Spurs star Hugo Lloris out of action for up to one month London (AFP) – France international goalkeeper Hugo Lloris could miss Spurs’ opening Champions League group match as the Premier League club revealed Tuesday he has a hamstring injury which might sideline him for up to a month. The 29-year-old — who captained hosts France to the heartbreaking 1-0 loss to Portugal in the Euro 2016 final in … [Read more...]

Bilic waits on Ayew scan result London (AFP) – West Ham’s record signing Ghanaian international Andre Ayew is to undergo a scan on the thigh he injured in his Premier League debut for them in the defeat by Chelsea. The 26-year-old France-born forward — who cost West Ham £20.5million (24m euros, $26.6m) when they signed him earlier this month from rivals Swansea — cut an unhappy figure as he left … [Read more...]

Germany star Reus finally passes driving test Berlin (AFP) – Germany winger Marco Reus — who was fined half a million euros in 2014 after it emerged he had been driving for years without a licence — has finally passed his test. The 27-year-old sat out June’s European championships with a groin injury as Germany lost to France in the semi-finals, but used his time in the off-season to swot up on … [Read more...]

Sevilla face mission improbable in Super Cup Madrid (AFP) – Sevilla have a mountain to climb in the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup on Wednesday if they are to overcome Barcelona. Goals from Luis Suarez and Munir El Haddadi earned last year’s Liga and Copa del Rey winners a 2-0 victory in Andalusia on Sunday and they have one hand on the trophy. Jorge Sampaoli’s men impressed in the first … [Read more...]

Manager Conte defends Chelsea match-winner Costa London (AFP) – Chelsea manager Antonio Conte defended Diego Costa after the snarling striker found himself at the centre of controversy once again in his side’s 2-1 victory over West Ham United. Costa struck an 89th-minute winner in Monday’s game at Stamford Bridge to give Conte victory in his first Premier League match at the Chelsea helm. But … [Read more...]

10 things we learned from MLS gameweek 23 of the 2016 season Here are the ten things we learned from Week 23 of the 2016 MLS season. History for Bradley Wright-Phillips The New York Red Bulls were back in the winner’s circle on Saturday night at Red Bull Arena, pasting the Montreal Impact by three goals to one. The Red Bulls were led, once again, by the goals of Bradley Wright-Phillips. The … [Read more...]

Iniesta out with knee injury Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta will be out for two weeks after picking up a knock in the the 2-0 first leg Super Cup win over Sevilla this weekend, the club said on Monday. The injury means the 32-year-old picked up a strained knee in the first game of the season on Sunday, and will miss the return leg at Camp Nou on August 17. Jeremy Mathieu also … [Read more...]

Malaysia loses FIFA event over Israel visas Kuala Lumpur (AFP) – Malaysia has relinquished the rights to host the 2017 FIFA Congress, a sports official said Monday after the predominantly Muslim country refused to issue visas to Israeli delegates. “We were advised by the government to withdraw from hosting the congress due to security issues,” Affandi Hamzah, deputy president of the Football … [Read more...]

Fenerbahce to name Advocaat as manager Istanbul (AFP) – Istanbul football giants Fenerbahce are set to name the well travelled Dutch coach Dick Advocaat as their new manager following the sacking of Vitor Pereira, reports said Monday. Advocaat was to travel to Turkey following secret talks in the Netherlands and could be taking charge of the team’s training as soon as Tuesday, the NTV channel … [Read more...]

Everton sign winger Bolasie from Palace London (AFP) – Democratic Republic of Congo winger Yannick Bolasie has joined Everton from Premier League rivals Crystal Palace on a five-year contract, his new club announced on Monday. The fee for the 27-year-old was not disclosed, but British media reports said Everton had paid 25 million pounds ($32.2 million, 28.8 million euros), potentially rising to … [Read more...]