PARIS: Two Paris Saint-Germain players have tested positive for Covid-19 and a third is in isolation, the club said Wednesday a few hours before a Ligue 1 match at Lorient. They are one of several Ligue 1 clubs to reveal positive tests, though not at the same level as England, where a raft of matches … Read more
BELGRADE: The Serbian Football Association has been asked by UEFA to investigate potential match fixing in the country’s second tier league, an official said Wednesday. Serbian sports broadcaster Sportklub first reported that UEFA officials had reached out to the country’s football association, raising questions over suspicious betting patterns in September ahead of Zeleznicar’s 3-2 win … Read more
LONDON: Fulham missed the chance to go five points clear at the top of the Championship as they suffered a surprise 1-0 loss at home to Sheffield United on Monday. Iliman Ndiaye’s early goal at Craven Cottage meant the Blades remain unbeaten under new manager Paul Heckingbottom. They moved up to 11th place in the … Read more
ROME: Salernitana cast doubt on Tuesday’s Serie A game at Udinese when they announced Covid-19 cases had prevented their squad leaving as planned for northeastern Italy. The Salerno club said they had heeded the advice of local health officials and had informed the Italian league. Read More: Police arrest three Parisian fans for cup violence … Read more
PARIS: Three Parisian fans have been arrested for their part in incidents that halted a cup match between Paris FC and Lyon, police announced on Tuesday. The game on Friday was stopped at half-time after fans fled onto the field as flares and smoke bombs were thrown around and fighting broke out in the stands … Read more
ISTANBUL: Turkish club Fenerbahce have parted with coach Vitor Pereira after a disappointing first half of the season, the club said in a statement on Monday evening. After 17 rounds of the championship, Fenerbahce are fifth in the Turkish Super Lig, 14 points behind leaders Trabzonspor. Read More: Unfancied Trabzonspor take Turkish football by storm … Read more
BORDEAUX: Bordeaux said Tuesday that three more players had returned positive cases of Covid-19 taking the total to five who will be out Wednesday against Lille in Ligue 1. Norwegian defender Stian Gregersen, Malian midfielder Issouf Sissokho and striker Sekou Mara tested positive, coach Vladimir Petkovic said. They joined Remi Oudin and Dilane Bakwa who … Read more
LONDON: Manchester United on Tuesday reopened their Carrington training ground following a coronavirus outbreak that forced the postponement of two Premier League matches. United closed Carrington for an initial 24 hours eight days ago and their matches at Brentford and at home against Brighton were subsequently called off. “Manchester United’s players have started a return … Read more
MILAN: Victor Osimhen said Tuesday that he will be available to play for Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations despite currently being out of action while recovering from a smashed cheekbone. Napoli forward Osimhen looked certain to miss out on the continental tournament, which is scheduled to kick off on January 9, after initially … Read more
PARIS: Algeria captain Riyad Mahrez took his Manchester City goal tally to 11 in all competitions this season by scoring the third in a 4-0 rout of Newcastle United at the weekend. The winger is among many Premier League stars set to compete at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon from January 9. Read … Read more
PARIS: Tottenham Hotspur’s European campaign for this season is over after UEFA awarded Rennes a 3-0 victory in their final Europa Conference League group match on Monday. Spurs were unable to fulfil the December 9 fixture due to a swathe of Covid-19 cases in the squad. As a result they finish third in the group … Read more
MANCHESTER: Premier League chiefs will meet on Monday to discuss a potential festive “firebreaker” as a result of the escalating coronavirus crisis, with managers voicing fears over player safety and fairness. Just four of the scheduled 10 games took place this weekend due to a number of call-offs caused by outbreaks that left clubs unable … Read more
HELSINKI: Tim Sparv, who captained Finland to their first major finals at Euro 2020, announced his retirement from football on Monday. “I have given everything that I was physically able to and gone as far as I possibly could,” the 34-year-old said in a video message. Read More: Unfancied Trabzonspor take Turkish football by storm … Read more
PARIS: Holders Barcelona will face rivals Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of this season’s Women’s Champions League after the sides were paired together in Monday’s draw for the knockout phase. Barcelona, with new Women’s Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas, hammered Chelsea 4-0 in last season’s final and also won a domestic league and cup double. … Read more
