Social Issues

MADRID — The top court in Spain's Catalonia region on Friday overturned Brazilian soccer player Dani Alves' rape conviction, saying the case against him had inconsistencies and contradictions.

The 41-year-old defender was convicted last year of raping a woman in the restroom of a Barcelona nightclub in 2022 and sentenced to 4-1/2 years in prison.

Dani Alves rape conviction overturned

LONDON — Australia women's soccer captain Sam Kerr was on Tuesday found not guilty of racially abusing a British police officer after a dispute with a cab driver.

Kerr, who has Indian ancestry, called officer Stephen Lovell "stupid and white" after police were called following a drunken dispute with a cab driver in the early hours of January 30, 2023.

Saudi Arabia will host the men's soccer World Cup in 2034 while the 2030 edition will be held in Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with one-off matches in three South American countries, world soccer's governing body FIFA confirmed on Wednesday.

The decision was announced by FIFA President Gianni Infantino following a virtual extraordinary Congress. The 2030 and 2034 World Cups each had only a single bid and both were confirmed by acclamation.

Christian Pulisic’s red-hot form with both AC Milan and the U.S. men’s national team has the American placed amongst the best players in the world right now — though, it's not exactly exempting him from criticism. The reason? His latest celebration.

Pulisic scored two of the four goals in the USMNT's 4-2 victory over Jamaica (5-2 score aggregate) to seal their spot in the Concacaf Nations League semifinals, further cementing his status as the United States’ target man and main attacking threat.

Vini Jr. is the people’s 2024 Ballon d’Or champ. If that makes it any better.

Monday morning struck the world with some of the biggest news of the year as reports revealed that ‘clear’ Ballon d’Or favorite, Vinicius Jr., was to not travel to Paris, France, for the prestigious award’s ceremony — meaning the star Brazilian and Real Madrid forward was imminently snubbed from taking the golden ball home.

MADRID — Four people have been arrested and questioned in Spain on suspicion of conducting an online hate campaign encouraging fans to racially abuse Real Madrid star forward Vinicius Jr, police said on Thursday.

The men were detained on Oct. 14 and 15 then released as investigations continued into social media slogans which urged fans to wear face masks so they could insult the Black Brazil international without being identified, police added.

The Football Association have charged Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur after the Uruguayan made a racist remark about South Korean people when talking about his teammate Son Heung-min during a television appearance.

Bentancur, 27, has until Sept. 19 to respond to the charge.

Rodrigo Bentancur charge

San Diego Wave FC President Jill Ellis filed a defamation suit on Monday against a former team employee who accused Ellis on social media of creating a harsh work environment.

Brittany Alvarado, previously a video and creative manager for the Wave, wrote in a July 3 social media post that the treatment she and her co-workers endured under Ellis "has been nothing short of life-altering and devastating to our mental health."

The U.S. soccer federation condemned the online racist abuse of their players on Thursday after their 2-1 defeat by Panama at the Copa America.

"There is absolutely no place in the game for such hateful and discriminatory behaviour," U.S. Soccer said in a statement.

"These actions are not only unacceptable but also contrary to the values of respect and inclusivity that we uphold as an organization."

USMNT players face racist abuse online