Soccer

Another global superstar is saying goodbye to social media -- this time, it's soccer superstar Thierry Henry, who says he's logging off until the platforms do a better job of combating racism and bullying.

Of course, Chrissy Teigen deactivated her Twitter account on Wednesday ... saying, "This no longer serves me as positively as it serves me negatively, and I think that's the right time to call something."

Now, Henry -- who has 2.3 MILLION followers on Twitter and another 2.7 mil on Instagram -- is throwing up the deuce to all his social media platforms, penning one last message on Friday.

"Hi Guys. From tomorrow morning I will be removing myself from social media until the people in power are able to regulate their platforms with the same vigour and ferocity that they currently do when you infringe copyright," the Arsenal legend said.

"The sheer volume of racism, bullying and resulting mental torture to individuals is too toxic to ignore. There HAS to be some accountability."

He added ... "It is far too easy to create an account, use it to bully and harass without consequence and still remain anonymous.

"Until this changes, I will be disabling my accounts across all social platforms. I'm hoping this happens soon."

"I've been devalued, I've been disrespected and dismissed because I am a woman and I've been told that I don't deserve any more than less because I am a woman."

U.S. soccer superstar Megan Rapinoe gave a powerful speech demanding equal pay at the White House on Wednesday ... calling out the blatant discrimination women face every day.

Rapinoe's visit to D.C. comes on "Equal Pay Day" ... which is meant to bring awareness to the pay gap that exists between men and women throughout the country -- not just sports.

Rapinoe and fellow USWNT star Margaret Purce spoke alongside President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden minutes ago ... describing what it's like to reach ultimate success in their field, but still make a fraction of what men make.

"I've helped, along with all my teammates virtually here, one teammate literally here today, win 4 World Cup championships and 4 Olympic gold medals for the United States," Rapinoe said.

"Despite all the wins, I'm still paid less than men who do the same job that I do."

She continued ... "I know there are millions of people who are marginalized by gender in the world and experience the same thing in their jobs ... and I and my teammates are here for them."

"We on the U.S. Women's National Team today are here because of them. We also know what it means to not only have allies but to be allies. We know what it means when people kneel, to kneel with them."

POTUS echoed their statements ... calling the players heroes for speaking out against the pay gap and fighting for equality.

"It doesn't matter if you're an electrician, an accountant or part of the best damn soccer team in the world -- the pay gap is real," Biden said.

"This team is living proof that you can be the very best at what you do and still have to fight for equal pay."

The Belize men's national soccer team was stopped by gunmen in Haiti just minutes after it had arrived in the country for a World Cup qualifier -- and video from the scene is beyond troubling.

The Belize national team officials said in a statement Monday they were making their way from the airport to their hotel 3 days prior to their big soccer match ... when a band of armed insurgents on motorcycles pulled them over at gunpoint.

You can hear the soccer players in the bus describing the demands the insurgents were making -- "They said, 'Pull over or else!'"

The footage shot from inside the team bus shows dozens of men -- some armed with large firearms -- order the driver to pull to the side of the road, despite the team having a 4-man police escort.

Belize officials said cops were forced to "negotiate" with the men in order to leave unharmed -- and, thankfully, they were allowed to move forward with no one getting hurt in the confrontation.

No word on what the team had to give the men in order to leave.

"The situation is one that the team should have never faced," team officials said after the incident, "but we are pleased to report that our Jaguars, although shaken by the terrible experience, are safely at their hotel."

The team added it's "currently in contact with respective authorities from FIFA and Concacaf and are doing everything possible to get them to safer grounds."

"It is unfortunate that our Jaguars faced such a traumatic experience."

Belize is slated to play Haiti in Port-Au-Prince on March 25 -- a key game for Belize as it attempts to qualify for the World Cup (set for 2022 in Qatar) for the first time ever.

If you ditched the Tuesday lecture at Florida International University ... YOU MISSED DAVID BECKHAM!!!

The international soccer superstar dropped in as a special guest lecturer at the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management ... and offered up his recipe for success to the students. And, the video is awesome!

The class -- "The David Grutman Experience" -- is led by hospitality guru David Grutman ... where students learn directly from the hospitality icon himself about "how to succeed in a competitive, constantly changing marketplace."

