Other Leagues

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.

Retired France defender Pascal Chimbonda has registered as a player for Skelmersdale United, the struggling ninth-tier English side the 44-year-old now manages, after collecting a touchline ban.

Chimbonda, who made one appearance for France in 2006 and played in the Premier League with Wigan Athletic, Tottenham Hotspur, Sunderland and Blackburn Rovers, retired in 2019.

He took over as manager of Skelmersdale last October, with the club now bottom of the North West Counties Football League Premier Division.

When will Neymar be back?

Brazil forward Neymar underwent surgery on Thursday after suffering a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus in his left knee on international duty.

The 31-year-old was forced off during Brazil's World Cup qualifier against Uruguay two weeks ago before an MRI scan confirmed the extent of his injuries.

Ireland secured promotion to League A of the Women's Nations League with a 1-0 win away to Albania on Tuesday, but had to come through torrential rain, thunderstorms and a pitch which resembled a lake.

"Wettest game in history but job done and top of the group with the girlsss," Ireland captain Katie McCabe posted on Instagram after the match in Shkoder.

"Ballon Pour," Ireland teammate Louise Quinn commented under the post, a reference to McCabe, like many others, missing the Ballon d'Or ceremony on Monday despite her nomination.

Neymar will undergo surgery after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his left knee during a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay, Brazil's FA said, an injury that is expected to sideline the forward for several months.

The 31-year-old went down after tussling for the ball with Uruguay's Nicolas de la Cruz in the 44th minute of Brazil's 2-0 defeat on Tuesday, holding his left leg in pain and calling for medical attention as his teammates looked on anxiously.

University of North Texas goalkeeper Maddie Ogden scored an unforgettable first career goal on Thursday with a free kick from near midfield.

As the final seconds of the first half ticked away between UNT and UTSA, Ogden launched a ball into the box that got past everyone including the opposing goalkeeper.

The president of Colombian second division club Tigres FC, Edgar Paez, was shot dead following his team's defeat on Saturday, the club have announced.

The 63-year-old was returning home by car with his daughter after the 3-2 home loss to Atletico FC when he was killed by two men on a motorbike close to the stadium, local media reported.

His daughter escaped unharmed and authorities are currently conducting an investigation into the murder.