Soccer

Carli Lloyd might be retired from football, but she could find another career in American football -- 'cause the U.S. soccer superstar tells TMZ Sports she's open to the idea of playing in the NFL!!

Of course, the 39-year-old World Cup champ and Olympic gold medalist went viral in 2019 ... when she was spotted nailing 55-yard field goals while hanging out with the Philadelphia Eagles.

We spoke with the soccer legend -- just a few months after she decided to hang up her cleats -- and she told us thanks to the free time she has now, an NFL push could be in her future.

Lloyd believes one position women can play in the NFL is kicker, and her confidence in that belief was reinforced after her experience with the Eagles.

"Yeah that was wild how that all unfolded," Lloyd said. "Something I never would've predicted would have happened. It was a cool day to go out there and just hit some field goals."

Lloyd said had it not been for her Olympic journey, she would have seriously entertained the idea of being an NFL kicker.

We also spoke with Lloyd about being the first female ambassador for USA Teqball (think Ping-Pong for soccer) ... and she attributes the pandemic -- as well as seeing guys like Beckham, Messi, and Ronaldinho playing the game for sparking her interest.

"I'm thrilled because it keeps me somewhat around the game in a little bit of a different fashion, but its a really, pretty amazing sport," Lloyd said.

Terrifying news from Paul Pogba -- the Manchester United star says his home was broken into during his game Tuesday night ... and his children were there at the time of the incident.

Pogba says the home invasion happened during the team's 1-0 loss to Atletico Madrid ... while his kids were sleeping in their bedroom.

"This occurred during the final minutes of last night's match when they knew that we would not be home," Pogba said on Wednesday via social media.

"My wife and I rushed home not knowing if our children were safe and unharmed."

It is unclear if the kids had a babysitter or nanny at the time of the incident ... but the 29-year-old says this is a father's worst fear.

"As a father there is no feeling worse in the world than not being there to protect your children and I sincerely hope that no one ever has to feel what I felt last night."

The French midfielder doesn't mention what was stolen ... but says his fam's safety has been violated and is offering a reward for any info on the suspects.

"The burglars were in our home for less than five minutes but in that time they took from us something more valuable than anything we had in our home ... our sense of safety and security."

"It is for this reason that I would like to offer a reward for anyone who has a clue to help us."

Just nine months after Christian Eriksen literally died on the soccer pitch during a game, the Danish star is returning to play for Denmark's national club -- completing an incredible comeback.

When speaking of Eriksen, Denmark's coach, Kasper Hjulmand said, "Christian is in a pretty good physical condition."

"I saw him against Burnley last Saturday where he was the best player on the pitch. He is a player who thinks faster than most people do."

Eriksen -- a midfielder for Denmark's squad -- will play friendly matches against the Netherlands on March 26 and Serbia on March 29 ... as the team ramps up competition for the World Cup, set to take place in Qatar in November.

Of course, the sight of 30-year-old Eriksen back on the field is an encouraging one -- last June, Eriksen collapsed during a game, going into cardiac arrest, and requiring CPR to save his life, before being rushed to a hospital on a stretcher.

It was a terrifying moment that had players and fans concerned for Eriksen ... who collapsed while jogging, despite being hit by no one.

As a result of the medical emergency, Christian received an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator -- a specific type of pacemaker that's supposed to prevent Eriksen from having similar episodes in the future.

In an interview with the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, the footballer said he doesn't remember anything from when his heart stopped.

"I remember nothing from when I was gone," Eriksen said. "I just felt distant."

Christian says he's not afraid of collapsing again because he's done everything possible to take care of himself.

Eriksen's contract with Inter Milan was terminated after the cardiac device was implanted.

Queretaro, the Mexican soccer team who played host to one of the craziest brawls in recent sports history, was just hit with severe punishment for Saturday's incident ... and will now have to play games in an empty stadium for a year.

As we previously reported, dozens of people were injured, some severely, after a melee broke out during the Queretaro vs. Atlas soccer game at Estadio Corregidora last weekend.

After an investigation, officials in Mexico handed down the punishment on Tuesday ... and they didn't take it easy.

The current Queretaro ownership group has been banned from the league for 5 years ... and the club's previous owners, Grupo Caliente, will lead the charge in finding a new group to purchase the team. If Grupo Caliente can't find a buyer, Liga MX will take over the reins.

On top of the change in ownership, Queretaro will be forced to pay $1.5 million pesos ($70,000) in fines.

The scene was brutal -- fans began fighting in the stands during the match ... and it eventually spilled onto the field, causing the officials to stop the game.

