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☆ Exclusive: Soccer-Brazil forward Vinicius Jr to lead new anti-racism committee - FIFA
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Fernando Kallas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BARCELONA, June 15 (Reuters) - Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr will lead a special FIFA anti-racism committee made up of players who will suggest stricter punishments for discriminatory behaviour in football, president Gianni Infantino told Reuters on Thursday. Infantino told Reuters that as well as applying disciplinary and competition punishments, FIFA will also pursue legal action against abusers in countries where racism happens in football matches. "I asked Vinicius to lead this group of players that will present stricter punishments against racism that will later be implemented by all football authorities around the world. "We will implement very blunt and strong punishments to end once and for all with the problem of racism in football. "We need to stop the games, apply disciplinary and competitive measures and all of it needs to be coordinated with local authorities and governments.

Persons: Madrid's Vinicius, Gianni Infantino, Vinicius, LaLiga, Infantino, It's, Fernando Kallas, Toby Davis Organizations: FIFA, Reuters, Madrid, Valencia, Brazil national, Guinea, Brazilian FA, CBF, Spanish FA, Infantino, Thomson Locations: BARCELONA, Brazil, Barcelona, Valencia, Spain

☆ Seven punished by Spanish government for racist insults against Vinicius
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 5 (Reuters) - Seven people involved in different racist attacks against Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr have been punished by Spain's State Commission against Violence, Racism, Xenophobia and Intolerance in Sport, the country's Sports Commission said on Monday. 20 shirt on a bridge near Real's facilities before the team's Cup match against Atletico Madrid on Jan. 26. Three other people were fined 5,000 euros ($5,354.50) and banned from sports venues for one year after making racist gestures towards the Brazil international during a LaLiga match at Valencia's Mestalla Stadium on May 21. Vinicius Jr has been in the spotlight for the past couple of weeks after calling LaLiga and Spain racist following the abuse he suffered during Real's match against Valencia. ($1 = 0.9338 euros)Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico City; Editing by Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Vinicius Jr, Madrid, Vinicius, LaLiga, Janina Nuno Rios, Ken Ferris Organizations: Real Madrid, Violence, country's Sports, Atletico Madrid, Jan, Brazil, Valencia's, Valencia, Guinea, Thomson Locations: Real's, Madrid, Spain, Brazil, Senegal, Mexico City

☆ Lionel Messi breaks a Cristiano Ronaldo record as PSG wins Ligue 1 title
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —There was another landmark in the long rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on Saturday. As Paris Saint-Germain sealed an 11th Ligue 1 title, Messi scored his 496th goal in Europe’s top five leagues, surpassing Ronaldo’s previous record of 495 goals. Kevin Gameiro equalized for Strasbourg twenty minutes later, but PSG still coasted to the league title despite the match ended in a draw. It was a record-breaking day for PSG as well as Messi, as the club overtook Saint-Etienne’s haul of 10 Ligue 1 trophies to claim the outright record. Messi scored PSG's only goal of the night.

☆ Vinicius Jr calls LaLiga and Spain racist for chants after sending-off
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Soccer Football - LaLiga - Valencia v Real Madrid - Mestalla, Valencia, Spain - May 21, 2023 Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior gestures towards a fan after witnessing abuse as Valencia's Jose Gaya and... Read moreMay 21 (Reuters) - Real Madrid's Brazil forward Vinicius Jr has called LaLiga and Spain racist after receiving racial slurs from the stands in Sunday's defeat at Valencia's Mestalla stadium. The competition considers it normal, the federation considers it normal and the rivals encourage it," Vinicius posted on Twitter after the game. I am sorry for those Spaniards who disagree but today, in Brazil, Spain is known as a country of racists. The Spanish league has previously lodged complaints of racist chanting or insults against Vinicius Jr, the latest of which was a claim before a court in Mallorca after fans were filmed racially abusing the forward. Spanish police are also investigating a possible hate crime against Vinicius Jr after a mannequin wearing his number 20 shirt was hung from a bridge outside Real Madrid's training ground in January.

☆ Real Madrid player Vinícius Jr. racially abused during Spanish La Liga match
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Matt Foster | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Vinícius Jr., Real Madrid’s Brazilian forward, was subjected to racist chanting during his team’s defeat to Valencia at the Mestalla Stadium in Spain’s La Liga, according to club manager Carlo Ancelotti. Vinícius Jr. was sent off in the final minutes of the game for his involvement in an altercation with Valencia player Hugo Duro. ‘This isn’t football, this is @LaLiga’”The Real Madrid player then posted a longer statement on his Twitter. “Valencia CF wishes to publicly condemn any type of insult, attack or downgrading in football,” it reads. “Valencia CF can’t tolerate someone accusing our fans of being racist, we strongly reject Ancelotti’s comments,” the post said.

