Human Interest

FIFA announced an emergency, temporary change to the substitution rule on Friday, allowing teams five replacements per match, instead of the regular three. The change was a quick reaction to expected fixture congestion as leagues attempt to complete seasons after months-long delays caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic. While a fifth option off the bench will certainly help players, the FIFA substitutions rule change highlights how little shits world football’s governing body gives about head injuries.

Ajax is not immune to the financial strain caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the club will not be strong-armed into cut-price deals for their players in the upcoming transfer window, chief executive Edwin van der Sar said. 

The Dutch club has built a reputation as the "talent factory" of European football over the last two decades and earned about $161.7 million last summer as Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt secured high-profile moves to Barcelona and Juventus, respectively. 

Looking back, it doesn’t feel like willful ignorance so much as a conditioned belief in the unstoppable machinations of American life. The stories from Northern Italy painted a more dramatic and horrific picture than the morbid curiosity we’d afforded Wuhan, but even as the coronavirus infiltrated America and began to make its presence felt in New York City and Seattle, the existential threat to our day-to-day life, especially here in Middle America, remained non-existent. 

Sporting events in the Netherlands will have to take place without fans in attendance until there is a vaccine for the novel coronavirus, Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said. 

The global pandemic has infected over 41,000 people in the Netherlands and caused 5,288 deaths. 

Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Wednesday organized sport could resume from Sept. 1, but de Jonge said mass gatherings would not be allowed until a vaccine had been developed. 

Former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra discussed one of the hardest moments of his career on his former club’s latest podcast. On Monday, Evra recounted his 2011 encounter with former Liverpool striker Luis Suárez, giving more details on when the Uruguayan racially abused him during a Premier League match.

Ten people have tested positive for coronavirus in more than 1,700 tests carried out by Germany's professional soccer league (DFL) at its 36 clubs ahead a planned resumption of full training, it said on Monday. 

The DFL, which tested players and coaching staff at the Bundesliga and 2.Bundesliga teams, did not identify those who had tested positive or their clubs and said the cases had been reported to health authorities. 

Players will need at least four weeks to regain match fitness once coronavirus lockdown measures are lifted and they are able to resume training, FK Partizan coach Savo Milosevic said on Sunday. 

The 46-year old former Yugoslavia striker, who scored 37 goals in 102 internationals and won the 1996 English League Cup with Aston Villa, pointed out that a return to normal training would be gradual. 

The Premier League and its clubs are "frightened to death" about publicly backing the resumption of the season as they do not want to be held liable if someone dies because of the coronavirus, television pundit Gary Neville said on Sunday. 

Professional soccer has been suspended since mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic which has infected over 182,000 people in the United Kingdom, killing more than 28,000. 

Premier League leaders Liverpool said they were "disappointed" by the city's mayor saying the season should not be restarted even behind closed doors because of the risk of fans gathering outside Anfield. 

Liverpool were 25 points clear of closest rivals Manchester City, who have a game in hand, when the league was suspended in March and need only two wins to secure their first top flight title in 30 years. Premier League clubs are set to meet on Friday to discuss ways to finish the season, with some already back in individual training. 

The coronavirus is proving to be stubborn as the world fights to return to normalcy, but it turns out there's one thing stronger than COVID-19 — Cesc Fàbregas' 95-year-old great-grandmother. The Monaco midfielder tweeted out his thanks to all the doctors and nurses who helped her recover on Wednesday.