Italy football squad given raucous welcome by waiting Azzurri fans Montpellier (France) (AFP) – Beaten 2012 finalists Italy were given a raucous welcome by fans at their Euro 2016 Montpellier base on Wednesday after arriving in the southern French city from Rome. Italy, who lost the 2012 final 4-0 to Spain, have failed to get past the first round of the past two editions of the World Cup and … [Read more...]

Ronaldo enters last chance saloon for Euro glory Lisbon (AFP) – For a player that has won almost everything on an individual and collective level, the one honour that agonisingly evades Cristiano Ronaldo is an international trophy with Portugal. Euro 2016 will be Ronaldo’s fourth and at 31 possibly last European Championship finals. The previous three have all promised much only to end in … [Read more...]

Where to find Brazil vs. Haiti Copa America game on TV If you’re trying to find out how you can watch Brazil vs. Haiti in the Copa America Centenario, you’ve come to the right place. All eyes turn to the Citrus Bowl in Orlando on Wednesday, June 8 as Brazil needs to get a win to inch towards advancing to the quarter-finals of Copa America against a very proud Haiti team who will be hoping for a … [Read more...]

Kyle Walker finds light at end of England tunnel at Euro 2016 Chantilly (France) (AFP) – Kyle Walker could not bring himself to watch England’s recent tournament appearances, but he is thrilled by the prospect of starting their Euro 2016 opener against Russia on Saturday. The 26-year-old Tottenham Hotspur player is sampling major international competition for the first time, having sat out Euro … [Read more...]

Ball-making Mexico town fights to get back in the game Chichihualco (Mexico) (AFP) – A shirtless man sits under a tree in a town in southern Mexico, stitching together a football. At the central square, several women congregate to make balls for the national pastime. Others toil in workshops or inside their ramshackle homes: A grandmother sewing on a chair in her dirt-floor home, or a pregnant … [Read more...]

Boateng says too risky for family to attend Euro 2016 Berlin (AFP) – German defender Jerome Boateng said his wife and five-year-old twins will not go to France to watch him play in the European Championship finals because of terror fears. Boateng was in the German team playing at the Stade de France in Paris on November 13 when a series of jihadist attacks left 130 dead. Suicide bombers tried to … [Read more...]

Former Nigeria coach ‘Big Boss’ Keshi dies Abuja (AFP) – Former Nigeria football coach Stephen Keshi died on Wednesday aged 54 of a suspected heart attack, his family said in a statement. The charismatic coach, dubbed “Big Boss” by fans, died in Benin City in southern Nigeria from “cardiac arrest”, the statement said. His brother and manager, Emmanuel Ado, confirmed Keshi’s death. “It is true, … [Read more...]

Star-studded Belgium think ‘big’ at Euro Paris (AFP) – Marc Wilmots’ Belgium are aiming to topple the established favourites at Euro 2016 and with stars like Eden Hazard and Kevin de Bruyne have the weapons to so.   Belgium have qualified for the European Championship finals for the first time since co-hosting the 2000 tournament. They are in a tough Group E with Italy, Sweden and Irish Republic … [Read more...]

Teenager Mor excites Turkey ahead of Euro 2016 Istanbul (AFP) – Emre Mor is just 18, has lived all his life in Denmark and only received Turkish citizenship this year after receiving authorisation from his jailed father. Yet the fleet-footed winger, unknown to most Turkish football fans at the start of 2016, has in just weeks become one of the great hopes for Turkey at the European Championship … [Read more...]

Spain’s Euro 2016 hopes pinned on silent savior Iniesta Madrid (AFP) – Six years from delivering the most important strike of a football in Spanish history, Andres Iniesta remains the cornerstone of a La Roja side hoping to rekindle former glories at Euro 2016. Iniesta’s extra-time goal in the 2010 World Cup final against the Netherlands will be his lasting legacy. But Iniesta’s technique, quick … [Read more...]