Glasgow (AFP) – Ukraine's Oleksandr Zinchenko broke down in tears on Tuesday as he expressed what a place at the World Cup would mean to his war-torn homeland. For the first time since Russia's invasion, Ukraine return to competitive action against Scotland in Wednesday's World Cup playoff semi-final at Hampden Park. The match was postponed […]

London (AFP) – Giorgio Chiellini believes it will be "beautiful" to end his international career against Argentina at Wembley on Wednesday after leading Italy to Euro 2020 glory at the London ground last year. The now 37-year-old was a key figure, both as captain and defender, when Italy beat hosts England on penalties in the […]

Paris (AFP) – Liverpool chairman Tom Werner has demanded an apology over the treatment of the club's fans after the French government blamed "massive" ticket fraud for the chaotic scenes that marred Saturday's Champions League final against Real Madrid in Paris. The demand came as UEFA and the French football federation estimated that 2,800 fake […]

Berlin (AFP) – Leon Goretzka on Tuesday tried to calm the simmering tensions between his want-away Bayern Munich team-mate Robert Lewandowski and club bosses, with Barcelona reportedly eager to sign the star striker. "I think overall it was an unbelievable success story for both FC Bayern and 'Lewy'," Bayern midfielder Goretzka said while with the […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham Hotspur have signed Croatia international Ivan Perisic on a free transfer, the Premier League club announced Tuesday. The 33-year-old will join the north London side when his contract at Inter Milan expires at the end of June after agreeing a two-year deal. "We are delighted to announce the transfer of Ivan […]

Madrid (AFP) – La Liga president Javier Tebas said on Tuesday the Spanish league will send its formal complaint to UEFA in “one or two days” regarding Kylian Mbappe’s new contract at Paris Saint-Germain. Tebas said it was “impossible there has not been cheating”, referring to UEFA's financial fair play rules, and that La Liga […]

Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukrainians on Tuesday hoped for victory on the football field, a day before their national team plays its first official match since Russia's invasion, facing Scotland in a World Cup qualifier. The Ukraine-Scotland match will be held in Glasgow on Wednesday. It was rescheduled from March after Russian President Vladimir Putin […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Scotland manager Steve Clarke reiterated his support to the Ukrainian national team, but he is desperate to deny them a place in the World Cup later this year in Qatar. Ukraine will play a competitive fixture for the first time since Russia's invasion of their homeland in a World Cup playoff semi-final […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Liverpool chief executive Billy Hogan has accused the French authorities of trying to "deflect responsibility" for the chaotic scenes that marred the Champions League final in Paris. UEFA have announced an independent review into scenes outside the Stade de France on Saturday that saw supporters funnelled into overcrowded corridors and hit with […]

Seoul (AFP) – Brazil midfielder Bruno Guimaraes said Tuesday his number-one ranked team should brace for a difficult match against hosts South Korea, with joint Premier League Golden Boot winner Son Heung-min looming large over the visiting South Americans. The five-time World Cup winners take on South Korea Thursday in a friendly match in Seoul. […]

Paris (AFP) – Liverpool chairman Tom Werner has demanded an apology over the treatment of the club's fans after the French government blamed "massive" ticket fraud for the chaotic scenes that marred Saturday's Champions League final against Real Madrid in Paris. Werner, part of the US-based Fenway Sports Group that owns Liverpool, said in a […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – A three-match bid by Orlando Pirates to play in Africa next season ended in failure on Monday when they fell 2-0 to SuperSport United in the final match of the South African Premiership season. Needing at least a five-goal victory to snatch a CAF Confederation Cup place, the Buccaneers fell behind on […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Liverpool fans feared a repeat of the Hillsborough disaster during terrifying scenes that saw them funnelled into overcrowded corridors and met with tear gas by French police when trying to enter the Champions League final in Paris. French authorities have tried to pin the blame for the chaos that saw kick-off to […]

Rome (AFP) – Inter Milan confirmed Monday the departure of wing-back Ivan Perisic, who is out of contract, while expressing "hope" that they may recruit Paulo Dybala, who has been released by Juventus. Perisic, 33, has been one of the key players for Inter this season and his extra-time double won them the Italian Cup […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea's new owner Todd Boehly promised to build on the team's "remarkable history of success" after the American completed his takeover of the Premier League club on Monday. Boehly's consortium agreed a deal to buy Chelsea from Roman Abramovich for £4.25 billion ($5.3 billion) on May 7 and the sale has now […]