☆ LaLiga loss shrinks as ticket revenues recover after pandemic
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LaLiga expects the current season to produce a net profit of just below 30 million euros, "still far from levels reached in the pre-COVID years", with revenues adding a little over 1%. COVID restrictions hit ticket sales and player transactions in 2020-21, leading to the Spanish league's first loss since 2012. Revenues reached almost 4.84 billion euros in 2021-22, landing just short of the record of nearly 5.07 billion in 2019-20. However, the amount of money spent on infrastructure jumped to 430 million euros, exceeding pre-pandemic levels. Last month, the club secured a financing deal worth 1.45 billion euros with 20 investors, including Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan, after having renegotiated the initial terms.

☆ A German Soccer Team’s Radical Fix for Declining Attendance: Free Tickets
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Rachel Bachman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Fortuna Düsseldorf in western Germany has had a wild ride over more than a century as the city’s top professional soccer club. It has savored the heights of the Bundesliga and sunk to the fourth division. In the early 2000s, it even took on as a sponsor the punk band Die Toten Hosen, which means “The Dead Pants.”Now playing in Germany’s second-tier Bundesliga 2, Fortuna Düsseldorf is heading toward its most radical move ever: giving away its match tickets for free.

☆ Barcelona stunned by Rayo Vallecano in surprise 2-1 defeat
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Fernando Kallas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MADRID, April 26 (Reuters) - Barcelona wasted a golden opportunity to extend their lead at the top of LaLiga as they suffered a shock 2-1 defeat at Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday thanks to goals in each half from Alvaro Garcia and Fran Garcia. With seven games to play, Barca are top of the league on 76 points, 11 ahead second-placed Real Madrid, who were also stunned 4-2 at lowly Girona on Tuesday. Rayo Vallecano are ninth on 43 points, four adrift of the European qualification spots. Rayo halted Barca's seven game unbeaten streak in the league with a gutsy performance in front of their fans at a sold-out Estadio de Vallecas. Camello missed another great chance in the 64th minute and Unai Lopez also wasted another opportunity to extend Rayo's lead a little later.

☆ The Champions League Ventures Down Memory Lane
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Rory Smith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Bayern Munich will not take this well. The club is unlikely to shrug its shoulders at being eliminated from not only the Champions League but the German cup, too, in the space of a few days. Thomas Tuchel, freshly installed as Nagelsmann’s replacement, should be safe for now, but all around him will be a blur of change. There was a sense, watching Manchester City hold Bayern at bay on Wednesday evening, of two clubs moving in opposite directions. Like Juventus and Barcelona before it, Bayern Munich will at some point bow to, or be bowed by, England’s economic primacy.

☆ Under-pressure Bayern shift focus to Bundesliga and in-form Mainz
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUNICH, Germany, April 20 (Reuters) - Bayern Munich's players and coach Thomas Tuchel have no time to digest Wednesday's painful Champions League exit to Manchester City with the Bundesliga the only title left to fight for and in-form Mainz 05 posing the next obstacle in a rocky season. In the Cup it was Freiburg who beat them in Munich while City advanced with a comfortable 4-1 aggregate win. "At the end of the day, we are just scoring far too few goals," said midfielder Thomas Mueller. Bayern know that if they are to rescue their season with a record-extending 11th straight Bundesliga title and take some pressure off the club leadership they have to start scoring again on Saturday at Mainz. "This is now our main focus, not to dwell too long on this bitter elimination (by City)."

☆ Jankto to stop playing for Sparta Prague this season over health concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 20 (Reuters) - Czech Republic international Jakub Jankto, who received widespread support earlier this year after coming out as gay, has announced he will not play for Sparta Prague anymore this season due to concerns over his health. His announcement was met with support from Brazil's Neymar, the English Premier League, LaLiga and European soccer's governing body UEFA. The midfielder has played 16 games in all competitions for Sparta this term, having joined on loan from Spanish side Getafe. Sparta lead the Czech top flight with 61 points after 27 games, two points above second-placed Slavia Prague. The two Prague teams are due to meet in the Czech Cup final in May.

