Off the Pitch

England’s Lower Leagues Want Season Halted, Declared Null And Void As Pandemic Grows Ever Deadlier

Three of English soccer's minor leagues said on Friday they wanted their season halted and declared null and void due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Southern, Northern Premier and Isthmian Leagues — whose clubs form the seventh and eight tiers of the soccer system — issued a joint statement reviewing the implications of the latest government lockdown.

Mbappé And LeBron James Team Up For Special Edition Of LeBron 18 Sneakers

Kylian Mbappé and LeBron James caused a stir on the internet Tuesday when the two sports superstars suddenly swapped profile pictures on Instagram. 

For a moment, fans speculated if the changing of pictures was foreshadowing an Mbappé transfer to Liverpool as James is part of the Reds’ ownership group. ESPN FC stirred the pot a little more by repeating the rumor on Twitter.

Premier League Says It's Confident Season Will Continue Despite Record High 40 Covid Cases

The Premier League is reassuring fans that the season will continue after its latest round of COVID-19 testing produced 40 positive cases among players and staff in the past week. This is the highest amount of Premier League COVID cases reported since the start of the pandemic, breaking the previous week’s record of 18 positive cases.

Despite 58 positive cases since Dec. 21, the EPL said in a statement that the season will go ahead as scheduled.

Uruguay's Players' Union Fires Back At English FA For 'Discriminatory Act' Regarding Cavani’s Ban

Uruguay's players' union and big names like Luis Suarez and Diego Godín voiced their displeasure on Monday over the English Football Association's punishment given to Edinson Cavani. The Cavani ban drama appeared to be over after he had chosen not to contest the punishment, but now his international teammates are demanding that the FA overturns its decision.

Pope Francis Hails Diego Maradona As A Fragile Poet

ROME — Pope Francis has hailed fellow Argentine Diego Maradona as a "poet" on the pitch, but also acknowledged his frailty away from the sport.

In a wide-ranging interview with Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport published on Saturday, Francis recalled his own days playing soccer as a child with a ball made of rags and laid bare his scorn for doping cheats.

Francis is a big soccer fan and met Maradona, who died in November, several times after becoming pope in 2013.

With Burnley Under New Ownership, We Scout Some Potential Transfer Targets For The Club

The long-overdue Burnley takeover was finally finalized on Thursday, providing happy news to Burnley fans who were frustrated by their club's lack of transfer spending this year.

The biggest question is whether the Clarets will stray from their current transfer model: buying players playing in England, often from the Championship, for low fees and molding them into dependable Premier League starters (or better).

How Not To Run A Club: Valencia CF And Peter Lim

Javi Gracia's Valencia fell to a 2-1 defeat against Granada on Wednesday, the side's second consecutive loss. 

Game Respects Game — Star Alabama Running Back Explains Why He Looks Up To Megan Rapinoe

The U.S. women’s national team is the last topic college football fans expected to be discussed during Alabama’s press conference on Tuesday. Most of the discussion for the press conference focused on the Crimson Tide’s Rose Bowl playoff game against Notre Dame on New Year’s Day. 

The USWNT wasn’t brought up until Najee Harris, Alabama’s star running back, was asked about how Megan Rapinoe inspires him.

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