FIFA's appointment of supermodel Adriana Lima as its global fan ambassador in a Women's World Cup year is "baffling" and sends the wrong message to players and fans, former FIFA Council member Moya Dodd said.
Brazilian Lima will "develop, promote and participate in several global initiatives" in her role as FIFA's first global fan ambassador, the governing body said in a statement on Monday.
MANCHESTER, England - It was Groundhog Day for Barcelona at Old Trafford on Thursday as Manchester United fought back to earn a 2-1 win that knocked the Spanish side out of the Europa League, leaving the Catalans licking their wounds after another continental failure.
Last season they also ended up in the Europa League playoffs after finishing third in their Champions League group and were knocked out of Europe's second tier competition in the quarterfinals after a 3-2 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt at Camp Nou.
Major League Soccer's ambition of being a true player in the world's club game by the 2026 World Cup is slowly being realized.
The league's 28th season kicks off Saturday with a new team (St. Louis City SC), a new 10-year partnership with Apple TV (worth $250M per season) that's available in over 100 countries and Tuesday's announcement of a three-year extension with Audi that pays a multimillion-dollar fee annually.
FIFA 23 marks the end of a 30-year era after Electronic Arts balked at the international governing body's demand of one billion dollars for a license renewal, paving the way for EA Sports FC 24 and beyond.
What bold new direction will EA take now that its longstanding relationship with FIFA is over?
LONDON - Qatari investors are preparing to make a bid to buy Premier League club Manchester United in the coming days, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing sources familiar with the deal.
The report added that the consortium will submit an initial bid for the club by the end of the week, and that officials from Qatar Investment Authority are helping with preparations for the bid.
MANCHESTER, England - Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola claimed his squad depth is the lowest in the Premier League after Sunday's victory over Aston Villa left his side just three points off the top.
Goals by Rodri and İlkay Gündoğan and a penalty by Riyad Mahrez sealed a 3-1 win at the end of a week in which the champions were charged with more than 100 cases of alleged financial wrongdoing by the Premier League.
BERLIN - A future European Super League could include as many as 80 teams, Bernd Reichart, the chief executive of A22 Sports Management, a company formed to sponsor and assist in the creation of a breakaway soccer league, said on Thursday.
In a statement outlining the preliminary results of talks that A22 had with what it said was 50 European clubs and stakeholders of football, the company said change was necessary.
The Premier League has referred Manchester City to an independent commission over more than 100 alleged breaches of finance rules since the club were acquired by the Abu Dhabi-based City Football Group.
League rules state that charges such as those faced by City could, if proved, result in a club being expelled from the Premier League in the worst-case scenario.
Offending clubs may alternately be deducted points, fined, or reprimanded.
MELBOURNE - Former New Zealand international Maia Jackman said Saudi sponsorship of the Women's World Cup would be in "complete opposition" to female empowerment and set back her work as an ambassador for the tournament.
Australia and New Zealand, co-hosts of this year's World Cup, wrote to global soccer governing body FIFA on Wednesday seeking urgent clarification after The Guardian reported Visit Saudi will be named as a major sponsor of the tournament.
MILAN - Shares in Juventus tumbled some 10% on Monday after Italian soccer authorities docked the club 15 points for its transfer dealings, in a blow to its reputation and short-term sporting prospects.
Juventus, who have won the Italian league more times than any other club, are now 9th in the Serie A standings and face an uphill struggle to qualify for lucrative European competition.
Juventus drew 3-3 with Atalanta on Sunday night in their home city of Turin in their first game since the punishment was announced late on Friday.