On Thursday, we highlighted what was almost certainly the quickest trip to the monitor by any referee in the VAR era. It took the ref less than a second to make a decision. On Sunday, during Brighton’s comprehensive 3-0 win over Newcastle at St. James’ Park, referee Kevin Friend wanted to spend a bit more time watching Yves Bissouma crack Jamal Lewis in the face.
German amateur side SG Ripdorf II sacrificed a tight defense for social distancing as they fielded only seven players as a coronavirus precaution in a 37-0 loss to local rivals SV Holdenstedt II.
The preparations for Sunday's match in Lower Saxony's 3. Kreisklasse — the 11th tier of German football — were complicated when it emerged that Holdenstedt players had been in contact with an opponent infected with COVID-19 in a previous match.
Dutch top flight club FC Emmen will not be allowed to enter into a shirt sponsorship deal with a company that makes sex toys, the Dutch football association (KNVB) has said.
Emmen played their opening game of the new season without a logo on their shirt on Sunday as they were still looking for a sponsor. After agreeing a deal with EasyToys, they sought permission from the KNVB but it was swiftly denied.
It’s been 157 years since the Rules of Association Football were codified at a tavern in London, but the game still remains full of innovation and progressive thinking. Some paradigm shifts are gradual, like the tactical change from an all out 1-1-8 formation to a stubborn 4-5-1, while others metaphorically approach, punch you in the teeth and depart as quickly as they’d arrived.
These are the best sorts of revolutions: the ones that nobody asked for.
Toronto FC blew a huge opportunity when it tried to be like Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in Tuesday night’s game against its country rival Montreal.
On the stroke of halftime with Toronto trailing by one, Jozy Altidore was taken down in the penalty area and the referee pointed to the spot. With this golden chance to equalize, Toronto decided instead to squander the tying goal with this abomination of a play.
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Flopping is one of soccer’s most annoying aspects. Nothing is more of a turn-off than watching a grown adult rolling around screaming bloody murder after a little nick on the shin. The year of 2020 has been awful and with it comes what could be the worst flop ever.
In a Romanian Liga 1 match between Steaua Bucuresti and Viitorul, striker Kevin Luckassen proved to the world why he would fail acting class with the worst flop of the year.
The mask debate in this country is thankfully dying down. Despite lingering efforts to counteract mask-wearing, including an attempt from a USMNT player, the majority of people in the U.S. have agreed to cover their damn mouth.