☆ Getafe hold Barca to another goalless draw in LaLiga
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 16 (Reuters) - Leaders Barcelona were held to a second straight 0-0 draw in LaLiga after mid-table Getafe managed to take a point in a hard-fought game on Sunday. In the second half, Barca striker Robert Lewandowski, LaLiga's top scorer this season with 17 goals, had a header blocked while Getafe keeper David Soria also denied Raphinha with a fine save. Getafe nearly stole all three points at the other end on a counter-attack in the 87th minute when the ball fell to Borja Mayoral but the striker's shot from distance flew just wide of the post. Barcelona next host Atletico Madrid next Sunday while 15th-placed Getafe, who sit four points above the relegation zone, are away at Mallorca. Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru Editing by Toby DavisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Whirlwind Bayern crush Dortmund 4-2 to go top in Tuchel debut
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUNICH, Germany, April 1 (Reuters) - Bayern Munich overran a hapless Borussia Dortmund to win Der Klassiker 4-2 on Saturday as three goals in the opening 23 minutes helped them reclaim top spot in the Bundesliga and hand new coach Thomas Tuchel a winning start. With Tuchel, who also coached Dortmund from 2015-2107, having replaced Julian Nagelsmann on the Bayern bench, the hosts were all over their title rivals from the start. With Dortmund's defence torn to shreds and club bosses frozen in their seats at the Allianz Arena, Bayern never took their foot off the gas. Some sloppy finishing, however, saw them squander half a dozen golden chances in the second half before Dortmund struck twice late in the game, with an Emre Can penalty in the 72nd minute and a stoppage-time effort from Donyell Malen. Tuchel, who previously also coached Paris St Germain and Chelsea, could not have dreamt of a better start with Bayern on course for a record-stretching 11th league crown.

☆ Efficient Dortmund edge past Leipzig 2-1 to move into top spot
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DORTMUND, Germany, March 3 (Reuters) - Borussia Dortmund took a two-goal lead in the first half and hung on for a nervous 2-1 victory over RB Leipzig on Friday to go top of the Bundesliga and stretch their perfect run in 2023 to eighth straight league wins. "We had to tremble until the end but I prefer to win than to play well and lose. "It was our big wish to take over the lead in the Bundesliga and keep putting pressure." "But we have to keep our heads up as there are still a lot of great matches in front of us." Leipzig face Manchester City in their own Champions League last 16 return leg on March 14 after their 1-1 draw in Germany last week.

☆ Fanatics to start livestreamed shopping of trading cards, collectibles
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Ian Thomas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The Washington Post | Getty ImagesFanatics is moving into livestreamed shopping around collectibles and trading cards, hiring a former Snap and Alphabet executive to launch its new business later this year. Fanatics Live, which will have a standalone app and a coinciding website, plans to launch in the second half of 2023. Only 31% of U.S. adults have even heard of live shopping, with just 22% saying they've participated in a live shopping event, according to a December poll by Morning Consult. Ebay, which said it saw trading card sales increase 142% in 2020, acquired trading card marketplace TCGPlayer for $295 million in August. While Fanatics Live could move into other forms of entertainment and collectibles over time, it will solely focus on trading cards initially.

[1/5] Indian billionaire Gautam Adani speaks during an inauguration ceremony after the Adani Group completed the purchase of Haifa Port in Haifa port, Israel January 31, 2023. "The kind of fall that we are seeing in Adani stocks is scary," said Avinash Gorakshakar, head of research at Mumbai-based Profitmart Securities. After losing $86 billion in recent days, the seven listed Adani Group entities now have a combined market capitalisation of about $131 billion. LIC owned a 4.23% stake in Adani Enterprises as of end-December and more than 9% in Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone. Siddhartha Mohanty, one of LIC's managing directors, said in interviews on Monday that the insurer was engaging with the Adani Group but was positive on its investments.

Before the critical report by U.S. short-seller Hindenburg, Adani had ranked third. The report by Hindenburg Research last week alleged improper use by the Adani Group of offshore tax havens and stock manipulation. Adani Power (ADAN.NS) fell 5%, while Adani Total Gas (ADAG.NS) slumped 10%, down by its daily price limit. Headaches for the Adani Group are expected to continue for some time. Hindenburg said in its report it had shorted U.S.-bonds and non-India traded derivatives of the Adani Group.

☆ Gautam Adani no longer Asia's richest person as stock rout deepens to $74 billion
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Indian billionaire Gautam Adani speaks during an inauguration ceremony after the Adani Group completed the purchase of Haifa Port earlier in January 2023, in Haifa port, Israel January 31, 2023. REUTERS/Amir CohenBENGALURU, Feb 1 (Reuters) - India's Gautam Adani lost his title of Asia's richest person on Wednesday as a rout in his conglomerate's stocks deepened to $74 billion after a short-seller report. The Adani Group has denied the allegations, calling them baseless and saying it has always made necessary regulatory disclosures. Before the Hindenburg report, Adani had ranked 3rd. Adani Power (ADAN.NS) fell 5%, while Adani Total Gas (ADAG.NS) slumped 10%, down by its daily price limit.

