DOHA — FIFA officials will look to put aside division and controversy and turn the focus to this year's World Cup finals when they hold their annual congress in the Qatari capital on Thursday.
For the past year, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has been under fire from critics, particularly in Europe, over his proposals to turn the World Cup from an event held every four years to a biennial tournament.
Pernille Harder and Magdalena Eriksson are icons in the women’s soccer world, not just for their accomplishments on the pitch but for the way they’re openly gay in a world that isn’t always accepting of LGBTQ+ people. But even they have heroes, and this week they spoke with one of their role models, USWNT star Megan Rapinoe.
Editor’s Note: See update at bottom.
The Orlando Pride are, by their very name, a symbol of the LGBTQ+ community. Many of the Pride’s most prominent players have been gay, and Exploria Stadium includes 49 rainbow-colored seats as a memorial to the victims of the 2016 Pulse nightclub mass shooting. But apparently, the word “gay” is too political for the team.
Vinícius Jr. is lighting up LaLiga 2021-22. The talented 21-year-old is becoming a crucial resource for Real Madrid, and he is also demonstrating why he's the best Brazilian forward in Europe. His recent performance against Mallorca was one to watch, scoring and breaking some rivals' hips.
Sadly, the visit to Son Moix was far from being perfect. All because of a group of racist idiots who decided to attack him.
Black Players for Change formed in response to nationwide protests following the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in 2020. An independent organization of more than 170 players, coaches and staff in Major League Soccer, the BPC aims to “bridge the racial equality gap” in American society.
On Thursday, MLS announced one of the organization’s biggest wins yet, a $25 million loan from a syndicate of Black banks. The landmark deal will help bridge that racial economic gap in ways never done before in American professional sports.
Ex-Ukraine striker Andriy Shevchenko called on Thursday for more aid and other measures in support of victims of the Russian invasion of his homeland.
Widely regarded as his country's greatest ever player, Shevchenko said global soccer authorities had done the right thing in banning Russia from international competitions, though the sport was currently the last thing on his mind.
The decision by FIFA on Feb. 28, 2022, to suspend Russia from international competition — a move that could see the national team excluded from the 2022 FIFA World Cup — breaks with a tradition of inaction by soccer’s world governing body over the ethical failings of member states.
According to U.S. intelligence reports, Russia has encountered far more resistance than it anticipated in its invasion of Ukraine while also overestimating its ability to win a propaganda war in the region.
The athletes of Ukraine have helped on both fronts by actively taking up arms against the Russian invaders and by using their massive platforms to educate us all on their nation's desire for peace, freedom and democracy in the face of such a horrific assault.
The Czech Republic will not play a potential soccer World Cup qualifier against Russia following their invasion of Ukraine, the Czech FA said on Sunday.