London (AFP) – A combination of the Zika virus and political turmoil is making Brazilians "sad", football legend Pele told AFP on Wednesday. The football superstar, 75, was speaking at a preview in London of a huge auction of memorabilia spanning his career. His comments came two months before the start of the Rio Olympics […]

Every season, I indulge in the same thought experiment... What can I make out of the wreckage of the three relegated teams? Inevitably teams that get relegated tend to shed players and rebuild (Burnley and Norwich being two recent teams to go against that trend). This year’s relegated Premier League sides are an odd mix. […]

Watford (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester United starlet Marcus Rashford will only deliver for England if left to his own devices on the pitch, his club and international captain Wayne Rooney warned on Wednesday. Rashford, 18, was the headline inclusion in the 23-man squad for Euro 2016 announced by manager Roy Hodgson on Tuesday. Rooney […]

Ascona (Switzerland) (AFP) – Germany veteran Lukas Podolski was left fuming on Wednesday having been dubbed the 'mascot' of die Mannschaft in some quarters due to his dearth of recent appearances for the world champions. Podolski, who turns 31 on Saturday, has made 127 appearance for Germany, scoring 48 goals, in more than a decade. […]

On Friday, the US Men's National Team kicks off one of the world's most prestigious soccer tournaments against a dark horse favorite on home soil. The enormity of the US hosting the Copa America Centenario – especially with the controversy over its selection as the host – cannot be understated. Much like the 1994 World […]

Watford (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney on Wednesday hailed the club's "exciting" appointment of new manager Jose Mourinho. Former Chelsea manager Mourinho, 53, was appointed on a three-year contract last week and succeeds the sacked Louis van Gaal. "It's exciting. He's one of the best managers in the world," Rooney told […]

London (AFP) – When Anthony Martial limped forlornly towards the Old Trafford tunnel it set Marcus Rashford off on a meteoric rise from unknown teenager to the rising star of England's Euro 2016 challenge in less than 100 days. Martial suffered a hamstring injury in the warm-up before Manchester United's Europa League tie against FC […]

Warsaw (AFP) – Out of a thick cloud of dust, it is just possible to make out a scrum of boys fighting for a football. The photo is old, taken years before Robert Lewandowski shot to stardom. "The smallest one in the middle, that's Robert," said Krzysztof Sikorski, who coached the Bayern Munich striker and star […]

Este verano, cada partido de la Copa América Centenario se transmitirá en vivo en las redes de TV del mundo, incluido los Estados Unidos. Aquí están los detalles para cómo saber cuándo, dónde y cómo ver la Copa América Centenario. Primero, aquí hay algunos antecedentes importantes: en los Estados Unidos, FOX Sports y Univision tienen […]

London (AFP) – England manager Roy Hodgson could reveal his hand ahead of Euro 2016 when his side tackle Portugal at Wembley on Thursday in their final pre-tournament warm-up match. Hodgson finalised his 23-man squad for the campaign on Tuesday, including 18-year-old Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford and cutting loose Leicester City's Danny Drinkwater and […]

Mexico City (AFP) – Mexican authorities arrested on Tuesday a man married to a cousin of football star Alan Pulido, accusing the suspect of ordering the player's high-profile kidnapping last weekend. Osvaldo Velazquez Garcia, 29, was wounded and detained in a house in the northeastern city of Ciudad Victoria after a shootout with federal police, […]

Cork (Ireland) (AFP) – The Republic of Ireland's record goalscorer Robbie Keane made the final 23-man squad for the Euro 2016 named by manager Martin O'Neill on Tuesday after the team's 2-1 friendly defeat to Belarus in Cork. The LA Galaxy striker's place appeared to be under threat after suffering a calf problem, but he […]

Neustift (Austria) (AFP) – Lassana Diarra has become Euro 2016 hosts' France's latest injury casualty after the midfielder was ruled out of the tournament with a knee problem, the French Football Federation (FFF) announced on Tuesday. The 31-year-old Marseille player, who was nominated for the French Ligue 1 player of the season award, is replaced […]

Neustift (Austria) (AFP) – France coach Didier Deschamps on Tuesday played down any worries of the effect Antoine Griezmann's missed penalty in Atletico Madrid's Champions League final defeat will have on his key player for Euro 2016. The forward struck the crossbar from the spot early in the second half with Atletico trailing to city […]

Vienna (AFP) – Austria coach Marcel Koller on Tuesday named his 23-man Euro 2016 line-up headlined by David Alaba and Christian Fuchs, winners of league titles in Germany and England respectively. Koller made the announcement after his side beat Malta 2-1 in a pre-European tournament friendly in Klagenfurt despite an Alaba own goal. Early goals […]