SPORTS

Madrid, Spain | AFP |  Spanish champions Barcelona have sacked their coach Ernesto Valverde and appointed Quique Setien as his replacement, the club announced on Monday. The decision to remove Valverde was confirmed following a board meeting that lasted more than four hours at Camp Nou on Monday afternoon. Barca are …

Paris, France | AFP | Several countries may be in the midst of their winter breaks, but the football goes on elsewhere, with Spain’s biggest clubs having an eventful few days in Saudi Arabia while the race for the title continues in Serie A and Ligue 1. AFP Sport looks back …

London, United Kingdom | AFP |  The pressure is on record signing Nicolas Pepe and Alexandre Lacazette to score goals with Arsenal’s leading scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang suspended for three matches, according to manager Mikel Arteta. Aubameyang took his tally to 16 goals in all competitions this season in the 1-1 …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda’s local Olympics organizing committee plans to send close to 30 competitors in five disciplines to Tokyo 2020. Together with officials, Uganda’s delegation is expected to be 50, and would be the largest ever entry for Uganda since it first competed at the Melbourne …

+ Villa 1-6 Man City + Palace 1-1 Arsenal + Chelsea 3-0 Burnley + Everton 1-0 Brighton + Leicester 1-2 Southampton + Manchester United 4-0 Norwich + Wolves 1-1 Newcastle Birmingham, United Kingdom | AFP | Pep Guardiola said Sergio Aguero’s legendary status had grown again after becoming the Premier …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The ‘Stanbic Uganda Cup’ is back and bigger with yet another increase in prize money for participating teams and exciting rewards for football fans. Winning Prize money has been increased from Shs 120million to Shs 132 million for the final sixteen teams with the …

Auckland, New Zealand | AFP |  Serena Williams ended a three-year title drought and donated her winner’s cheque to victims of the Australian bushfires in an emotional WTA Auckland Classic final on Sunday. Williams raised expectations for this month’s Australian Open, where she can equal Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand …

  Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa survived scares on Saturday to become the first qualifiers for the CAF Champions League quarter-finals. Five-time champions Mazembe fell behind after eight minutes against Primeiro Agosto of Angola in …

+ Palace 1-1 Arsenal + Chelsea 3-0 Burnley + Everton 1-0 Brighton + Leicester 1-2 Southampton + Manchester United 4-0 Norwich + Wolves 1-1 Newcastle Manchester, United Kingdom | AFP |  Ole Gunnar Solskjaer backed Manchester United’s unpopular owners the Glazer family and executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward following widespread dissent …

+ Palace 1-1 Arsenal + Chelsea 3-0 Burnley + Everton 1-0 Brighton + Leicester 1-2 Southampton + Manchester United 4-0 Norwich + Wolves 1-1 Newcastle London, United Kingdom | AFP | Chelsea showed the killer instinct Frank Lampard has demanded as Callum Hudson-Odoi scored his first Premier League goal and …