Andres Iniesta said goodbye to Japanese football on Saturday with his first league start of the season as title-chasing Vissel Kobe had to settle for a 1-1 draw at home to Consadole Sapporo. The 39-year-old midfielder joined Kobe from Barcelona in 2018 but has found playing time increasingly hard to come by with the latest appearance taking his playing just 94 minutes across 18 games this season. – Stream on…
The anti-discrimination “OneLove” captain’s armband banned at the men’s World Cup in Qatar will be worn in an amended version at the Women’s World Cup next month, although FIFA opted out entirely of the rainbow that is known as a symbol for LGBTQIA+ pride. FIFA unveiled eight armbands Friday that captains of the 32 teams can choose to wear in Australia and New Zealand during the tournament that runs July…
Thomas Hitzlsperger enjoyed a remarkable playing career, spanning 12 years and six clubs. His form across spells with Aston Villa, Stuttgart, Lazio, West Ham United, Wolfsburg and Everton as a marauding midfielder, saw him win 52 caps for Germany, while his ferocious left foot earned him the nickname “The Hammer.” After retiring from the sport in 2013, Hitzlsperger carved out a career as head of sport at Stuttgart and then…
Lionel Messi announcing that he is signing with Inter Miami CF has created plenty of conversation around what, exactly, he has gotten himself into. Major League Soccer is unique and full of quirks, but it’s far from the low-rent, retirement-league stereotype it’s often characterized as. This isn’t the MLS that David Beckham left behind a little more than a decade ago. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) When…
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…