Europe

French federation president Noel Le Graet urged the presidents of Lyon and Marseille to stop bickering about whether the Ligue 1 season should be declared null and void amid the coronavirus outbreak. The season has been postponed indefinitely as French authorities try to contain the spread of the coronavirus, which on Saturday had infected 4,499 and killed 91 people in the country. 

"I ask them to regain their composure... and to show dignity," Le Graet told French TV channel TF1 on Sunday. 

Jan Vertonghen's family was robbed at knifepoint in their London home while the Tottenham Hotspur defender was on Champions League duty against RB Leipzig in Germany on Tuesday night, the BBC reported. The report said police had confirmed that four men wearing balaclavas forced their way into the house while Vertonghen's wife and children were inside.

Wayne Rooney has criticized England's football authorities over how long they took to suspend matches in the country amid the coronavirus outbreak, saying it felt like players were being treated like "guinea pigs.” 

The Premier League, English Football League, Women's Super League and men and women's FA Cup competitions were suspended on Friday following an emergency meeting sparked by Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta testing positive for the virus a day earlier. 

Following days of major sports leagues suspending all play around the world, the Premier League, Bundesliga and Ligue 1 announced the same for health safety in combatting COVID-19. 

Shortly after an emergency meeting, EPL officials announced Friday play will resume on April 4 (April 2 for Bundesliga) at the earliest should health and safety standards be met by then. 

UEFA will hold a video conference meeting of all 55 football federations in Europe plus representatives of clubs, leagues and players to discuss the impact of the coronavirus on all football in the region including Euro 2020, it said Thursday. 

UEFA has so far declined to discuss whether Euro 2020, which will be held in 12 different countries around Europe between June 12 and July 12, will be postponed or venues altered. 

UEFA said the meeting would be held next Tuesday and that "discussions will include all domestic and European competitions, including UEFA EURO 2020". 

PARIS — Paris St Germain players climbed up a Parc des Princes stand overlooking the street where thousands of fans waited for them after they qualified for the Champions League quarterfinals in an empty stadium amid coronavirus fears on Wednesday.

The French champions beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 to secure a 3-2 aggregative victory and erase memories of embarrassing last-16 exits against Barcelona and Manchester United in 2017 and 2019.

Against all odds and wave after wave of pressure, Atlético has sent defending European champion Liverpool out of the Champions League, 4-2 on aggregate, but the Spanish side must largely thank Adrián for its magical night at Anfield. 

The opening 90 minutes couldn’t have gone any better for Liverpool on Wednesday — apart from the lone Reds goal on the scoreboard. After promising to improve on zero shots on target back at the Wanda, Liverpool finished regular time with 28 attempts — nine on target — 71 percent possession and more than twice as many completed passes as Atlético.

Neymar spent most of the first nine minutes of a crucial Champions League second leg against Borussia Dortmund on the floor. In a way, it was the best evidence of how much the match meant to him.

Neymar may or may not stay with PSG next season. In the meantime, it’s clear he is doing everything in his power to win the Champions League for his wealthy Qatari benefactors. 

Tyler Adams hasn’t had the best of starts to the 2019-20 campaign in Germany. The American, who turned 21 last month, has been in and out (mostly out) of the RB Leipzig lineup all season with various injuries.

But on Tuesday, Adams did something just nine Americans have ever done before: He appeared in a Champions League knockout-round match.

Even better, he did so in a convincing victory, as his RB Leipzig dusted Tottenham 3-0 on Tuesday and 4-0 on aggregate. And because we’re biased Americans, we’re going to give Adams credit for an assist on Leipzig’s third goal.

Over the past six months, Atalanta fans have been living the American soccer dream. The Bergamo-based club, despite tracing its existence back 112 years, has experienced a litany of firsts, bounced around different grounds and put its supporters through a sustained period of isolated loneliness. In the United States, we call this the New York City FC experience.