Off the Pitch

FIFA threatens Women’s World Cup broadcast blackout after low-dollar bids from broadcasters

Europe's top soccer nations face a broadcast blackout for this year's Women's World Cup unless media can improve on their "disappointing" offers for the rights, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said.

Offers from "Big 5" European countries were not acceptable to football's world governing body and a "slap in the face" of the players and "all women worldwide", Infantino said.

The 'Big 5' nations are Britain, Spain, Italy, Germany and France.

Wydad Casablanca fans pull off incredible 3-part Dragon Ball Z tifo

Wydad Casablanca fans went all out ahead of their team's CAF Champions League quarterfinal vs. Simba of the Tanzanian Premier League. The Wydad fans orchestrated three spectacular Dragon Ball Z tifo.

We’ve seen some great tifos this 2022-23 season including Borussia Dortmund’s masterpiece before their Champions League game vs. Chelsea. We think it’s safe to say that Wydad’s three-part Dragon Ball Z tifo takes the cake as the best.

‘Pelé’ is officially a word in the dictionary and its definition is perfect

Pelé is now a word to describe 'someone out of the ordinary' as the three-time World Cup winner's name was included as a new adjective in the Portuguese edition of the Michaelis dictionary.

Earlier this month, the Pelé Foundation and Sportv launched the "Pelé in the dictionary" campaign to pay tribute and recognize his legacy in other fields besides sport.

Having reached more than 100,000 signatures, the name of the former player, who died in December, is now an entry in the dictionary.

Spurs’ 6-1 loss to Newcastle was so bad that players are reimbursing fans who bought tickets

Tottenham Hotspur's players will reimburse the club's supporters who paid for tickets for their 6-1 thrashing by Newcastle United at St James' Park over the weekend, the north London club said on Tuesday.

The players also apologized for their performance and said they would do everything to make a comeback as they fight for a top-four finish with six games left in the Premier League.

Aaronson shares the time he ditched McKennie on the golf course in humorous interview

The Brenden Aaronson Weston McKennie golf story was the funniest highlight of a 17-minute interview that Men in Blazers did with the Leeds duo and Fulham’s American pair of Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson.

Leeds United and Fulham are America’s favorite Premier League teams as both have multiple U.S. players on the roster. This Saturday the two clubs face off, brutally early at 7:30 a.m. ET, and fans got to see a four-player interview with the Americans.

During the interview Aaronson was asked if he’d ever seen McKennie lost for words. Then came the golf story.

Benfica fans need to be punished after throwing flares onto unsuspecting Inter supporters

There was a horrible moment during Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League quarterfinal second leg between Inter Milan and Benfica in the stands of the San Siro. During the game several Benfica fans hurled flares onto unsuspecting Inter supporters.

The iconic San Siro has an interesting layout where sometimes the away supporters sit above the home fans. 

With Benfica trailing on aggregate the traveling fans turned up the heat lighting flares. The scene turned ugly when the individuals holding the flares targeted the section below them filled with Inter fans.

Juventus jumps to third in Serie A after Italy sports authority reverses 15-point deduction decision

MILAN — Italy's top sports body on Thursday canceled a decision to dock Serie A club Juventus 15 points in a case centered on the club's transfer dealings, ordering soccer authorities to hold another hearing.

With eight games left to play, the decision will lift Juventus from seventh to third in the Serie A table - with 59 points, still 16 behind leaders Napoli but back into the qualifying spots for the lucrative European Champions League.

United States and Mexico will submit bid to host 2027 Women’s World Cup

The United States and Mexico will submit a bid to host the 2027 Women's World Cup, the U.S. Soccer Federation and the Mexican Football Federation announced on Wednesday.

The declaration came on the final day for teams to state their interest in holding the 32-team event. Official bidding agreements are due to FIFA by May 19, with full bids due by Dec. 8. FIFA will select the 2027 host nation or nations next May.

UCLA unveils their new robot ARTEMIS — it’s over four feet tall and knows how to play soccer

Watch out, Lionel Messi. ARTEMIS is here.

Standing at 4 feet, 8 inches tall and weighing 85 pounds, ARTEMIS is a first-of-its-kind robot that University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) mechanical engineers developed, and it is ready for the pitch.

Using cutting edge technology, ARTEMIS, which stands for Advanced Robotic Technology for Enhanced Mobility and Improved Stability, can maintain its balance against heavy kicks and shoves, withstand objects being thrown at it and is capable of running. But what sets ARTEMIS apart on top of that is its ability to kick a ball.

The sports have never been later at night — we propose a modest solution

El Tráfico was a blessing. Yes, it was thrilling to see Carlos Vela and Tyler Boyd exchange golazos before Raheem Edwards demonstrated why the LA Galaxy are truly "The Meme Team" by launching a throw-in into his own box, but what really highlighted the match was being able to watch it all unfold on a lazy Sunday afternoon — an entirely forgotten timeslot since MLS moved to Apple TV.

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