Human Interest

If soccer never comes back, then at least we saw an enticing match south of the border at Estadio Azteca on Sunday night.

Major sports league across the world have suspended their seasons in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. A few leagues held out longer than others, including Liga MX, the Brasileiro and Australian A-League, albeit without fans present in stadiums. By Sunday, however, both Mexico and Brazil announced they would suspend their national leagues.

French federation president Noel Le Graet urged the presidents of Lyon and Marseille to stop bickering about whether the Ligue 1 season should be declared null and void amid the coronavirus outbreak. The season has been postponed indefinitely as French authorities try to contain the spread of the coronavirus, which on Saturday had infected 4,499 and killed 91 people in the country. 

"I ask them to regain their composure... and to show dignity," Le Graet told French TV channel TF1 on Sunday. 

Jan Vertonghen's family was robbed at knifepoint in their London home while the Tottenham Hotspur defender was on Champions League duty against RB Leipzig in Germany on Tuesday night, the BBC reported. The report said police had confirmed that four men wearing balaclavas forced their way into the house while Vertonghen's wife and children were inside.

Wayne Rooney has criticized England's football authorities over how long they took to suspend matches in the country amid the coronavirus outbreak, saying it felt like players were being treated like "guinea pigs.” 

The Premier League, English Football League, Women's Super League and men and women's FA Cup competitions were suspended on Friday following an emergency meeting sparked by Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta testing positive for the virus a day earlier. 

UEFA will hold a video conference meeting of all 55 football federations in Europe plus representatives of clubs, leagues and players to discuss the impact of the coronavirus on all football in the region including Euro 2020, it said Thursday. 

UEFA has so far declined to discuss whether Euro 2020, which will be held in 12 different countries around Europe between June 12 and July 12, will be postponed or venues altered. 

UEFA said the meeting would be held next Tuesday and that "discussions will include all domestic and European competitions, including UEFA EURO 2020". 

With the World Health Organization declaring a pandemic and the United States confirming more than 1,000 cases of infection, Major League Soccer is set to announce a suspension of play until further notice to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

President Donald Trump has also announced that the U.S. is temporarily suspending most travel from Europe, including 26 different countries for 30 days, in an effort to combat the virus. 

After having its match on Saturday postponed due to the coronavirus, PSG will now play its Champions League Round of 16 second leg against Borussia Dortmund behind closed doors at the Parc des Princes.

With the virus rapidly spreading through France, the French Police announced Monday that Wednesday’s Champions League match will take place with no fans present. The police and PSG’s Twitter accounts broke the news to fans and will now work out terms and conditions for refunds.

Members of the U.S. women's national soccer team voiced frustration on Sunday in the ongoing back-and-forth with their federation over pay equality, as a May 5 trial date in their well-publicized lawsuit against U.S. Soccer inched closer. 

At issue was a letter to membership released on Saturday in which U.S. Soccer President Carlos Cordeiro said the federation "offered to provide identical compensation to our women's and men's players for all matches controlled by U.S. Soccer." 

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Eric Dier's decision to confront a fan in the stands after their defeat by Norwich City in the FA Cup on Wednesday was borne out of frustration with his team's poor performances, former England defender Paul Parker said. England international Dier appeared to be upset at something said after the game and climbed into the crowd, climbing over seats and confronting a home fan before he was restrained by security guards and other fans.