Human Interest

Former France international Thierry Henry said on Friday he will be disabling his social media accounts to protest against the platforms for not taking action over anonymous account holders who are guilty of racism and bullying online.

Former Arsenal and Barcelona striker henry, who has 15 million followers across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, said the platforms needed to tackle these issues with the same effort they put into taking down material that infringes copyright.

Over the years FIFA has been opposed to players, teams and fans engaging in protests or sloganeering but it seems global soccer's governing body is perhaps now prepared to tolerate a blurring of the line it once drew between politics and sport.

On Wednesday, Norway's national team players wore T-shirts declaring "Human rights - on and off the pitch" as they lined up before their World Cup qualifier against Gibraltar, and the following day Germany made a similar protest before its qualifier against Iceland in Duisburg.

Boulder, Colorado is The18’s home. Personally, I lived in the south of town for three years.

I can’t tell you how many times I gathered my cleats and balls and set out for the soccer field behind Creekside Elementary. On that sparse lawn in the shadow of the foothills everything would fade, leaving only the soothing tranquility of leather on reinforced rubber. 

ROME - The great-grandson of Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini has signed his first professional contract with Serie A soccer team Lazio.

Romano Floriani Mussolini, 18, was called up to the Roman club’s Under-19 team in February and has featured in four of their last five matches, earning a three-year deal.

The teenager, son of Alessandra Mussolini, a former member of the European parliament for the Forza Italia party, posted a picture of himself signing a contract on his Instagram page, where he goes by the name Romano Floriani.

Cesare Prandelli has resigned as manager of Fiorentina after a disappointing second spell in charge, the Serie A club confirmed on Tuesday.

The former Italy national team coach returned to Florence to take over from Giuseppe Iachini in November, managing the club for the second time following a spell between 2005 and 2010. But the veteran coach's return did not go to plan as he oversaw just five league wins to leave Fiorentina languishing in 14th in the Serie A standings and, in a lengthy resignation letter, he hinted this job could be his last.

AMSTERDAM - The Netherlands team hope that this week’s start of the World Cup qualifiers in Europe will highlight the plight of migrant workers in Qatar and help to improve their working conditions.

"A lot of attention is now focused on whether we should go there if we qualify," coach Frank de Boer told a news conference on the eve of his team’s opening Group G match against Turkey in Istanbul, amid growing controversy at home over Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 finals. 

STOCKHOLM - AC Milan's Zlatan Ibrahimović shed a few tears of pride as he returned to Sweden's national team after a four-year absence for their World Cup qualifiers and recounted how his son did not want him to leave home to join up with Janne Andersson's squad.

The 39-year-old, who quit international football after Euro 2016, choked up when he was asked what his boys, Maximilian, 14, and 12-year-old Vincent, thought of his decision to answer his country's call again and return to the world stage.