London (AFP) – Long portrayed as a lone idealist amid the cut-throat pragmatism of the Premier League, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has found a new ally in his Manchester City counterpart Pep Guardiola. They face off at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday at a time when Guardiola's attachment to attacking football has itself come under […]

London (AFP) – Mauricio Pochettino admits Tottenham have no margin for error as they try to make up ground in the title race with a win against Burnley on Sunday. Pochettino's side currently occupy fifth place in the Premier League table after last season's tilt at the title saw them pipped by Leicester and then […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich's German international defender Jerome Boateng will be sidelined for a number of weeks after needing a shoulder operation, Kicker magazine reported on its website. Asked if surgery was necessary, the 28-year-old Boateng told Kicker: "Unfortunately, yes." Boateng, who suffered the injury in a training ground fall, missed the start of […]

Berlin (AFP) – Hoffenhem and Borussia Dortmund fought out an entertaining 2-2 draw Friday which saw both sides stay on the fringes of the Bundesliga title race. Hoffenheim, who move third with the point after their fourth draw in five games, now trail Bayern Munich and Leipzig by six points having played a game more […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Luis Suarez on Friday said he was delighted after signing his lucrative contract extension at Barcelona through to June 2021. "I am very happy. It's what I wanted and the club too and so I feel huge satisfaction," Suarez told Barca TV, saying the deal showed the "recognition of the club" to […]

London (AFP) – Alexis Sanchez has told Arsenal he is "very happy" at the Premier League club, but the Chile forward insists it is up to them to come up with the right contract to keep him. Sanchez has 18 months remaining on his current deal and both he and Arsenal team-mate Mesut Ozil are […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Pep Guardiola made clear on Friday his belief Claudio Bravo is happy at Manchester City, amid reports the Chilean goalkeeper could be on his way back to Spain. The 33-year-old, Chile's most-capped player who skippered them to two successive Copa America titles, left Barcelona to join City for £17m ($22 […]

London (AFP) – The new-found spending power of Chinese clubs is a danger to teams all over the world, even the Premier League, Chelsea manager Antonio Conte warned on Friday. The Italian, whose side will try to make it 11 league wins on the bounce against Crystal Palace on Saturday, made the remarks when asked […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has performed so well that he has made himself virtually undroppable this season according to manager Jose Mourinho. The 35-year-old former Swedish international has found the net 14 times in all competitions for United this season after he joined from French champions Paris St Germain on a […]

Munich (Germany) (AFP) – Defender Rafinha has extended his contract with Bayern Munich by a year until June 2018, the German giants said on Friday, as they tie down their stellar names. The 31-year-old Brazilian has played 186 matches for the Bundesliga champions and scored four goals since joining in 2011 from Genoa. His contract […]

London (AFP) – Former England international Gareth Barry looks set to break Ryan Giggs's Premier League appearances record after he signed an extension to his present contract with Everton on Friday. The 35-year-old midfielder — capped 53 times — has 609 Premier League games under his belt, only 23 shy of Welsh legend Giggs's mark, […]

Yokohama (Japan) (AFP) – Japan's Kashima Antlers plan to unleash a secret weapon to strike terror into Spanish giants Real Madrid when they meet in this weekend's Club World Cup final: a sharp-toothed crocodile. Though relative minnows on the world stage, a voracious predator with a deadly bite lurks in the Kashima side in the […]

Yokohama (Japan) (AFP) – Real Madrid ironed out some of the kinks with a gentle workout Friday after booking their place in the Club World Cup final in Japan. The European champions, who are chasing a second world title in three years, went through their paces in chilly Yokohama, watched by shivering wives and girlfriends […]

London (AFP) – Premier League leaders Chelsea and fellow London side Crystal Palace dismissed a police warning about a scout who had been convicted for importing child-abuse images, the detective who alerted them told The Times on Friday. Clive Driscoll, who rose to the rank of chief inspector before retiring, said he might as well […]

Paris (AFP) – A court on Friday rejected a request from Real Madrid and France striker Karim Benzema to drop the investigation into alleged blackmail over a sex tape featuring international teammate Mathieu Valbuena. The case, which cost Benzema a place in France's Euro 2016 squad on home soil, is now expected to go to […]