Basel (Switzerland) (AFP) – Sevilla midfielder Coke broke Liverpool hearts with a second-half brace in a controversy-filled 3-1 victory that secured a record third consecutive Europa League title on Wednesday. Liverpool travelled to St Jakob-Park confident in their chances of a first Europa League trophy since 2001 after an impressive campaign in Europe's second tier […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Barcelona blasted a Madrid-imposed ban on Catalan flags being flown at Sunday's Copa del Rey final as an attack on freedom of expression on Wednesday. The final against Sevilla is being played at the Vicente Calderon, the home of Atletico Madrid, in the Spanish capital. But the Community of Madrid authorities have […]

London (AFP) – Aston Villa have been sold to a Chinese group owned by Dr Tony Jiantong Xia, the Championship club announced on Wednesday, in a deal worth a reported $86 million. Villa crashed out of the Premier League after a miserable season that saw the Midlands team win just three of their 38 matches, […]

This summer, the Fort Lauderdale Strikers' under-19 team will compete in a tournament in China against several of the best clubs in the world. The U19 tournament, named the 2016 Weifang Cup, will be contested between: • Real Madrid (Spain) • Chivas de Guadalajara (Mexico) • S.L. Benfica (Portugal) • Fort Lauderdale Strikers (USA) • VfL Wolfsburg (Germany) […]

Basel (Switzerland) (AFP) – Fighting between rival sets of Liverpool and Sevilla supporters broke out minutes before the start of the Europa League final on Wednesday. The incidents, at St Jakob-Park, the home of FC Basel, occurred behind the Liverpool goal as the teams warmed up before the 1845 GMT final. Stewards stepped in to […]

Doha (AFP) – A senior UEFA executive on Wednesday raised concerns about the quality of the Champions League final pitch just 10 days ahead of Europe's biggest club match of the season. Keith Dalton, senior match operations manager with UEFA, said organisers face "a lot of challenges" in getting the surface ready at Milan's San […]

Basel (Switzerland) (AFP) – Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson was named among the substitutes for Wednesday's Europa League final against Sevilla at St-Jakob Park in Basel. Henderson made his return from a knee injury at the weekend, but Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp decided to take no risks with the midfielder and kept faith with the same […]

London (AFP) – Benin winger Stephane Sessegnon and Nigeria striker Victor Anichebe will leave West Bromwich Albion after the Premier League club decided not to offer the duo new contracts. Sessegnon made 92 appearances and scored eight goals for Albion after signing from Sunderland in 2013, but he was unable to convince boss Tony Pulis […]

Berlin (AFP) – Borussia Moenchengladbach have confirmed receiving an offer for Swiss international midfielder Granit Xhaka, who has been heavily tipped to join Arsenal. Gladbach's sports director Max Eberl told the Rheinischen Post that an offer has been received, but not revealed from which club, for their 23-year-old captain, Xhaka, who has said he can […]

Paris (AFP) – Michel Platini, currently serving a four-year ban from all football, wants to "formally resign" as UEFA president at the organisation's elective congress on September 14 when his successor will be named, the Frenchman said Wednesday. The former French national team skipper quit his post on May 9 after his appeal to the […]

Waiting on the dust to settle from the disaster at St. James Park will take some time for Tottenham Hotspur supporters, but when it does, the 2015-16 season will be looked back on as one that could be a stepping stone to a new era for a club that has found itself too often playing […]

London (AFP) – West Ham have cancelled a fixture involving their women's team to ensure the club's Premier League victory over Manchester United will remain the last fixture ever played at Upton Park. The east London outfit had agreed to allow West Ham Ladies to play against an "All-Star" team on June 5, but decided […]

The 2015/16 season for the Gunners was a roller coaster ride to say the least. Arsenal began their Premier League campaign with a loss at home to West Ham, as well as failing to grab a single point during their first two Champions League group stage matches (against Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiacos). The north London […]

Bangkok (AFP) – Thai fans mobbed newly crowned English Premier League champions Leicester City Wednesday as they began a global publicity blitz after their fairytale title triumph. They also hoped to banish the memory of a sex tape scandal that marred a visit a year ago to the homeland of their billionaire owner. Scores of […]

Basel (Switzerland) (AFP) – French football legend Michel Platini could be barred from attending Euro 2016 in an official capacity following his spectacular fall from grace as president of European football's ruling body. Platini, whose successor as head of UEFA will be elected in Athens on September 14, would have awarded the trophy to the […]