SPORTS

Manchester, United Kingdom | AFP | Jose Mourinho will be desperate for his struggling Manchester United side to put their defensive woes behind them against the Premier League’s bottom club Fulham but the form book suggests they may struggle to do so. An exciting, if error-strewn, 2-2 draw with Arsenal …

Los Angeles, United States | AFP | Boxer Floyd Mayweather says his New Year’s Eve bout with Japanese kick boxer Tenshin Nasukawa will be “all about the entertainment”. The nine-minute exhibition in Japan will have no official winner or loser if it goes the distance, and Mayweather said at a …

Bournemouth, United Kingdom | AFP | Naby Keita has started to show he can add creativity to Liverpool’s midfield but Jurgen Klopp may question his squad’s strength in depth despite securing two Premier League wins in four days. Klopp is likely to revert to his tried-and-trusted first choices at Bournemouth …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Mesut Ozil has missed Arsenal’s last four matches and may be absent again when the Gunners host Huddersfield Town on Saturday. The 30-year-old playmaker is being treated for a back problem and manager Unai Emery has hinted that he could be passed fit on …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | The debate about Tottenham Hotspur’s lack of activity in the last transfer window will continue until the final day of the season. However, there is a case to be made the north London club’s inaction may be actually carry more benefits than first imagined. …

Madrid, Spain | AFP | Boca Juniors striker Carlos Tevez conceded playing a Libertadores Cup final in Madrid on Sunday will be “weird” but rejected suggestions River Plate have been put at a disadvantage. The second leg was moved to Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu after the original fixture at River’s …

Rome, Italy | AFP | Italian soccer champions Juventus, challenging for an eighth consecutive title with superstar Cristiano Ronaldo onboard, will be included in the benchmark FTSE-Mib stock index later this month, the Milan stock exchange said. Rumours about the move pushed Serie A champions Juventus up by around 10 …

Kabul, Afghanistan | AFP | Murtaza Ahmadi moved the world with his love for footballer Lionel Messi in 2016. His dream of meeting the Argentinian came true, but now the seven-year-old boy is living a nightmare as one of thousands of Afghans displaced by war. Murtaza and his family abandoned …

  Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Businessman and rally ace Charles Muhangi is dead. Vincent Sekaate, the CID Spokesperson Kampala has confirmed Muhangi’s death. However, details about the death are still scanty. Muhangi has been embroiled in a wrangle with businessman, Drake Lubega over the ownership of Qualicel Bus …

Abidjan, Ivory Coast | AFP | Ivory Coast has reacted angrily to the possibility that they could be replaced as 2021 Africa Cup of Nations hosts by Cameroon. After ditching Cameroon last week as 2019 hosts due to delays with preparations and security concerns, CAF president Ahmad Ahmad said on …