There was a time when the absence of live sport in our lives was an unbearable gulf that could only be bridged by the athletic prowess of good boys Olive and Mabel. At The18, we spent hours crafting articles of Search Engine Optimization to answer “when will soccer return?” and we didn’t do it just for you — we did it for ourselves.
Let’s talk about mental health. It’s just a bit too taboo for my liking. Why? Because if people aren’t in visible physical pain, then they aren’t hurting. And this extends to our beloved footballers, who are expected to be 100 percent at everything they do at any given time. But what do I know, I’m just an intern.
People around the world are dealing with varying stages of the Covid-19 lockdowns blues. Some places are much worse off than others … not naming names.
Because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, many American sports leagues have opted to return to play by forcing players and staff into a “bubble” of sorts, containing all essential personnel in a Covid-free zone to ensure their safety.
Al-Sadd coach Xavi Hernandez, the former Barcelona and Spain midfielder, said on Saturday he had tested positive for COVID-19 but was asymptomatic.
Xavi, who renewed his contract with the Qatari club on July 5, said he will self-isolate as his team prepares for its first match on Saturday after the Qatar Stars League (QSL) was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ndubuisi Egbo, the Nigerian coach of Albania's KF Tirana, has become the first African coach to lead a European team to a league title and qualification for UEFA Champions League. This came after the team was almost relegated last season.
Meet, Ndubuisi Egbo
The first African coach to lead a European team to win a league title. He won the Albanian league with FK Triana last weekend, at the same time qualify the club for the UEFA Champions League. He's from Amurri Nkanu in Enugu state.
The Bolivian Football Federation (FBF) suffered the loss of its president on Sunday due to complications from COVID-19. Cesar Salinas was 58 years old and had served as president since 2018. He had been hospitalized with the novel coronavirus earlier in July.
The federation, CONMEBOL and Bolivia's president Jeanine Áñez all sent out messages of condolence to Salinas’ family following his passing.
With fall quickly approaching, schools and colleges aren’t the only organizations trying to figure out if and when it’s appropriate for young people to return to normal activities amidst the novel coronavirus pandemic. Soccer clubs across the country are asking themselves, is it safe to play youth soccer right now?
States around the country began opening up from lockdown over the last month or two, only to see huge spikes in cases of Covid-19 across the country, especially in southern states like Texas, Florida and Arizona, a few of the hotbeds for youth soccer in America.
Editor’s Note: This article contains story and gameplay spoilers for The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II. We’ll provide additional warnings when we get to the bigger spoilers for each game.
By most measures, 2020 has been a really suck year for humanity; I don’t need to remind you of all the shit going on in the world. While the novel coronavirus has dramatically changed everyone’s lives, it’s always nice to remember that things could always be worse. Take, for instance, the world of The Last of Us, Naughty Dog’s video game masterpieces.
He watches matches perched on a bucket, lives in a one-bedroom flat above a shop and holds his staff meetings in a local Costa coffee shop.
Marcelo Bielsa, who has taken Leeds United back to the English Premier League after a 16-year absence, is one of soccer's most endearing and enigmatic characters and has developed a cult following in many of the places he has coached.
Pep Guardiola is one of many coaches who said they have been inspired by Bielsa although the Argentine's relatively modest trophy cabinet does not match his widespread influence.