Tag Archives: football

Football proletariat’ brave Serbia’s crumbling, violent stadiums Belgrade, Serbia | AFP | Khalid Aucho and Takuto Yasuoka are two of hundreds of footballers from Africa, Asia and South America whose dream of stardom has brought them to Eastern Europe. Aucho, a 23-year-old from Uganda who has already tried Scotland, and …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Chelsea’s shock defeat against Crystal Palace breathed new life into the title race as Tottenham closed the gap on the leaders. Arsenal and Manchester City played out a thrilling draw and Liverpool won the Merseyside derby. Here are five things we learned in the Premier …

London, United Kingdom | Wilfried Zaha rocked Chelsea as Crystal Palace breathed new life into the Premier League title race with a stunning 2-1 win over the leaders at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. In a frantic start, the Ivory Coast winger cancelled out Cesc Fabregas’s opener and teed up Christian Benteke …

Zurich, Switzerland | AFP | All football regions will see their World Cup slots increased when the tournament expands to 48 teams in 2026, with Africa the biggest winner, according to FIFA recommendations released Thursday. The plan to expand the competition beyond its current 32-team format, which is subject to …

Beijing, China | AFP |  The wife of a Chinese player gave her husband a red card Wednesday for playing away, claiming that spending too much time with his mistress led to his embarrassing gaffe in a crucial World Cup qualifier. Jiang Zhipeng, a Guangzhou R&F club left-back, had a …

Zurich, Switzerland | AFP | Barcelona star Lionel Messi was suspended for four Argentina matches by FIFA on Tuesday for swearing at an assistant referee, a ban that will see the striker miss out on decisive qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup. Messi was found guilty of “having directed insulting …

2019 NATIONS CUP qualifiers:  Group L – Cape Verde, Uganda, Tanzania, Lesotho Group C – Mali, Gabon, Burundi, South Sudan Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Sudan thrashed Djibouti 6-0 in Juba on Tuesday to reach the group stage of 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying. Trailing 2-0 from the …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Kenya stretched an unbeaten run to nine matches by drawing 1-1 at home against Uganda on Thursday. Michael Olunga gave the “Harambee Stars” a 35th-minute lead in a friendly at Kenyatta Stadium in eastern town Machakos. Kenya retained the lead against their long-time east African …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP |  Qualifying for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations begins on Wednesday, just 45 days after Cameroon snatched victory over Egypt in the final of the previous edition. The “Indomitable Lions” of Cameroon and the “Pharaohs” of Egypt will not be involved, however, as they …

Paris, France | AFP | Under-pressure Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger dismissed as “fake news” reports that Paris Saint-Germain had offered him a two-year deal at the French champions. The Frenchman is facing a fan backlash at Arsenal after a rotten run of form and British tabloid The Sun said on Monday …