Human Interest

Diego Armando Maradona, One Of The Greatest Ever, Has Died At 60

BUENOS AIRES — Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona, widely regarded as one of the game's greatest ever players, died of a heart attack on Wednesday, his lawyer said.

Maradona, 60, had recently battled health issues and underwent emergency surgery for a subdural haematoma several weeks ago.

He suffered a heart attack at his home in the outskirts of Buenos Aires on Wednesday, Argentinian media and acquaintances of the former player said.

Argentine President Alberto Fernandez declared three days of national mourning.

English Dad Builds Ultimate Backyard Soccer Pitch

These kids won't have to worry about missing out on playing soccer during a second lockdown - after their dad turned their back garden into a pro football pitch. Carl Dooley forked out £7,000 on transforming the family's back garden into a 3G football pitch - complete with floodlights, bespoke graffiti panels, and a professional astroturf surface for his kids to play on. Wife Hayley was left fuming when he initially told her he wanted to bulldoze the couple's patio and garden at their home in Redditch, Worcs.

FIFA Bans Head Of African Football For Five Years After Ethics Investigation

The head of African football, Ahmad Ahmad, has been banned from football for five years by FIFA following an ethics investigation by world soccer's governing body.

Ahmad, who is president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), had intended to stand in an election in March in which he would have faced a number of challengers. FIFA said in a statement the independent Ethics Committee has found Ahmad guilty of offering and accepting gifts and other benefits, and misappropriation of funds.

Robot Camera Ruins Soccer Match

A robot camera just ruined a soccer match in Scotland. The camera uses artificial intelligence to track the soccer ball throughout the match. But in a recent fixture between Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Ayr United the camera kept getting confused by the linesman's bald head. Since fans were not allowed in the stadium the only way to watch the match was the televised broadcast. However, for a good chunk of the time, all the viewers could watch was the linesman running up and down the sideline. The home club (Thistle) recently switched from human camera operators to the new A.I.

Ryan Reynolds Completes Wrexham Takeover

Actors Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) and Rob McElhenney (It's Always Sunny In Philidelphia) have teamed up in a bid to takeover Welsh club Wrexham AFC. It is the oldest club in Wales and the third oldest soccer club in the world. Wrexham competes in the National League, which is the fifth tier in England. In their mission statement the duo outlined their plans for the future of the club including making Wrexham a global force, to update the club's stadium (The Racecourse), and to always beat Chester, the team's rival.

New FIFA Rule Protects Female Players’ Maternity Leave Rights

FIFA is to introduce new regulations to protect the rights of women players, including mandatory maternity leave, world soccer's governing body said on Thursday.

The reforms have been put forward by FIFA's Football Stakeholders Committee (FSC) and will go to FIFA's Council next month for approval.

While many players in Europe are already protected by employment law in their given countries, FIFA says its aim is to create "new global minimum standards" for female players all over the world, given the rapid emergence of new clubs and leagues globally.

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