Europe

Football supporters groups from around Europe have criticized attempts to liven up matches in empty stadiums by using artificial crowd noise, describing it as a rebuke to match-going fans.

The fans said that the recent return of football following the coronavirus stoppage, with matches behind closed doors, had shown that supporters were "the lifeblood of the game" and their contribution should be recognized by leagues and clubs.

This season's Champions League, suspended in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic, will be completed with an eight-team mini-tournament which will be held in Lisbon in August, European soccer's governing body UEFA said on Wednesday.

The quarterfinals and semifinals will be staged over one leg, instead of the usual two, with the final to be held on Aug. 23, UEFA deputy general secretary Giorgio Marchetti said after an executive committee meeting held by video conference.

With soccer being an obvious contact sport, the possibility of social distancing in matches is in question. To put those nagging questions to rest, the Premier League posted the safety measures for its behind-closed-doors matches.

The key takeaways: 

Bayern Munich won a record eighth straight Bundesliga title on Tuesday, beating Werder Bremen 1-0. That wasn’t a surprise. What was a surprise was the record-breaking Alphonso Davies speed recorded during the match.

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In October 2019, Bulgaria national team manager Krasimir Balakov stated that he believed England had a bigger racism problem in soccer than Bulgaria did.

"In the Bulgarian championship, we have a lot of players of different ethnicities and skin color," Balakov said, "I don't think that we have this big problem like, for example, England do."

Coach Gennaro Gattuso kicked Chucky Lozano out of Napoli training on Monday, according to reports, putting into question the Mexican winger’s future in Italy.

Lozano was a breakout star with PSV Eindhoven, tallying 40 goals and 23 assists in three seasons in the Netherlands. Combined with a strong showing at the 2018 World Cup with El Tri, Chucky moved to Napoli in August for a club-record $46.5 million.

UEFA is set to complete the Champions League with a 'Final Eight' tournament held over 10 days in Lisbon, according to a plan that will be presented to UEFA's executive committee for ratification on Wednesday.

A source with knowledge of discussions between clubs and European soccer's governing body told Reuters that the proposal is expected to be agreed upon after a consensus was reached on Monday.

UEFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Manchester United and England forward Marcus Rashford has stepped up his campaign for the government to fund free meals for struggling children through the summer school lockdown, support he himself had to rely on as a boy.

The 22-year-old soccer star has taken a prominent role during the pandemic to raise awareness and funds for those families who are "existing on a knife's edge" and struggling to feed their children.

Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang says he is at a turning point in his career and it will be a difficult decision whether to extend his contract at the London club or not.

The Gabon international, whose deal ends in June 2021, has scored 61 goals in 97 appearances since joining from Borussia Dortmund in 2018 but has yet to lift any major silverware in England.

Longtime U.S. men's national team member Fabian Johnson is seeking a move to MLS, according to a report.

Kristian Dyer of Sports Illustrated tweeted that Johnson, who plays for Borussia Monchengladbach of the Bundesliga, has been in contact with "multiple" MLS teams through his agent.