A soccer match in Mexico this weekend got out of hand among fans -- to the point that their respective pummeling left many looking like they were on the verge of death.

This happened Saturday in central Mexico, between Queretaro (the hosts) and Atlas from Guadalajara ... the latter squad rocking red/black jerseys. During the 62nd minute in the game, several fights broke out in the stands, which then poured into the actual field itself ... forcing the refs to suspend the match and sending stadium staff scrambling for help.

Several videos have emerged showing the brutality that was occurring -- many of which are too graphic to post here. Let's just say ... a lot of these folks took things way too far.

There are clips showing multiple groups of guys ganging up on one or more individuals, and pounding them into oblivion with punches, kicks and strikes with objects like chairs and poles. A lot of the victims were entirely stripped of their clothes too, lying unconscious. And some were even robbed, with pickpocketers diving in to remove their belongings.

Many of these people were actually presumed dead -- understandably, especially when you see some of this stuff -- and unconfirmed reports out of Mexico stoked that even more ... claiming several fatalities emerged from the brawl.

However, the official line from the governor of Queretaro is that nobody died from this ... but that upwards of 26 people were hospitalized, including a handful that are in critical condition.

As you can imagine, there were families with children there who were running/hiding for their lives ... and there are even some eyewitness accounts saying parents had to remove their kids' jerseys out of fear of a rival fan trying to attack them.

The league these two teams belong to, Liga MX, halted the rest of the games for the weekend and condemned the violence ... saying they were launching a full investigation and would commit to holding those parties responsible -- including venue honchos themselves.

There's a lot of finger-pointing going on -- between security (or a lack thereof) but mostly at the brawlers themselves ... who apparently let a rivalry blow up into a life or death situation.

The parents of soccer star Katie Meyer say they fear a possible punishment from Stanford could have led to their daughter's suicide earlier this week.

In an interview with NBC's "Today" show on Friday, Steven and Gina Meyer say their daughter was facing potential discipline over an alleged incident involving her and one of her Cardinal teammates.

The two parents say over the last few weeks Katie had been receiving letters from the school over it all ... and in the past few days, she had gotten "kind of the final letter that there was going to be a trial or some kind of something."

Gina speculated it all might have led to the Stanford goalie's death on Tuesday.

"This is the only thing that we can come up with that triggered something," Gina said.

The school declined to comment on the situation ... telling "Today" in a statement, "We are not able to share information about confidential student disciplinary matters."

Gina and Steven said they've been devastated and heartbroken since Katie was found on Tuesday ... explaining, "the last couple days are a parents' worst nightmare."

Katie was just 22 years old.

Stanford women's soccer star Katie Meyer died by suicide, officials in California announced on Thursday.

In a statement released by the County of Santa Clara, officials said "Meyer's death was determined to be self-inflicted." They added no signs of foul play were found.

"The Medical Examiner-Coroner extends sincerest condolences to the family, friends, and fans of Katie Meyer," the officials said in a statement.

As we reported, Meyer was tragically found dead on Stanford's campus this week at just 22 years old.

She was the Cardinal's starting goalkeeper and a team captain ... and reps for the university called her "a bright shining light for so many."

Her death rocked her family and friends, Stanford's school and the sports world in general.

"There are no words," Katie's sister, Samantha Meyer, said in a social media post earlier this week. "Thank you for all the kindness extended to my family."

Katie joined the Cardinal in 2018 ... and helped the team win a national championship in 2019. A GoFundMe set up in her honor has already raised nearly $150,000.

Russian billionaire Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich has announced he's selling his beloved soccer team ... and, in a surprising move, he said he'll donate all of the proceeds to victims of the war in Ukraine.

The soccer club's boss explained his decision in a statement Wednesday ... saying he believes unloading the team is in "the best interest of the Club, the fans, the employees, as well as the Club's sponsors and partners."

In his statement, Abramovich said the net dollars from the sale will go to Ukrainian relief efforts ... adding he hopes the funds will help war victims as well as "the long-term work of recovery."

The news comes on the heels of Abramovich -- an oligarch --  reportedly being pressured to sell the team due to his rumored ties to Vladimir Putin.

The oligarch has been friendly with the Russian leader for years ... and with many pushing for sanctions for those who might have the ear of Putin, some believed Abramovich's soccer club was on the verge of being seized.

Experts expect Chelsea FC to sell for around $3 billion ... and given that Abramovich bought the team in 2003 for around $200 million, hundreds of millions of dollars could soon be on the way to Ukraine.

