Politics

Indonesia has been stripped of the right to host this year's Under-20 soccer World Cup, FIFA said on Wednesday.

The decision to stop Indonesia staging the May 20-June 11 tournament was taken after the country's football federation (PSSI) said it had canceled the draw because the governor of the largely Hindu island of Bali refused to host Israel's team.

"FIFA has decided, due to the current circumstances, to remove Indonesia as the host of the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023," a FIFA statement said.

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.

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.

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.

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.

After filing a federal lawsuit against Virginia Tech women's soccer coach Charles "Chugger" Adair back in 2021 for an alleged benching stemming from a refusal to kneel in support of the Black Lives Matter movement before a match the previous year, former Hokies player Kiersten Hening received a $100,000 payout from the school to drop the suit.

France Football Federation (FFF) president Noël Le Graët apologized to Zinedine Zidane on Monday after his comments on the former Real Madrid coach drew the ire of players, politicians and even the Spanish club.

Zidane was one of the favorites to take charge of the national team if Didier Deschamps had stepped down but his contract was extended after he led France to the World Cup final, where they lost to Argentina in Qatar last month.

BRUSSELS - Soccer bodies UEFA and FIFA on Thursday won the backing of an adviser to Europe's top court on rules contested by potential rival the European Super League (ESL) as anti-competitive in a case that could affect other sports.

The case centers on the dispute between European soccer's governing body UEFA and world equivalent FIFA and the ESL last year but could also impact other sports, clubs and players tempted by lucrative deals offered by rebel bodies and seeking to cash in during relatively short careers.