GLASGOW: Hibernian appointed former Celtic and Aston Villa forward Shaun Maloney as the club’s new manager on Monday. Maloney succeeds Jack Ross after working as an assistant manager to Belgium boss Roberto Martinez for the past three years. The former Scottish international has signed a three-and-a-half-year contract at Easter Road. Read More: Australia’s Boyle sees … Read more
TRABZON: Trabzonspor supporter Samet Kordali is “100 percent sure” that his unfancied club from Turkey’s Black Sea coast will finally lift the first title of his lifetime. And when that day comes at the end of the season in May, the northeastern city of Trabzon “will be on fire”, Kordali says with a dreamy glint … Read more
Veteran striker Sergio Aguero’s remarkable career came to an end following cardiac and respiratory difficulties. The 33-year-old announced the decision in a press conference on Wednesday where he was accompanied by family members, Barcelona president and members of Manchester City, Atletico Madrid and Argentina. ‘This conference is to communicate that I have decided to stop … Read more
Jake Paul has been advised by the doctors to quit boxing after sustaining memory loss and slurred speech in his four professional fights. So far, the 24-year-old is undefeated in his boxing career, with some incredible victories over AnEson Gib, Nate Robinson, Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley. However, it might not be long before Paul … Read more
Liverpool shrugged off a coronavirus outbreak to keep their Premier League title challenge on track with a 3-1 win over Newcastle that was lit up by Trent Alexander-Arnold’s wonder goal. The Reds lost Virgil van Dijk and Fabinho to coronavirus before the kick-off as a surge of infections across Britain threatens to bring the season … Read more
LONDON: Covid-hit Chelsea were held to a goalless draw by Wolves on Sunday after the Premier League rejected their request to postpone the game as Manchester City put struggling Newcastle to the sword. Just four games were left on the schedule this weekend out of the original 10 as Britain’s worsening coronavirus crisis took its … Read more
BERLIN: A German third division match was abandoned on Sunday after a player from the visiting team was racially abused by a spectator. The goalless match between hosts MSV Duisburg and VfL Osnabrueck was abandoned after half an hour by the referee due to hostility towards visiting forward Aaron Opoku. “Opoku was racially insulted. Unbelievable. … Read more
PARIS: Poland striker Arkadiusz Milik scored a hat-trick as Marseille came from behind to beat fifth-tier Cannet-Rocheville 4-1 in the last 64 of the French Cup on Sunday. Cannet-Rocheville took a surprise lead at the Velodrome but were reduced to 10 men before half-time as Milik levelled from the penalty spot. Read More: Lyon-Marseille match … Read more
PARIS: The coronavirus is once again disrupting global sport, forcing the cancellation of English Premier League matches and the scrapping of a one-day cricket series. AFP Sport looks at the state of play around the world as authorities scramble to cope with the surging pandemic. Football Five of the 10 Premier League matches scheduled for … Read more
ROME: Christian Eriksen has terminated his contract with Inter Milan by mutual consent six months after suffering a heart incident whilst playing for Denmark at the European Championships. The 29-year-old has been fitted with a pacemaker, ruling him out of playing in Italian football, but leaving the door open in other championships. Read More: Denmark’s … Read more
PARIS: Last season’s beaten finalists Chelsea were sent packing from the Women’s Champions League on Thursday after a 4-0 defeat away to Wolfsburg in Germany in a dramatic final round of group games. Captain Svenja Huth and Tabea Wassmuth, the competition’s leading scorer, both scored twice as the Germans claimed the comprehensive win they needed … Read more
LONDON: The Premier League on Thursday postponed six more matches due to the wave of coronavirus infections hitting Britain, but said it intended to “continue its current fixture schedule where safely possible” as calls for a circuit break intensified. Leicester’s scheduled match against Tottenham was postponed just hours before kick-off on Thursday. Five more games … Read more
MILAN: Inter Milan will attempt to pull clear of AC Milan as they travel to struggling Salernitana in Serie A this weekend while their title rivals host a Napoli smarting from back-to-back defeats. Champions Inter are one point ahead of Milan who on Sunday face a tricky tie against fourth-placed Napoli, just four points off … Read more
MADRID: Sevilla may be Real Madrid’s most likely challengers in La Liga this season and they have a chance to prove it on Saturday when they face the defending champions Atletico Madrid. Atletico’s defeat last weekend in the Madrid derby leaves them 13 points off the top but Sevilla in second are at least slightly … Read more
