Controversial

UEFA said the correct decision was made to disallow Julian Alvarez's penalty in Atletico Madrid's Champions League loss to city rivals Real Madrid on Wednesday but European soccer's governing body would enter discussions to review the rule.

A livid Atletico enquired with UEFA after Alvarez had his shootout penalty ruled out by the referee in their last-16 tie that saw Real reach the quarter-finals of Europe's elite club competition.

The second leg of the Madrid Derby in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday had high drama with the main focus being a Julián Alvarez penalty being disallowed during the shootout which Real Madrid won 4-2 after drawing 2-2 on aggregate.

Alvarez appeared to convert Atlético Madrid’s second penalty when he powered his penalty kick into the roof of the net despite slipping.

BUENOS AIRES — Argentina began a long-awaited trial on Tuesday of the medical team for soccer star Diego Maradona, over four years after his death in 2020, in a case that has riled emotions in the South American country where the World Cup winner is still revered.

Maradona's family, lawyers and his former nurses, brain surgeon and psychiatrist accused of homicide by negligence, arrived at the court on the outskirts of capital city Buenos Aires in what promises to be a drama-filled and lengthy saga.

PARIS — Soccer's governing body FIFA will review a proposal to expand the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams to mark the centenary of the sport's marquee event, it said on Thursday.

The 2030 World Cup will be held in Morocco, Spain and Portugal, with Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, where the inaugural edition was staged, set to host three games.

64 team World Cup 2030

Serie A seeks to win the race of becoming the first top European league to play league games in the United States. Serie A president Ezio Simonelli said on Tuesday that the league wants to play overseas soon.

Serie A and LaLiga have been the two elite leagues leading the charge of hosting matches in the U.S. Last year it was rumored that Barcelona and Atlético Madrid would play in Miami, however the idea fell through.

MLS is the real deal, folks.

Major League Soccer has solidified its position among the world’s top-tier soccer leagues, now ranked as the ninth-best league globally, according to Opta Analyst.

MLS ranked as ninth-best league in the world, over EFL Championship and Eredivisie

This milestone places MLS above renowned leagues like the English Championship and the Dutch Eredivisie — two leagues in Europe with long histories of having top soccer talents.

“No Messi, No Party" — every Houston Dynamo fan right now, probably.

Fans who bought tickets for Houston Dynamo’s hosting of Inter Miami — eager to see the appearance of Lionel Messi — were hit with devastating news on Saturday night after reports indicated that the Argentine was to miss the clash at Shell Energy Stadium this weekend.

When Bielsa speaks, we listen.

Christian Olivera, a former LAFC player and current member of the Uruguay national team, recently revealed that Marcelo Bielsa, one of soccer’s most renowned tactical minds, advised him to leave Major League Soccer in order to better his career. 

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Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho was handed a four-match ban and fined by the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) on Thursday following his comments about Turkish referees after a match at Galatasaray.

The TFF fined the 62-year-old Portuguese $44,000 after he criticized the match officials in a press conference following the 0-0 Super Lig draw on Monday.

José Mourinho ban for comments on referees

Jesse Marsch, the American-born head coach of the Canadian men's soccer team, took aim at President Donald Trump on Wednesday and suggested he back off the "ridiculous rhetoric" of making Canada the 51st U.S. state.

Marsch, speaking during a CONCACAF Nations League media day in Inglewood, California, told reporters he considered Trump's repeated suggestions that Canada would be better off as a U.S. state "unsettling and frankly insulting".

Jesse Marsch Trump comments