Business

Dutch club Vitesse to be relegated after being deducted 18 points and now have negative points

Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem have been given an 18-point deduction due to licensing issues on Friday and will be relegated, ending 35 years of uninterrupted play in the top flight Eredivisie.

The Dutch Football Association (KNVB) independent licensing committee imposed the deduction, placing the club at the bottom of the standings with minus one point with four matches remaining.

Vitesse point deduction

France’s Ligue 1 could be getting a new name next season — Ligue 1 McDonald’s

Ligue 1 looks to be getting a new league sponsorship deal as RMC Sport has reported the top French league is close to teaming up with McDonald’s.

The league’s current name is actually Ligue 1 Uber Eats. The food delivery service has had the sponsorship name since 2020 and the naming deal runs until the end of the 2023-24 season.

McDonald’s is reportedly set to ink a deal with Ligue 1 worth $65 million over the next three seasons.

The deal isn’t confirmed yet but has already generated quite the storm online.

Ligue 1 McDonald’s

NWSL has company: U.S. Soccer gives new USL Women’s Super League Division 1 status

The NWSL is no longer the only Division 1 women’s soccer league in the United States as U.S. Soccer announced on Friday that the new USL Super League has been granted top flight status.

The USL Super League will kick off in 2024 with eight teams and already has plans for more cities to join in 2025.

U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone congratulated the new league on their status and said it will create more opportunities for women’s players in the U.S.

Supreme Court seeks President Biden's view on case against U.S. Soccer

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday asked President Joe Biden's administration for its views on whether the justices should take up the U.S. Soccer Federation's bid to bar a lawsuit accusing it of conspiring with FIFA to prohibit foreign teams from playing official matches in the United States.

How Nike lost Messi to Adidas over a dumb oversight and a few hundred dollars worth of tracksuits

Nike lost Messi in 2006 in an effort to save themselves a couple hundred bucks. Along with him, they ended up losing billions in potential revenue. This is the story of how one of the most iconic partnerships in sports between Lionel Messi and Adidas came to be – and how close we were to seeing both Messi and Ronaldo as ambassadors for Nike.

Landon Donovan’s USL team San Diego Loyal will be forced to fold at end of 2023 season

The San Diego Loyal, a United Soccer League club owned in part by soccer legend Landon Donovan, will cease operations after the 2023 season, the league announced Thursday.

The franchise rights will be transferred "in the coming months," per a league news release.

The action is being taken because a "viable near- and long-term stadium solution in the market did not materialize" in the San Diego area, the league said.

We compared the money in men's and women's soccer. The difference is huge.

Spain beat England 1-0 on Sunday in a Women's World Cup final that pitted the two European countries with the strongest domestic leagues against each other.

The Women's World Cup, which began in 1991, has had nine tournaments to date. Meanwhile, men's world cup, started in 1930, has had 22 tournaments so far. 

Here is a comparison between men's and women's soccer over the years.

Men's Versus Women's Soccer Money Comparison

Highest World Cup Prize Purse

The Magic Messi effect on MLS: How he's changing the game in America

Lionel Messi's transfer to Inter Miami has set MLS on a path to the stars. Literally. And the Magic Messi effect on MLS is just getting started.

Saudi soccer takeover in full effect — list of all the players linked to a Saudi Arabian club

Saudi Arabia is attempting what China failed to do in the late 2010s and attract the big soccer names away from Europe to their country’s top league. The list of players going to Saudi Arabia or that have been linked grows by the day.

Cristiano Ronaldo was the first major domino to fall in December when the Portuguese star joined Al Nassr and is expected to make $75 million a year.

Neymar set to join Ronaldo in Saudi Pro League after PSG agree to $98 million transfer fee with Al Hilal

Brazil forward Neymar Jr. is headed for Saudi Arabia after Pro League side Al Hilal agreed a two-year deal with Paris St Germain, Saudi state media reported on Monday.

There was no immediate comment from the Ligue 1 champions, owned by Qatar Sports Investments, but French newspaper L'Equipe said the deal could net 31-year-old Neymar 160 million euros ($175 million).

The transfer fee was reported to be about 90 million euros plus add-ons and subject to completing a medical.

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