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ATHENS — Greece will allow its top league soccer matches to be played with fans from Feb. 13, two months after top clubs were ordered to play behind closed doors following the severe injuring and death of a police officer in violence during a volleyball match.

In Greece, fights between football fans and clubs are frequent on and off the pitch before or after a game and the government has been trying for years to reform soccer plagued by criminal gangs and a minority of violent fans.

Cristiano Ronaldo won’t be playing against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami on Thursday due to a calf injury said Al Nassr head coach Luis Castro. 

Castro said that Ronaldo is in the final stages of his recovery and won’t be able to play in the friendly. Many fans had dubbed the game as the “Last Dance” between two of the greatest soccer players the world has ever seen.

Why is Ronaldo not playing vs Messi’s Inter Miami

UDINE — A stoppage-time goal by striker Noah Okafor secured AC Milan a 3-2 win at lowly Udinese in Serie A on Saturday after the game was briefly suspended in the first half due to racist chants towards Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

Racist chants Milan game

Udinese-Milan was suspended after Mike Maignan was racially abused by Udinese fans.

The match has resumed after Milan originally exited the pitch. pic.twitter.com/1Kv9pvMBNh

Legendary United States women’s national team midfielder Sam Mewis has announced her retirement from professional soccer at 31 years old.

Mewis, who won the World Cup with the USWNT in 2019, said that her prolonged knee injury is the reason for hanging up her boots.

The initial knee injury took place in 2017 and was a serious issue with her knee cartilage. She battled through the injury and competed in the 2019 World Cup and 2020 Olympics, but needed another surgery in January 2023.

Brazil forward Neymar will not recover from knee surgery in time to play at next year's Copa America, national team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar said on Tuesday.

Brazil's top scorer underwent surgery last month after suffering a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus in his left knee on international duty in October.

Lasmar, who carried out the surgery, said the 31-year-old is not expected to be fit until August and they do not intend to take short cuts in the recovery process for him to play at the June 20-July 14 tournament in the United States.

UPDATE:

Luton captain Tom Lockyer suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed on the pitch.

The score was 1-1 when the 29-year-old Wales international fell to the ground with no other player near him. Players and Luton manager Rob Edwards reacted immediately to get medical attention.

"Our medical staff have confirmed that the Hatters captain suffered cardiac arrest on the pitch but was responsive by the time he was taken off on the stretcher," Luton said in a statement.

One in five players were the target of online abuse during the 2023 Women's World Cup, FIFA said on Monday as a package of social media protection tools hid nearly 117,000 comments.

The Social Media Protection Service (SMPS), developed by the world governing body with players' union FIFPRO and launched at the 2022 men's World Cup, was offered to teams at the women's finals in Australia and New Zealand, FIFA said in June.

ANKARA — The president of top tier Turkish soccer club Ankaragucu, Faruk Koca, was arrested on Tuesday for punching a referee in the face at the end of a match, with the official telling police that Koca had threatened to kill him.

The arrest followed an outbreak of violence during Super Lig club Ankaragucu's home match against Rizespor on Monday evening.

Referee Halil Umut Meler, who was also kicked while lying on the pitch, said that Koca had also threatened him and his colleagues, state-owned Anadolu news agency reported.

The LaLiga game between Granada and Athletic Bilbao was abandoned on Sunday after a supporter died having suffered a cardiac arrest in the stands, both clubs said.

The game was initially suspended in the 17th minute as paramedics tried to resuscitate the fan and it was eventually abandoned an hour later.

LaLiga fan dies during Granada vs. Athletic Club

Breaking: The LALIGA match between Granada and Athletic Club was suspended after a fan died at the Nuevo Estadio de Los Cármenes.