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☆ Rubiales' behaviour 'inappropriate', says UEFA's Ceferin
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings against Rubiales over the incident with player Jenni Hermoso last Sunday in Sydney that has caused an uproar among players and fans. Rubiales said he would use the FIFA probe to show his innocence. This is enough for the moment because the independent disciplinary bodies will decide," UEFA President Ceferin told French newspaper L'Equipe on Wednesday. Ceferin said there was no need for UEFA to take separate measures against Rubiales. The UEFA chief added that he was saddened that the incident had overshadowed Spain's World Cup victory.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez, Royal Spanish Football Federation Luis Rubiales, Juan, Aleksander Ceferin, Luis Rubiales, Rubiales, Jenni Hermoso, Ceferin, Hermoso, Tommy Lund, Toby Davis Organizations: Soccer Football, FIFA, Spain's, Moncloa, Royal Spanish Football Federation, European, Spanish Football Federation, UEFA, French, L'Equipe, International Federation, Rubiales, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, Madrid, Spain, Sydney, Rubiales, Spanish, Gdansk

☆ FIFA provisionally suspends Spanish football president Rubiales
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"The chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee... has decided today to provisionally suspend Mr Luis Rubiales from all football-related activities at national and international level," FIFA said in a statement. Its disciplinary committee also ordered Rubiales and RFEF officials and employees alike to refrain from contacting or attempting to contact Hermoso or those around her. The Spanish national team that won the World Cup as well as several other players have said they would not play international matches while Rubiales remains head of the federation. "The decision adopted by the chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has been communicated today to Mr Luis Rubiales, the RFEF and (European soccer body) UEFA for due compliance." The committee said it would not provide any further information on the disciplinary proceedings until a final decision was taken.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez, Royal Spanish Football Federation Luis Rubiales, Juan Medina, Luis Rubiales, Jenni Hermoso's, Rubiales, Hermoso, Rohith Nair, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Soccer Football, FIFA, Spain's, Moncloa, Royal Spanish Football Federation, Royal Spanish Football Federation Luis Rubiales REUTERS, Spanish, UEFA, Reuters, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, Madrid, Spain, Spanish, Bengaluru

☆ FIFA suspends Spanish soccer president over controversial World Cup kiss
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Leila Sackur | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

FIFA suspended the president of the Spanish soccer federation Saturday after star player Jenni Hermoso accused him of a nonconsensual kiss during the celebrations of Spain's Women's World Cup victory. Rubiales and representatives from the Royal Spanish Football Federation were also ordered to refrain from contacting Hermoso and anyone close to her, the statement said. The announcement came hours after Spain's soccer federation said Saturday it would take legal action to defend Rubiales from "lies." It added that Pedro Rocha Junco, the vice president of the federation, would be the interim president. In her statement, Hermoso denied Rubiales' contention that the kiss he gave her was consensual.

Persons: Jenni Hermoso, Spain's, Luis Rubiales, Rubiales, Pedro Rocha Junco, Hermoso, Yolanda Diaz Organizations: FIFA, Royal Spanish Football Federation, Rubiales, England, Labour, Spain's Association of Professional Soccer, National Team Locations: Spanish, Sydney, Spain

☆ FIFA opens disciplinary proceedings against Spanish FA chief Rubiales
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"The FIFA Disciplinary Committee informed Luis Rubiales, President of the Spanish Football Association, today that it is opening disciplinary proceedings against him based on the events that occurred during the final of the Women's World Cup," it said in a statement. "The events may constitute violations of article 13 paragraphs 1 and 2 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code." Rubiales, who initially called his critics "idiots", issued a video apology late on Monday, but it failed to quell the uproar . Acting Second Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Diaz called for Rubiales' resignation because "without any doubt (he) attacked a woman". Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; editing by Christina Fincher and Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez, Royal Spanish Football Federation Luis Rubiales, Juan Medina, Luis Rubiales, Jenni Hermoso, Rubiales, Yolanda Diaz, Hermoso, FUTPRO, TMJ, Rohith Nair, Christina Fincher, Ken Ferris Organizations: Soccer Football, FIFA, Spain's, Moncloa, Royal Spanish Football Federation, Spanish, England, Spanish Football Association, Liga, National Sports Council, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, Madrid, Spain, Bengaluru

