LONDON (AP) ― A summer spending spree of $250 million on new players was supposed to restore the dwindling fortunes of Manchester United.If anything, it may be getting worse at Old Trafford.United is off to its worst 10-game start to an English league season since 1986 after losing 1-0 at rival Manchester City on Sunday, leaving the 20-time champions in ninth place with just half the points of unbeaten Premier League leader Chelsea.In the Spanish league, the logjam at the top remains after Valen

ZURICH (AP) ― Football delegates from France and South Korea have handed over their bid documents to FIFA for the 2019 women’s World Cup. France and South Korea are also bidding for the 2018 under-20 women’s World Cup, with FIFA’s executive committee to decide on one winner for both competitions in March. FIFA’s Sepp Blatter says, “I’m a very happy president to see these two big football nations competing for these two women’s competitions.” Blatter noted how both nations recently hosted the men

GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) ― Celtic winger Aleksandar Tonev was banned for seven games on Thursday for using racist language toward an opponent during a Scottish league match. Celtic said Tonev will appeal against the ban. The Bulgarian international, who is on loan at Celtic from English Premier League side Aston Villa, was found guilty by the Scottish Football Association of “excessive misconduct by the use of offensive, insulting and abusive language of a racist nature” when he appeared in front

The South Korean government on Friday approved a visit by North Korea's teenage football players next week to join an international competition to be held in a border town in the South. A group of 32 athletes and officials is scheduled to arrive here on Sunday via Beijing and participate in the inaugural U-15 football games in Yeoncheon, 62 kilometers north of Seoul, according to the unification ministry.The three-day event slated to open Friday will draw five other teams from South Korea, Uzbek

Robin van Persie rescued a point for Manchester United to keep Chelsea from moving eight points clear of defending champion Manchester City in the Premier League.Chelsea looked to have sealed the win thanks to veteran striker Didier Drogba’s header, but van Perise leveled in the fourth minute of injury time to secure a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.In Italy, league leader Juventus beat Palermo and in France Marseille missed the chance to notch a club record ninth straight win when it lost at Lyon, wh

ZURICH (AP) ― Belgium has moved into the top four of the FIFA monthly rankings for the first time and former World Cup winner Spain has dropped to 10th following a loss to Slovakia in a European Championship qualifier.The top three positions remained the same. Despite a tough start to its Euro 2016 qualifying campaign, World Cup winner Germany was first ahead of runner-up Argentina, then Colombia. Two-time defending European champion Spain slipped two places. Belgium’s rise coincided with the Ne

FREIBURG, Germany (AP) ― From a corner office of Freiburg’s homely stadium, club chairman Fritz Keller gazes over one of the loveliest views in football. Autumn’s reds, browns and golds streak the surrounding Black Forest. Buzzards wheel in the air above.But from a football business perspective, this beauty is sterile desert. Black Forest boars make for fine stews, but they don’t buy tickets to games. Thick woods aren’t good places to find young players who could become football’s next superstar