Barcelona, Spain | AFP | Barcelona forward Luis Suarez is in line to return from a long injury lay-off when La Liga resumes next week behind closed doors in the heat of the Spanish summer after a three-month coronavirus shutdown. Suarez, 33, was sidelined for four months in January after undergoing surgery on his right …
Read More »La Liga’s new reality to bring optimism, discomfort
Madrid, Spain | AFP | La Liga president Javier Tebas said Spanish football’s return will allow people to feel a sense of normality again but it may also serve as a reminder of an uncomfortable new reality. Spain’s top division is set to restart on June 11 and to be completed …
Read More »As football restarts around Europe, France questions decision to end season early
Paris, France | AFP | It is the land of the world champions, but is it really a football country? That is the question some in France have been asking this week while its European neighbours work to bring the sport back after the coronavirus shutdown. Debate has raged ever since …
Read More »League-by-league guide to the return of football around Europe
Paris, France | AFP | With the German Bundesliga on its second weekend back following the two-month coronavirus shutdown and La Liga given the green light by the Spanish government to return next month, AFP Sport casts a glance at the situation for football leagues across Europe: – Leagues restarting – …
Read More »League-by-league guide to European football’s coronavirus shutdown
Paris, France | AFP | Football leagues across Europe have been suspended since March due to the coronavirus pandemic which has claimed over 130,000 lives throughout the continent. Lockdown restrictions are in effect worldwide although some countries are cautiously beginning to ease stay-at-home orders. AFP Sport looks at what we know …
Read More »Don’t rush to restart La Liga, Bale warns
Madrid, Spain | AFP | Real Madrid star Gareth Bale says there should be no rush to restart La Liga during the coronavirus lockdown as the Spanish football federation plans tests and a return to training. Testing players is being discussed with a view to completing the Liga season and thereby …
Read More »Barca and Madrid seek boost in crisis Clasico between giants in decline
Madrid, Spain | AFP | La Liga’s most important Clasico for years might also be the most mediocre on Sunday as Barcelona and Real Madrid each fight to lift the gloom by deepening the other’s sense of crisis. Two points separate the league’s leading pair, making this weekend’s meeting at the …
Read More »Barcelona sack Valverde and appoint Setien as successor
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 …
Read More »Barcelona, Real stalemate in politically-charged Clasico
Barcelona, Spain | AFP | Barcelona and Real Madrid could not be separated on Wednesday in a Clasico that was briefly interrupted by Catalan independence protests, when dozens of yellow beach balls were thrown onto the pitch at Camp Nou. After being postponed in October, there were renewed fears of …
Read More »Barcelona and Real Madrid get set for politically charged Clasico
Madrid, Spain | AFP | Barcelona and Real Madrid will travel to the Clasico on Wednesday from the same hotel as part of a large-scale security operation aimed at reducing the impact of Catalan independence protests. The fixture had to be postponed in October due to violent demonstrations and there are …
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