☆ Where and when is the next FIFA Women's World Cup in 2027?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Here is what you need to know about the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup, which will be the 10th edition of the quadrennial tournament:WHERE WILL THE 2027 WOMEN'S WORLD CUP TAKE PLACE? * FIFA have received four expressions of interest from prospective hosts for the 2027 edition of the Women's World Cup. WHEN WILL THE 2027 WOMEN'S WORLD CUP TAKE PLACE? HOW MANY TEAMS WILL FEATURE IN THE 2027 WOMEN'S WORLD CUP? * Like this year's event in Australia and New Zealand, the 2027 Women's World Cup will feature 32 teams.

Persons: Hannah Mckay, Aadi Nair, Pritha Sarkar Organizations: Soccer Football, FIFA, England, New Zealand, Spain, FIFA's Congress, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, Spain, Australia, Sydney, New, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, United States, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, Bengaluru

That professionalisation has underpinned the success of the ninth Women's World Cup, which ended on Sunday with Spain beating England by a single goal in a final that pitted the two European countries with the strongest domestic leagues against each other. Attracting record crowds and television audiences, the tournament buoyed hopes that the women's game can start to bridge the yawning financial gap that exists with the men. TV BLACKOUTIn broadcast rights, the women's game has struggled to compete. The FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, threatened Europe's "Big 5" nations with a TV World Cup blackout unless their broadcasters upped their offers. But both Chadwick and Carlota Planas, a Spain-based women's' football agent representing several World Cup players, argued that the women's game now offers the values of tenacity, resilience and togetherness, which can appeal to advertisers.

Persons: Stoke City's, Molly Holder, Spain's, Olga Carmona, Sunday's, Gianni Infantino, Jill Ellis, Lisa Parfitt, Jill Scott, Chloe Kelly, Ella Toone, Kieran Maguire, Simon Chadwick, Chadwick, Carlota Planas, Planas, let's, Holder, Kate Holton, Nick Mulveney, Helen Reid, Suban Abdulla, Matt Scuffham Organizations: Stoke City women's, Reuters, Stoke City FC, REUTERS Acquire, Stoke, Spain, England, Deloitte, Real Madrid, Real Madrid men's, FIFA, Women, Football, Germany, University of Liverpool, Wembley, Super League, men's Premier League, Manchester City, Arsenal, School, Thomson Locations: Stoke, Trent, Britain, Handout, STOKE, England, MADRID, Spain, France, Germany, Italy, United States, Manchester, Chelsea, Liverpool, Sydney, London

☆ World Cup needs to be Australia's starting point, not the finish: Gustavsson
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Ian Ransom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Soccer Football - FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 - Semi Final - Australia v England - Stadium Australia, Sydney, Australia - August 16, 2023 Australia coach Tony Gustavsson looks dejected after the match as Australia are knocked out of the World Cup REUTERS/Carl Recine Acquire Licensing RightsMELBOURNE, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Australia's dream of hoisting the Women's World Cup trophy is over but the co-hosts are determined to take more than a bronze medal away from a watershed tournament. The Matildas lost 3-1 to England on Wednesday but won over a nation during their first run to a World Cup semi-finals, drawing record crowds and TV audiences. Months after that World Cup, they went on strike over pay and conditions, fed up with contracts that demanded professional commitment for poverty-line wages. The Australian government tipped A$44 million into hosting the World Cup. We need funding in our grass-roots ... We need funding everywhere," she said.

