London (AFP) – Diego Costa thrust himself back into the headlines with an 89th-minute winner as Chelsea edged West Ham United 2-1 in Antonio Conte's first Premier League game as manager on Monday. Eden Hazard, symbol of Chelsea's slump from champions to a 10th-place finish last season, opened the scoring at Stamford Bridge with a […]

Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Brazil's emotional journey to the semi-finals of a home Olympic Games has the potential to change the perception of women's football in the soccer-mad country for generations, according to coach Vadao. The Canarinha will face Sweden for the right to guarantee a medal in front of a capacity 75,000 crowd […]

London (AFP) – Former Premier League star Dalian Atkinson, who played for Aston Villa and Spanish club Real Sociedad, died Monday after being Tasered by British police, relatives said. Atkinson, 48, who played for Villa in the early 1990s and won the inaugural Premier League goal of the season award, had been battling kidney problems […]

Berlin (AFP) – Joachim Loew has had to part company with key players that helped build Germany's success over the last decade after multiple retirement announcements in the last couple of weeks. Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Miroslav Klose and now Lukas Podolski have all put an end to their glittering international careers in an era […]

Istanbul (AFP) – Dutch coach Dick Advocaat on Monday arrived in Istanbul to take over as manager of Turkish giants Fenerbahce and reverse the club's fortunes after it failed to win silverware last season and exited this year's Champions League. Advocaat's rapid appointment follows the sacking of Vitor Pereira in an acrimonious parting that ended […]

Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta will be out for two weeks after picking up a knock in the the 2-0 first leg Super Cup win over Sevilla this weekend, the club said on Monday. The injury means the 32-year-old picked up a strained knee in the first game of the season on Sunday, […]

London (AFP) – Democratic Republic of Congo winger Yannick Bolasie has joined Everton from Premier League rivals Crystal Palace on a five-year contract, his new club announced on Monday. The fee for the 27-year-old was not disclosed, but British media reports said Everton had paid 25 million pounds ($32.2 million, 28.8 million euros), potentially rising […]

London (AFP) – It is very early days in Zlatan Ibrahimovic's Manchester United career, but the Swedish striker's initial successes have already evoked memories of Old Trafford legend Eric Cantona. Cantona made an extraordinary impact when he arrived from Leeds United in November 1992, inspiring Alex Ferguson's team to end the club's 26-year wait for […]

Berlin (AFP) – German striker Lukas Podolski announced on Monday his retirement from international duty for the Mannschaft after appearing 129 times for the World champions and scoring 48 goals. The Galatasaray forward is the second German veteran to announce his retirement in the last two weeks after Manchester United midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger also announced […]

Here are the ten things we learned from Week 23 of the 2016 MLS season. History for Bradley Wright-Phillips The New York Red Bulls were back in the winner’s circle on Saturday night at Red Bull Arena, pasting the Montreal Impact by three goals to one. The Red Bulls were led, once again, by the […]

Kuala Lumpur (AFP) – Malaysia has relinquished the rights to host the 2017 FIFA Congress, a sports official said Monday after the predominantly Muslim country refused to issue visas to Israeli delegates. "We were advised by the government to withdraw from hosting the congress due to security issues," Affandi Hamzah, deputy president of the Football […]

Istanbul (AFP) – Istanbul football giants Fenerbahce are set to name the well travelled Dutch coach Dick Advocaat as their new manager following the sacking of Vitor Pereira, reports said Monday. Advocaat was to travel to Turkey following secret talks in the Netherlands and could be taking charge of the team's training as soon as […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said his team were not physically ready for the Premier League season after opening the campaign with a chaotic 4-3 defeat at home to Liverpool. With Per Mertesacker and Gabriel injured and Laurent Koscielny short of match fitness, Wenger deployed Calum Chambers, 21, and 20-year-old debutant Rob Holding […]

Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Already buoyed by the pursuit of landing a first gold medal in the sport for football-mad Brazil, the hosts' women will be inspired by the rare chance to play at the iconic Maracana in their Olympics semi-final with Sweden on Tuesday. Having lived for so long in the shadow of […]

Bournemouth (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Jose Mourinho believes Zlatan Ibrahimovic's influence on his Manchester United team-mates will be just as crucial as his inspirational contribution on the pitch. Ibrahimovic marked his Premier League debut for United in memorable fashion as the flamboyant Swedish striker hammered a 25-yard strike past Bournemouth goalkeeper Artur Boruc to cap […]