Milan (AFP) – A superb second-half volley from Emanuele Giaccherini set Napoli up for an impressive 3-1 win over La Spezia that secured a place in the Italian Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday. Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri and makeshift striker Dries Mertens were notable absences at the San Paolo due to both serving one-match suspensions and […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Juan Mata and Marouane Fellaini struck to give Manchester United a 2-0 victory over injury-ravaged Hull City in Tuesday's League Cup semi-final first leg at Old Trafford. All eyes were on United captain Wayne Rooney, who is chasing a record 250th goal for the club, but it was Mata who […]

Madrid (AFP) – Voro Gonzalez will remain in charge of crisis club Valencia for the rest of the season, the fallen La Liga giants said on Tuesday. Voro was put in temporary charge for the fifth time in his career at Mestalla following former Italy boss Cesare Prandelli's shock resignation last month. "Valencia CF wish […]

The 2017 edition of the African Nations Cup kicks off this Saturday, January 14 in Gabon with Africa’s top 16 teams vying for the Continent’s most sought-after trophy. The Group Stage, which consists of 4 groups of 4 teams goes through January 25 with the Final taking place February 5. In the United States, beIN […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was ruled out of Tuesday's League Cup semi-final first leg at home to Hull City due to illness, his club announced. Ibrahimovic, United's top scorer with 18 goals, has been a virtual ever-present since signing from Paris Saint-Germain, although he was rested for Saturday's 4-0 FA […]

New York (AFP) – The New York Cosmos on Tuesday confirmed that media tycoon Rocco Commisso had bought a majority ownership stake in the club, confirming the franchise's future after weeks of uncertainty. Italy-born Commisso, the chairman of US cable TV provider Mediacom, told reporters on a conference call he hoped to help put the […]

Madrid (AFP) – Spanish top flight side Granada said Tuesday that midfielder Jon Toral has returned to Arsenal after the Londoners activated a recall option in his contract. The 21-year-old, who had been linked to a move to Scottish giants Rangers, joined Granada on a season-long deal in the summer but made just five league […]

London (AFP) – Manchester City full-back Bacary Sagna was charged with misconduct by the Football Association on Tuesday after appearing to criticise a referee in a social media post. Sagna, 33, posted a picture on Instagram with the caption "10 against 12... but still fighting and winning as a team" after City's 2-1 Premier League […]

Buenos Aires (AFP) – Vandals in Buenos Aires destroyed a statue of Argentine superstar Lionel Messi, leaving the sculpture of the five-time Ballon d'Or winner without its head or torso on Tuesday. "The statue of Lionel Messi fell victim to an act of vandalism that left it without its top half," the Buenos Aires city […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea captain John Terry will serve a one-match suspension after the Football Association on Tuesday thwarted his attempt to overturn his FA Cup dismissal against Peterborough United. Terry was shown a straight red card in the 67th minute of Sunday's third-round tie at Stamford Bridge, which Chelsea won 4-1, for a last-man […]

Milan (AFP) – Roma pair Daniele De Rossi and Antonio Rudiger are set to miss this weekend's trip to Udinese after receiving one-match suspensions triggered by recent yellow cards. De Rossi was one booking away from a suspension when he launched a verbal volley to protest a decision by the referee in a 1-0 win […]

Milan (AFP) – Former Manchester City forward Stevan Jovetic has joined La Liga high-flyers Sevilla on a six-month loan deal from Inter Milan, the Serie A club confirmed on Tuesday. Montenegran Jovetic, who spent two seasons in the Premier League, has fallen out of favour at Inter and flew to Spain on Tuesday morning hoping […]

Major League Soccer has announced new broadcast agreements in Canada, including a five-year media rights extension with TSN, Canada’s most-watched specialty network, as well as a new five-year agreement with TVA Sports as an official broadcaster, which will see the network provide French-language broadcasts in Canada. These broadcast agreements will bring unprecedented live coverage of […]

London (AFP) – The Football Association (FA), English football's governing body, wants a full consultation to take place before the allocated increase in finalists from each confederation are decided for the expanded 2026 World Cup. FIFA's ruling council voted unanimously on Tuesday to expand the present 32-member World Cup finals to 48 teams for the […]

Doha (AFP) – Schalke 04 beat off reported interest from Manchester City and Swansea City to land Bayern Munich centre-back Holger Badstuber on loan on Tuesday for the rest of the season. It comes after Bayern coach Carlo Ancelotti ruled out a permanent move for the out-of-favour German international, 27, with ex-Bayern boss Pep Guardiola […]