Stanford women's soccer star Katie Meyer -- a Cardinal goalkeeper and a team captain -- has tragically died, the school announced Tuesday.

She was only 22 years old. No cause of death was revealed.

"Please join us in offering our deepest condolences to her parents and sisters," university officials said of Meyer in a statement. "We would also like to extend our heartfelt condolences to Katie's friends, hallmates, classmates, teammates, faculty and coaches."

School officials added that counseling has been made available all over campus to students and others who are grieving the loss.

Meyer -- described by the school as "a bright shining light for so many" -- was one of the Cardinal's best players ... and had helped the team win the NCAA women's soccer championship in 2019.

During that title game against North Carolina, she made two massive saves to help secure the victory. Her celebration afterward went viral.

Meyer was slated to be a redshirt senior on Stanford's team this season.

Cristiano Ronaldo put his body on full display on his Instagram page Monday -- showering with nothing more than his underwear on -- and nearly 1 MILLION people tuned in to watch it!

The soccer superstar shared it all on IG Live ... running water over his ripped body for several seconds before signing off with a salute and a kiss to the camera.

The stream was a quick one, but it was popular nonetheless ... as at one point during the broadcast, 670,000 people had eyes on him!!

As for why, well, just check out the vid ... there's not an ounce of fat on the 37-year-old's body, and it's clear as day he knows it.

It's a needed fun moment for Ronaldo, because the Manchester United striker has struggled in recent weeks.

He's only scored one time since the calendar turned to 2022 ... and soccer aficionados are beginning to worry the legend is beginning to decline for the first time in his career.

The World Cup field isn't set yet, but we now know of one superpower who won't be playing in the world's biggest sporting event, 'cause FIFA has banned Russia from participating after the country invaded Ukraine, killing soldiers and innocent people alike.

FIFA (International Federation of Association Football) -- the group that oversees the World Cup -- announced a decision Monday barring the country from playing in the WC, ending Russian soccer fans' hopes of cheering on their team when the tourney kicks off in Qatar in November.

FIFA and UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) released a statement announcing the new sanctions.

"FIFA and UEFA have today decided together that all Russian teams, whether national representative teams or club teams, shall be suspended from participation in both FIFA and UEFA competitions until further notice," the statement read, in part.

The governing bodies ended with an optimistic hope for the future.

"Football is fully united here and in full solidarity with all the people affected in Ukraine. Both Presidents hope that the situation in Ukraine will improve significantly and rapidly so that football can again be a vector for unity and peace amongst people.”

32 teams ultimately qualify (31 countries plus the host nation) for the World Cup ... and Russia was not yet one of them. The Russian team was scheduled to compete in Europe in a few weeks, where they were going to vie for one of the last remaining openings.

But, due to Vladimir Putin's aggression -- ruthlessly attacking Ukraine from land, air, sea and Cyber -- FIFA stepped up and kicked them out ... for 2022, at least.

FIFA was initially criticized for failing to take a strong stance against Putin and the Russians. Over the weekend, they announced Russia could compete, but they wouldn't allow the Russian flag or anthem to be played.

It seems officials heard the anger from many soccer fans across the country ... thus the strong stance against Russia.

The Russian national soccer team will be allowed to take the pitch ahead of some World Cup qualifying games -- because FIFA's letting them proceed ... despite some sanctions.

The international governing body for the game announced Sunday they would let Russia's players play against some neighboring countries in soon-to-come matches -- like against Poland, for example -- stopping short of an all-out ban ... which many were calling for.

Instead of kicking them out of the competition entirely, FIFA says they are, instead, not going to allow the Russian flag to be displayed, and won't play the Russian anthem either. They're also going to force the team to go by a new moniker -- the Football Union of Russia ... and no fans are allowed either.

Perhaps the biggest restriction FIFA is laying down in response to Putin's invasion ... not allowing any matches to be played in Russia itself, insisting on neutral territories.

Poland, the Czech Republic and Sweden were set to dive into a 4-team playoff round -- with games scheduled to be played in Russia itself -- and have since said they wouldn't square off against Russia at all ... no matter where the games were situated.

Seeing how Poland was supposed to play Russia first in this tournament -- they responded to FIFA's announcement shortly thereafter, reportedly calling it "totally unacceptable" and again reaffirming their commitment to not playing against Russia no matter what.

The Union of European Football Associations is not playing around -- the soccer org. is taking swift action and is expected to move its Champions League Final out of Russia after the country launched an attack on Ukraine.

The Final was originally scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 28 at Krestsovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg ... but according to reports, that's no longer the case.

