Berlin (AFP) – On the eve of Wednesday's Champions League clash at Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has defended Franck Ribery after the latest in a string of off-the-ball incidents. Atletico host Bayern at the Vicente Calderon with Diego Simeone's men having knocked the Bavarian giants out of last year's Champions League semi-finals. […]

Panaji (India) (AFP) – Asia's football chief on Tuesday said he was against expanding the World Cup from 32 to 40 teams when Qatar hosts the tournament in 2022, adding that any growth should be put on hold for a decade. FIFA president Gianni Infantino has discussed increasing the number of teams but Asian Football […]

London (AFP) – Sam Allardyce's straight-talking style helped land him the England manager's job, but just 67 days into the role it has left him in an almighty spot of bother. Allardyce, known as "Big Sam", was secretly filmed by The Daily Telegraph giving advice on how to circumnavigate transfer rules and mocking the speech […]

London (AFP) – Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure on Tuesday expressed deep disappointment over FIFA's decision to disband its anti-racism task force, saying it "makes no sense". The FIFA Task Force Against Racism and Discrimination, founded in 2013, was discontinued on Sunday, with the world governing body explaining it had achieved its stated objectives. Toure […]

London (AFP) – Sam Allardyce is set for crisis talks with the Football Association on Tuesday as the England manager fights to save his job after being caught in a newspaper sting. Allardyce gave advice on how to circumnavigate transfer rules, criticised the FA's decision to rebuild Wembley and mocked his England predecessor Roy Hodgson […]

Seoul (AFP) – South Korea coach Uli Stielike has slammed the attitude of Son Heung-Min, despite the attacker earning rave reviews for his match-winning performances for Tottenham in the English Premier League (EPL). Stielike rebuked the 24-year-old Son, who has scored four goals in his last two league games as Tottenham rose to second in […]

London (AFP) – Out of favour with Arsenal and exiled by England, Theo Walcott reached a crossroads at the end of last season and his emphatic response looks to have saved a career in danger of imploding. Walcott started only one of Arsenal's final 14 matches last term and lost his place in Roy Hodgson's […]

London (AFP) – In Celtic's Champions League clash with Pep Guardiola's Manchester City on Wednesday, Brendan Rodgers will pit his wits against a man who has had a defining influence on his career. Whether with Swansea City, Liverpool or Celtic, Rodgers has sought to emulate the kind of passing football with which Guardiola took first […]

London (AFP) – England manager Sam Allardyce has been secretly filmed giving advice on how to circumnavigate transfer rules and mocking his predecessor Roy Hodgson's voice, the Daily Telegraph reported on Monday. Allardyce, 61, was filmed telling what he thought was a group of Far East investors it was possible to "get around" Football Association […]

Burnley (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Record-signing Jeff Hendrick scored his first goal for Burnley as they beat Watford 2-0 in the Premier League at Turf Moor on Monday. Irish midfielder Hendrick signed from second-tier Derby County last month for a reported 10 million pounds ($13.1 million, 11.8 million euros) on a three-year contract. And the […]

London (AFP) – Former Rangers manager Graeme Souness wants the Scottish giants to patch up their differences with Joey Barton. Barton has been on the sidelines following a heated row with manager Mark Warburton and team-mate Andy Halliday after their 5-1 defeat by Celtic in the Glasgow derby. Last weekend's 2-1 loss to Aberdeen meant […]

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain defender Serge Aurier was sentenced to two months in jail by a court in Paris on Monday for assaulting a police officer. But the 23-year-old will not serve any time in prison as he is appealing his sentence which was less than one year. The Ivory Coast international was later […]

Leicester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Four months on from their astonishing 5,000-1 Premier League triumph, the stardust returns to Leicester City's King Power Stadium in Tuesday's first ever Champions League home game against Porto. Leicester have made a faltering start to their title defence and after Saturday's 4-1 loss at Manchester United, they have now […]

Moscow (AFP) – Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino said he hoped his side could overcome an avalanche of injuries to claim a first Champions League win this season against CSKA Moscow on Tuesday. The Argentinian coach is already without England striker Harry Kane and will now also see Mousa Dembele, Eric Dier, Danny Rose and Moussa […]

Dortmund (Germany) (AFP) – Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has brushed off Cristiano Ronaldo's sideline snub at the weekend and dismissed his team's minor dip in form ahead of Tuesday's Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund. The Real coach replaced Ronaldo, a three-time World Player of the Year, in Saturday's 2-2 draw at Las Palmas […]