Human Interest

Diego Costa scored an equalizer to give Atlético Madrid a 1-1 draw with Athletic Bilbao as both teams returned to play for the first time in three months on Sunday. More importantly, Costa paid a special tribute to a player on the Atleti women’s team, Virginia Torrecilla.

Atlético went behind in the 37th minute to a well-taken shot from Iker Muniain but didn’t trail long. Two minutes later, Costa kept his composure in the box to fire past Unai Símon to even things up at 1-1.

Four years later, U.S. Soccer admitted it was wrong and said it’s sorry.

The U.S. Soccer Federation released a statement on Wednesday evening saying its board of directors had voted to repeal Policy 604-1, which was put in place to prevent national team players from kneeling during the national anthem before a match. 

The U.S. Soccer Board of Directors voted yesterday to repeal Policy 604-1, which required our players to stand during the national anthem.

As Italian football prepares to resume on Friday with the Coppa Italia semifinals followed by Serie A on June 20, the sport does so under the shadow of a national death toll that’s now surpassed 34,000. 

The United States Soccer Federation (USSF) has begun to consider repealing its ban on players kneeling during the national anthem. The board of directors plans to meet on Tuesday, June 9 to discuss the policy.

This comes in the wake of outrage and resulting protests over the murder of George Floyd while in police custody. Protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and against police brutality have sprung up across the nation and are now drawing global attention.

Ada Hegerberg's season had been cut short by the time the new coronavirus wiped out the football calendar, but the break has given her time to rehabilitate her injured knee and the Ballon d'Or-winning striker is relishing her return to training.

Lyon’s Hegerberg ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament in training in January, a cruel blow that immediately ended the prolific forward's campaign.

In an act of solidarity that mirrors D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser’s decision to paint “Black Lives Matter” in giant yellow capital letters across several city blocks running towards the White House, D.C. United has voiced its support for protests across America by painting “I CAN’T BREATHE” and “BLM” on its playing surface at Audi Field.  

Runaway Premier League leaders Liverpool should play Everton at Goodison Park in the Merseyside derby instead of the game being switched to a neutral venue as local authorities can now provide a safe environment, Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson said on Sunday.

Liverpool will resume their quest for a first top-flight title in 30 years against Everton on June 21 but the venue for the behind-closed-doors fixture was not confirmed when the league released its revised fixtures for the season's restart.

Bundesliga players and clubs are letting the world know they stand with George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement.

The biggest soccer league currently in action amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, the Bundesliga has seen a number of statements in support of the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests in the United States, perhaps none more prominent than what happened before Borussia Dortmund hosted Hertha Berlin on Saturday. The teams took a knee in a dramatic show of solidarity on the 12th day of protests over the murder of Floyd.