London (AFP) – Stoke City have signed Wales international midfielder Joe Allen from Liverpool on a five-year deal, the two Premier League clubs announced on Monday. Stoke paid £13 million (15.5 million euros, $17 million) to make Allen the club's second signing of the pre-season after tying up a deal for Egyptian teenager Ramadan Sobhi […]

Abuja (AFP) – FIFA president Gianni Infantino said on Monday he hopes Africa gets two more spots at the World Cup if his proposal for the tournament to be expanded to 40 teams goes through. There are presently 32 finalists for the World Cup with Africa represented by five teams. Infantino, elected in February this […]

With an estimated fanbase of 6 million supporters worldwide, Newcastle United fans will be watching their favorite team in the Championship this season, and not in the Premier League. Unfortunately for the Toon Army, you're not going to be able to watch as many Newcastle games as you did when they played in the Premier […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool and Sevilla were fined by UEFA on Monday following crowd trouble before and during the Europa League final against Sevilla in Basel in May. Sevilla, who won the match 3-1 for a third successive Europa League title, were fined 17,000 euros (£14,242) while Liverpool were fined 16,000 euros. The sanctions relate […]

Berlin (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund defender Sokratis believes it's high time Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich were knocked from the top of the German league after four years with an iron grip on the title. Bayern have won the Bundesliga title for a record four consecutive seasons, but it is all change in Munich for 2016/17 […]

Here are the ten things we learned from Week 20 of the 2016 MLS season. 1. Seattle Hits Rock Bottom It might go down as the week that brought the curtain down on the Seattle Sounders’ remarkable first MLS era. On Wednesday night, the Sounders were 2-1 up in Carson against the LA Galaxy with […]

Milan (AFP) – Inter Milan on Monday insisted captain Mauro Icardi is not for sale amid reports Napoli have tabled a generous offer — including a future role in a film — for the Argentine striker. Icardi, who scored 16 goals in 33 league games last season, is a reported target for Arsenal as well […]

Geneva (AFP) – FIFA's ethics committee on Monday banned Wolfgang Niersbach, former president of the German Football Association (DFB), for one year over misconduct surrounding the country's successful 2006 World Cup bid. "Mr. Niersbach has been banned for one year from all football-related activities," a statement from FIFA's in-house court said, noting that the German […]

Burton-on-Trent (United Kingdom) (AFP) – New England manager Sam Allardyce vowed on Monday to break the psychological barrier hindering the performance of the country's big-name players at international level. Allardyce also revealed he has not yet made a decision on who will captain England, which leaves the Manchester United skipper Wayne Rooney — heavily criticised […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery claimed Monday that he has finally felt trusted again since Carlo Ancelotti took over as head coach from Pep Guardiola. With Guardiola now coaching Manchester City after three years in Munich, Italian Ancelotti has taken charge of Bayern, who have won the Bundesliga title in each of […]

Beijing (AFP) – Manchester United's showpiece pre-season derby against Manchester City was cancelled just hours before kick-off Monday because the Beijing pitch was "too dangerous" for players. Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany said club staff had been working to get the game on after days of heavy rain in the Chinese capital, but had been […]

London (AFP) – Sam Allardyce said Monday that he was "very proud" to be named England manager and felt confident that he "fitted the chair". The 61-year-old Englishman — who succeeds Roy Hodgson, who stepped down after England lost to minnows Iceland in the last 16 of Euro 2016 — refused to confirm Wayne Rooney […]

Beijing (AFP) – Manchester United said on Monday that its pre-season friendly with Manchester City in Beijing has been cancelled after torrential rains soaked the turf at the Bird's Nest Stadium venue. "Due to recent weather events, tournament organisers and participating clubs have decided to cancel tonight's International Champions Cup game," scheduled for Monday, Manchester […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – Serge Aurier's two goals lifted Paris Saint-Germain to a 3-1 victory over Iter Milan on Sunday in an International Champions Cup friendly in Eugene, Oregon. Layvin Kurzawa also scored for the French champions, while Stevan Jovetic converted a penalty for the Italian outfit in first-half injury time. The International Champions Cup […]

London (AFP) – Burnley striker Andre Gray has condemned two of his own club's fans as living in the stone age after an incident of alleged racist abuse during the Premier League club's friendly win at Bradford. One of the Burnley supporters was ejected from Saturday's clash at Valley Parade and the Clarets on Sunday […]