the UK and the European Union are unable to enter […]

Paris (AFP) – Benfica captain Nicolas Otamendi said reaching the Champions League group stage was an "objective" after the two-time winners held onto a goalless draw in Tuesday's second-leg at Eindhoven, despite playing the final hour with 10-men. The Portuguese side defended superbly following Lucas Verissimo's red card after winning the first leg 2-1 last […]

Paris (AFP) – The US Department of Justice has agreed to hand FIFA $201 million (171m euros) confiscated from corrupt football administrators, the governing body of world football announced on Tuesday. Most of the cash comes from US legal actions in the wake of the "FIFAgate" scandal, which erupted in May 2015 with the dramatic […]

London (AFP) – Patrick Vieira's winless start as Crystal Palace manager extended to three games as the Eagles suffered a 1-0 defeat at Watford in the League Cup second round on Tuesday. Vieira replaced the popular Roy Hodgson as Palace boss in the close-season, but the former Arsenal and France star has endured a miserable […]

Paris (AFP) – Two-time winners Benfica reached the Champions League group stage after holding on for a goalless draw in Tuesday's second-leg at Eindhoven, despite playing the final hour with 10-men. The Portuguese side held on following Lucas Verissimo's red card after winning the first leg 2-1 last week. PSV coach Roger Schmidt made six […]

Rome (AFP) – Chievo Verona, who spent 17 seasons in Serie A, were wound up after failing to find an investor to resolve their financial problems, the local authorities announced on Tuesday. Chievo were in Serie B last season but failed to satisfy the Italian second division's financial solvency criteria and were relegated to Serie […]

Paris (AFP) – The French league (LFP) called for "collective action" after ugly scenes caused the abandonment of Marseille's game at Nice, in a letter to the country's government and seen by AFP on Tuesday. On Sunday evening, home supporters invaded the pitch and confronted the visitors' Dimitri Payet, who had thrown back a bottle […]

London (AFP) – The Premier League on Tuesday announced its clubs will not release players for international matches played in red-list countries next month. Amid frustration that players who travelled to red-list countries would have to follow UK coronavirus quarantine regulations ruling them out of several of their club's matches, the league has revealed a […]

London (AFP) – Mikel Arteta has urged his Arsenal flops to lift the gloom around the troubled club by beating West Bromwich Albion in the League Cup on Wednesday. Arteta is already facing calls for his sacking after Arsenal lost their first two games of the Premier League season against Brentford and Chelsea. An embarrassing […]

Madrid (AFP) – Uruguayan midfielder Federico Valverde has extended his contract with Real Madrid until 2027, the club said on its website on Tuesday. "Real Madrid FC and Fede Valverde have reached an agreement regarding the extension of the player's contract in a deal that ties him to the club for the next six seasons, until […]

Paris (AFP) – The people who saved the life of Denmark's Christian Eriksen, who suffered a cardiac arrest during the opening match of Euro 2020, received the UEFA President's Award on Tuesday, the awarding body announced. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin described the nine recipients, who include Denmark captain Simon Kjaer, as "the true heroes of […]

London (AFP) – Andy Robertson became the fifth senior player in recent weeks to commit himself to Liverpool when he signed a new long term contract on Tuesday. The 27-year-old Scottish international left-back follows England defender Trent Alexander-Arnold, Brazilian duo Fabinho, and Alisson Becker and Dutch central defender Virgil Van Dijk in signing new deals […]

London (AFP) – Gareth Bale is "ticking all the boxes" since returning to Real Madrid which is a boost for Wales ahead of their forthcoming 2022 World Cup qualifiers said Welsh manager Robert Page. Bale is back in favour at Real under new coach Carlo Ancelotti — having been sent on loan to Tottenham Hotspur […]

London (AFP) – Matchday revenues across the five major European football leagues took a nearly 2 billion euro hit last season ($2.35 billion) after spectators were largely barred from attending matches due to the pandemic, a report by consultancy KPMG said Tuesday. The projected revenue losses dwarf the 500 million euros that clubs in the […]

Cairo (AFP) – Egypt's football association (EFA) said on Monday Liverpool had refused to release Mohamed Salah for the Pharaohs' upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Angola and Gabon due to UK quarantine regulations. "The Association was informed by Liverpool of their regret of Mohamed Salah being unable to join the national team in their matches against […]