London (AFP) – West Ham defender Kurt Zouma admitted kicking and slapping his pet cat as he appeared at a court in London on Tuesday, in a case that caused public outrage across Britain. The France international pleaded guilty to two counts under the Animal Welfare Act at Thames Magistrates' Court in east London. Zouma, […]

Seoul (AFP) – Son Heung-min has been congratulated by South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol for winning the Premier League's Golden Boot, as his club Tottenham Hotspur announced Tuesday they would play a pre-season friendly against Sevilla in Suwon on July 16. Son on Sunday became the first Asian footballer to be the English top flight's […]

Sydney (AFP) – Former Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke said Tuesday that new coach Erik ten Hag must perform  "major surgery" at the club to get them back to the top. Yorke, who won three Premier League titles, the Champions League and the FA Cup with United, spent the last fortnight around Old Trafford and […]

Sydney (AFP) – Coach Xavi Hernandez said Tuesday his Barcelona team must be rebuilt after a turbulent season but refused to be drawn on whether Robert Lewandowski was a transfer target. The Catalan giants finished 13 points behind La Liga champions Real Madrid, their campaign ending in a whimper on Sunday with a 2-0 home […]

Milan (AFP) – Two of Europe's most passionate fan bases will descend on Tirana for Wednesday's Conference League final, a competition belittled by some but which has captured the imagination of Feyenoord and Roma supporters. Starved of success in recent years, both teams travel to the Arena Kombetare knowing they will be backed to the […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Pep Guardiola joked it had been part of his plan for Manchester City to come from 2-0 down to beat Aston Villa 3-2 to claim the Premier League title as his side paraded the trophy through Manchester on Monday. Needing to win to hold off Liverpool by a point to […]

Berlin (AFP) – Hertha Berlin secured their place in the Bundesliga for next season with a 2-0 away win at Hamburg on Monday to take the promotion/relegation play-off 2-1 on aggregate. An early headed goal by Hertha captain Dedryck Boyata and a speculative second-half free-kick from Marvin Plattenhardt saw Hertha turn their fortunes around in Monday's return […]

Milan (AFP) – Leonardo Spinazzola will made his return to the Italy squad after Roberto Mancini named him among 39 players for the European champions' 'Finalissima' clash with Argentina and the Nations League. Roma full-back Spinazzola was one of the stars of Italy's charge to Euro 2020 glory but ruptured his Achilles tendon during his […]

London (AFP) – Scotland manager Steve Clarke expects Ukraine to be focused in their World Cup play-off showdown despite the impact of the war in their homeland. Clarke's side host Ukraine on June 1, in a rescheduled play-off semi-final which was due to be played in March before Russia's invasion of Ukraine led to a […]

London (AFP) – Avram Glazer has defended his family's controversial reign as Manchester United owners after a troubled season marred by fan protests. Supporters stepped up their calls for the Glazers to sell United throughout a dismal campaign that ended in a dismal sixth-placed finish for Ralf Rangnick's side after Sunday's limp 1-0 defeat at […]

Paris (AFP) – Kylian Mbappe made the startling revelation Monday that he had talked over his potential transfer to Real Madrid with Emmanuel Macron, saying he appreciated the "good advice" of the French president, who wanted the Paris Saint-Germain star to stay in France. World Cup winner Mbappe had for months seemed certain to sign […]

London (AFP) – West Ham defender Kurt Zouma is due in court this week after a video emerged of him earlier this year allegedly slapping and kicking one of his cats. Zouma and his brother Yoan were listed to appear at Thames Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, in a case brought by the Royal Society for […]

Paris (AFP) – Kylian Mbappe said Monday he would not interfere in the management of Paris Saint-Germain or in transfer policy after he decided to snub Real Madrid to stay with the club. World Cup winner Mbappe had for months seemed certain to sign for Real Madrid before being persuaded to sign a new three-year […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bundesliga runners-up Borussia Dortmund have continued rebuilding for next season by naming Edin Terzic as head coach and signing Turkey midfielder Salih Ozcan on Monday. Terzic, 39, was made interim boss for the last five months of 2020/21 when Dortmund won the German Cup, but has been made permanent head coach after […]

Chester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City and France footballer Benjamin Mendy denied nine sexual offences against six young women as he appeared in court on Monday. The 27-year-old player stood in the dock at Chester Crown Court and repeated: "Not guilty" as the charges were put to him and he entered pleas for the […]