Human Interest

Chelsea striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang clarified his comments on Mikel Arteta after a video showed him criticizing the Arsenal manager, saying that he had "a lot of bad feelings" for the north London club at that time but wishes them well now.

The video, which was leaked on social media, showed Aubameyang saying "Big characters and big players... he can't deal with it. He needs some young players who don't say anything" as the Gabon international spoke about Arteta.

Bayern Munich defender Alphonso Davies has suffered a skull contusion after he was kicked in the head during Saturday's draw with Borussia Dortmund, the Bundesliga champions said on Sunday.

Davies, 21, was challenging Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham for the ball towards the end of the first half and his head came into contact with the English midfielder's raised boot.

England and the United States will come together to show their support for the victims of the abuse scandal that has rocked the U.S. National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) when the countries meet in a friendly on Friday, Lionesses forward Beth Mead said.

An independent investigation this week showed abuse and misconduct "had become systemic" in the American top-flight and that the league, teams and governing body U.S. Soccer failed to adequately protect players.

MALANG, Indonesia - Andi Hariyanto says he will never watch a football match again after his wife, two teenage daughters and a cousin were crushed to death in a stampede at an Indonesian stadium last week.

Watching local team Arema FC play on Saturday was a special outing for soccer fan Andi's family, including his two-year-old son.

NYON, Switzerland - Ukraine has joined Spain and Portugal in their bid to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) said on Wednesday, in what they hailed as an act of European solidarity.

They said the decision, announced at a news conference at the Swiss headquarters of UEFA, had the full support of European soccer's governing body and also of the Spanish, Portuguese and Ukrainian governments.

"Our bid is not an Iberian bid anymore, it's a European bid," Luis Rubiales, president of the RFEF, said. 

MALANG — Dozens of Indonesian police were placed under investigation on Monday over a stampede at a soccer match that killed 125 people, as authorities sought to determine what caused one of the world's deadliest stadium disasters and who was to blame.

Panicked spectators were crushed on Saturday as they tried to flee the overcrowded stadium in Malang, East Java, after police fired tear gas to disperse fans of Arema FC, who had poured onto the pitch after a 3-2 home defeat to Persebaya Surabaya.

Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi will become the first female official to take charge of a Serie A match when Sassuolo host Salernitana on Sunday, the Italian Referees' Association (AIA) said.

Ferrieri Caputi became the first woman to officiate a top-level Italian match last year when Cagliari played Cittadella in the Coppa Italia. She joined Serie A's officiating team in July.

"This is a historic moment," AIA president Alfredo Trentalange told a news conference on Wednesday.

Racism in soccer reared its ugly head on Tuesday during a friendly game between Brazil and Tunisia when fans of the African nation threw a banana at Richarlison while he celebrated a goal.

Fans Throw Banana At Richarlison

Richarlison scoring for Brazil today against Tunisia and a banana was thrown in front of him during the celebrations. Sickening stuff and no need for these type of racist fans at matches. pic.twitter.com/DQlKIBcMTm

One small step for Luís Figo, one giant leap for... well, I'm not sure who really benefits from this situation apart from Luís Figo and the seven players who got to set a world record for the highest football match ever at 20,230 feet in zero-gravity.

It's pretty crazy to think that Estadio Hernando Siles in La Paz, Bolivia, isn't all that far behind at 11,932 feet.

But Figo, along with a team of footballers from across Europe, Latin America and the Middle East, set the new Guinness World Record inside an aircraft that contained a pitch measuring 807 square feet.