Asia

W-League Striker Retires To Be With Ill Partner, Who Proposed After She Scored In Her Final Game

MELBOURNE — Former Australia striker Rhali Dobson bowed out of professional soccer with a goal for Melbourne City on Thursday before saying 'yes' to a surprise pitchside marriage proposal from her partner Matt Stonham, who is battling cancer.

Dobson, 28, announced her retirement from Australia's W-League this week so she could return to New South Wales state to support Stonham, who was diagnosed with brain cancer several years ago and is set to undergo aggressive treatment.

Chinese Football In Chaos After CSL Champion Jiangsu FC Ends Operations

BEIJING - Chinese football was thrown into disarray on Sunday as the owners of reigning Chinese Super League champions Jiangsu FC announced the club would cease operations with immediate effect.

A post on Jiangsu's official WeChat account expressed hope of new backers or that a "company of insight" would be willing to consult on the team's future.

The announcement stated all of owners Suning Group's football clubs, including the hugely successful Jiangsu Suning Women, would "cease operations from today.”

Once An Afterthought, Australia Has Become A Covid-Free Utopia For International Footballers

Located in the far northern reaches of the Iberian Peninsula, Basque Country is a small autonomous district in Spain (and a small sliver of France) known for its unique language and cultural practices.

Two of the biggest soccer clubs in the region, Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao, feature lineups based heavily around home-grown talent, with Bilbao even enforcing a strict Basque-only policy at the club since 1912.

Australia, Qatar Pull Out Of This Summer’s Copa América

Australia and Qatar, the two non-South American sides due to take part in this year's Copa América, have pulled out of the tournament, the secretary general of the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) said on Tuesday.

The two teams were set to join 10 others from South America in the tournament, which will be hosted by Argentina and Colombia in June and July.

"Qatar and Australia will not come to play in the Copa América," Gonzalo Belloso told Argentine radio station Radio Red.

Biter Goes After Player's Ribs Like They’re Slathered In Sweet-Tinged Tomato Sauce

Edu Bedia is one of the biggest names in the Indian Super League. The 31-year-old Spanish midfielder — after stints with Racing Santander, Barcelona B, 1860 Munich and Real Zaragoza — has been with FC Goa since 2017 and now serves as the club’s captain. 

In China, Devoted Fans Are Fighting To Keep Corporate Sponsors On Club Names

HONG KONG — When the Chinese Super League (CSL) kicks off its 2021 season much will have changed since Jiangsu Suning defeated Guangzhou Evergrande to claim their first title in early December.

The imposition of a neutral name rule, first mooted two years ago, by Chinese football authorities means professional clubs must remove references to corporate sponsors from team names and crests ahead of the new season, which is expected to start in April.

Los Botines Rosa De André-Pierre Gignac Llevan A Tigres A Las Semifinales Del Mundial De Clubes

Los historiadores del fútbol dicen que el danés Nicklas Bendtner, en el año 2008, fue el primer futbolista en usar botines rosa dentro de un campo de juego. Decenas lo siguieron: Franck Ribéry, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Jaime Vardy y Kylian Mbappé, por nombrar unos pocos. Hoy, en el Mundial de Clubes de la FIFA, André-Pierre Gignac siguió el testimonio y con rosa en los pies lideró a Tigres en la victoria por 2-1 sobre el Ulsan Hyundai de Corea del Sur.

Gignac Rallies Tigres Into Club World Cup Semis, Doesn’t Look Too Thrilled About It

Mexican side Tigres UANL secured a place in the FIFA Club World Cup semifinals with a 2-1 comeback win over South Korea's Ulsan Hyundai thanks to first-half goals from French striker Andre-Pierre Gignac in Al Rayyan, Qatar on Thursday.

Tigres, who won their maiden Concacaf Champions League title last year, will next face Brazil's Copa Libertadores winners Palmeiras for a place in next week's final.

ISL Coach Fired For ‘Unacceptable’ Rape Comments

Indian Super League (ISL) side Odisha have sacked head coach Stuart Baxter for making "unacceptable" comments referencing rape in a post-match interview.

Baxter, who was previously South Africa's head coach, said after his team's 1-0 defeat by Jamshedpur on Monday that one of his players "would have to rape someone or get raped himself if he was going to get a penalty."

Odisha issued an apology on Monday, saying they were "appalled at the comments", which were "completely unacceptable whatever the context."

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