Buenos Aires (Argentina) (AFP) – The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) on Thursday asked FIFA to bring forward plans to expand the World Cup to 48 teams in time for the 2022 tournament in Qatar. The competition is due to be enlarged from 32 teams to 48 in time for the 2026 finals, which will […]

ESPN has launched a brand-new streaming service that is a bold attempt to generate substantial revenue for what it considers a lot of niche sports that it previously mostly streamed at no additional cost to sports fans who had access to ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app. Since it's so new and different, there's a lot […]

Berlin (Germany) (AFP) – Veteran wingers Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben will sign one-year contract extensions to stay at Bayern Munich for the 2018/19 season, according to reports on Thursday. German magazines Sport Bild and Kicker claim the pair, who were both out of contract in June, have already agreed terms with the Bundesliga champions. […]

Turin (Italy) (AFP) – Gianluigi Buffon raged late into the night after a wild match in Madrid as the Juventus legend was sent off in what was probably the final Champions League match of an extraordinary career. The veteran goalkeeper's frustration spilled over at the Santiago Bernabeu after Juventus beat Real Madrid 3-1 on the […]

London (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino believes his side must maintain their form in the second half of the season for the whole campaign if they want to be Premier League champions next year. Spurs host champions-elect Manchester City to Wembley on Saturday hoping to further delay City's title triumph by […]

Tokyo (Japan) (AFP) – Japan's new football coach said Thursday he was aiming to get the Blue Samurai out of a tricky World Cup group, days after being parachuted in as an "emergency measure". "I want to get through the first round, of course. I think we will be fully competitive and will be able to […]

London (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Yellow card for a suspended sentence, red card for going to prison — these are the simple but stark analogies used in a revolutionary football programme to prevent young men falling prey to a life of crime. Football, or "Sport for Thought", is being used as a powerful tool in […]

Madrid (Spain) (AFP) – Gianluigi Buffon's Champions League career looks likely to end in a red mist of rage after Cristiano Ronaldo's late penalty on Wednesday rescued Real Madrid from a pulsating Juventus comeback. Buffon's anger earned him a red card from English referee Michael Oliver, moments before Ronaldo slammed a 97th-minute penalty into the […]

Madrid (Spain) (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo smashed home a penalty in the seventh minute of stoppage time to take Real Madrid through to the Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday, despite a 3-1 defeat on the night to Juventus after a remarkable comeback attempt by the Italians. Juve had produced a stunning performance at the Santiago […]

Munich (Germany) (AFP) – Jupp Heynckes expressed his delight at Bayern Munich's ability to keep their composure despite a frustrating 0-0 draw against 10-man Sevilla as they qualified for the Champions League semi-finals. Bayern progressed to the last four on Wednesday for the seventh time in nine seasons, prevailing 2-1 on aggregate following their first-leg […]

Madrid (Spain) (AFP) – Gianluigi Buffon told English referee Michael Oliver he "has no heart" and should have been watching Juventus' Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid in the stands "with his wife and a Sprite". Oliver awarded Real a penalty in the 93rd minute at the Santiago Bernabeu, after Juve defender Mehdi Benatia brought […]

Madrid (Spain) (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo insists Juventus should have no complaints about the dramatic late penalty he scored to send Real Madrid into the Champions League semi-finals. Ronaldo held his nerve at the Santiago Bernabeu to score and seal a 4-3 aggregate triumph for Real after Juve had staged a sensational comeback to lead […]

Munich (Germany) (AFP) – Jupp Heynckes' Bayern Munich marched into another Champions League semi-final on Wednesday despite 10-man Sevilla holding them to a goalless draw at home in Wednesday's second leg. Bayern progressed to the last four for the seventh time in nine seasons as they prevailed 2-1 on aggregate following their first-leg victory in […]

Madrid (Spain) (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo rescued Real Madrid from a shock Champions League exit as his injury-time penalty allowed the holders to edge out Juventus in the most dramatic of quarter-finals on Wednesday, taking them through despite a 3-1 defeat. Real had looked certain to make the last four following last week's 3-0 first-leg […]

Moscow (Russia) (AFP) – Arsene Wenger insists Arsenal cannot afford a dip in concentration in Thursday's Europa League quarter-final second leg against CSKA Moscow despite holding a 4-1 advantage in the tie. "Football is an unpredictable game and that's why we love it so much," Wenger told reporters in Moscow on Wednesday, after watching Barcelona crash […]