Tag Archives: soccer

The Hill reports: Both English and German soccer associations are considering legal action against FIFA after the sporting body banned players from wearing OneLove armbands promoting diversity and inclusion at the World Cup in Qatar. The German Football Association (DFB) may file a claim at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland to challenge the legality of FIFA’s threat …

The Associated Press reports: Discriminatory chants allegedly by Ecuador fans at the World Cup opening game led FIFA to open the first disciplinary case of the tournament on Tuesday. FIFA said the charge was brought “due to chants” at the game against Qatar on Sunday and cited the section of its disciplinary code dealing with discrimination. The chants were reportedly …

ESPN reports: The captains of England, Wales, Belgium, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands will not wear the ‘OneLove’ anti-discrimination armband in their World Cup opening games after confirmation that their captains would be given yellow cards if they took part in the initiative. The announcement came just before their World Cup campaigns were scheduled to start. The national federations said …

Bloomberg News reports: The organizers behind the World Cup in Qatar have banned the sale of alcohol within the stadiums, dramatically reversing a decision to allow Anheuser-Busch InBev NV to sell Budweiser beer. The decision will likely result in moving concession stands serving alcohol even further away from the stadiums. The tournament, typically the world’s largest sporting event and a …

The Daily Mail reports: The United States’ men’s national team have made a huge statement at the World Cup in Qatar by redesigning their crest to incorporate the rainbow flag, in a bid to show solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community. The tournament, which starts on Sunday and sees the US play their opener against Wales on Monday, has been hugely …

Reuters reports: A Qatar World Cup ambassador has told German television broadcaster ZDF that homosexuality was “damage in the mind”, as the Gulf state prepares to host the global tournament in less than two weeks. Khalid Salman addressed the issue of homosexuality, which is illegal in the conservative Muslim country. “They have to accept our rules here,” Salman said. “(Homosexuality) …

The Associated Press reports: The U.S. Soccer Federation reached milestone agreements to pay its men’s and women’s teams equally, making the American national governing body the first in the sport to promise both sexes matching money. The federation announced separate collective bargaining agreements through December 2028 with the unions for both national teams on Wednesday, ending years of often acrimonious …

The Guardian reports: The Blackpool forward Jake Daniels has ended decades of silence within men’s football to become the first player in the UK to come out as gay since Justin Fashanu in 1990. Daniels only made his senior debut for the club earlier this month, but the 17-year-old says he is ready to act as a role model for …

The Associated Press reports: Russia’s request to freeze a FIFA ban on its soccer teams ahead of next week’s World Cup qualifying playoffs was denied Friday. FIFA said the Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed the Russian soccer federation’s bid for an urgent interim ruling to freeze the ban pending a full appeal, which could come within weeks. The CAS …

The Liverpool Echo reports: Manchester City defender Oleksandr Zinchenko fought back the tears after embracing Vitalii Mykolenko ahead of his side’s Premier League clash with Everton at Goodison Park. Both sets of players also took to the pitch showing their support for Ukraine. City first entered the field of play wearing t-shirts with the Ukrainian flag on and had the …

The Washington Post reports: Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan and other members of the U.S. women’s national team reached a $24 million settlement with their employer, the U.S. Soccer Federation, over claims that they had been systematically underpaid for years compared with the men’s team.  The settlement, announced Tuesday, ends a landmark case over gender discrimination, one that could resonate throughout …

The Guardian reports: A-League midfielder Josh Cavallo says he knows there are other players “living in silence” after becoming the only known current male top-flight professional footballer in the world to come out as gay. Cavallo on Wednesday became a rarity in men’s professional sport, announcing on social media he was “ready to speak about something personal that I’m finally …

NBC News reports: The United States beat Australia 4-3 on Thursday, sealing a women’s soccer bronze medal in what could be a final prize in the international careers of several iconic American stars. Carli Lloyd and Megan Rapinoe sealed the Olympic medal for Team USA with two goals apiece in Kashima, aided by a late defensive effort to survive a …

The Hill reports: German soccer player Leon Goretzka sent a message in support of gay rights after scoring his national team’s second goal during a match against Hungary, which has faced growing backlash to a new law seeking to curb the distribution of LGBT content. After Goretzka, a vocal supporter of LGBT rights, scored the equalizing goal, which put Germany …

USA Today reports: Qatar will require spectators at the 2022 World Cup to have received coronavirus vaccines to get into games, the government has announced. Prime Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani told Qatar newspaper editors that the Gulf nation is trying to secure a million vaccine doses to immunize fans wanting to watch the tournament. Sheikh …

Axios reports: FIFA on Friday ordered Mexico to play two official home matches without spectators as a punishment for its fans’ repeated use of a homophobic slur this year. Fans have chanted the slur at Mexican matches for years. Mexican officials stepped up efforts to halt the behavior this spring after growing criticism, but social media campaigns and stadium announcements …

ESPN reports: The CONCACAF Nations League final in Denver between the United States and Mexico was marred by unruly fan behavior that included objects thrown onto the field and a brief pause in the game because of fans using an anti-gay chant. The pause occurred during the final moments of the second half before the game went to extra time …

The Hill reports: Washington D.C.’s Major League Soccer (MLS) team D.C. United on Sunday unveiled a statement in support of the protests over George Floyd’s death: giant letters reading “I can’t breathe” on the team’s Audi Field turf. A tweet from the team Sunday afternoon showed members of the organization posing on the field around the massive statement, which dwarfed …

Just in via press release: Major League Soccer has suspended match play for 30 days, effective immediately, as the league continues to assess the impact of COVID-19 with its medical task force and public health officials. At the appropriate time, the league and clubs will communicate plans for the continuation of the 2020 season and update the status of league …

Politico Europe reports: The head of Bulgaria’s football federation resigned Tuesday, bowing to Prime Minister Boyko Borissov’s call for him to quit following a match in Sofia during which Bulgarian fans hurled racist abuse at black England players. “After yesterday’s shameful loss of the Bulgarian national team and in view of our poor football results, I ordered [Sport] Minister Krasen …