Off the Pitch

AL RAYYAN, Qatar - Brazil forward Neymar will train later on Sunday and is set to play for the five-times champions in their World Cup last-16 match against South Korea after recovering from an ankle injury, coach Tite said.

Neymar suffered the injury in Brazil's opening 2-0 win over Serbia, which ruled him out of their 1-0 win over Switzerland and the shock defeat by Cameroon, one of a series of injury problems within the squad.

"Neymar will train today in the afternoon and if he trains well he will play," Tite told a news conference.

It has been announced via a club press release that the Juventus board of directors has resigned immediately, including long-time club president Andrea Agnelli. Amid investigations into the Turin-based club’s finances, it was deemed necessary that the entire board “forego their office” to aid with the investigations. Juventus has endured a torturous season in 2022, and it seems to only be getting worse. 

One day before the United States takes to the field against Iran in a must-win Group B clash, the crucial match at hand seems to be the last thing anyone wants to talk about. In their pre-game press conference with the media on Monday, American midfielder Tyler Adams joined head coach Gregg Berhalter. The pair faced questions about racism, geopolitical tension and many other questions one would feel would be better suited to a press conference at the White House than a World Cup match. 

According to Iran media, the Iranian soccer federation is filing a complaint to FIFA after the United States men’s national team posted a picture that included an altered imagine of Iran’s flag.

On Friday the USMNT twitter account tweeted a photo of the Group B standings with one noticeable detail missing. In a show of solidarity with the protests taking place in Iran, the symbol of the Islamic Republic was removed from Iran’s flag.