Soccer

LEVERKUSEN, Germany (AP) — Nigeria forward Victor Boniface has been ruled out of the Africa Cup of Nations with a thigh injury and has already returned to Germany.

PARIS (AP) — Thierry Henry, who won the 1998 World Cup and the 2000 European Championship with France and is Arsenal's all-time highest scorer, has opened up about the fact he “must have been in depression” during his soccer career.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The former president of a top-division soccer team in Turkey told a court on Tuesday that he regretted attacking a referee at the end of a league game but denied threatening to kill him.

By taking a step back, Franz Beckenbauer put himself a step ahead.

BERLIN (AP) — Franz Beckenbauer, who won the World Cup both as player and coach and became one of Germany’s most beloved personalities with his easygoing charm, has died. He was 78.

VANCOUVER — Two months after his team was eliminated from Major League Soccer playoffs, Vancouver Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini is looking forward rather than back ahead of the new season.

WIGAN, England (AP) — Manchester United avoided becoming the highest-profile casualty in the third round of the FA Cup by easing past third-tier Wigan with a 2-0 win on Monday.

MADRID (AP) — Villarreal was eliminated on penalties by third-division club Unionistas on Monday in a Copa del Rey match which had been hit the day before by a power outage.

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — FIFA has again backed embattled Brazilian soccer confederation (CBF) president Ednaldo Rodrigues. Emilio García, chief legal officer for world soccer's governing body, visited the confederation's headquarters on Monday.

MONTREAL (AP) — Laurent Courtois was hired as head coach of Montreal's Major League Soccer team on Monday after two seasons as head coach of Columbus Crew 2 in the third team MLS Next Pro.