Paris (AFP) – Several top European leagues on Friday said they regretted FIFA's decision to extend the window for scheduling September and October World Cup qualifiers in Latin America as incompatible. "FIFA has decided to impose the worst possible option with practically no notice," complained the World Association of Professional Football Leagues (WAPFL), which represents […]

Paris (AFP) – Former Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos is expected to make his debut for new club Paris Saint-German in September when he has fully recovered from a calf injury, the Ligue 1 giants said on Friday. The Spanish defender is only likely to take the field "after the international break", probably for the […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool will fight "for everything" this season but manager Jurgen Klopp expects it to be a really tough battle between several clubs as his side bids to regain the Premier League title that Manchester City reclaimed last term. Whilst new signings, unlike their main rivals, have been kept to a minimum — […]

London (AFP) – Aston Villa are ambitious and had no option but to accept Manchester City's £100 million ($138 million) bid for playmaker and captain Jack Grealish said manager Dean Smith on Friday. Smith speaking ahead of Villa's opening Premier League game with Watford cited the arrivals of England striker Danny Ings and Argentine Emiliano […]

London (AFP) – Virgil van Dijk gave a timely boost to Liverpool on the eve of their first Premier League match of the season with newly-promoted Norwich City by signing a new long-term contract, the club announced on Friday. The 30-year-old Dutch international central defender's new deal is reported to tie him to the club […]

Tokyo (AFP) – Japan will grant asylum to a footballer from Myanmar's national team who raised an anti-coup salute during a match outside Tokyo and refused to fly home, reports said Friday. Substitute goalkeeper Pyae Lyan Aung raised the three-finger salute as the national anthem played before a World Cup qualifier against Japan in May. […]

Paris (AFP) – Lionel Messi's arrival at Paris Saint-Germain has left the club with the most frightening front line in the sport, but now coach Mauricio Pochettino is under pressure to deliver the glory on the pitch that their Qatari owners covet more than anything. That means winning the Champions League, a competition in which […]

Paris (AFP) – David Turnbull scored twice as Celtic eased past FK Jablonec of the Czech Republic 3-0 on the night and 7-2 on aggregate to reach the Europa League play-offs on Thursday. Already 4-2 to the good from the first leg, the outcome of the return match in the final qualifying round was rarely […]

CBS Sports today announced schedule details for the initial launch of its inaugural season as the exclusive U.S. rights holder for Serie A, on Paramount+ and CBS Sports Network. The network kicks off its Serie A coverage on Saturday, Aug. 21, and CBS Sports’ coverage of the Coppa Italia begins on Friday, Aug. 13, with […]

London (AFP) – Romelu Lukaku returned to Chelsea on Thursday for a reported club record fee of £97 million ($135 million) from Inter Milan, seven years after his first spell at Stamford Bridge came to an end. The Belgian striker was instrumental in securing Inter's first Serie A title for 11 years last season, but […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – The 2021-2022 African club competitions, whose qualifying draws are scheduled for Cairo on Friday, will retain the away-goals system despite Europe scrapping the rule. European football body UEFA abandoned the rule for its three club competitions this season, saying statistics proved that the original motive of encouraging away teams to attack was […]

London (AFP) – Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa has declared his contract situation as "resolved" ahead of their Premier League opener away to Manchester United on Saturday. The 66-year-old did not give any details on whether he has put pen to paper on new terms, but indicated he had committed to a further season at Elland […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said on Thursday it is the club's job to make the fans excited for the new Premier League season despite not having the spending power of the favourites to win the title. The Gunners have failed to qualify for the Champions League for the past five seasons, finishing […]

Paris (AFP) – After a rapturous reception and raucous unveiling from the fans on Wednesday Lionel Messi got to know his new teammates at Paris Saint-Germain's Camp des Loges training facility on Thursday. Much has been made of Messi lining up with Brazil's Neymar and France striker Kylian Mbappe in what will be a fearsome […]

Geneva (AFP) – A Swiss prosecutor on Thursday concluded four days of final interviews with former FIFA president Sepp Blatter in a long-running probe into a suspected fraudulent payment in 2011. Former world football chief Blatter, 85, has met with a federal prosecutor every day since Monday for final hearings in a case that shook […]