Milan bomb scare proves false alarm 12:13 PM GMT Two lines on the Milan metro were suspended ahead of Saturday's Champions League final after the discovery of a suspicious package near the San Siro. The ANSA news agency has since reported that it was a false alarm. Real Madrid face Atletico Madrid at the San Siro stadium in the city on Saturday evening, and Gazzetta dello Sport reported that a … [Read more...]

Germany turn to youth in Slovakia Euro tune-up Berlin (AFP) – World champions Germany are set to blood a crop of rising stars in Sunday’s friendly at home to Slovakia as head coach Joachim Loew fine-tunes his Euro 2016 squad. Loew purposefully chose Slovakia, who will make their debut at a European championships in France, as they are expected to play in a similar style to Germany’s Group C … [Read more...]

Third-time lucky with winner Mourinho for United Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester United will be expecting to make it third time lucky in their attempt to replace Alex Ferguson with the appointment of Jose Mourinho as the club’s new manager. Ferguson’s retirement in 2013 was always going to leave an enormous void to fill at Old Trafford after the legendary Scot bowed out as a … [Read more...]

Rashford’s rise no surprise for England boss Hodgson Sunderland (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Roy Hodgson insisted Marcus Rashford’s dream debut for England came as no surprise after the Manchester United sensation staked his claim for a Euro 2016 place with a record-breaking strike in a 2-1 win over Australia. England manager Hodgson had claimed the world would be watching to see if Rashford could … [Read more...]

Saviour Galca released by Espanyol Madrid (AFP) – Espanyol escaped relegation from La Liga this season but have decided against prolonging the contract of Constantin Galca, the interim coach that saved them, the Spanish club said on Friday. Galca took over from Sergio Gonzalez last December with the club mired in a relegation struggle, and eventually lifted them to a 13th place finish, five … [Read more...]

Manchester United fans give Mourinho cautious welcome Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester United fans welcomed Jose Mourinho’s appointment as the club’s new manager on Friday but said the pressure was now on to deliver quick results for a team whose recent form has been lacklustre. “I think the new manager will bring a bit more flair into United,” said Peter Davy, standing outside the … [Read more...]

Torres ready to eclipse Chelsea title feat Milan (AFP) – Fernando Torres is dreaming of eclipsing his Champions League triumph with Chelsea and making history for the second time in the competition by leading Atletico Madrid to victory over Real Madrid on Saturday. Torres won the elite European title with the London side in 2012 when they beat Bayern Munich 4-3 on penalties to add their name to … [Read more...]

Mourinho takes a risk on the ‘mystique’ of Manchester London (AFP) – Jose Mourinho talks bluntly, wins big and then everything seems to go wrong. Taking on what he called the “mystique” and “romance” of Manchester United adds to one of the most most stellar CVs in football. But the 53-year-old Portuguese — who has won eight league titles in four countries with Porto, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and … [Read more...]

Big clubs need big managers, boasts Man Utd boss Mourinho London (AFP) – Jose Mourinho boasted that giant clubs needed the best managers as he took over at Manchester United on Friday. Mourinho said he wanted to bury the past three years at Old Trafford, which saw David Moyes and then his own mentor Louis van Gaal struggle to emulate the title-studded success achieved by legendary manager Alex … [Read more...]

Bale finally at home with Real Madrid stardom Madrid (AFP) – On the eve of his second Champions League final since joining Real Madrid, Welsh star Gareth Bale admitted he is more at home with the fame and demands at the world’s richest club. Bale’s time in the Spanish capital has been marked by severe highs and lows. He instantly made himself a hero in his debut season with goals in the … [Read more...]