Off the Pitch

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.

The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) said Nigeria were to blame for the postponement of Tuesday's scheduled Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Benghazi after the visitors refused to play the match citing mistreatment on arrival in the country.

Nigerian players and officials were kept in a locked airport for over 16 hours almost 150 miles away from their intended destination after their charter flight was redirected while on approach to Benghazi and instead landed in Bayda.

BRUSSELS, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Players have never been closer to going on strike amid growing discontent towards soccer's governing bodies, notably FIFA and its revamped Club World Cup that is being compared to a 'Super League', the head of players' union FIFPRO Europe said on Monday.

David Terrier was speaking to Reuters after FIFPRO Europe, the European Leagues association and Spain's LaLiga accused FIFA of "abuse" as they filed a joint complaint about the global governing body's international match schedule to European Union antitrust regulators.

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.

The Houston Dash signed 17-year-old midfielder Zoe Matthews on Friday, making her the youngest player in franchise history.

The 6-foot-2 Texas native is signed through the 2026 NWSL season and could make her debut on the road Sunday against the San Diego Wave.

Zoe Matthews Houston Dash

Youngest player in Dash history

Welcome to H-Town, @zoe_ZM5!

Barcelona shared new Camp Nou renderings this week as the future home ground of the Spanish giants begins to take shape. The club have been playing in the Barcelona Olympic Stadium since 2023 while renovations take place.

The new renderings come with good and bad news as the recent images are incredible, however a return date isn’t known. Originally the plan was for Barcelona to play in a partially completed Camp Nou on November 29 for the club’s 125th anniversary.

Barcelona vice-president Elena Fort said that those plans have been scrapped.

BERLIN — German coach Jürgen Klopp has been appointed head of global soccer for Red Bull, owners of several clubs including RB Leipzig and New York Red Bulls, the company said on Wednesday, in his first job since leaving Liverpool earlier this year.

Klopp, who ended his successful nine-year stint with Liverpool at the end of last season, will be starting on January 1, 2025.

Jürgen Klopp Red Bull job

The Chicago Fire announced the hiring of former U.S. men's national team head coach Gregg Berhalter as the club's new director of football and head coach on Tuesday.

Berhalter, 51, becomes the MLS club's 10th full-time manager and will oversee all of the Fire's sporting operations, reporting directly to owner and chairman Joe Mansueto.

Gregg Berhalter Chicago Fire head coach

Gregg Berhalter is the Chicago Fire's new Director of Football and Head Coach!