SPORTS

Paris, France | AFP |  Brazil’s 1970 World Cup triumph in Mexico is seen as Pele’s crowning glory. He was the star of what is often considered the best side the world has ever seen, but while Pele’s superstardom endures to this day as he approaches his 80th birthday, others faded …

Paris, France | AFP |  Fifty years ago this month, modern football was born at the World Cup in Mexico, kicking and yelling, and live in vibrant colour for a global audience. This weekend marks the anniversary of the quarter-finals of that tournament as a star-studded cast played a thrilling series of knock-out games which built …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | From cardboard cut-outs in the stands to Zoom watch parties, the return of the Premier League will be a bizarre experience for locked-out supporters. The English top-flight resumes behind closed doors on Wednesday, with fans forced to adapt to an unsettling new normal due to …

Berlin, Germany | AFP |  Bayern Munich could secure an eighth straight Bundesliga title this weekend, but host Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday without suspended duo Thomas Mueller and Robert Lewandowski. Bayern will be confirmed champions with a win on Saturday if second-placed Borussia Dortmund lose at relegation-threatened Fortuna Duesseldorf earlier in …

London, United Kingdom | AFP |  The green light for the Premier League’s return owes much to a political will for the national game to lift spirits in the country hardest hit by coronavirus in Europe. Suspected and confirmed deaths from coronavirus in Britain passed 50,000 according to analysis from the …

Madrid, Spain | AFP |  Sevilla beat local rivals Real Betis 2-0 as La Liga returned after three months away on Thursday, becoming the second of Europe’s five major leagues to resume following the coronavirus pandemic. After the Bundesliga in Germany restarted on May 16, La Liga opened its doors again …

Madrid, Spain | AFP |  Sevilla and Real Betis is the game in Spain most defined by its fans and on Thursday it will be a first glimpse of La Liga without them as the season resumes behind closed doors after three months away due to the coronavirus. Fireworks, banners, plumes …

London, United Kingdom | AFP |  The Premier League will return after a 100-day stoppage on June 17, cramming the remaining 92 games of the season into just five-and-a-half weeks. A deluge of football may be welcomed by fans starved of live action for three months. But it is expected to …

Rome, Italy | AFP |  This week’s Italian Cup semi-final, second leg matches were set to bring football back to a nation emerging from the coronavirus crisis, but with two days until the scheduled kick-off the two matches are still awaiting government approval. Juventus’ home clash with AC Milan on Friday …

Soweto, South Africa | AFP |  Danny Jordaan, the man who spearheaded the 2010 World Cup, believes the tournament put an end to “Afro-pessimism” and helped transform the African continent from “hopeless to hopeful”. Ten years after the event, Jordaan told AFP the World Cup put sceptics firmly in their place …