Foes reunited as Mourinho, Ranieri meet in Community Shield clash London (AFP) – Jose Mourinho locks horns with old adversary Claudio Ranieri as FA Cup winners Manchester United tackle fairytale Premier League champions Leicester City in Sunday’s Community Shield at Wembley. Mourinho, who has succeeded Louis van Gaal at United, twice pipped Ranieri to the Serie A title during their time in … [Read more...]

James Milner retires from England duty London (AFP) – Liverpool midfielder James Milner has retired from international duty with England at the age of 30, the Football Association announced on Friday. Milner made 61 appearances and scored one goal for his country, featuring at two World Cups and two European Championships. But the versatile former Manchester City player was rarely a first-choice … [Read more...]

Luxury car gifts get Leicester players in gear London (AFP) – Leicester City’s players have been given brand new luxury sports cars by the club in recognition of their extraordinary Premier League title triumph last season. Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and their team-mates led the club to an astonishing 5,000-1 title win and Thai owners King Power have rewarded them each with a brand new BMW i8. … [Read more...]

Berlusconi bows out with deal to sell AC Milan to Chinese Milan (AFP) – Silvio Berlusconi agreed Friday to sell AC Milan to Chinese investors under a deal set to end his trophy-laden three decades in charge of the Italian giants by the end of this year. Fininvest, the Berlusconi family’s private holding company, announced that after months of negotiations a preliminary agreement had been signed … [Read more...]

Ronaldo, Bale and Griezmann vie for UEFA award Paris (AFP) – The UEFA Best Player in Europe award for 2016 is destined for Madrid after Real pair Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale plus Atletico’s Antoine Griezmann were revealed as the three contenders Friday.  Bale led Wales on a wonderful run to the Euro 2016 semi-finals and also won the Champions League, and while Griezmann was a beaten … [Read more...]

West Ham given Astra Europa League rematch Paris (AFP) – Premier League side West Ham United will face Romanians Astra Giurgiu in the Europa League play-off round later this month after Friday’s draw. The ties on August 18 and August 25 will be a repeat of the tie last season when Astra beat the Hammers in the third qualifying round. Slaven Bilic’s West Ham reached this stage with a 3-0 win over … [Read more...]

FIFA president Gianni Infantino cleared in ethics probe Geneva (AFP) – FIFA’s ethics committee on Friday cleared president Gianni Infantino of ethics violations after investigating him over his use of private jets, personal expenses, hiring methods and a contract dispute.  “After conducting both preliminary and formal investigation proceedings, the investigatory chamber of the independent Ethics … [Read more...]

Brazil booed off as Neymar flops in South Africa stalemate Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Brazil and superstar Neymar were booed off as their quest for a maiden Olympic football gold medal began with a 0-0 draw against 10-man South Africa. Barcelona ace Neymar is by far the biggest name in the competition and has been tasked with restoring pride to Brazilian football after a catastrophic 7-1 semi-final … [Read more...]

Old Firm rivalry resumes with Rangers back in Scottish top flight Glasgow (AFP) – One of world football’s most intense and bitter rivalries will be resurrected in this season’s Scottish Premiership as Rangers return to challenge old foes Celtic, now managed by former Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers. Rangers won the second-tier Championship last season and so the Glasgow giants will now compete in … [Read more...]

Injured Wilshere out of Arsenal tour London (AFP) – England midfielder Jack Wilshere will miss Arsenal’s forthcoming tour of Scandinavia with a knee injury, the Premier League club announced on Thursday. Wilshere, 24, played only three times for Arsenal last season after fracturing his shin in pre-season and then made three appearances in England’s doomed Euro 2016 campaign. Chilean forward … [Read more...]