SPORTS

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | AFP | In Brazil, the land where football is king, Neymar’s foot injury has unleashed sharp emotions and concern, rumors and speculation about the star player upon whom so many hopes rest for World Cup victory in Russia. “We just might have lost the World Cup …

Paris, France | AFP | Paris Saint-Germain’s hopes of getting Neymar back for their crunch Champions League clash against Real Madrid next week look to be over after the Brazilian’s father claimed the player would be out for “at least six weeks”. Speaking to ESPN in Brazil on Tuesday, Neymar Senior …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Arsene Wenger on Wednesday said he was “amazed” at fresh speculation over his future as he prepares his team to face Manchester City just days after Arsenal’s League Cup final humiliation against Pep Guardiola’s men. The Frenchman has come under sustained fire since an abject …

Milan, Italy | AFP | Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is Italy’s number one choice to take over as national coach, Italian federation vice-commissioner Alessandro Costacurta revealed on Tuesday. “I haven’t chosen yet but I think Conte is the one who could do the best,” Costacurta told Gazzetta dello Sport. “I’ll definitely …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Sadio Mane says Liverpool “can beat any team in the world” as Jurgen Klopp’s men chase the Premier League runners-up spot and eye the Champions League quarter-finals. Liverpool are third in the table, two points behind Manchester United after just one defeat in their past …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino dismissed claims by former Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas that prolific striker Harry Kane needs to leave the club if he wants to win trophies. Villas-Boas gave Kane his Premier League debut in 2012, but the England striker’s career only took …

Bratislava, Slovakia | AFP | UEFA will not introduce Video Assistant Referees (VAR) for next season’s Champions League because of ongoing “confusion” surrounding its use, Aleksander Ceferin, the president of European football’s governing body, said on Monday. “Nobody knows exactly how it works yet. There is still a lot of …

Paris, France | AFP | Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar suffered a sprained ankle and a fractured metatarsal when he was stretchered off in Sunday’s win over Marseille, the Ligue 1 leaders announced on Monday. The Brazilian, who signed for PSG in a world-record move from Barcelona last year, is now …

Manchester, United Kingdom | AFP | Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho believes it was important for two coaches of his and Chelsea’s Antonio Conte’s stature to put their public dispute behind them by shaking hands before and after United’s 2-1 victory on Sunday. Mourinho and Conte’s simmering rift exploded in January …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Manchester City rolled back the years on Sunday to win the first trophy of the Pep Guardiola era with three of their veteran players scoring in an emphatic 3-0 win against Arsenal at Wembley. Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany and David Silva were all on …