Persons: Tony Gustavsson, Carl Recine, It's, Sam Kerr, Kerr, Ian Ransom, Devika Organizations: Soccer Football, FIFA, England, World, REUTERS, Rights MELBOURNE, Sweden, Australia, Chelsea, Australian Financial, Australian Rules, rugby, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, Australia, Sydney, Sweden, Brisbane, Canada, Melbourne, Australian

☆ From chippy to World Cup: striker England savours 'pinch-me' moments
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Aug 10 (Reuters) - England Lioness Beth England once worked in a chip shop to help fund her soccer dreams, and says the contrast between then and now has made for some surreal moments during her Women's World Cup debut. That for me is very much a 'pinch-me' moment," England told reporters on Thursday." England was playing for the Doncaster Blues at the time, in the early days of the WSL. The 29-year-old was named to England's World Cup squad after moving to Tottenham from Chelsea in January to try to get playing time. it is not going to affect us in a way that we're not defined by one player," England said of the suspended Chelsea striker.

Persons: Beth England, I'm, Lauren James, Nigeria's Michelle Alozie, James, Lori Ewing, John Stonestreet Organizations: SYDNEY, Nigeria, Doncaster Blues, Tottenham, Chelsea, Thomson Locations: England, Colombia, Sydney, Australia, France, Nigeria's

☆ England's James apologises for stamp and red card against Nigeria
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

James, England's top scorer at the tournament with three goals, received a red card for a bad-tempered stamp on Alozie's back in the 87th minute of Monday's game. "All respect for Lauren James." England now await a FIFA decision to see if the Chelsea player will receive an extended ban for the stamp. "Lauren is really sorry for her actions which led to the red card and is full of remorse. It is wholly out of character for her," England's Football Association said in a statement.

Persons: Lauren James, Nigeria's Michelle Alozie, Melissa Borjas, Dan Peled, England's Lauren James, Michelle Alozie, James, England's, Lauren, Trevor Stynes, Christian Radnedge Organizations: Soccer Football, FIFA, Brisbane Football, England, Chelsea, Football Association, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, England, Nigeria, Brisbane, Australia, Colombia

☆ While women's soccer boasts fierce LGBT advocates, FIFA reviews transgender rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Lori Ewing | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Critics of transgender inclusion in women's sport say going through male puberty imbues athletes with a huge physical advantage that transition does not mitigate. The U.S. women's team, including Rapinoe, famously lost 5-2 to an under-15 FC Dallas boys team in an informal training match in 2017. In much of the world, trans people are just lucky to stay alive. LGBT advocates say the debate over transgender inclusion in women's sport has also made for an increasingly hostile environment for gender diverse people in North America. According to LGBT website Outsports, a record of at least 87 out players will compete at the World Cup, more than double the 38 who played in the 2019 version.

Persons: Megan Rapinoe, Martina Navratilova, Rapinoe, Navratilova, Sue Bird, Joanna Harper, Nilla Fischer, Barbra Banda, Quinn, Sarah Gregorius, FIFPRO, You've, Lori Ewing, Nick Mulvenney, Michael Perry Organizations: Athletics, Aquatics, FIFA, trailblazer, WNBA, FC Dallas boys, Reuters, Equatorial, Zambia, Nations, Canada, Toronto Star, England, Thomson Locations: MANCHESTER, England, Australia, New Zealand, U.S, Canadian, Equatorial Guinea, North America, Tokyo

☆ Captains can wear a choice of eight armbands at the FIFA Women's World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Lori Ewing | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MANCHESTER, England, June 30 (Reuters) - Captains will be permitted to wear armbands with messages about inclusion, gender equality and peace at the Women's World Cup, an about-face for FIFA after rainbow armbands were not allowed at the men's tournament last year in Qatar. Team skippers will have the choice of eight different topics as part of FIFA's "Football Unites the World" campaign, selected in consultation with the 32 participating teams, players and United Nations agencies. Men's team captains from England, Wales, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany and Denmark had planned to wear "OneLove" armbands at the men's World Cup to protest Qatar's laws against same-sex relationships. "Football unites the world and our global events, such as the FIFA Women's World Cup, have a unique power to bring people together and provide joy, excitement and passion," Infantino said in Friday's statement. Captains have three options: they can wear the "Football Unites the World" armband, an armband corresponding to the theme of their choice for the entire tournament, or the armband corresponding to the theme of the specific match day.

