Off the Pitch

There Are More Muslim Football Players In Europe’s Top Leagues Than You Might Realize

Football is the world’s game, the beautiful game. Whether you call it football or soccer, it is the most egalitarian sport in the world, one that doesn’t care if you’re rich or poor, black or white, male or female, straight or gay or anywhere on the spectrum of these categories. So it should be of no surprise there are plenty of Muslim football players all over the world.

One’s personal beliefs have no effect on how one plays the game of football. Likewise, fans should never discriminate players based on his or her religious beliefs. 

FOX Won A Sports Emmy For Its World Cup Coverage And We’re Not Really Sure Why

FOX, for all its issues covering the 2018 World Cup in Russia (and there were a lot of them), was given a Sports Emmy award on Monday for its coverage of the event.

FOX was awarded “Outstanding Trans-Media Sports Coverage” for the 2018 World Cup, combining the coverage from FOX, FS1 and FoxSports.com at the Sports Emmy Awards on Monday night in New York.  

How Game Of Thrones Viewership Numbers Stack Up With Soccer In The U.S.

Game of Thrones is over, the fate of the Iron Throne decided. Like this recent Premier League season, the final six episodes of HBO’s smash hit were full of twists and turns before coming to a slightly unsatisfying end. But how do Game of Thrones viewership numbers stack up against the Premier League and other soccer events?

These Hospital Gowns Made From Famous Players’ Jerseys Are The Best Thing You’ll See This Week

No one likes to have to go to the hospital. Whether it’s illness, injury or visiting a loved one, hospitals can be scary places, especially for kids.

But thanks to a new initiative from the Spanish football magazine Panenka and the creative agency We Are Xuxa, children are being given new strength at hospitals across Spain. 

Called Las Batas Más Fuertas, the inspiring collaboration is converting soccer jerseys into hospital gowns for children.  

‘G Is For Golazo’ More Than Just A Cool Children’s Book

Finding a good soccer children's book can be difficult for true fans of the beautiful game. You want something easily accessible for a youngster, but you don’t want something condescending or trifling.

Fortunately, there’s “G is for Golazo: The Ultimate Soccer Alphabet,” a kid’s picture book released Tuesday by Triumph Books. 

“G is for Golazo” is a follow-up to “B is for Baller,” a similar idea for basketball. In this soccer children's book, author James Littlejohn pulls into more than 100 years of soccer references to go through the English alphabet.

Chicharito’s New Hair Is Dangerously Cheesy

Javier Hernandez has gone through his share of hairstyles. The latest Chicharito hair color has to be the best. 

Hernandez made a bizarre post on Instagram on Friday night, less than 48 hours before West Ham’s season-finale against Watford. Sporting a surprised look and a bag of Flaming Hot Cheetos, Chicharito debuted a bright orange hairdo.

Iker Casillas, 37, Suffers Heart Attack During Training, In Stable Condition

Iker Casillas, the World Cup-winning goalkeeper with Spain and three-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid, suffered a suspected heart attack during a morning training session with Porto on Wednesday. 

Casillas, 37, was taken to a local hospital in Porto and is in stable condition and “out of danger.”

Footballers Pay Tribute To Notre-Dame Cathedral, But Neymar’s Was Weird

There was some good news on Tuesday. In the aftermath of the Notre-Dame fire, which is being viewed as an accident and not arson, the iconic Paris landmark remains structurally sound. France president Emmanuel Macron vowed the cathedral would be rebuilt and millions of Euros are pouring in to aid the effort. 

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