UEFA wasted no time kickstarting the search for a replacement host shortly after the news broke ... releasing a statement saying the matter will be addressed on Friday.

The org. released a statement ... saying, "Following the evolution of the situation between Russia and Ukraine, the UEFA president has called an extraordinary meeting of the Executive Committee for 10 a.m. CET [4 a.m. ET] on Friday 25 February."

UEFA officials say the purpose of the meeting is "to evaluate the situation and take all necessary decisions" ... and that they'll release further information after the conclusion of the conference.

The governing body for European football expressed serious concern over what's happening between the neighboring countries ... condemning Russia's military-style invasion of Ukraine.

"UEFA shares the international community’s significant concern for the security situation developing in Europe," the Union said in a statement.

The statement continued ... "As the governing body of European football, we are dealing with this situation with the utmost seriousness and urgency."

FC Schalke 04, a professional German soccer club, is removing the patch of a Russian majority state-owned energy company after Vladimir Putin's armed forces invaded Ukraine, a sovereign nation.

"Following recent developments, FC Schalke 04 have decided to remove the logo of main sponsor GAZPROM from the club's shirts," the club announced in a statement.

"It will be replaced by lettering reading 'Schalke 04' instead."

Gazprom -- the largest natural gas company in the world -- is the club's biggest sponsor ... and the company name is prominently displayed across the player's chests on their jerseys.

Of course, after weeks of increased tensions, Russia invaded Ukraine, launching a full-fledged attack against the country.

Dozens of people have already reportedly died.

FC Schalke 04 wasn't alone in working with the powerful energy company. UEFA, the governing body that oversees European soccer, also has a business relationship with Gazprom.

Unlike FC Schalke 04, UEFA hasn't opted (at least not yet) to cut ties with the company ... though they did release a statement condemning the attacks.

"UEFA shares the international community's significant concern for the security situation developing in Europe and strongly condemns the ongoing Russian military invasion of Ukraine."

That's not to say the soccer body hasn't taken any action against Russia. The country was scheduled to host the Champions League final in Spring, but UEFA decided to pull the game.

They haven't yet named a replacement city.

Not everyone is happy about the $24 million settlement between the U.S. Women's National Team and the U.S. Soccer Federation -- Hope Solo says the deal is "infuriating" and is calling out Megan Rapinoe in the process.

"This settlement is not a 'huge win,'" the 2-time Olympic gold medalist said via Instagram on Wednesday.

"It's heartbreaking and infuriating. A 'promise' of equal pay from the Federation and backpay for a select group of players isn't equal pay and it's not what this fight was about."

As we previously reported, the USSF agreed to dispense $22 million amongst the players ($2 million for post-career ventures) after players sued for "institutionalized gender discrimination" in 2019.

Solo says she went through all the details ... and felt some type of way about the "Contingent upon the negotiation of a new collective bargaining agreement" part.

"It doesn't exist yet and is not guaranteed," Solo said.

"If the players had ever been successful in negotiating an equal CBA, there would've been no reason to sue the Federation in the first place."

Solo also slammed former USWNT teammates Rapinoe and Alex Morgan for accepting the deal -- just a day after Rapinoe said on "Good Morning America" that she was proud of all the hard work.

"Throughout the entire process, Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan were the two most agreeable with the Federation," Solo said, "and to this day, continue to accept terms that are nowhere near what we set out to do."

A longstanding dispute between the women on the U.S. National Team and the U.S. Soccer Federation has ended ... with the USSF agreeing to pay $24 million to the USWNT as a part of the settlement, it was announced Tuesday.

"We are pleased to announce that contingent on the negotiation of a new collective bargaining agreement," a joint statement read, "we will have resolved our longstanding dispute over equal pay."

It continued ... "And proudly stand together in a shared commitment to advancing equality in soccer."

According to details of the settlement, $22 million dollars will be distributed amongst the players ... with an additional $2 million being allocated into an account to support their post-career endeavors and other charitable ambitions.

It all started back in 2019 when all 28 players on the USWNT filed a lawsuit against the USSF ... accusing it of engaging in "institutionalized gender discrimination" against the team.

Star player Megan Rapinoe was, perhaps, the most prominent voice to speak out on the issue ... when she spoke at the White House in March 2021.

The settlement is viewed as a victory for the USWNT -- although, the $22 million mark is well short of the team's initial asking price of $66.7 million -- but Rapinoe says she knew they would be victorious all along.

"I'm not a big fan of roller coasters," Rapinoe said. "I did think we would get to this point, 100%. I did think we would win all along in this."