Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Lyon midfielder Lucas Paqueta defended fellow Brazilian Neymar Tuesday after the star striker came in for boos and jeers over Paris Saint-Germain's humiliating exit from the Champions League. "Neymar is above all a great person, a great professional, with incredible talent. He's without a doubt the best player on the […]

Paris (AFP) – Prolific striker Marie-Antoinette Katoto scored twice as Paris Saint-Germain won 2-1 away to Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Women's Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday, before holders Barcelona faced Real Madrid. Katoto, who is PSG's all-time top scorer at the age of just 23, netted a 20th-minute opener and then […]

Stockholm (AFP) – Zlatan Ibrahimovic said Tuesday that Sweden fans should not expect too much of him in the World cup playoffs and that he was "panicking" at the prospect of retiring. The 40-year-old striker is suspended for the World Cup playoff semi-final against the Czech Republic on Thursday but, if Sweden win, could make […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Tom Saintfiet, the Belgian coach who transformed Gambia from minnows to Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finalists this year, desperately wants to avoid the fate that befell Madagascar. Debutants Madagascar took the 2019 Cup of Nations in Egypt by storm, stunning Nigeria in a group match, then eliminating the Democratic Republic of Congo […]

Skopje (Republic of North Macedonia) (AFP) – North Macedonia forward Aleksandar Trajkovski is hoping to enjoy something close to home advantage when his team face Italy in Palermo on Thursday in the World Cup play-offs. Trajkovski played for Palermo for four years until 2019. He also scored in a surprise 1-1 draw against Italy in […]

Tokyo (AFP) – Kevin Muscat was branded "the most hated man in football" by an opponent during his playing days but the Australian hopes perceptions are changing after making his mark as a coach. England-born Muscat had a successful playing career as a tough-tackling defender with the likes of Wolves, Millwall and Crystal Palace, and […]

Milan (AFP) – Italy are aiming for World Cup glory despite having to navigate a treacherous play-off path in order to get the 2022 tournament, with North Macedonia the first barrier standing in their way. The European champions begin a potential two-match mini campaign in Palermo on Thursday with missing a second straight World Cup a […]

Washington (AFP) – US men's national team forward Brenden Aaronson was ruled out of the team's three final qualifying matches for the 2022 Qatar World Cup, USA Soccer announced Monday. The 21-year-old striker was ruled out for the team's training camp after suffering a knee injury last weekend. "After reviewing the updated medical information and […]

Milan (AFP) – Paulo Dybala will leave Juventus at the end of the season after the Serie A club confirmed on Monday that it would not renew the Argentine's contract which expires in the summer. Juve CEO Maurizio Arrivabene brought to an end months of speculation when he said that the club had made no […]

London (AFP) – Crystal Palace's Tyrick Mitchell and Southampton's Kyle Walker-Peters have been called up to the England senior squad for the first time after Aaron Ramsdale, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Reece James and Tammy Abraham pulled out through injury. West Brom goalkeeper Sam Johnstone and Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins have also been added to Gareth […]

London (AFP) – Manchester City have topped Deloitte's Football Money League for the first time in their history after emerging from the coronavirus crisis in a stronger position than their rivals. The Premier League champions, bankrolled by their Abu Dhabi owners, are only the fourth club to top the rankings after Real Madrid, Barcelona and […]

Sydney (AFP) – Football Australia said Monday they have fined coach Graham Arnold Aus$25,000 (US$18,500) for breaking self-isolation rules after testing positive for Covid-19. But the head coach can still join the Socceroos when they play Japan this Thursday if he provides a negative PCR test before the game, the governing body said. Sydney radio […]

Paris (AFP) – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang made a memorable Clasico debut at the weekend, scoring the first and last goals as Barcelona humiliated Real Madrid 4-0 in La Liga at the Santiago Bernabeu. The 32-year-old Gabon captain and forward has scored eight goals since a January free-transfer move from Arsenal, helping early-season strugglers Barca rise […]

Madrid (AFP) – A Clasico that was supposed to mean very little, in the end, meant an awful lot as Barcelona gave a resounding answer to questions about their revival and instead left Real Madrid shrouded in doubt. Most believed there was no result on Sunday that could derail Madrid’s march to the La Liga […]

Tokyo (AFP) – Andres Iniesta's Japanese team Vissel Kobe have fired manager Atsuhiro Miura after a seven-game winless start to the new J-League season. Vissel announced Sunday that Miura, who had been in charge since September 2020 and was previously the club's director of sport, would step down with the team third from bottom of […]