Dortmund (Germany) (AFP) – Everything has happened very fast for Ousmane Dembele, still just 19 but starring for Borussia Dortmund and dreaming of making the France squad for the next World Cup. "I'm loving it, but I can do better," Dembele admitted to AFP of his first season in the German Bundesliga following a move […]

London (AFP) – Bournemouth have been charged by the Football Association for a breach of its anti-doping regulations, English football's governing body said Friday. The south coast club have been charged with a failure to comply over 'whereabouts' rules designed to provide accurate details of training sessions and the location of players so they are […]

London (AFP) – England hero Geoff Hurst is convinced that this season's upset results prove the 'magic of the FA Cup' is still there, despite some clubs fielding under-strength line-ups. Non-League clubs Lincoln and Sutton have both made it through to this weekend's last 16, while Fulham, Millwall, Oxford and Wolves have all beaten clubs […]

London (AFP) – Antonio Conte is "confident" Diego Costa will remain with Chelsea, even though talks over the striker's future with the club will have to wait until the end of the season. Last month saw Costa, Premier League leaders Chelsea's leading scorer this season with 15 goals, linked to a lucrative move to the […]

Yangon (AFP) – ASEAN on Friday held talks on launching a joint bid for the World Cup in 2034 during a visit by FIFA chief Gianni Infantino to Yangon, the head of Myanmar's football federation said. Football officials from the 10-member Southeast Asian bloc are keen to capitalise on Infantino's decision to expand the tournament to […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola warned on Friday that teen sensation Gabriel Jesus could be out of action for up to three months and might not play again until next season. The 19-year-old Brazil striker, who has scored three goals in five games since joining City in the January transfer […]

Moscow (AFP) – Russian officials on Friday slammed a BBC documentary warning of a "festival of violence" by hooligans at next year's World Cup in the country as "propaganda" aimed at tarring the event. "We need to look absolutely soberly at all this — an information campaign aimed to discredit," Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Barcelona striker Luis Suarez believes the Catalans can become the first side ever to overcome a four-goal first leg deficit in the Champions League when Paris Saint-Germain visit the Camp Nou on March 8. Barca were torn apart in a 4-0 thrashing by the French champions in their last 16 clash on […]

Madrid (AFP) – Gareth Bale will make his return from a three-month injury layoff when Real Madrid host Espanyol on Saturday, coach Zinedine Zidane confirmed on Friday. However, Zidane has handed a weekend off to a host of other key men as Luka Modric, Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos and Keylor Navas were not included in […]

There are a selection of players who have always endured stick at any Premier League ground they rock up at. While it’s not desirable, it’s understandable in some cases. During his time as a Liverpool player, Luis Suarez was a regular target, as he did little to earn favor among neutrals despite his obvious brilliance. […]

London (AFP) – For Micky Stephens, assistant manager of English non-league team Sutton United, Monday's FA Cup fifth-round tie against Premier League giants Arsenal carries a vivid sense of deja vu. In January 1989, Stephens was a pivotal member of the Sutton team that stunned Coventry City, FA Cup winners 19 months previously, in one […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Zlatan Ibrahimovic compared himself to the action movie hero Indiana Jones after scoring his first hat-trick for Manchester United. Just as fictional archaeologist Jones, played in a series of Hollywood movies by screen star Harrison Ford, usually returns from his adventures with a trophy, so too has the career of […]

London Colney (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Arsene Wenger said on Friday that he will make a decision on his Arsenal future "in March or April" as he vowed to remain in football management come what may next season. The Frenchman is out of contract with the north London side at the end of the current […]

Berlin (AFP) – After thrashing Arsenal in mid-week, leaders Bayern Munich return to Bundesliga business at Hertha Berlin on Saturday with captain Philipp Lahm backing Thomas Mueller to return to form. Bayern head to the capital with a seven-point lead in Germany's top flight and one foot in the Champions League's quarter-finals after hammering Arsenal […]

Paris (AFP) – Toulouse coach Pascal Dupraz knows his team have reasons to be fearful this weekend as they travel to face a Paris Saint-Germain side fresh from a crushing win over Barcelona. PSG stunned Lionel Messi and co and sent a clear signal of intent to the rest of Europe by winning their Champions […]