Milan (AFP) – Sampdoria boosted their chances of staying in Serie A on Saturday prevailing 1-0 in a relegation derby with local rivals Genoa, who missed a stoppage-time penalty and are now staring the drop in the face. Abdelhamid Sabiri struck a potentially huge blow in the race for top-flight survival when he bundled home […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti might have thought his days of winning Europe's biggest leagues were a thing of the past but on Saturday he added La Liga to his glittering list of honours. Madrid's triumph, sealed with a 4-0 win against Espanyol, ensured Ancelotti becomes the only coach to have clinched […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich suffered a title-party hangover Saturday in a shock 3-1 defeat at Mainz, while Erling Haaland claimed a hat-trick even though Borussia Dortmund also crashed 4-3 at home to Bochum. A week after Bayern beat second-placed Dortmund 3-1 in Munich to be crowned league champions for the tenth straight […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool beat Newcastle 1-0 to leapfrog Manchester City at the top of the Premier League on Saturday, heaping pressure on Pep Guardiola's men ahead of their evening kick-off against struggling Leeds. Naby Keita scored the only goal of the game at a boisterous St James' Park as Jurgen Klopp's men remained on […]

Watford (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Burnley came from a goal down in the final 10 minutes to move clear of the bottom three in the Premier League with a 2-1 win away to Watford on Saturday that piled pressure on faltering Everton. Victory at Vicarage Road, which confirmed Norwich's relegation from English football's top flight, […]

London (AFP) – A consortium led by Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly will be named as the preferred bidder to buy Chelsea, according to British media reports on Friday. Chelsea's Russian owner Roman Abramovich put the Premier League club up for sale just before being sanctioned by the British government after the invasion of […]

Berlin (AFP) – With a tenth straight Bundesliga title secured, Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann wants to settle the future of star striker Robert Lewandowski so he can plan for next season. As the title celebrations raged last Saturday after a home win over Dortmund that meant Bayern cannot be caught, Lewandowski was reluctant to […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid will win La Liga at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday if they avoid defeat against Espanyol as Carlo Ancelotti's side look to secure the Spanish title before facing Manchester City in the Champions League next week. Madrid sit 15 points clear of Barcelona and Sevilla in La Liga, meaning they […]

London (AFP) – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said on Friday that Jurgen Klopp's decision to extend his stay at Liverpool will not have any influence on his own future plans. Klopp signed a two-year contract extension on Thursday to keep the Reds boss at Anfield until at least 2026. Guardiola's current City deal expires […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has slammed "fake news" reports that he is a contender to take charge at Paris Saint-Germain. Conte was linked with the French champions this week after reports emerged that their current boss Mauricio Pochettino, himself a former Spurs manager, is likely to leave at the end of […]

London (AFP) – British businessman Jim Ratcliffe has made a £4.25 billion ($5.3 billion) offer to buy Premier League club Chelsea, his company Ineos said on Friday. The club's Russian owner Roman Abramovich put the Blues up for sale on March 2 before being sanctioned the following week by the British government over Russia's invasion […]

London (AFP) – Ralf Rangnick says Manchester United must work hard to lure "future top stars" to Old Trafford despite their near-certain absence from the Champions League next season. United, who have just three matches left this campaign, are languishing in sixth place in the Premier League, five points behind fourth-placed Arsenal, who have two […]

London (AFP) – Mikel Arteta is confident that Arsenal's crop of young stars can cope with the mounting pressure as they seek to seal a place in next season's Champions League. Arteta's side are fourth in the Premier League with five games left as they fight to return to Europe's elite club competition for the […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Thomas Tuchel says Frank Lampard will always be a Chelsea "legend" despite a painful end to his managerial reign at Stamford Bridge as the German prepares to lock horns with the Everton boss. Tuchel was hired to replace Lampard at Chelsea following his dismissal in January 2021 and the pair will meet […]

Doha (AFP) – FIFA said Friday that 23.5 million World Cup tickets were requested in the latest round of sales for the tournament that starts in Qatar in less than seven months. Applications from Argentina, Brazil, England, France, Mexico, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United States dominated, the world body said highlighting the "enormous demand". […]