Before Brazil faced Peru at Gillette Stadium in the final match of the group stage during the 2016 Copa America Centenario, many considered Dunga's men reaching the quarter-finals a foregone conclusion. And while their failure to reach the knockout rounds was one of the major shocks of the tournament so far, the writing was on […]

Buenos Aires (AFP) – Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter said he had witnessed rigged draws for European football competitions using "hot and cold balls," in an interview with an Argentine newspaper published Monday. Blatter said no draw for a FIFA event had been fixed during his 18 years at the helm of world football's governing […]

Lyon (AFP) – Italy's Antonio Conte says the 'open wound' of their 2014 World Cup failure should inspire the Azzurri to success at Euro 2016 after their impressive 2-0 win over Belgium. Goals in either half from Emanuele Giaccherini and Graziano Pelle saw Italy floor much-fancied Belgium at the Stade de Lyon on Monday. Italy […]

Lyon (AFP) – Belgium coach Marc Wilmots refused to blame his Premier League stars for the Red Devils' below-par display in their 2-0 defeat to Italy in Monday's Euro 2016 opener. Much-fancied Belgium were floored by goals in either half from Emanuele Giaccherini and Graziano Pelle as Italy hit the ground running at the European […]

Lyon (AFP) – Goals in either half from Emanuele Giaccherini and Graziano Pelle ensured Italy hit the ground running at Euro 2016 as the Azzurri condemned highly-fancied Belgium to a 2-0 defeat on Monday. Marc Wilmot's Belgium, the highest ranked side coming into the European championship finals, dominated for long spells of the Group E […]

Paris (AFP) – English FA chief Greg Dyke on Monday raised the alarm over security for England's next Euro 2016 game after the pitched battles with Russian fans in their first match. Dyke also slammed stadium security Saturday's game against Russia in Marseille as "unacceptable" in a letter to Europe's governing body UEFA. The letter […]

Hopes were high for ESPN’s coverage of the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament as the network has sent close to twenty commentators and reporters to France for the finals. Unlike FOX Sports, whose coverage of the Copa America has been focused around LA-based commentators, US-oriented storylines and light-hearted programming, ESPN has taken a serious “newsy” approach […]

Lyon (AFP) – Italy goalscorer Emanuele Giaccherini said the Azzurri have the best defence at Euro 2016 after they shut out Belgium's star-studded attack in a 2-0 win on Monday. Goals in either half from Giaccherini and Graziano Pelle ensured Italy hit the ground running at the European championship finals as the Azzurri condemned highly-fancied […]

Madrid (AFP) – Young French centre-back Aymeric Laporte extended his contract with Athletic Bilbao on Monday despite reported interest from Manchester City. The 22-year-old added a year to his existing deal and is now tied to the Basque club until June 2020, Bilbao said in a statement on Monday. The France under-21 captain is rumoured […]

The opening game of Euro 2016 was watched by a viewing average of 662,000. The game between France and Romania was televised live on ESPN2 on Friday, June 10 from 3-5pm ET. In comparison to Euro 2012, the viewing average per game was 1.3 million. The final between Italy and Spain on ESPN netted a viewing […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Barcelona on Monday accepted to pay a 5.5-million-euro ($6.2 million) fine over Neymar's contested 2013 transfer in a deal with prosecutors that sees the club avoid trial on tax evasion charges. "It was better to accept this pact than continue on with the uncertainty that has dragged on for a long time […]

Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Brazilians on Monday mourned the latest blow to their demoralized, recession-hit nation: their elimination from the Copa America football tournament, which raised questions about the future of national coach Dunga. "Dunga out" blared a headline in popular daily O Dia after Brazil crashed out of the tournament in a 1-0 […]

Saint-Étienne (France) (AFP) – Portugal coach Fernando Santos leaped to the defence of hard man Bruno Alves on Monday following accusations by European Championship opponents Iceland about his no-holds-barred tactics. Santos said the 31-year-old Alves is "a great player" and insisted there are many more with worse records. Iceland coach Lars Lagerback called ahead of […]

Seattle (AFP) – United States coach Jurgen Klinsmann called on football authorities to introduce video technology on Monday after Brazil's controversial exit from the Copa America Centenario due to a blatant handball goal. The German World Cup winner said the use of instant replay technology was long overdue and had left football decades behind sports […]

Paris (AFP) – Sweden coach Erik Hamren admitted his side face an uphill struggle at Euro 2016 after a sub-par display in a 1-1 draw with the Republic of Ireland in their Group E opener. Sweden failed to muster a single attempt on target and required a Ciaran Clark own goal to snatch a draw […]