Bordeaux (AFP) – Italy coach Antonio Conte was full of praise for German counterpart Joachim Loew, but believes the Azzurri are ready to avenge a recent friendly thrashing to book their place in the semi-finals of Euro 2016. Two years on from crashing out of a second successive World Cup at the group stage, Italy […]

Lille (France) (AFP) – Wales captain Ashley Williams cancelled out Radja Nainggolan's stunning opener for Belgium to send the teams into half-time level at 1-1 in Friday's Euro 2016 quarter-final in Lille. Nainggolan hammered a thunderous long-range strike past Wayne Hennessey in the 13th minute at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, but Williams equalised on 31 minutes […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Dutch international goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg signed for Premier League Everton on Friday from second-tier Fulham, becoming Ronald Koeman's first capture since he took over at Goodison Park. The 33-year-old, who signed a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee, impressed compatriot Koeman when he played under him on loan at Southampton last season. […]

Madrid (AFP) – Outgoing Spain boss Vicente del Bosque has sparked controversy by signalling out veteran captain Iker Casillas's poor attitude as Spain's reign as European champions came to an end at Euro 2016. A 2-0 defeat to Italy on Monday ended Spain's quest for a third consecutive European Championship crown with Casillas relegated to […]

Reykjavik (AFP) – With a large part of its population in France for the Euro 2016, Iceland has pretty much come to a standstill except for its tourism sector, which is booming. Ahead of Iceland's historic quarter-final match on Sunday against host France, estimates vary on how many Icelanders have travelled to France, ranging from […]

Paris (AFP) – Poland and Portugal's football authorities became the latest to come under scrutiny from UEFA as European football's governing body opened disciplinary proceedings against both federations on Friday. Portugal progressed to the semi-finals of Euro 2016 with a 5-3 penalty shootout win in Marseille after the teams were tied at 1-1 after extra-time. […]

Lille (France) (AFP) – Swarms of Belgian fans made the short trip across the border into France on Friday ahead of their side's Euro 2016 quarter-final against Gareth Bale's Wales in Lille. Barely 12,000 Belgian fans and a similar number of Wales supporters have tickets for the game at the 50,000-capacity Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Swedish superstar striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic completed his transfer to English Premier League giants Manchester United on Friday on a free transfer. The 34-year-old — who left French champions Paris Saint Germain at the end of last season having scored 156 goals in 180 appearances — is reunited with Jose Mourinho, […]

Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines (France) (AFP) – France risk being "punished" if they keep relying on last-gasp goals to win games at Euro 2016, defender Bacary Sagna warned Friday. The Manchester City star said that Iceland — France's quarter-final opponents on Sunday — are the Leicester City of the European Championship and France's status as a favourite could […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs will leave Old Trafford after rejecting Jose Mourinho's offer of a reduced backroom role, according to British media reports on Friday. Giggs is the most decorated player in United's illustrious history and he amassed a record 963 appearances and 35 major trophies before going on to serve […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Brazilian striker Neymar has signed a five-year contract extension that includes a buy out-clause of up to 250 million euros ($277.5 dollars), the Spanish club said Friday. The deal will keep the 24-year-old international, widely regarded as one of the finest talents in world football, at Barcelona until June 30, 2021, the […]

Now that we've been able to collect all of the TV ratings data for Copa America Centenario, we can now reveal the most-watched Copa America Centenario games that were televised on FOX Sports. Not surprisingly, the USA-Argentina semi-final was the most-watched game. Also, other than the Copa America Centenario final, the US Men's National Team […]

Montpellier (France) (AFP) – Italy's Mattia De Sciglio remembers watching Italy suffer joy and heartbreak at major finals, but he is hoping to play a role when the Azzurri bid to book their Euro 2016 semi-final spot against Germany on Saturday. AC Milan midfielder De Sciglio was only a teenager when he watched Italy upset […]

Reykjavik (AFP) – Kolbeinn Sigthorsson, whose goal sent England packing from Euro 2016, is a star example of Iceland's incubator clubs cultivating talent with top-notch coaching and indoor pitches. When the striker joined Vikingur Reykjavik at the age of six, the club saw immediately that he had something special. "He was strong, and fast. He'd […]

Paris (AFP) – France international midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa has signed a two-year deal with Paris Saint-Germain, the French champions announced Friday. "PSG have signed Hatem Ben Arfa to a two-year deal through June 2018," the club said on its Twitter account. The former Lyon, Marseille and Newcastle winger — who joined from Ligue 1 […]