Madrid (AFP) – As a pot-bellied, softly spoken 65-year-old, Vicente del Bosque, who has quit as Spain coach, never looked like a man on a mission. That description could easily however be applied to his nemesis, the manic Italy coach Antonio Conte, who paced and ranted on the sidelines as Italy took revenge for a […]

Sao Paulo (AFP) – Brazilian striker Neymar will sign a new five-year contract with Barcelona this week, his agents said Thursday, ending speculation over his future at the Spanish giants. "The athlete, along with his family, has decided to stay with FC Barcelona and will renew his contract for five more years," said NN Consultoria, […]

Marseille (AFP) – Poland striker Robert Lewandowski scored within two minutes of kickoff in the Euro 2016 quarter-final against Portugal but 18-year-old Renato Sanches equalised for Portugal to leave the match poised at 1-1 at half-time. Bayern Munich striker Lewandowski, without a goal in his last seven international appearances, connected with Kamil Grosicki's low cross […]

Lille (France) (AFP) – Emboldened by Belgium's defensive selection problems, Wales manager Chris Coleman has told Eden Hazard and his team-mates to expect "a hell of a game" in Friday's Euro 2016 quarter-final. Hazard starred as Belgium crushed Hungary 4-0 in the last 16, but his side have since lost Thomas Vermaelen to suspension and Jan […]

Lille (France) (AFP) – Wales manager Chris Coleman promised that his team were not coming to Euro 2016 "for a laugh", but his players have been having the time of their lives in France. From Gareth Bale's training ground tomfoolery to Joe Ledley's outlandish dance moves, the Welsh players have seemed immune to the pressures of […]

Paris (AFP) – If Manchester United fans have been put to sleep by several dull seasons of late they are about to be awoken by the arrival of the strutting Swedish superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The giant striker with an ego as great as his astonishing talent said Thursday that he would be joining coach Jose […]

Lille (France) (AFP) – Belgium have been dealt a major blow ahead of their Euro 2016 quarter-final against Wales after defender Jan Vertonghen was ruled out of the rest of the tournament with an ankle injury. The Tottenham Hotspur defender, 29, tore ankle ligaments in training on Thursday, coach Marc Wilmots said, adding that he […]

London (AFP) – Five facts on Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic after he announced he is signing for English Premier League giants Manchester United on Thursday: League titles but no Champions League crown Ibrahimovic's goals have delivered league titles wherever he has gone from the Netherlands to Italy to Spain and France but never has he […]

Marseille (AFP) – The might of Poland's Robert Lewandowski stands in Cristiano Ronaldo's path to his first international title with Portugal in Euro 2016's first quarter-final in Marseille on Thursday. In the battle of two of Europe's top strikers, Poland will be counting on Bayern Munich's Lewandowski to find his scoring touch after four scoreless […]

Sling TV today announced that it has added NBCSN to its long list of channels for fans of Premier League teams who want to cut the cord without needing a cable or satellite TV subscription. In addition to NBCSN, Sling TV added NBC, USA, BBC America, SyFy and Bravo to its list of 30+ channels. The channels […]

Paris (AFP) – Zlatan Ibrahimovic said on Thursday that he is joining Manchester United, ending intense speculation about where the 34-year-old Swedish superstar forward will be playing next season. Ibrahimovic, who was a free agent after ending a hugely successful stay at Paris Saint-Germain, becomes the second signing of new United boss Jose Mourinho after […]

Bucharest (AFP) – The Romanian public prosecutor on Thursday said a doctor had been charged with homicide for not attempting to resuscitate Cameroon international footballer Patrick Ekeng, who died of heart failure last month. Ekeng, 26, collapsed shortly after coming on as a substitute for Dinamo Bucharest in a league game against Viitorul Constanta and […]

If you've been watching Euro 2016 this summer, you may be wondering who the mysterious woman is that does the voiceover work before and after ESPN's commercial breaks. The woman that's one of the first and last voices you hear when you listen to ESPN's Euro 2016 broadcasts. If the following sounds familiar, "Welcome to UEFA Euro 2016. […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Barcelona have agreed a 25-million-euro move for France defender Samuel Umtiti from Lyon, the Spanish giants announced Thursday. Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu said: "Barca have reached an agreement with Lyon to sign him, but it has to be negotiated with the player. "There's an agreement for 25 million euros." Cameroon-born Umtiti, […]

Evian (France) (AFP) – Oliver Bierhoff says it is time for Germany to write new history in the Euro 2016 quarter-finals as Thursday marked the 20th anniversary of his goals which won Euro '96. It is exactly two decades since Bierhoff, now Germany's team manager, came off the bench to net twice at Wembley and […]