Saudi women to enter stadiums for first time to watch soccer
Saudi women will be allowed for the first time to enter a sports stadium to watch a soccer match between two local teams, though they will be segregated from the male-only crowd with designated seating in the so-called family section. The first stadium is to open its doors to women in the Red Sea city of Jiddah on Friday. The move is Saudi Arabias first social reform planned for this year gi...
Rain and sorrow accentuate memorial for dead at Brazil club
On a rainy Saturday that only accentuated the grief, 20,000 people filled a tiny stadium under umbrellas and plastic ponchos to say goodbye to members of the Chapecoense soccer club who died in a plane crash. The accident Monday in the Colombian Andes claimed most of the teams players and staff as it headed to the finals of one of Latin Americas most important club tournaments. Seventy-one of t...
Rejuvenated Hazard shines in another Chelsea win
Every goal and stand-out performance by Chelsea winger Eden Hazard in the Premier League makes his insipid form of last season even more of a mystery. The Belgium international took his tally for the season to five goals with the sixth-minute strike in a 2-0 victory at Southampton on Sunday. Hes scored in three straight league games and is back to being one of the most feared attackers in Engli...
Culture clash: It's Pulis vs. Guardiola in the Premier League
One coach will be wearing a baseball cap, tracksuit and sneakers. The other is usually sharply dressed in a suit, tie and shoes. One team will be defensively robust, direct and likely relying on goals from set pieces. The opponent is highly technical, obsessed with possession and easy on the eye. Tony Pulis vs. Pep Guardiola. West Bromwich Albion vs. Manchester City. Get ready for the Pre...
Pique says he will leave Spain national team after 2018 World Cup
Gerard Pique says the 2018 World Cup in Russia will be his final tournament with Spain because he feels he is not wanted in the national team. The Barcelona defender made the announcement after Spains 2-0 win at Albania on Sunday in European qualifying for the World Cup. Spain currently tops Group G, with only first place giving automatic qualification. I always give everything I have on the...
Despite anti-India protests, Kashmiris seek police jobs
When massive anti-India protests erupted in Indian-control Kashmir three months ago after the killing of a charismatic militant leader, Aqib Mir was among tens of thousands of Kashmiris who defied curfew and clashed with government forces. He chanted for freedom from Indian rule. He hurled abuses and sometimes rocks at police and paramilitary soldiers. Three months later, he joined thousands of...
Video replays can provide refs with decisions in 10 seconds
In 10 seconds, Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers got all the feedback he wanted from the two assistants examining video replays in a truck outside the stadium. Instead of sending off France defender Djibril Sidibe for a hard foul into the left leg of Italy midfielder Daniele De Rossi three minutes into a friendly, Kuipers pulled out a yellow card instead. Its exactly what FIFA was hoping for from ...
More bodies located beneath rubble in Italy quake zone
Rescuers believe they have located more bodies in the ruined town of Amatrice, five days after a devastating earthquake struck central Italy, killing at least 290 people. Residents of the hill town said up to 10 people were still missing and emergency services said they might have located three corpses in Amatrices Hotel Roma, which, like much of the historic center, was wrecked by Wednesdays q...
Neymar kick is gold, giving Brazil 1st Olympic soccer title
With a kiss of the ball and an unforgettable kick, Brazils biggest soccer star gave the Olympic host its biggest moment of the games. Brazil won its first Olympic gold medal in soccer Saturday with a dramatic penalty kick by Neymar to defeat Germany, sending the nation into a frenzy after a 1-1 (5-4 shootout victory). Before the decisive shot, Neymar picked up the ball, kissed it and placed ...
Rio welcomes world with sultry music, plea for conservation
With fireworks forming the word Rio in the sky, hip-wiggling dancers and supermodel Gisele Bundchen shimmering to the tune of the Girl from Ipanema, Rio de Janiero welcomed the world to the first Olympic Games in South America with a serious message: Lets take better care of our planet. After one of the roughest-ever rides from vote to games by an Olympic host, the city of beaches, carnival, gr...
