Off the Pitch

Patrick Vieira sacked as Crystal Palace manager after 12-straight games without a win

LONDON — Crystal Palace sacked manager Patrick Vieira after 20 months in charge on Friday following the 1-0 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion that left the south London club three points above the Premier League relegation zone.

Palace are the only side in the league without a win in 2023, having drawn five and lost six of their games. Their last league victory came on Dec. 31, 2-0 at Bournemouth, and they are 12th on 27 points with 11 games to play.

Champions League quarterfinal draw will see unlikely team guaranteed to make final

NYON — Holders Real Madrid will play 2021 winners Chelsea in the Champions League quarterfinals while Manchester City's Pep Guardiola will visit his former club Bayern Munich after the teams were drawn together on Friday.

Reigning Serie A champions AC Milan will face this season's runaway leaders Napoli in an all-Italian clash while Inter Milan play Portuguese side Benfica.

Las leyendas que Pocho Guzmán y Henry Martín sacarían del retiro para el Clásico Nacional

Semana de Clásico Nacional, semana que no se habla de nada más que de América y Chivas.

Los capitanes de ambos equipos, Henry Martín y Víctor Guzmán, fueron los encargados de dar el puntapié inicial a los debates que paralizarán el fútbol mexicano y lo hicieron de una manera poca veces vista, con una conversación en conjunto y en la que fuera de aventarse dardos el uno al otro, charlaron del enfrentamiento como cualquier otro aficionado.

Berhalter cleared by U.S. Soccer investigation, Reynas left with even more embarrassment

An investigation into former U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter's dispute with his wife outside a bar in 1992 concluded that U.S. Soccer was not in the wrong for hiring him as the national team coach, the federation said on Monday.

The investigators' conclusions mean there is now no legal impediment to employing Berhalter, who remains a candidate for the coaching job which is now held by Anthony Hudson on an interim basis.

Utah Royals FC will return to NWSL in 2024 after getting new group of investors

The Utah Royals are returning to the National Women's Soccer League in 2024 with a group of new investors.

The Royals were in the NWSL from 2018-20 before folding and relocating to Kansas City in December 2020 after former owner Dell Loy Hansen was ousted following reports of racist behavior and a toxic culture with the Royals and MLS club Real Salt Lake.

Prosecutors sue Barcelona for allegedly buying refereeing favors

BARCELONA — Spanish prosecutors have filed a complaint against Barcelona and two of the LaLiga club's ex-presidents over alleged payments to a company owned by a senior refereeing official to influence match results, the public prosecutor's office said on Friday.

A judge has yet to decide whether to take up the case.

The club allegedly paid over $7.8 million between 2001 and 2018 to firms owned by Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, who was vice-president of the refereeing committee of the Spanish football association in 1993-2018.

Two match officials jailed over soccer stampede that left 135 dead in Indonesia

SURABAYA, Indonesia - An Indonesian court handed prison sentences to two soccer match officials on Thursday after finding them guilty of negligence over one of the world's deadliest stadium stampedes.

Erling Haaland honors women on International Women’s Day… with a crossword puzzle

International Women’s Day was on Wednesday and the world celebrated by recognizing loved ones and highlighting the accomplishments of extraordinary women. Manchester City and Norweigian star Erling Haaland had a much different and interesting way to celebrate women on Wednesday.

There were several different routes Haaland could have chosen. Perhaps he wanted to thank his mom for everything she’s done for him and celebrate her career as a Norwegian heptathlon champion. 

Check out the official Women's World Cup poster for Australia and New Zealand

With kick-off less than 20 weeks away (135 days) and Wednesday serving as the global celebration of International Women's Day, FIFA marked the occasion by unveiling the official poster for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

The main poster is accompanied by one for each of the nine host cities, "highlighting the iconic and historical landmarks, wildlife and vibrant cultures that are unique to each."

Syrian boy fulfills dream of meeting Cristiano Ronaldo after surviving earthquake

A boy from Syria who told rescue workers after a devastating earthquake in February that he wanted to meet Cristiano Ronaldo came face to face with his idol on Friday after being invited to watch his club Al Nassr play in Saudi Arabia.

Nabil Saeed made the request to rescue workers in Syria in a video shared on social media last month following the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on Feb. 6.

More than 50,000 people have died as a result of the quake. The death toll in Syria is more than 5,900, authorities said.

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