Football

Reigning champions Chelsea and runners-up Tottenham will go head-to-head at Wembley in the second week of the Premier League season. The new campaign gets under way on Saturday 12 August with Antonio Conte’s Chelsea hosting Burnley in their first fixture three months after winning the title by seven points ahead …

Atletico Madrid forward, Antoine Griezmann, has apologized to people who misunderstood his statements, amid speculations about his future. Griezmann has officially signed a new deal, that will keep him at the La Liga club until 2022. “ The first thing I want to do is apologize to people who have …

Former Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri is the new boss of French side Nantes. The Ligue 1 side received special dispensation from the French league to appoint the Italian, as he reached the manager’s age limit of 65 last year. Ranieri guided the Foxes to the Premier League title in 2015-16 …

Memorial service for Cheick Tiote has been held in Beijing following his tragic cardiac arrest last week. The former Newcastle star, who was just 30, collapsed during training for Chinese second division side Beijing Enterprises last week and died after being rushed to hospital. Beijing Enterprises players bow their heads …

Following the 2-0 loss to South Africa last Saturday, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has told head coach, Gernot Rohr, to bring back experienced heads into the squad. Rohr is a fan of younger players, as he seeks to build a team for the future. But a member of the …

Captain of the Super Eagles, John Obi Mikel, has insisted that his absence did not lead to Nigeria’s 2-0 defeat to South Africa, in a 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier last Saturday. The Tianjin TEDA midfielder missed the game, after undergoing surgery to fix a long standing groin issue. …

Real Madrid are so desperate to land Kylian Mbappe this summer, and are willing to pay up £100million for the 18-year-old and loan him back to Monaco for a year. Mbappe is the most wanted player in Europe, with Arsenal, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain all interested in signing. However, …

Chelsea manager, Antonio Conte, has told Cesc Fabregas to leave the Premier League champions. According to AS, the former Juventus boss has told the players who will not feature in his team anymore, to look for new clubs in the summer transfer window. Fabregas was hardly used by Conte in the …

Chelsea manager, Antonio Conte, is set to land his first major signing of the summer in £35million Monaco midfielder, Tiemoue Bakayoko. French newspaper L’Equipe reports that the 22-year-old is on his way to London for a medical and to agree personal terms, after both clubs settled on a fee. It …

Kelechi Iheanacho has said he has not complained over being overlooked by Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, because the Spaniard has the right to rotate the squad, so everyone gets game time. The Super Eagles forward also insisted he is not thinking of leaving the Etihad club this summer. Iheanacho …

Head coach of the Super Eagles, Gernot Rohr has admitted his side lacked the killer instinct and experience, after they were defeated 2-0 by South Africa in a 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Saturday. Two second half goals courtesy of Tokelo Rantie and Percy Tau, saw Stuart Baxter’s …

Barcelona forward, Lionel Messi has won the European Golden Shoe for a record of four times, drawing level with Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo. Messi is the top scorer in Europe’s top five leagues this season after netting 37 time in the LA Liga. Messi scored twice against Eibar last weekend …

Manchester United have agreed a deal to sign Sweden defender Victor Lindelof from Benfica for £31m (35m euros). United say the deal is now subject to international clearance, the agreement of personal terms and a medical, which will take place next week. Lindelof, who has been capped 12 times by …

Manchester United’s Ander Herrera has said he will not replace Wayne Rooney as captain, because he is under-qualified. Rooney is likely to give up the armband this summer, amid talk that he is set to leave Old Trafford. He has been United’s captain since 2014, when he took over from …

Coach Stuart Baxter has named his starting lineup, for Saturday’s 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Nigeria. This was posted on the Twitter account of the South African national team, @bafanabafana on Friday night. The following players will start against the Super Eagles at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium …

Jorge Sampaoli insists Messi will continue to be the best in the world until he retires, despite an underwhelming performance against Brazil. Mercado’s strike gave Sampaoli his win with Argentina over Brazil in Melbourne , with Brazil missing a couple of chances. Messi could not give Albiceleste the boost they …

Manchester United are remain confident of completing the signing of Álvaro Morata from Real Madrid. The Spain striker has reportedly told the European champions, that he wants to leave the Santiago Bernabéu this summer. With news that last season’s top scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic is leaving Old Trafford, United have moved …

Swedish star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been released by Manchester United on Friday, a list published on the official website of the Premier League shows. However, the 35-year-old — who starred for United last season scoring 28 goals in 46 matches before a knee ligament injury ended his campaign prematurely …

Arsenal forward, Alexis Sanchez, has said he is leaving his future in the hands of his agent, Fernando Felicevich. The Gunners have offered Sanchez a new deal worth around £300,000-a-week, but he is yet to sign it. Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Manchester City have all shown interest in the Chilean, …

The Australian Football Federation (FFA) said Saudi Arabia declined to participate in a minute’s silence to honour the victims of last weekend’s London attack before their World Cup qualifier on Thursday. The 11 Australia players on the pitch lined up at the centre circle with arms on their teammates’ shoulders …