Marseille (AFP) – Marseille got their Ligue 1 campaign up and running as they beat Lorient 2-0 at the Stade Velodrome on Friday to pick up their first win of the season. Remy Cabella fired Franck Passi's hosts in front with a brilliant first-half free-kick, and Bafetimbi Gomis added a second in the 70th minute. […]

Rome (AFP) – Defensive midfielder Amadou Diawara has left Bologna to sign for Serie A rivals Napoli, the two clubs announced on Friday. The 19-year-old Guinean impressed last season as Bologna finished 14th in the Italian top flight, making 34 league appearances. He started his career playing for San Marino Calcio in the third division.

Serie A and La Liga both kicked off last weekend on the networks of beIN SPORTS. La Liga’s opening weekend viewership peaked Sunday afternoon when 294,000 watched Real Madrid face off against Real Sociedad on beIN SPORTS and beIN SPORTS en Español. Saturday’s match between Barcelona and Real Betis drew 238,000. The two Serie A matches […]

Berlin (AFP) – German side Stuttgart confirmed on Friday that they had signed Arsenal's Japanese forward Takuma Asano on a year-long loan. "Takuma completes our attacking players," said Stuttgart's sporting director Jan Schindelmeiser. "He is very dangerous in front of goal, is comfortable with both feet and is very mobile." Schindelmeiser said that fellow Japanese […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola warned goalkeeping outcast Joe Hart on Friday that he is not even guaranteed a place on the bench if he fails to leave the club. Hart, 29, is in limbo after losing his place as the club's first-choice goalkeeper following Guardiola's arrival and City are […]

Rome (AFP) – Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri has confirmed that record signing Gonzalo Higuain will once again start from the bench when the defending champions go to Lazio on Saturday. "Higuain is doing really well and is very close to his top condition but in the last couple of days he's had to slow down […]

Berlin (AFP) – Germany head coach Joachim Loew has called up three members of the team which lost the Olympic final in Rio for Manchester United reject Bastian Schweinsteiger's farewell international next Wednesday. Inexperienced trio Julian Brandt, Niklas Suele and Max Mayer have been included in the squad for the friendly against Finland in Moenchengladbach, […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho indicated to out-of-favour midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger on Friday that there will be no place for him at Old Trafford this season. The Germany international has two years to run on a reported £190,000-a-week ($251,000, 222,200 euros) contract, but has been frozen out by United's new […]

Lisbon (AFP) – Still recovering from the knee injury that forced him off in the final of Euro 2016, Cristiano Ronaldo is not in the Portugal squad for the start of their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign. "I have been told that Cristiano Ronaldo is clinically unfit," Portugal coach Fernando Santos said at a press […]

Brussels (AFP) – New Belgium manager Roberto Martinez announced a squad featuring no surprises for his first games in charge against Spain and Cyprus in September. Belgium face Spain in a friendly in Brussels next Thursday and then take on Cyprus away in Nicosia in their opening qualifying Group H match for the 2018 World […]

Monaco (AFP) – Manchester United will come up against their former striker Robin van Persie after being placed in the same group as the Dutchman's current club Fenerbahce in Friday's draw for the group stage of the Europa League. Jose Mourinho's side will also come up against Dutch giants Feyenoord and Zorya Luhansk of Ukraine […]

Madrid (AFP) – New Spain coach Julen Lopetegui on Friday left out veteran captain Iker Casillas, the country's most-capped player, from his first squad as manager for upcoming internationals against Belgium and Liechtenstein. Goalkeeper Casillas, 35, has won two European Championships and the World Cup over the course of his 167 senior appearances for his […]

Brussels (AFP) – Former France star Thierry Henry has been named as the new assistant coach of Belgium, the national coach announced Roberto Martinez announced on Friday. "Thierry is an important figure. He will bring something different. He agreed right away to join us," said Martinez, who was appointed at the start of the month […]

London Colney (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger confirmed the club were close to completing transfers on Friday, amid reports they are poised to sign Germany centre-back Shkodran Mustafi and Spanish striker Lucas Perez. British press reports claim Mustafi, 24, will sign from Valencia for around 35 million pounds ($46.2 million, 40.9 million […]

London (AFP) – Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish criticised Tottenham Hotspur over their pursuit of Wilfried Zaha on Friday, branding their bid for the winger "ridiculous". Parish claims to have rejected an offer of 12 million pounds ($15.9 million, 14 million euros) for the 23-year-old, who returned to Palace from Manchester United in February 2015. […]