Madrid (AFP) – Malaga coach Javier Gracia will not continue in charge of the Andalusians next season despite two impressive campaigns in charge, the club announced on Tuesday. "Javier Gracia Carlos will not continue next season at Malaga and leaves the club after two seasons in charge of the first team," Malaga said in a […]

London (AFP) – Jose Mourinho is expected to be named as Manchester United's new manager despite club great Eric Cantona saying incoming Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola would have been a better choice. Mourinho's agent Jorge Mendes was in talks with United's executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward in London on Tuesday after Louis van Gaal's troubled […]

Shanghai (AFP) – Wu Lei's dramatic injury-time winner put Sven-Goran Eriksson's Shanghai SIPG into the AFC Champions League quarter-finals against a dumbfounded FC Tokyo on Tuesday. The Japanese visitors were seconds away from Asia's last eight until Wu struck in the 91st minute for a 1-0 win, sparking chaotic celebrations among the SIPG players and […]

Madrid (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo played down fears over his fitness ahead of Real Madrid's Champions League final against Atletico Madrid on Saturday after the three-time World Player of the Year limped off towards the end of training on Tuesday. "I am fine. I had a little problem in training, a dead leg as they […]

London (AFP) – Around 250,000 British fans will travel to France for Euro 2016 without tickets for matches, British police warned on Tuesday. Security at the European Championships was already being ramped up after the recent terrorist attacks in France and the prospect of supporters of England, Wales and Northern Ireland swarming into the country […]

Saint Petersburg (AFP) – Zenit Saint Petersburg have entrusted veteran Romanian coach Mircea Lucescu with the task of getting them back into Champions League football after a disappointing campaign, the Russian club confirmed on Tuesday. The 70-year-old, who won 22 trophies including eight Ukrainian league titles and the 2009 UEFA Cup with Shakhtar Donetsk, signed […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool signed Germany Under-21 goalkeeper Loris Karius from Mainz on Tuesday for a fee reported to be £4.7 million ($6.8 million, 6.1 million euros). Karius agreed a five-year contract with the Premier League club and is expected to provide strong competition for Liverpool's current first-choice goalkeeper Simon Mignolet. The 22-year-old has taken […]

Nice (France) (AFP) – Switzerland's Lucien Favre was named coach of Ligue 1 outfit Nice on Tuesday after the resignation of the highly-respected Claude Puel. Favre, 58, has been out of work since being sacked by Bundesliga club Borussia Moenchengladbach in September, but was set to sign a three-year contract with Nice, according to sources. […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – There is no easy way to sack a Premier League manager and Manchester United have found that out the hard way with their dismissal of Louis Van Gaal. Some are calling the manner of the Dutchman's departure from United a "public relations disaster" for England's most famous club as it […]

Madrid (AFP) – Hero of Real Madrid's Champions League triumph two years ago, defender Sergio Ramos compared his first final experience to losing his virginity ahead Saturday's clash with Atletico Madrid in a rematch of the 2014 final. Ramos broke Atletico's hearts with his stoppage time equaliser to deny Diego Simeone's men a first ever […]

London (AFP) – Jose Mourinho was closing in on becoming Manchester United's new manager on Tuesday despite club great Eric Cantona saying incoming Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola would have been a better pick. Mourinho's agent Jorge Mendes was in talks with United's executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward, British media reported, less than 24 hours after […]

Cardiff (United Kingdom) (AFP) – France's World Cup winner Marcel Desailly is worried about security for Euro 2016 after the deadly attacks on Paris last November. "Of course, there is a little fear," the 1998 World Cup winner and Euro 2000 champion told AFP. "Because of the level of security, we hope nothing will happen, […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Jose Mourinho was on the verge of fulfilling his dream of managing Manchester United on Tuesday after Louis van Gaal's troubled two-year reign came to a bitter end. The path was clear for the former Chelsea manager to be confirmed as the new United boss after Van Gaal was sacked […]

Madrid (AFP) – Doubts over Cristiano Ronaldo's fitness for Real Madrid's Champions League final against Atletico Madrid on Saturday intensified after the three-time World Player of the Year limped off towards the end of training on Tuesday. Ronaldo has been dogged by a persistent thigh injury which forced him to miss three games last month. […]

London (AFP) – Jose Mourinho is on the verge of fulfilling his dream of managing Manchester United after Louis van Gaal's troubled two-year reign at Old Trafford came to a bitter end. Van Gaal said he was "very disappointed" to be sacked on Monday just 48 hours after leading United to victory in the FA […]