Berlin (AFP) – After thwarting Dortmund star Erling Braut Haaland, Bayern Munich's new centre-back pairing Niklas Suele and Dayot Upamecano can help the defending champions claim their first Bundesliga win this season at home to Cologne on Sunday. The pressure was on Suele and Upamecano to forge a partnership after the departures of double Champions […]

Milan (AFP) – Jose Mourinho is the biggest name to arrive on a Serie A bench this summer but the once Special One's shock move to Roma is one of 12 managerial changes in Italy's top flight in a chaotic summer. AFP Sport picks out the key new faces leading the country's top clubs. Jose […]

Paris (AFP) – A new-look Tottenham slipped to a 1-0 defeat at Pacos de Ferreira of Portugal in their Europa Conference League play-off first leg on Thursday. Coach Nuno Espirito Santo made 11 changes to the team that defeated champions Manchester City in their Premier League opener at the weekend. Not surprisingly, it was a […]

Miami (AFP) – Two-time reigning champion United States will have a revamped qualifying path to the 2023 Women's World Cup under changes announced Thursday by CONCACAF. North American football's governing body will stage a new women's event, the CONCACAF W Championship, in 2022 and an inaugural 12-team Women's Gold Cup in 2024. Qualifiers for the […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea defender Emerson Palmieri has joined French side Lyon on loan for the remainder of the season, the Premier League club announced Thursday. The 27-year-old Brazil-born Italy international, who can play at left-back or wing-back, joined the Blues from Roma in January 2018. Emerson, a member of the Italy squad that won […]

Paramount+ will offer Italian-language commentary of Serie A games, starting with select matches during the opening weekend of coverage of the 2021/22 season. For subscribers of Paramount+, an option will be available to choose the Italian language or English-language commentary of select games. The intention is that more games will be available in the native […]

Rome (AFP) – Pedro has become the first player to move between fierce rivals Roma and Lazio for 36 years, as the latter announced the Spanish winger's signing on Thursday. The 34-year-old former Barcelona and Chelsea player has joined Lazio on a free transfer after new Roma coach Jose Mourinho deemed him surplus to requirements. […]

Paris (AFP) – Real Madrid are not hiding their desire to sign Kylian Mbappe but Paris Saint-Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino insists he can't imagine the France superstar playing for another club this season. Mbappe is out of contract next June and his future has dominated headlines in France and in Spain since Lionel Messi's shock […]

CBS Sports today announced that Matteo Bonetti will serve as the Network’s lead Serie A analyst and match commentator, providing both studio and match analysis throughout the season, while Andres Cordero will serve as lead play-by-play announcer for coverage across CBS Sports Network and Paramount+. Bonetti and Cordero will call matches on a weekly basis […]

London (AFP) – Jurgen Klopp told Liverpool fans on Thursday to stop their homophobic chanting, labelling those who did during the 3-0 victory at Norwich last Saturday as "idiots". Choruses of "Chelsea rent boy" — aimed at Billy Gilmour who is on loan at Norwich from the Champions League holders — could be heard emanating […]

Saint-Germain-en-Laye (France) (AFP) – Kylian Mbappe is "relaxed" and not unsettled despite ongoing speculation about his future, Paris Saint-Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino insisted on Thursday. "Kylian is relaxed, he is our player and I don't see him being anywhere else this season," Pochettino told reporters at a press conference ahead of PSG's Ligue 1 game […]

London (AFP) – Scottish football legend Denis Law revealed on Thursday he has been diagnosed with "mixed dementia" adding he wanted to "address the situation" while he was able to. The 81-year-old's fellow Manchester United great Bobby Charlton — the two of them feature in the United Trinity statue outside Old Trafford alongside the late […]

Rome (AFP) – Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma says he left AC Milan after eight years with the Serie A side for Paris Saint-Germain as he needed a change "to develop, to improve and to become stronger". The 22-year-old joined PSG on a free transfer after helping Italy to the Euro 2020 title where he was […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich captain Manuel Neuer sat out training Thursday with an ankle knock as the defending Bundesliga champions wait on their goalkeeper's fitness for this weekend's home game against Cologne. Neuer, 35, needed treatment on his right ankle during Tuesday's 3-1 win at Dortmund in the German Super Cup. He played the […]

Rome (AFP) – Inter Milan kick off the new Serie A season on Saturday in the midst of fan protests and money troubles that threaten to derail their title defence before it has even begun. A dramatic summer for the champions reached its lowest ebb last week when star striker Romelu Lukaku was sold to […]