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RFEF to probe Madrid ref videos after complaint

The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has opened an investigation into Real Madrid TV’s broadcasting of videos criticising referees ahead of games, Sevilla said on Thursday. Sevilla filed a complaint on Feb. 24 before the two clubs met in LaLiga at the Bernabéu, claiming Real Madrid TV had undertaken a “campaign of persecution and harassment” against the referees due to take charge of the match. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga,…

USWNT beats Canada to reach W Gold Cup final, but should rain-soaked match have been played at all?

SAN DIEGO — Closer to water polo than a game of soccer, Wednesday’s Concacaf W Gold Cup semifinal win for the United States women’s national team over Canada played out as a bizarre rainy spectacle at Snapdragon Stadium. With stormy weather impacting a waterlogged field, any and all tactics immediately became irrelevant as 15,245 fans watched both sides fail to do much with a ball that became stuck every few…

Arsenal women avg. crowd exceeds 10 PL clubs

Arsenal’s victory over rivals Tottenham at a sold-out Emirates Stadium on Sunday means that the Women’s Super League (WSL) club’s average attendance this season (34,997) is now higher than that of 10 Premier League teams. The north London club – who sit third in the WSL table, three points behind Manchester City and league leaders Chelsea – have attracted 279,974 supporters to watch the team this season and have sold…

Barça defend equality policy after labour fine

Barcelona have rejected doubts cast on their commitment to gender equality policies after being fined an undisclosed sum by Spain’s labour ministry for not meeting workplace regulations. Spain’s vice president and labour minister Yolanda Díaz said on Wednesday that Barça — along with the Spanish Football Federation [RFEF] and two other lower-league clubs — failed to meet regulations obliging workplaces with at least 50 employees to have “equality plans” in…

Arsenal’s rout over Sheffield United shows winnable games are becoming routine

SHEFFIELD, England — There was a time when Arsenal struggled to justify favouritism on nights like this, but it is a measure of their transformation under manager Mikel Arteta that Sheffield United were cowering in fear before kick-off. Empty seats were dotted around Bramall Lane at kick-off with many home fans presumably fearing the worst after a torrid campaign to date. They weren’t wrong. Within 15 minutes, Martin Ødegaard, a…

Sources: Managers eye Utd amid Ten Hag doubt

Manchester United have been approached by representatives of several managers believing that Erik ten Hag could be removed from his post before the start of next season, sources have told ESPN. Ten Hag is under pressure following the 3-1 derby defeat to Manchester City on Sunday which left his team sixth on the Premier League table. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) The Dutchman has been told that…

Meet the other Lionel Messi: An 11-year-old who plays for São Paulo

Lionel Messi had just won his fourth FIFA Ballon d’Or in Jan. 2013 in Switzerland when the son of Eduardo Aparecido Ney da Silva was born a few days later in Campinas, in the countryside of São Paulo, Brazil. Two events that, although seemingly distant, are related. This relationship became even more curious in Feb. 2013 when the 11-year-old boy appeared on the Daily Informative Bulletin (BID) of the Brazilian…

Man United miles behind City, Real Madrid-Valencia drama, Liverpool’s late goal: Marcotti recaps the weekend

It’s been another action-packed weekend in European soccer, so let’s review. Sunday brought the Manchester derby and with it, a fresh reminder as to how far back Man United are from Pep Guardiola and Man City. Real Madrid returned to Valencia, where Vinicius was racially abused last season, and the 2-2 draw came with plenty of controversy on and off the pitch. Premier League leaders Liverpool got a late, late…

Man City’s comeback exposed chasm in class between derby rivals

MANCHESTER, England — By the end, the 192nd Manchester derby had provided a fair idea of where the city’s two biggest clubs are. Manchester City, dominant for so much of the afternoon at the Etihad Stadium, won 3-1 to stay in the hunt for a record fourth successive Premier League title. Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag, meanwhile, decided the only way his team could match their neighbours was to…

Transfer Talk: Barca join Man United, PSG in race for Bardghji

The summer transfer window is still a way from reopening in Europe, but there are plenty of moves in the works and gossip swirling around. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals! Barcelona have joined a swathe of European giants tracking FC Copenhagen starlet Roony Bardghji, according to Mundo Deportivo. Manchester United, Juventus, Chelsea, Bayer Leverkusen, Paris Saint-Germain and Real…