☆ Adani Group stocks rout deepens to $72 bln despite share sale completion
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BENGALURU, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Most Adani Group stocks dropped on Wednesday, extending losses to $72 billion after a short-seller report criticised the conglomerate and despite the group completing a closely watched share sale a day earlier. It added that shares in seven Adani listed companies have an 85% downside due to what it called "sky-high valuations". Adani Power (ADAN.NS) fell 5%, while Adani Total Gas (ADAG.NS) slumped 10%, down by its daily price limit. Adani Enterprises had bounced over the last two sessions as the group mustered support from investors to haul the flagship firm's share sale over the line on the last day of sale. Hindenburg said in its report it had shorted U.S.-bonds and non-India traded derivatives of the Adani Group.

☆ Bayern sign goalkeeper Sommer from Gladbach to replace injured Neuer
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Bayern Munich have signed Switzerland goalkeeper Yann Sommer from Borussia Moenchengladbach to replace injured Manuel Neuer, the German champions said on Thursday. The 34-year-old Swiss signed a contract to 2025 ending a weeks-long frantic search by Bayern for a goalkeeper following Neuer's injury. "Yann Sommer is a valuable reinforcement because he is internationally very experienced and knows the Bundesliga as well for many years," said club CEO Oliver Kahn. We are confident of reaching our goals with Yann Sommer." Bayern, who lead the Bundesliga standings by four points, face Paris St Germain in the Champions League knockout stage next month.

☆ Bayern in need of a keeper after Neuer injury, coach Nagelsmann says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Bayern Munich want to sign a goalkeeper following the injury to Germany captain Manuel Neuer but the options on the transfer market in the winter period are limited, coach Julian Nagelsmann said on Thursday. Speaking in Doha, Qatar, at the end of a one-week training camp ahead of the Bundesliga season restart next week, Nagelsmann said that, while 34-year-old Sven Ulreich was ready to step in to replace Neuer, the club still needed another keeper. Nagelsmann said the choices behind Ulreich were limited to younger keepers, including 19-year-old Johannes Schenk, with no experience of top league matches. Bayern, top of the Bundesliga, resume their hunt for a record-extending 11th straight league crown against RB Leipzig on Jan. 20. "We want to put ourselves on track for the big match against top league rival Leipzig next week," he said.

On Sunday the globe’s gaze will turn to the controversial hosts of this year’s soccer World Cup, Qatar. (The Qatar body responsible for putting on the 2022 World Cup has strongly denied these claims.) According to official Qatari figures, 38 migrant workers have died while working on official World Cup projects. An investigation by The Guardian, however, estimates up to 6,500 migrant worker deaths since the World Cup was awarded to the Gulf country, though it’s not clear what their exact relation to World Cup infrastructure was. But the people of the Middle East shouldn’t be punished by having the World Cup tournament withdrawn for the failures of their governments.

☆ Lionel Messi takes stake in NFT fantasy soccer game Sorare
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Soccer star Lionel Messi is joining Sorare, the French nonfungible token trading game, as an investor and brand ambassador. The Argentinian, who plays as a forward for French club Paris Saint-Germain, will help Sorare set new standards in how fans connect with clubs and players, the company said in a statement Wednesday. Messi has taken an equity stake in Sorare as part of the deal, the company said, without expanding on the size of his holding or other terms. Sorare lets users trade digital player cards and manage teams of five in fantasy soccer tournaments. It has expanded beyond its core focus on soccer recently into other sports, including basketball and baseball.

☆ La Liga: Real Madrid suffers first league defeat of the season against Rayo Vallecano
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Real Madrid missed out on the chance to return to the top of La Liga as a retaken penalty gave Rayo Vallecano a surprise 3-2 victory over Los Blancos. It was Real’s first defeat in the league this season and gives Barcelona a two-point lead at the top of La Liga after 13 games. Álvaro García celebrates Rayo's first goal against Real Madrid. Angel Martinez/Getty Images Europe/Getty ImagesThe result means Rayo now has one win and two draws against the top three teams in La Liga this season – Barcelona, Real, and Atlético Madrid. Barcelona, meanwhile, has a chance to extend its lead at the top of La Liga when it plays Osasuna on Tuesday.

☆ One factory worker takes on Mexico's powerful unions
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Daina Beth Solomon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

CTM representatives say their unions defend worker rights, offer perks such as scholarships and sports programs and abide by Mexico's new labor rules. Along with La Liga, other new unions have also won victories over powerful rivals in the past year at GM, Japan's Panasonic (6752.T) and French glassmaker Saint-Gobain (SGOB.PA), pledging better pay. Even among the new crop, La Liga stands out for its broader vision: targeting companies no matter the sector, no matter the location. Leaving her three kids at home, she is traveling factory to factory seeking support. What's more, to drum up support, La Liga must fight a deeply embedded culture of fear and apathy around speaking out.

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