Business

FIFA aims for equal prize money between men's and women's World Cups by 2027

KIGALI - Prize money for the 2023 Women's World Cup will be $150 million, 10 times what it was in 2015 and three times the amount of 2019, FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced in his closing remarks to the 73rd FIFA Congress on Thursday.

The figure, however, is still considerably lower than the $440 million total prize money awarded at the men's World Cup in Qatar last year.

In what would be a first for women, Infantino wants some of the prize money to go to the players.

Attention soccer purists: Get your kangaroo leather cleats while you still can

Nike announced on Monday that it will no longer produce kangaroo leather products, including its famous soccer cleats. For collectors and enthusiasts alike, the news is a real wake-up call. Since the 1970s, kangaroo leather has represented the pinnacle of what a football boot is and should be, providing players with a touch on the ball unlike any other boots on the market. 

LAFC and Bayern Munich announce player development partnership

Despite only beginning the club's sixth season in Major League Soccer, LAFC have already begun tapping into the hot bed of talent in Southern California with exciting homegrown players like Erik Dueñas, Christian Torres, Nathan Ordaz and Tony Leone all on the roster.

FIFA's appointment of supermodel Adriana Lima leaves former players stunned

FIFA's appointment of supermodel Adriana Lima as its global fan ambassador in a Women's World Cup year is "baffling" and sends the wrong message to players and fans, former FIFA Council member Moya Dodd said.

Brazilian Lima will "develop, promote and participate in several global initiatives" in her role as FIFA's first global fan ambassador, the governing body said in a statement on Monday.

Barcelona dumped out of Europe again in latest continental setback

MANCHESTER, England - It was Groundhog Day for Barcelona at Old Trafford on Thursday as Manchester United fought back to earn a 2-1 win that knocked the Spanish side out of the Europa League, leaving the Catalans licking their wounds after another continental failure.

Last season they also ended up in the Europa League playoffs after finishing third in their Champions League group and were knocked out of Europe's second tier competition in the quarterfinals after a 3-2 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt at Camp Nou.

MLS expansion fee enters the stratosphere — who can afford it?

Major League Soccer's ambition of being a true player in the world's club game by the 2026 World Cup is slowly being realized. 

The league's 28th season kicks off Saturday with a new team (St. Louis City SC), a new 10-year partnership with Apple TV (worth $250M per season) that's available in over 100 countries and Tuesday's announcement of a three-year extension with Audi that pays a multimillion-dollar fee annually.

After dropping FIFA, Electronic Arts nears $600M deal with the Premier League

FIFA 23 marks the end of a 30-year era after Electronic Arts balked at the international governing body's demand of one billion dollars for a license renewal, paving the way for EA Sports FC 24 and beyond.

What bold new direction will EA take now that its longstanding relationship with FIFA is over?

Qatari investors to make bid for Manchester United in the coming days

LONDON - Qatari investors are preparing to make a bid to buy Premier League club Manchester United in the coming days, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing sources familiar with the deal.

The report added that the consortium will submit an initial bid for the club by the end of the week, and that officials from Qatar Investment Authority are helping with preparations for the bid.

Victim complex at Man City reaches pathetic high as Guardiola claims he has 'smallest squad in PL'

MANCHESTER, England - Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola claimed his squad depth is the lowest in the Premier League after Sunday's victory over Aston Villa left his side just three points off the top.

Goals by Rodri and İlkay Gündoğan and a penalty by Riyad Mahrez sealed a 3-1 win at the end of a week in which the champions were charged with more than 100 cases of alleged financial wrongdoing by the Premier League.

Radical European Super League proposal aims to include 80 clubs

BERLIN - A future European Super League could include as many as 80 teams, Bernd Reichart, the chief executive of A22 Sports Management, a company formed to sponsor and assist in the creation of a breakaway soccer league, said on Thursday.

In a statement outlining the preliminary results of talks that A22 had with what it said was 50 European clubs and stakeholders of football, the company said change was necessary.

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