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France’s highest administrative court said on Thursday that the country’s football federation is entitled to ban headscarves in competitions even though the measure can limit freedom of expression. The Council of State issued its ruling after a group of headscarf-wearing football players called “Les Hijabeuses” — the word hijab refers to the headscarf — campaigned against the ban and launched legal action. The ruling is likely to refuel the lingering…

We abbreviate history over time. As time passes, we sand down more edges and eliminate a few more details. At some point we arrived at a pretty straightforward summary of the evolution to modern soccer: The Dutch did the Total Football thing, Johan Cruyff taught it to Pep Guardiola and Pep Guardiola won eleventy kajillion trophies by perfecting it. AC Milan’s Arrigo Sacchi had his own version of that, Jose…

Espanyol have been ordered to play their first two matches of next season behind closed doors after supporters chased Barcelona players down the tunnel at the Stage Front Stadium in May. Hundreds of fans breached the security ring and entered the pitch following Barca’s 4-2 win, which saw Xavi Hernandez’s side clinch their first LaLiga title since 2019. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) Espanyol have said they…

Football players in Italy will be banned from wearing No. 88 as part of an initiative combating antisemitism, it was announced on Tuesday. The No. 88 is a numerical code for “Heil Hitler”; H is the eighth letter of the alphabet. In March, a fan wearing a Lazio shirt with the name “Hitlerson” and the No. 88 was banned for life from attending matches of the Roman club. The initiative,…

This summer was supposed to mark the start of a new era at Manchester United. Instead, so far, it’s been the same old story. Rather than new owners sweeping into Old Trafford to inject new life into a sleeping giant of a football club, supporters have seen their rivals take the first steps in the transfer window. Of the Premier League’s traditional top six — which has expanded to seven…

Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich will not renew a much-criticised sponsorship deal with Qatar Airways after it expires at the end of June, it was announced on Wednesday. The club said the deal would end by mutual consent after five years and that the “connections forged with fans in the Arab world through Qatar Airways would remain.” – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) Bayern have drawn criticism over the…

Squads are convening, warm-up games are kicking off and players will soon be boarding flights to Australia and New Zealand with less than a month until the 2023 Women’s World Cup starts in Auckland. Yet with time ticking down to the opening game on July 20, at least two participating nations are still locked in significant disputes with their federations. Much was made of Canada’s threat to strike ahead of…

Rapper Stormzy has teamed up with Crystal Palace striker Wilfried Zaha to buy ninth-tier English soccer side Croydon Athletic, the club said on Tuesday. Zaha was born in the Ivory Coast but grew up in Croydon from the age of four, while Grime sensation Stormzy also hails from the London borough. The duo have joined forces with former Palace head of player care Danny Young to buy the club. –…

Tottenham Hotspur are in advanced talks with Leicester City over the transfer of midfielder James Maddison, sources told ESPN. Spurs have tracked Maddison, 26, for several seasons, and new manager Ange Postecoglou is thought to be keen on the move. Sources told ESPN that negotiations are ongoing, with the two sides are still trying to find mutual ground on the transfer fee. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)…

Scan the field after a Washington Spirit match, when players, staff and family gather to debrief and swap stories, and team owner Michele Kang is almost certain to be holding court. Kang is at most games, home and away. It is hardly the life once imagined by the investor and philanthropist who made her name (and fortune) in the field of health information technology. “If you asked me even three…