London (AFP) – Nike will continue to make England's kits until 2030 after the Football Association announced a new 12-year contract on Tuesday reported to be worth £400 million ($507.3 million, 477.3 million euros). The new deal, which will see all of England's 24 representative football teams clad in Nike kits, will benefit both grassroots […]

Milan (AFP) – A Chinese consortium in the process of buying AC Milan said Tuesday it had made a second 100-million-euro down payment, keeping the deal on track to be completed in March. According to the consortium's PR advisers, Sino-Europe Sports (SES) made the payment to Fininvest, the holding company of Milan's media tycoon owner, […]

In isolation, the TV viewing number of 1.411 million people who watched the 2016 MLS Cup final on English-language network television is a win. Yes, it's the most-watched MLS Cup Final since 2001. And the viewing number was much greater than the average viewing number for the MLS 2016 regular season (276,689). But before US soccer […]

Berlin (AFP) – RB Leipzig are targeting a quick return to the top of the Bundesliga table as they prepare to take on main rivals Hertha Berlin and Bayern Munich in quick succession. Having spent three weeks leading the German league, new boys RB Leipzig, backed by Austrian drinks giants Red Bull, were beaten 1-0 […]

The numbers are in for the 2016 MLS Cup final, but how do they compare with the viewing numbers for previous MLS Cup finals played on English-language US television? With the game being featured in primetime on a Saturday night on a network television station that's in 116 million homes, it's no wonder that the […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola insists he will maintain his forward thinking football philosophy despite the club's recent downturn in results. City have won four games out of 15 in all competitions and have dropped to fourth in the Premier League table -– seven points behind leaders Chelsea -– following […]

London (AFP) – Injured Chelsea captain John Terry is proving as valuable an asset off the pitch as he has been on it, says the Premier League leaders' manager Antonio Conte. The future of the 36-year-old central defender — whose 18-year association with the club looked like it would come to an end last campaign […]

The 2016 MLS Cup final on the FOX network was watched by a viewing audience that averaged 1.411 million viewers on Saturday, December 10, 2016. The match, which ended in a 0-0 tie after 120 minutes of soccer, was featured in primetime on a Saturday night across the United States. The FOX broadcast network is […]

Berlin (AFP) – Polish hot-shot Robert Lewandowski said Tuesday he was delighted to have extended his Bayern Munich contract by two years after signing a deal until June 30 2021. The 28-year-old netted 42 goals for the Bundesliga champions last season in all competitions and German daily Bild estimates he has been rewarded with a […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says his players must pay more attention to protecting leads than they have in the last two Premier League games which has seen them drop five points. The 49-year-old German — whose side have slipped from the top of the table in early November to six points adrift […]

London (AFP) – Spanish international defender Cesar Azpilicueta says he is delighted to have signed a new three-and-a-half year deal with Premier League leaders Chelsea. The 27-year-old signed from French side Marseille in 2012 and was a pivotal member of the team that won the 2015 league title. In the current campaign under Antonio Conte […]

London (AFP) – Ivory Coast football great Yaya Toure has been banned from driving for 18 months and fined £54,000 ($68,500, 64,600 euros) for drink driving, he said on Facebook on Tuesday. The 33-year-old Manchester City midfielder insisted though he imbibed the alcohol by accident. Toure, a four-time African player of the Year and a […]

Berlin (AFP) – Germany stars Jerome Boateng of Bayern Munich and Arsenal's Mesut Ozil have traded good-natured digs on Twitter after their respective clubs drew each other in the Champions League. Bayern were paired with Arsenal in the draw for the last 16 and will resume their European battle with the Gunners on February 15 […]

Kuala Lumpur (AFP) – Hong Kong trailblazer Chan Yuen-ting, the first woman coach to win a top-flight men's football title, faces a brutal AFC Champions League initiation after her Eastern SC were bracketed Tuesday with Chinese giants Guangzhou Evergrande. Chan will face off in Group G against World Cup-winning Brazilian coach Luiz Felipe Scolari and […]

Middlesbrough (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Jurgen Klopp has dropped his biggest hint yet he is ready to strengthen his Liverpool squad in January but on his freescoring attack and not his error-prone defence. Liverpool travel to Middlesbrough aiming for a first victory in three games to reignite their Premier League title hopes in the wake […]