Football: Italian legend Fabio Cannavaro named new coach of ChinaSHANGHAI (AFP) - Italian World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro was named coach of China on Friday (March 15), spearheading the ambitious country's attempts to become a footballing force.It was not immediately clear if the former Juventus and Real Madrid...

Football: London-born ex-Arsenal reserve Nico Yennaris makes China debut in 2-0 win over PhilippinesGUANGZHOU (AFP) - Nico Yennaris became the first foreign-born footballer to represent China when the former Arsenal reserve started in a 2-0 home win over the Philippines on Friday (June 7).The 26-year-old midfielder was...

Football: World Cup winner Buffon to leave PSGPARIS (AFP) - Gianluigi Buffon will leave Paris Saint-Germain this summer after it was agreed to not renew the former Italy captain's contract, the French champions announced on Wednesday (June 5)."Following joint discussions, Paris Saint-Germain and Gianluigi Buffon have agreed...

Barca want to win every Cup: SuarezMADRID • Putting on a Barcelona shirt entails an obligation "to live up to the reputation of this club, which is the best in the world" and Ernesto Valverde's men did just that as they ran out 3-0 winners at arch-rivals Real Madrid for a 4-1 aggregate victory on Wednesday.Luis Suarez...

Football: Man City hit nine past Burton to cruise towards League Cup finalMANCHESTER, United Kingdom (AFP) - Holders Manchester City can look forward to defending the League Cup in next month's final at Wembley as Gabriel Jesus struck four goals in a 9-0 thrashing of Burton Albion in their semi-final, first leg on Wednesday...

Football: Guardiola stays cool despite shock Man City defeatMANCHESTER, United Kingdom (AFP) - Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola said he was not disappointed by his players' effort despite suffering a surprise 3-2 home defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday (Dec 22).Ilkay Gundogan opened the scoring for the home side at...

Football: Rangers out of Europa League, Eintracht fans run riot at LazioPARIS (AFP) - Rangers crashed out of the Europa League on Thursday (Dec 13) after falling 1-0 at Rapid Vienna, while crowd trouble sparked by Eintracht Frankfurt fans marred the German side's win at Lazio.Steven Gerrard's Rangers, who had to win in...

Football: Napoli stumble at Fiorentina and trail Juventus by 8pts, Martinez gets Inter back to winning waysMILAN (AFP) - Napoli could finish the weekend trailing Italian Serie A leaders Juventus by 11 points, after Carlo Ancelotti's wasteful side stuttered to a 0-0 draw at Fiorentina on Saturday (Feb 9).Fiorentina goalkeeper...

Osako double saves the day for JapanGROUP FJapan 3Turkmenistan 2ABU DHABI • Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu admitted that his side were lucky to survive a scare to beat Turkmenistan 3-2 in their Asian Cup opener yesterday.The Samurai Blue thrived at last year's World Cup in Russia, reaching the last 16 before they lost to...

Football: Playing the OLE United wayLONDON • With big names like Mauricio Pochettino and Zinedine Zidane being bandied about, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's appointment as Manchester United manager has largely been seen as a stop-gap measure until the summer.While United have stated they will find a permanent boss, the caretaker...

Klopp optimistic despite drawLONDON • While Jurgen Klopp's prediction of a "blockbuster" between two five-time champions of Europe proved misplaced, his warning about the enduring strength of old adversaries Bayern Munich did not.Wise heads rather than old legs told for the German champions, who were disciplined and...

Alisson the 'lifesaver'LONDON • Jaws dropped when Liverpool splashed out £65 million (S$111.8 million) for goalkeeper Alisson Becker in July.Critics said the hefty investment went against the conventional wisdom; this was the kind of money clubs were supposed to invest in goalscorers, not goalkeepers.If keeping 10 clean...