Top European football officials on Tuesday publicly called on Sepp Blatter to end his reign as FIFA president amid accusations of corruption against Qatar’s 2022 World Cup bid. Michael van Praag, head of the Dutch football association, said Blatter…
Browsing: AFP
Former England midfielder Joe Cole has prolonged his top-flight career by joining Aston Villa. The Birmingham club, who flirted with relegation from the English Premier League, before finishing five points clear of the drop last season, announced Tuesday…
Ukraine’s Western-backed billionaire Petro Poroshenko was sworn in as president on Saturday as glimmers of hope emerged for a solution to the bloody crisis that has pitted his splintered ex-Soviet country against Russia. Poroshenko took the oath of…
Tottenham’s veteran goalkeeper Brad Friedel signed a new one-year contract with the Premier League club on Monday. Friedel, 43, moved to White Hart Lane from Aston Villa on a free transfer in 2011 and has often been used as back-up for France goalkeeper…
England must be clinical and stop squandering scoring opportunities to have any hope of beating the All Blacks, hooker Dylan Hartley said Tuesday. A weakened England side came close to upsetting the world champions in Auckland on Saturday, only to lose…
More than 2000 Argentine hooligans will be prevented from entering Brazil ahead of the World Cup because they are considered to be violent, Brazil’s Interpol chief told AFP. The 2,100 ‘barra bravas’ hooligans are already the subject of banning orders…
Brazil briefly held its breath when Neymar went down clutching his right ankle in training on Monday, but the incident turned out to be nothing more than a momentary scare. The fact that the 22-year-old forward went down when none of his national team…
A Saudi special court jailed 33 people for up to 30 years after finding them guilty of “forming a terror cell” among other charges, state news agency SPA reported Monday. The 33 are part of a group of 71 people who have been on trial since Sunday for…
The OPEC oil producers’ cartel appeared set to maintain its output ceiling later this week, Iraq and Venezuela said here on Monday. The Organization for Petroleum Exporting Countries, whose dozen member nations together supply about one third of the…
Republic of Ireland manager Martin O’Neill admits he expects Roy Keane to “blow up” — but said he was relieved the former Manchester United skipper had opted to remain his assistant. Keane last week turned down an approach from Scottish champions Celtic…
Stoke manager Mark Hughes was reunited with Steve Sidwell on Monday after agreeing to sign the former Fulham midfielder on a free transfer. Sidwell was released by Fulham following their relegation from the Premier League, but he has made a quick return…
Australia captain Mile Jedinak believes his side’s early arrival in Brazil will stand them in good stead once the World Cup begins in earnest. Australia were the first team to arrive in Brazil and played a friendly against Croatia in Salvador last Friday…
Britain’s defending champion Chris Froome of Team Sky made it two wins in two days when he won Monday’s second stage of the Criterium du Dauphine ahead of Spanish arch-rival Alberto Contador. After victory in Sunday’s opening time-trial stage, Froome…
Uruguay’s star striker Luis Suarez says he will definitely be fit enough to play at the World Cup finals but he told The Guardian it was not certain it would be in time to play against England. The 27-year-old — who suffered a knee injury training…
Clashes broke out in Nigeria’s second-biggest city on Monday as hundreds of supporters of the newly appointed emir of Kano battled with backers of his main rival for the key post. An AFP reporter in the ancient city said people turned out in force wearing…
Kevin-Prince Boateng and Jerome Boateng will be one of several pairs of brothers to line up at the World Cup finals, but unlike the others they will be on opposing sides. Even more unusually, just as in 2010, they will face each other in the group stage…
FIFA’s Asian commercial partners said Monday they expected a “thorough investigation” into corruption allegations over Qatar’s 2022 World Cup bid, reflecting concerns that their multi-million dollar sponsorship deals might be tainted. Analysts say official…
Nigeria’s ousted central bank chief was on Sunday named Emir of Kano, the country’s number two Muslim leader, following the death of the previous incumbent, the state government announced. “The state government received their recommendations and Allah…
Brazilian workers are racing to complete the stadium that will host the World Cup’s first game, wiping seats, checking beams and installing wiring just days before the opening whistle. As night fell on Saturday, helmeted workers were still toiling away…
The County of Nice won the inaugural World Cup for stateless people, regions and other non-FIFA affiliated teams on Sunday in northern Sweden as members of one refugee team disappeared. The French county beat the Isle of Man in a tough final in Ostersund…