London (AFP) – Ivory Coast international midfielder Cheick Tiote has died aged 30 while training with his Chinese club Beijing Enterprises, his spokesman announced in a statement on Monday. Tiote, who was part of the Ivory Coast squad that delivered the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations after a 23 year drought although he was injured […]

Liverpool and kit manufacturers New Balance have unveiled the new 2017/18 Liverpool FC away jersey, which will help celebrate the club's 125th anniversary celebrations. This year’s away jersey takes inspiration from Liverpool’s founding jersey worn in 1892, which featured a blue and white quartered pattern. Since then, iterations of this iconic kit have featured throughout […]

Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines (France) (AFP) – France received a boost on Monday as star young striker Kylian Mbappe joined training following a slight thigh strain. The Euro 2016 runners-up face a crucial trip to Sweden on Friday in their quest to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Monaco teenager Mbappe missed last Friday's 5-0 friendly […]

In the next week, there'll be more than 50 soccer games televised live on television and/or streaming to viewers in the United States featuring a huge variety of matches. There will be World Cup qualifiers such as Mexico against USA and Scotland vs. England. And there'll also be plenty of exciting friendlies including Brazil versus […]

Doha (AFP) – The diplomatic crisis sweeping the Gulf could invigorate a campaign by critics of Qatar to strip Doha of the 2022 World Cup, experts said Monday. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and Yemen were among those to cut diplomatic ties with Qatar on the grounds that Doha supported extremist groups […]

Brussels (AFP) – Chelsea's Belgium international star Eden Hazard has fractured his ankle, the Belgian football federation confirmed late Sunday. The 26-year-old playmaker sustained the injury training with the national side and will miss Monday's friendly against the Czech Republic and a 2018 World Cup qualifier in Estonia on Friday. A tweet from his national […]

Madrid (AFP) – Thousands of delirious Real Madrid fans called for Cristiano Ronaldo to win a fifth Ballon d'Or on Sunday as the Spanish giants paraded the Champions League trophy for a record 12th time. Ronaldo scored twice in Real's 4-1 thrashing of Juventus in Cardiff on Saturday as Madrid became the first side to […]

Madrid (AFP) – Girona will play in the Spanish top flight for the first time next season after a mutually beneficial 0-0 draw with Real Zaragoza sealed their promotion on Sunday. The Catalan side needed just a point to be assured of glamour ties against newly crowned European giants Real Madrid and neighbours Barcelona next […]

Paris (AFP) – The Netherlands warmed up for a vital 2018 World Cup qualifier next week with an emphatic 5-0 friendly win against Ivory Coast on Sunday. The Dutch are struggling to make it to Russia next year, placed only fourth in Group A on seven points behind leaders France (13) Sweden (10) and Bulgaria […]

Madrid (AFP) – Thousands of delirious Real Madrid fans poured onto the streets of the Spanish capital to catch a glimpse of Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates on Sunday as they paraded the Champions League trophy for a record 12th time. Ronaldo sported a newly cropped haircut and he and captain Sergio Ramos led the […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid were labelled "insatiable" and "masters of the universe" by an adoring Spanish press on Sunday after writing more Champions League history by thrashing Juventus 4-1 to win the trophy for the 12th time. Led by two goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, Madrid became the first side in the Champions League era […]

Turin (Italy) (AFP) – More than 1,500 people were injured, three seriously, after a bomb scare triggered a stampede among Juventus fans watching the Champions League final in Turin, local authorities said Sunday. In an update on Saturday's dramatic events in a square packed with supporters watching the Cardiff match on a giant screen, the […]

Paris (AFP) – Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann intends to stay at the Spanish club next season amid ongoing speculation about his future, the striker told French television station TF1 on Sunday. Griezmann has been heavily linked with a move away from Atletico, all the more so since the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) […]

Turin (Italy) (AFP) – At least 1,000 people were injured, seven seriously, after a bomb scare triggered a stampede among Juventus fans assembled to watch the Champions League final in Turin, police said Sunday. AFP reporters at the scene said chaotic scenes ensued in a packed square 10 minutes before the end of the match […]

Cardiff (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Feted as one of the finest talents of his generation, Zinedine Zidane has made the transition to management so smoothly that he has already eclipsed some of the game's most hallowed names just 17 months into his spell as Real Madrid boss. When Zidane's majestic strike flashed into the net […]