Persons: Gianni Infantino, Infantino, It's, Fatma Samoura, Lori Ewing Organizations: FIFA, Team, Football, United Nations, Thomson Locations: MANCHESTER, England, Qatar, FIFA's, Wales, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand

☆ Australia, NZ consider joint bid for 2029 Club World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, June 28 (Reuters) - Football Australia (FA) chief James Johnson believes FIFA's expanded Club World Cup is going to be a big success and is mulling a joint bid with New Zealand to host the second edition in 2029. Australia and New Zealand will co-host the Women's World Cup in July and August this year and Johnson has already said that could be a springboard for a joint bid for the men's version, possibly in 2034. "That's something we could look at, as well as the men's World Cup – but that's (after) we've delivered the best ever Women's World Cup." The last edition of the Club World Cup featuring seven teams will be hosted by Saudi Arabia later this year. The ninth Women's World Cup kicks off in Auckland and Sydney on July 20.

Persons: James Johnson, FIFA's, Johnson, Gianni Infantino, Infantino, Gianni, we've, Nick Mulvenney, Michael Perry Organizations: SYDNEY, Football Australia, New, New Zealand, FIFA, Sydney Morning Herald, League, UEFA, Club, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, Australia, New, United States, Saudi Arabia, Auckland, Sydney

☆ United States to host expanded Club World Cup in 2025 - FIFA
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 23 (Reuters) - The first edition of FIFA's new 32-team Club World Cup will be held in the United States in 2025, world soccer's governing body said on Friday. FIFA had confirmed in March that the revamped Club World Cup will be played every four years from June 2025. The FIFA Council unanimously appointed the United States as the competition's hosts for the first edition of the expanded format. "The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 will be the pinnacle of elite professional men's club football," FIFA President Gianni Infantino said. The current version of the FIFA Club World Cup -- an annual competition with seven teams -- will be discontinued after 2023.

Persons: Gianni Infantino, Rohith Nair, Toby Davis, Christian Organizations: FIFA, America, FIFA Club, Real, League, Manchester City, FIFA Council, FIFA Congress, Thomson Locations: United States, Mexico, Canada, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Europe, Bangkok, Thailand, Indonesia, Argentina, Bali, Peru, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Bengaluru

☆ EA's CMO reveals how he'll keep the video game giant's soccer franchise rolling without FIFA branding
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Ryan Joe | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

EA's "FIFA" series is a big revenue driver, but its next soccer video game won't have that branding. CMO David Tinson reveals his plan to drive fans to EA's new soccer franchise EA Sports FC. Electronic Art's marketing muscle is going to have to do some heavy lifting this year to build a new powerhouse brand around its soccer video game series. In 2022, EA and FIFA ended a licensing partnership that lasted nearly three decades and helped make the "FIFA" video game series the most popular sports franchise of all time. This is a key component to making sure fans of the "FIFA" franchise glom onto the new one.

Persons: David Tinson, Andrew Wilson, Tinson, we've, hadn't Organizations: FIFA, EA Sports FC, EA, FC Barcelona's Camp, Manchester United, FC Barcelona, Nike Locations: FC Barcelona's Camp Nou, Real Madrid

☆ Players at Women's World Cup guaranteed at least $30,000 each in FIFA first
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, June 7 (Reuters) - Each player at the Women's World Cup will be guaranteed at least $30,000 after a ground-breaking move by FIFA to disburse some of the prize money to individuals rather than national federations. All 23 members of the winning team will take home $270,000, part of a $110 million total prize pool that is roughly 300% higher than what FIFA offered for the 2019 tournament. The $30,000 minimum directed prize money is more than twice the average salary of $14,000 for paid players surveyed in FIFA's 2022 benchmarking report. For the upcoming Women's World Cup, member associations will also receive increased funding based on performance, with winners taking $4.29 million home and delegations earning $1.56 million for participating in the group stage. The total performance-based prize funds still significantly trail what was the on the offer at the men's tournament last year, where $440 million total prize fund was awarded.

