Syndicated Content

Major League Soccer on Friday launched a formal review of Inter Miami's signing of midfielder Blaise Matuidi.

According to a brief statement issued by the league, the investigation will focus on whether the signing in August 2020 complied with MLS salary budget and roster guidelines. The league said it will make no further comment until completion of its investigation.

BERLIN — Borussia Dortmund suffered a major blow on Friday when Jadon Sancho, Raphael Guerreiro and Giovanni Reyna were ruled out of Saturday's Bundesliga game at champions Bayern Munich, the club said on Twitter.

Winger Sancho and midfielder Guerreiro had been taken off with minor muscle injuries in their midweek German Cup quarter-final win and have not fully recovered yet.

It was not clear why American teenager Reyna had not joined the squad on the trip to Munich.

MANCHESTER, England — Football's rulemaker IFAB has changed the laws of the game so that accidental handballs leading to a teammate scoring will no longer be penalized.

It was previously the case that a handball would be given if the ball touched a player's or a teammate's hand or arm immediately before a goal was scored or a goalscoring opportunity was created.

SAO PAULO — Former Brazilian soccer star Pele was vaccinated against Covid-19 on Tuesday, the same day that a record 1,641 people were reported to have died in the South American nation after contracting the virus.

Pele posted a picture of him receiving the vaccination on Instagram giving a thumbs up sign.

TURIN — Cristiano Ronaldo marked his 600th league appearance with his 20th Serie A goal of the season as Juventus beat Spezia 3-0 on Tuesday to move within three points of second-placed AC Milan.

The Portuguese guided in his side's third goal late on after Alvaro Morata and Federico Chiesa had struck earlier in the second half to put Andrea Pirlo's side in a commanding position. Ronaldo, who also hit the post with an effort in the first half, became the first player to score at least 20 goals in each of the last 12 seasons in Europe's top five leagues.

AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimović has defended his controversial appearance at Italy's Sanremo music festival and reiterated his belief that athletes like Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James should stay out of politics.

The 39-year-old Swede has received criticism for agreeing to participate in four nights of the annual song contest in Liguria this week, as his club have Serie A fixtures on Wednesday and Sunday.

VICHTE, Belgium — A Porsche car owned by Argentina's soccer great Diego Maradona during his "forgotten" final season in Europe will go under the hammer this week.

Maradona drove the 1992 silver Porsche 911 to and from training and matches when he was playing for Spanish club Sevilla in the 1992-93 season, his last in Europe, after serving a 15-month ban over a failed drugs test.

MUNICH — Bundesliga top scorer Robert Lewandowski and Serge Gnabry both struck twice as Bayern Munich crushed Cologne 5-1 in the Bundesliga on Saturday to earn their first win in three league games and go five points clear at the top.

The champions, who next week face Borussia Dortmund, are on 52 points, with Leipzig, second on 47, taking on Borussia Moenchengladbach later on Saturday.

VfL Wolfsburg remained in third place with a 2-0 victory over Hertha Berlin.

Werder Bremen's United States forward Josh Sargent scored the winner as his struggling side came from a goal down at halftime to beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 in the Bundesliga on Friday and hand the visitors a first league defeat of the year.

Victory moved Werder eight points above the relegation zone while ending fourth-placed Frankfurt’s 11-match unbeaten run in the Bundesliga, stretching back to early December.