The global professional football players’ union FIFPRO has written to FIFA calling for parity in conditions, facilities and prize money between the men’s and women’s World Cups. The letter, seen by ESPN, was sent by FIFPRO to FIFA president Gianni Infantino in October, a month before the start of the men’s 2022 World Cup. News of the letter was first reported by The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, just four…
LaLiga president Javier Tebas feels “ashamed” by “the worst reputational crisis” he can remember in Spanish football as Barcelona face corruption charges for payments made to the former vice president of the refereeing committee. Prosecutors last week alleged Barca had sought favourable treatment from match officials as part of an agreement which saw them pay Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira around €7 million between 2001 and 2018. – Stream on ESPN+:…
The United States men’s national team will play Mexico in an exhibition on April 19 at Glendale, Arizona. The match announced Tuesday is not on a FIFA fixture date, meaning many if not all Europe-based players will not be available, a group that includes most starters from last year’s World Cup roster. The U.S., with its full player pool available, has CONCACAF Nations League matches at Grenada on March 24…
Inter Milan reached the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time in more than a decade after surviving a late barrage of pressure at Porto to escape with a 0-0 draw which took them through 1-0 on aggregate on Tuesday. It was a disappointing night for the home fans at a sold-out Dragao stadium as the Portuguese champions tried in vain to wipe out the narrow deficit from the first…
Liverpool followed up their historic 7-0 win over Manchester United with a 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth — classic Liverpool — while Borussia Dortmund’s title hopes took a hit and Kai Havertz came up big for a Chelsea side in need of heroes. ESPN correspondents Mark Ogden, Rob Dawson, Julien Laurens, Sam Marsden, Mike Wise and James Tyler break down the most interesting and important stuff you need to know about…
Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich and MLS Cup champions Los Angeles FC will form a joint venture in a bid to bolster their respective player development efforts, the clubs announced Monday. The venture, which the two organizations are calling a “global soccer development cooperation” is named “Red&Gold Football” and will be based in Munich, Germany. Each club will own 50% of the venture’s shares. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more…
As well as finding themselves just 11 games from clinching the Premier League title, Arsenal reasserted their local superiority on Sunday after cantering to a comfortable 3-0 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage. A hat trick of assists laid on by Leandro Trossard set up goals for Gabriel, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard as the Gunners easily dispatched their cross-town neighbours, and the result pushed them five points clear of…
The Professional Game Match Officials Board (PGMOL) is perplexed at reports that Nottingham Forest have submitted a dossier of evidence highlighting refereeing errors in their Premier League games this season, sources told ESPN, with only two pieces of evidence submitted. Forest have been aggrieved at several refereeing decisions, including during last weekend’s 2-2 draw against Everton when boss Steve Cooper felt key calls went against his team. – Stream on…
Miguel Almiron came off the bench to secure a 2-1 victory for Newcastle United over Wolverhampton Wanderers to move them into fifth place in the Premier League on Sunday. Left out of the starting lineup by manager Eddie Howe, Almiron got his chance in the 68th minute and made his mark 11 minutes later with a superbly-taken goal to boost Newcastle’s top-four hopes. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more…
A former Accrington Stanley defender and an ex-Portsmouth fan favourite are among the English exports set to feature for foreign clubs when the Europa League last 16 begins on Thursday. Elsewhere, a former Tottenham youth winger faces Spurs’ fiercest rivals and two players on the periphery of Gareth Southgate’s England squad are looking to help Jose Mourinho lift another European trophy. BBC Sport takes a closer look. Having come through…