The National Football League has time on its side as the sports world prepares to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic and will use some it to observe German soccer's Bundesliga as a potential blueprint on how to deal with the outbreak.
Five players in Spain's top two divisions have tested positive for COVID-19 since clubs began testing players and staff members last week, organizing body LaLiga said in a statement on Sunday.
LaLiga said the players would remain at their homes where they would continue individual training before being tested again "in the next few days" to determine whether they can return to their club's training ground.
The Bundesliga season will restart on May 16 after a suspension of more than two months, the German Football League (DFL) said on Thursday, becoming the first European league to resume amid the coronavirus epidemic.
The DFL said the season would restart under the terms of a strict health protocol that bans fans from the stadium, with six games on Saturday, including the high-profile Ruhr valley derby between Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04.
U.S. women's national soccer team co-captains Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe said they were shocked after their team's claims for equal pay were dismissed by a court.
The duo, who helped the U.S. to a record fourth World Cup title last year, said they planned to appeal the decision, after a California judge on Friday threw out the players' claims that they were underpaid in comparison with the men's team.
Premier League clubs are bleeding money and their finances would be entering "uncharted waters" if the season that was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic is not finished, Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish has said.
Professional soccer has been suspended since mid-March due to the coronavirus outbreak which has killed more than 28,100 people in the United Kingdom, and the league is no closer to a return after a meeting with all 20 clubs on Friday.
The Premier League and its clubs are "frightened to death" about publicly backing the resumption of the season as they do not want to be held liable if someone dies because of the coronavirus, television pundit Gary Neville said on Sunday.
Professional soccer has been suspended since mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic which has infected over 182,000 people in the United Kingdom, killing more than 28,000.
Premier League leaders Liverpool said they were "disappointed" by the city's mayor saying the season should not be restarted even behind closed doors because of the risk of fans gathering outside Anfield.
Liverpool were 25 points clear of closest rivals Manchester City, who have a game in hand, when the league was suspended in March and need only two wins to secure their first top flight title in 30 years. Premier League clubs are set to meet on Friday to discuss ways to finish the season, with some already back in individual training.
Paris Saint-Germain moved within a fingertip of being crowned Ligue 1 champion when the French league recommended to freeze the 2019-20 standings amid the COVID-19 crisis on Thursday, French sports daily L'Equipe reported.
According to the newspaper, the LFP's board will ratify the recommendation on Thursday afternoon and effectively hand PSG its seventh title in the last eight years. The decision would mean that second-place Marseille and third-place Rennes would be in next season's Champions League with PSG.
A letter released on Monday from Kevin Payne, CEO/Executive Director of US Club Soccer, sets May 18 as the earliest possible return date of youth soccer in America. Obviously this date is subject to change as the coronavirus situation evolves, but it does give us an idea for when youth soccer will resume.
US Club Soccer also put out a tweet with a link to the letter on Monday afternoon.
After leaving prison in Paraguay earlier this month, former Brazil international Ronaldinho has finally broken his silence and said he was shocked to discover the Paraguayan passports delivered to his home were false and illegal.