Persons: Gianni Infantino, FIFPRO, Amy Tennery, Lori Ewing, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: YORK, FIFA, FIFA Congress, Thomson Locations: Australia, New Zealand, New York

☆ Build a stadium, FIFA's Infantino urges Kyrgyzstan
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BISHKEK, May 6 (Reuters) - FIFA President Gianni Infantino urged Kyrgyzstan on Friday to build a national football stadium to host international games and address the lack of infrastructure. The former Soviet republic has no modern stadiums built to international standards that can host FIFA-level matches, and its national team's FIFA ranking has fluctuated between positions 201 and 75, currently standing at 96th. "I spoke to the (Kyrgyz) president (Sadyr Japarov) about the national stadium of football," Infantino said. The men's football team qualified two times in a row for the Asian cup. Reporting by Marlis Myrzakul Uulu Writing by Olzhas Auyezov; Editing by Kim CoghillOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 'Buried dreams': Players, fans dismayed after Indonesia loses U-20 hosting rights
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

International soccer's governing body FIFA stripped Indonesia of hosting rights on Wednesday over what an Indonesian official said was a failure to honour its commitments to the tournament. FIFA made the decision after Indonesia's football federation (PSSI) said it had cancelled the draw because Bali's governor refused to host Israel's team. The head of an Indonesian fans' association, Ignatius Indro, said PSSI and the government should ensure politics did not interfere in football. The loss of hosting rights was a "failure" for the Southeast Asian country, he said. PSSI said losing hosting rights would harm the national side's chance of taking part in other FIFA tournaments, and the economic losses would amount to millions of dollars.

☆ FIFA says 2026 World Cup will have record 104 matches
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"The FIFA Council unanimously approved the proposed amendment to the FIFA World Cup 2026 competition format" FIFA said. The 32-team World Cup in Qatar last year had a total of 64 matches completed in 29 days. Confederation champions from 2021-2024 will be eligible to play in the Club World Cup, which means Chelsea and Real Madrid have already qualified. The current version of the FIFA Club World Cup -- an annual competition with seven teams -- will be discontinued after 2023, with a new yearly club competition approved from 2024. "With 56 days, the total combined number of rest, release and tournament days remain identical to the 2010, 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cup editions," FIFA added.

☆ FIFA appointment of supermodel Lima 'baffling' - ex-Council member Dodd
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 2 (Reuters) - FIFA's appointment of supermodel Adriana Lima as its global fan ambassador in a Women's World Cup year is "baffling" and sends the wrong message to players and fans, former FIFA Council member Moya Dodd said. "I asked whether the FIFA ambassador will be delivering messages on body image, wellbeing and healthy eating. A prominent women's soccer advocate, Dodd represented Australia 24 times from 1986-95 and played in FIFA's women's invitational tournament in 1988, three years before the inaugural Women's World Cup. "In a FIFA World Cup year, that's the message that should be ringing loud and true around the world. This month, Dodd criticised FIFA for a lack of understanding of the women's game amid reports that Saudi Arabia's tourism authority would sponsor the July 20-Aug. 20 World Cup.

☆ In soccer, player revolts plunge Women's World Cup buildup into turmoil
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Player protests and high-level resignations are dominating headlines amid a growing sense of reckoning in women's soccer less than five months before the World Cup kicks off. Canada's women's team have vowed to boycott a pre-World Cup camp next month over equal pay and support, while Le Graet faced allegations of harassment. A government ministry audit concluded the 81-year-old Le Graet did not have the "necessary legitimacy" for the position. Neither Bontis nor Le Graet, however, are leaving the game. Bontis was named CONCACAF Council vice-president (North America) on Saturday, while Le Graet, who has denied all accusations, has reportedly been pegged to lead FIFA's Paris office.

