Controversial

MADRID — Brazil and Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr. said on Monday that he will keep on fighting racism even if his activism is what led to him not winning the Ballon d'Or, sources close to the player told Reuters.

Vinicius took to social media after finishing second in the prestigious award voting behind Spain and Manchester City midfielder Rodri.

Eu farei 10x se for preciso. Eles não estão preparados.

Vini Jr. is the people’s 2024 Ballon d’Or champ. If that makes it any better.

Monday morning struck the world with some of the biggest news of the year as reports revealed that ‘clear’ Ballon d’Or favorite, Vinicius Jr., was to not travel to Paris, France, for the prestigious award’s ceremony — meaning the star Brazilian and Real Madrid forward was imminently snubbed from taking the golden ball home.

BREAKING: Vinicius Jr will NOT travel to Paris as Real Madrid know he will NOT win the Ballon d’Or.

MADRID — Four people have been arrested and questioned in Spain on suspicion of conducting an online hate campaign encouraging fans to racially abuse Real Madrid star forward Vinicius Jr, police said on Thursday.

The men were detained on Oct. 14 and 15 then released as investigations continued into social media slogans which urged fans to wear face masks so they could insult the Black Brazil international without being identified, police added.

José Mourinho cheekily said he is looking to add a fourth Premier League medal to his glittering cabinet if Manchester City are stripped of their titles and rivals Manchester United are awarded the Premier League trophy for the 2017-18 season.

Mourinho, who won three titles with Chelsea, guided United to a second-place finish behind City in that campaign, 19 points behind Pep Guardiola's record-breaking side.

WOLVERHAMPTON, England, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Manchester City defender John Stones headed a controversial stoppage-time winner in a 2-1 victory at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday that took them top of the Premier League and set a club record of 31 league games unbeaten.

Champions City dominated possession from start to finish at Molineux, but were shocked in the seventh minute when a perfect cross from Nelson Semedo was met with a composed close-range finish by Wolves striker Jorgen Strand Larsen.

STOCKHOLM/PARIS — Allegations of rape against French footballer Kylian Mbappé are "totally false" and "a slanderous rumour", his representatives said, and his lawyer said he was beyond reproach, following media reports that Mbappé was the subject of an investigation over an incident in a Stockholm hotel on Oct. 10.

Mbappé rape rumors

Swedish prosecutors confirmed in a statement in response to the media coverage that a probe into an alleged rape at a hotel in central Stockholm had been opened, but they did not identify a suspect.

Nottingham Forest have been fined $979,500 and warned for misconduct in relation to a social media post criticizing the referee after their Premier League defeat by Everton last season, the Football Association said on Friday.

Forest were angered at being denied three penalty claims in the 2-0 loss and minutes after the game they issued a statement on Twitter accusing Video Assistant Referee (VAR) Stuart Attwell of being a Luton Town fan.

AC Milan took on yet another heartbreaking loss in the Serie A and fans are blaming Tammy Abraham for taking Pulisic off a penalty kick and missing it. This probably the last time that happens.

Christian Pulisic’s AC Milan is not having the best start to the 2024/25 season and their most-recent loss has fans worried over whether the squad is facing internal issues. This because of the now growing 'problem' of letting Pulisic take penalties. 

The Premier League will not postpone reigning champions Manchester City's opening games of the 2025-26 season to give players recovery time after the FIFA Club World Cup in the U.S., manager Pep Guardiola said.

Elite clubs are increasingly concerned at the impact of an expanding global football calendar on wellbeing of players, some of whom say they are struggling with the physical strain despite the enormous salaries they can earn.