Europe

FIFA medical committee chairman Michel D'Hooghe said soccer Tuesday that should not resume until at least September because of the coronavirus pandemic.

"I speak as a medical doctor, I don't speak as an organizer of matches, but for the moment from my medical standpoint, I would be very skeptical," D'Hooghe told Sky Sports.

D'Hooghe warned that a quick resumption of soccer leagues could have serious consequences, as it's "not a matter of money -- it's life or death." He noted that social distancing would be highly difficult amongst players and fans.

At the age of 35, Villarreal's Santi Cazorla was rolling back the years and pulling the strings in midfield. 

The resumption of training in Germany's Bundesliga proved to be bad news for United States men's national team goalkeeper Zack Steffen, who injured a knee not long after getting back on the field.

Steffen, who plays for Fortuna Dusseldorf, was training in a small group, as was permitted, when he came away with an "inner ligament injury," according to the team. The 25-year-old is expected to miss four to six weeks of action.

On Tuesday, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe confirmed that France’s top two tiers of football would not be able to resume the 2019-20 season. Philippe announced all major sporting events in the country will be put on hold until September.

OFFICIAL: "Big sporting events will not be able to take place before September," said French PM Edouard Philippe. "The 2019-20 season, notably for football, will not be able to resume." Ligue 1 & Ligue 2 are done.

MANCHESTER, England — European football leagues have been given a May 25 deadline to inform governing body UEFA of their plans to restart their domestic competitions.

Soccer has ground to a halt in all major leagues in Europe and none have yet to resume. But UEFA is keen to start planning for next season's European club tournaments.

After four seasons in the Dutch capital, Hakim Ziyech has seen his Ajax career come to a premature conclusion thanks to the global outbreak of COVID-19. 

The Eredivisie season was ended without crowning a champion for the first time in the competition's 64-year history after prime minister Mark Rutte banned all matches until September. The league announced that the table will be finalized as it currently stands and, in addition to not crowning a winner, no teams will be relegated or promoted. 

Outside of the Pentagon recognizing the existence of UFOs, this week’s strangest saga has been the story of Mike Tyson’s weed company trying to purchase the naming rights to Barcelona’s legendary Camp Nou stadium.

While Americans are still cooped up inside wondering when they'll be able to leave their homes and enjoy some fresh air, other countries are easing back into normalcy. 

This past weekend, Spain allowed children under the age of 14 to go outside and play for the first time in six weeks — with some restrictions of course. Children must be wearing masks and obeying social distancing rules, as well as being accompanied by one parent for one hour of play.  

FIFA has proposed that teams should be allowed to make up to five substitutions per match, instead of the usual three, as a temporary measure to help cope with potential fixture congestion in the aftermath of the novel coronavirus outbreak. 

Football has been at a standstill since mid-March but many leagues and federations are still hoping to complete the season but to do so they would have to cram fixtures into a shorter period than usual once play re-starts.

Balls and pitches will need to be sterilized frequently when Spanish soccer returns in order to minimize the chance of players getting infected by the novel coronavirus, a leading doctor in the sport has said. 

Spanish soccer has been on hold since March 10 due to the pandemic and stakeholders have been drawing up plans to complete the current season in a bid to avoid catastrophic financial losses, although a date for a return is yet to be set.