☆ Player revolts plunge Women's World Cup buildup into turmoil
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Lori Ewing | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Canada's women's team have vowed to boycott a pre-World Cup camp next month over equal pay and support, while Le Graet faced allegations of harassment. A government ministry audit concluded the 81-year-old Le Graet did not have the "necessary legitimacy" for the position. Canada are the reigning Olympic women's champions, while France topped their group in World Cup qualifying. Forward Janine Beckie, who was in Qatar for last year's men's World Cup as part of Canada's broadcast crew, saw the "disgusting" discrepancy between the two programmes. (This story has been corrected to change the World Cup start date in paragraph 6)Reporting by Lori Ewing Editing by Toby DavisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ World Cup winner Scaloni renews contract with Argentina to 2026
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 27 (Reuters) - Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has extended his contract until 2026, the country's FA said on Monday after he led the team to their World Cup triumph in Qatar last year. Scaloni renewed his contract after meeting with AFA president Claudio Tapia in Paris on Monday, taking him through to the next World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States. "Claudio Tapia and Lionel Scaloni met to close the extension of the contract as coach of the Senior Selection until 2026," the AFA said in a statement. Scaloni, 44, gave the squad captained by Lionel Messi a thorough overhaul, winning the Copa America in 2021 plus the 'Finalissima' against Italy and World Cup in 2022. We continue to strengthen the national team project, together with Lionel Scaloni, the world champion coach," said Tapia, who is in Paris to attend FIFA's 'The Best' Awards.

☆ Messi shortlisted for FIFA's The Best Award with Mbappe and Benzema
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 10 (Reuters) - Argentina forward Lionel Messi is on the shortlist for the FIFA Best Male Player award, joined by Paris St Germain team mate Kylian Mbappe and Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema, soccer's world governing body announced on Friday. Messi could win his second The Best trophy after leading Argentina to their third World Cup title by beating Mbappe's France in last year's final in Qatar, scoring seven goals during the tournament and earning his second Golden ball. World Cup Golden Boot winner Mbappe and France's 2022 Ballon d'Or winner Benzema feature for the first time among the three finalists. Spain midfielder Alexia Putellas could claim the Best Women's Player award for the second year in a row despite being sidelined since July with a knee injury. Forward Beth Mead is also nominated after leading England to the Euro 2022 title as the tournament's leading scorer and best player of the tournament.

☆ US Soccer to 'voice concerns' over Saudi sponsorship at Women's World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 9 (Reuters) - The U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) said on Wednesday it would voice its concerns to FIFA over a reported Saudi Arabian sponsorship deal for the Women's World Cup. "While we cannot control how other organisations manage sponsorship selections for the tournaments we compete in, we can voice our concerns and will continue to support our players." The United States are FIFA's top ranked team and won the last two editions of the World Cup. The Guardian report triggered outrage in both host countries, with human rights activists and sportswomen saying Saudi sponsorship would be at odds with the tournament's messaging on empowerment of women and girls. Veteran U.S. forward Alex Morgan, who won the World Cup in 2015 and 2019, described the potential sponsorship as "bizarre".

☆ Fans irate as FIFA moves Club World Cup match to Tangier
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Fernando Kallas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

RABAT, Feb 9 (Reuters) - The Club World Cup third-place match between Brazil's Flamengo and Egypt's Al Ahly planned to be held in Rabat before the final on Saturday has been moved to Tangier, FIFA said on Thursday. "Fans who have bought tickets for the double-header will be informed shortly," FIFA said in a statement. "Special travel arrangements will be organised by ONCF, Morocco's national railway operator, enabling those who want to watch the third-place match in Tangier to be able to do so. "Ticket holders will be able to exchange their current tickets for new ones for the third-place match, or have the option to apply for a refund of existing tickets." "FIFA's decision left the fans in lost in translation," Tatiana Ribeiro, from travel agency Ribeiro Viagens, told Reuters.

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