France

DOHA — Clubs worldwide spent a record $9.63 billion on international transfers in 2023, an increase of nearly 50% compared to 2022, world soccer's governing body FIFA said in its Global Transfer Report published on Tuesday.

After transfer spending fell in 2020 and 2021 due to the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, outlays on players have only increased, with last year's total spend seeing an increase of 48.1% compared to 2022.

Former France and Arsenal striker Thierry Henry has spoken of his mental health battles, saying he "must have been in depression" throughout his career.

The 46-year-old ended his glittering 20-year club career in 2014, which also included stints at Monaco, Juventus, Barcelona and New York Red Bulls.

He scored 228 goals for Arsenal during his two spells, winning two Premier League titles before moving to Camp Nou, where he won a pair of LaLiga crowns and the Champions League.

Retired France defender Pascal Chimbonda has registered as a player for Skelmersdale United, the struggling ninth-tier English side the 44-year-old now manages, after collecting a touchline ban.

Chimbonda, who made one appearance for France in 2006 and played in the Premier League with Wigan Athletic, Tottenham Hotspur, Sunderland and Blackburn Rovers, retired in 2019.

He took over as manager of Skelmersdale last October, with the club now bottom of the North West Counties Football League Premier Division.

The Lindsey Horan red card in the UEFA Women’s Champions League on Thursday has made the rounds among USWNT fans. The star American was sent off during Lyon’s group stage game vs. Norway’s Brann.

Horan’s red card occurred in the 52nd minute when she was fouled by Brann’s Karoline Haugland. The 29-year-old Colorado native wasn’t pleased about the challenge and gave her opponent a shove.

Tensions continued to rise as words were exchanged with Haugland and then with the referee.

Lindsey Horan red card

The European Court of Justice ruled on Thursday that European soccer's governing body UEFA and its global counterpart FIFA breached EU law when they prevented 12 clubs from forming a European Super League (ESL).

WHAT IS THE EUROPEAN SUPER LEAGUE?

Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus plus nine other European major clubs announced the breakaway ESL -- a closed league -- in April 2021.

Sports development company A22 assisted with creating the ESL.

PARIS — Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappé scored twice to help the Ligue 1 leaders beat Metz 3-1 at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday and close out the year on a high as they maintained their five-point advantage at the top of the table.

Vitinha put the hosts in front early into the second half, scoring with his first touch, before Mbappé doubled the lead on the hour mark with a stunning shot from the edge of the box as the France forward celebrated his 25th birthday.

Kylian Mbappé goal vs Metz

FIFA announced on Sunday that its revamped Club World Cup, to be held for the first time in 2025, will feature 32 teams and will be played from mid-June to mid-July.

Following are details of how the tournament will work:

- The United States will host the 2025 edition of the expanded event, which will be held every four years thereafter.

- The tournament will have eight groups of four with the top two teams from each group going through to the knockout stages -- the same format as the 2022 World Cup.

We apologize for the extra clickbaity headline, but we’re serious when we say few people can explain the disallowed Rennes goal vs. Villarreal from Thursday’s Europa League action.

For complete transparency, the author writing this story wasn’t part of the 5% of people who could correctly explain why this goal wasn’t counted upon first viewing. Not even CBS’ commentators understood the Rennes’ stoppage time equalizer mystery.

Before we give you the answer, watch the clip for yourself.

Rennes disallowed goal vs. Villarreal

DORTMUND - Paris Saint-Germain drew 1-1 at Group F winners Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday to secure second place and a spot in the Champions League knockout stage in their final group match.

Both sides squandered a bagful of golden chances in a surprisingly goalless first half.

The hosts had the early chances but PSG gradually found spaces and threatened with Lee Kang-in in the 16th minute and Kylian Mbappé's effort which was cleared by Niklas Süle at the last moment a little later.

Niklas Süle clearance vs PSG