London (AFP) – Liverpool's failure to qualify for the Champions League will make it harder for manager Jurgen Klopp to attract leading players to the club, according to former Anfield favourite Steve McManaman. Liverpool could have secured a return to Europe's top competition by beating Sevilla in Wednesday's Europa League final in Basel, but despite […]

London (AFP) – Aston Villa revealed ambitions to become the most popular team in China after Harvard-educated businessman Tony Jiantong Xia snapped up the relegated club for a reported $87 million. The "Villains" crashed out of England's Premier League after winning only three times this season, but they will have their fingers crossed for better […]

Bangkok (AFP) – Newly crowned English Premier League champions Leicester City received a royal seal of approval at Bangkok's Grand Palace Thursday, with the team kneeling en masse in front of a portrait of the king alongside their new trophy. The Thai-owned East Midlands team is currently visiting the football-mad Southeast Asian nation as part […]

Bangkok (AFP) – Leicester City's billionaire owners say they hope to use the Premier League winners to nurture young football talent with the aim of Thailand qualifying for the World Cup within a decade. The newly crowned English champions are on a celebratory post-season tour of Thailand, home of publicity-shy billionaire Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and his son Aiyawatt […]

Basel (Switzerland) (AFP) – Superior technique honed by playing in the "best league in the world" was key to Sevilla's record-setting Europa League triumph over Liverpool on Wednesday, said the club's French central defender Timothee Kolodziejczak. Five-time European champions Liverpool travelled to St Jakob-Park in Basel confident of a first Europa League trophy since 2001. […]

New York (AFP) – New York City FC moved to the top of Major League Soccer's Eastern Conference standings on Wednesday after extending their unbeaten run to five matches with a hard-fought 1-1 draw at Toronto FC. City, fresh from a 2-1 victory over champions Portland on Sunday, took the lead through Ghanaian international Kwadwo […]

Madrid (AFP) – Spanish football fans breathed a sigh of relief Wednesday when Mediaset Espana announced they had reached agreement to broadcast matches at Euro 2016 which gets underway in France on June 10. "Mediaset Espana concluded an agreement with CAA Eleven Marketing for the acquisition of rights to broadcast Euro 2016," said the group […]

Basel (Switzerland) (AFP) – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said he will give it "everything I have" to reach another final after collecting his fifth successive losers medal following a 3-1 defeat to Sevilla in the Europa League final on Wednesday. Liverpool had been hoping to end their 15-year wait for Europa League glory having last […]

Istanbul (AFP) – Turkey coach Fatih Terim on Wednesday announced his squad for the Euro 2016 finals spearheaded by foreign-based star midfielders Arda Turan and Hakan Calhanoglu, saying the team was aiming for the highest possible outcome. Announcing the squad on state-run TRT Sport television, Terim said he was expecting great things from his side […]

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 […]