SPORTS

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba is using the coronavirus lockdown to step up his return to fitness after an injury-plagued season. Pogba had made just eight appearances for United this season before the health crisis forced the suspension of the Premier League in March. The French World Cup winner …

Los Angeles, United States | AFP |  A federal judge dismissed the United States women’s soccer team’s bid for equal pay on Friday, rejecting claims the players had been underpaid in a crushing defeat for the reigning world champions. In a 32-page ruling, Judge Gary Klausner of the US District Court …

Milan, Italy | AFP | Italy’s Serie A clubs on Friday reiterated their unanimous desire to complete the football season interrupted amid the coronavirus crisis. The emergency Lega Serie A assembly via video of the 20 top flight clubs came after Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora this week said the chances of restarting were “increasingly narrow”. …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Premier League clubs will meet on Friday to discuss whether it is realistic to complete the season during the coronavirus crisis or whether they will have to brace for a devastating financial hit. The Dutch season has already been called off, Belgium looks set to …

Buenos Aires, Argentina | AFP | Argentine football legend Diego Maradona has asked the “Hand of God” to deliver the world from the coronavirus pandemic and allow normal life to resume. The World Cup winner referred to his hand-assisted goal in the 1986 World Cup after Argentine football chiefs voted to …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho believes bringing football back, even behind closed doors, would be a much-needed morale boost for fans starved of action during the coronavirus crisis. No Premier League games have been played since March 9 due to the pandemic, which has claimed more …

Berlin, Germany | AFP | The German league confirmed Thursday that clubs have started testing players for the coronavirus as part of plans for the Bundesliga to resume next month. Testing for the virus, which has so far claimed over 6,000 lives in Germany, is a key component in the plans to restart the Bundesliga …

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 …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Gary Neville fears Premier League players’ lives will be put at risk if football is rushed back too soon after the coronavirus-enforced lockdown in Britain. Premier League chiefs are aiming for a return to action in June and several clubs opened their training grounds …

Berlin, Germany | AFP |  Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies says it would be a “disaster” if the coronavirus reaches one of the world’s many refugee camps — like the one he was born in. The 19-year-old started life in a refugee camp in Ghana after his parents fled the civil war …