Football World

  SOUR GRAPES Victoria Beckham taking on and losing against Peterborough United in a battle over the nickname “Posh”. Cristiano Ronaldo trademarking the combination of his initials and shirt number, “CR7”, to boost his brand. Kylian Mbappé nabbing the rights to his iconic crossed-arms goal celebration when it almost certainly would have been far more lucrative to seize ownership of that ubiquitously annoying “cry more” gif so beloved of dullards on several Social Media Disgraces. In a football business already swamped with cash and opportunists eager to get their mitts on as much of it as they can, it ought to come as no surprise that the very top players, clubs and Peterborough try to maximise their income by making their personal “brands” off limits to potential counterfeiters, bootleggers and other ne’er-do-wells. It seems a certain Cole “Cold” Palmer is the latest to get his legal team on t...

Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo says more should be done to tackle racism in football, including possible prison sentences for those convicted of abuse. Semenyo reported that he was racially abused by a spectator during his side's 4-2 defeat by Liverpool on the opening day of the Premier League season. The match was briefly paused while referee Anthony Taylor explained the allegations to both teams' managers and captains. Speaking to ITV News, , external   the 25-year-old said "there has to be something else" that authorities can do. "Whatever the Premier League are doing, it's not enough and there's more that need to be done," he said. Merseyside police arrested a 47-year-old man from Liverpool on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence. He appeared in court and is now  barred from every football stadium  in the UK as part of his bail conditions. When asked what a maximum punishment should be for anyone convicted of racial a...

In one of the most violent episodes in recent South American football history, hooligans from Argentina's Independiente and visiting Universidad de Chile attacked each other. In one of the most violent episodes in recent South American football history, hooligans from Argentina's Independiente and visiting Universidad de Chile attacked each other in the Copa Sudamericana. The ferocity of the stadium fighting with sticks and sharp objects injured nearly 20 Chilean fans while local police chose to stand down. Two of the Chilean club fans were in critical condition. The round-of-16 match on Wednesday was canceled, and CONMEBOL must decide the future of the tie. According to a report from the Ministry of Security of the Buenos Aires province, it started among about 4,000 Universidad de Chile fans in an upper stand of Libertadores de América Stadium in the Buenos Aires district of Avellaneda. Some of them smashed bathrooms, fast food outlets and seats as soon as the mat...

The draw for the 2026 World Cup will be held at the Kennedy Center in Washington on December 5, President Donald Trump announced Friday. The draw for the 2026 World Cup will be held at the Kennedy Center in Washington on December 5, President Donald Trump announced Friday. "It's the biggest, probably the biggest event in sports," the president, who was wearing a hat saying "Trump Was Right About Everything," told reporters in the Oval Office accompanied by FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

  With the 2026 FIFA World Cup under a year away, all eyes will be on the upcoming English Premier League campaign, which kicks off today with a matchup between Liverpool vs. Bournemouth. The EPL is home to some of the biggest and brightest stars in world soccer, many of whom will star for their countries in next summer's 48-team tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States. EUROPE'S BEST TEAMS: WHERE BARCELONA, PSG, LIVERPOOL RANK AMONG TOP 20 Liverpool lifted the Premier League trophy last season after an outstanding 84-point season and added more attacking talent this season with big-money transfers for Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz. But is this the year Arsenal finally lift the trophy? Can Manchester City reclaim their throne? Let's take a look at the top of the Premier League and where each team ranks entering the season: Note: League positions reflect last season's finish. Liverpool #1 Liverpool 1st, Premi...

Lionel Messi and his new Inter Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul have been called up by the Argentine national team for their final two World Cup qualifying matches in early September. Argentina, the defending World Cup champions, has already qualified for the 2026 World Cup to be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. Argentina will host Venezuela on Sept. 4 at Mâs Monumental in Buenos Aires, which could be Messi’s last match in his beloved home country for the foreseeable future. Argentina will visit Ecuador on Sept. 9. It’s unclear whether Argentina will host any matches next year in the leadup to the World Cup, held June 11, 2026 to July 19, 2026. Messi will turn 39 years old on June 24, 2026. Messi has been eager to return from a recent right hamstring injury. He scored a goal with an assist in Inter Miami’s last match against L.A. Galaxy, a 3-1 win on Aug. 16, but was seen stretching his hamstring at multiple points in his appearance off the bench in the second half...

 After missing Inter Miami’s last two games with a leg muscle injury, Lionel Messi returned to MLS action on Saturday night, coming off the Herons’ substitutes' bench at halftime and scoring the match-winning goal with six minutes to play and adding an assist in an eventual 3-1 victory over the LA Galaxy. With his team leading the defending MLS Cup champions 1-0 at the interval on a Jordi Alba strike, Miami coach Javier Mascherano inserted Messi for Venezuelan winger Telasco Segovia. It took the Argentine World Cup winner time to settle into the contest. Joseph Paintsil then equalized for the visitors just before the hour mark. But sure enough, the GOAT gave his legion of pink-clad worshipers pink-clad at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale the special moment they hoped to see when news broke about an hour before kickoff that Messi was listed as an available sub. Messi delivered it in brilliant individual fashion. On the right side of the field near the Galaxy’ penalty box, L...