A big part of the course is teaching students about how to build and sustain a successful brand -- and since David Beckham is doing just that as the co-owner of the new Inter Miami CF pro soccer team, Grutman called him in to share his knowledge.

The 45-year-old talked about the importance of hard work and dedication to one's craft -- but also focused on surrounding yourself with a solid team.

"I try to work harder than everyone else," Beckham told the students ... "But, I also surround myself with great people that also are hard workers."

Beckham also spoke about the importance of giving back to the community and working with young kids.

After the lecture, Beckham said he hoped he inspired some of the students ... especially those who braved the cold 70-degree weather (gotta love Miami!).

Oh, one more thing about the class ... NO BOOKS REQUIRED!

The class outline on the official school website says, "This experiential course will take students from the classroom to Grutman’s clubs and restaurants. No books will be required, but students will need to research topics discussed."

A soccer journalist was smashed by a falling wall on the set of a live TV show Tuesday ... but somehow, the guy miraculously escaped without injury.

The analyst's name is Carlos Orduz ... and just seconds into his appearance on ESPN FC Radio -- he was blindsided by a piece of the set that clearly hadn't been secured properly.

In video of the incident, you can see the wall fell on Orduz with so much pace ... his face lurched straight into his desk.

His colleagues, who were trying to move on with the show professionally, expressed immediate concern -- and the network cut straight to commercial to check in on Orduz.

Fortunately, the sports reporter says nothing major happened to him as a result of the accident ... in a video update, he explained, "I want to tell you that I'm fine."

"They've already checked me, absolutely nothing happened apart from the scare."

Orduz added after further medical checkups Tuesday night, he suffered no fractures and nothing more than bumps and bruises.

"I must tell you that I am fine," Orduz wrote on Twitter. "Thank God."

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is not backing down from his criticism of LeBron James -- reinforcing his belief that athletes should stick to sports and stay out of politics!

"Athletes unite the world, politics divide it,” the soccer superstar said at a news conference Tuesday morning.

"Our role is to unite the world by doing what we do best. Athletes should be athletes and politicians should do politics."

Ibra -- one of the most famous athletes on the planet -- has been under fire for going after LeBron last week during an interview with Discovery+ in Sweden.

At the time, Zlatan said, "[LeBron] is phenomenal at what he's doing, but I don't like when people have some kind of status, they go and do politics at the same time."

"Do what you're good at. Do the category you do. I play football because I'm the best at playing football."

"I don't do politics. If I would be a political politician, I would do politics. That is the first mistake people do when they become famous and they become in a certain status. Stay out of it. Just do what you do best, because it doesn't look good."

LeBron clapped back in a big way -- saying he'll NEVER just shut up and dribble because he understands his voice can make a real impact for those who aren't being heard ... and feels it's his responsibility to use his platform to make positive change.

Scary moment for Barcelona's Ronald Koeman ... the star soccer coach suffered a profuse nosebleed during a news conference -- and had to cut the talk with reporters short over it.

The bizarre scene all went down Friday when 57-year-old Koeman began bleeding from his nostril while he was trying to help media members preview Barca's Saturday game against Sevilla.

You can see in the clip ... as journalists asked Koeman questions, he began to wipe at his nose.

Suddenly, a streak of blood poured down to his lips ... and Koeman struggled to get it to stop, despite using multiple tissues and paper towels.

Eventually, Koeman had to rush out of the news conference to take care of the issue.

The most terrifying part? The same thing had reportedly happened to Koeman just a few weeks ago.

Fortunately, Barcelona officials told reporters later Friday that Koeman was okay ... and the bloody noses were just a side effect of the blood-thinning, heart medication that the coach takes.

Pro soccer player Jonathan Suarez -- who just signed a deal to play in the MLS -- was arrested on Tuesday after a woman claims she was sexually assaulted by the athlete and his brother at the same time.

Officials confirm the 24-year-old Orlando City SC player and his older brother Rafael Suarez Jr. were taken into custody late Tuesday after an alleged incident at Rafael's apartment in the Orlando area.

According to an arrest affidavit from the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, obtained by the Orlando Sentinel, the alleged victim and a friend met with the Suarez brothers at a local Topgolf driving range ... and later went back to Rafael's apartment to play beer pong.

The alleged victim told police she went to Rafael's room to engage in consensual sex -- but Rafael let his brother in to "get in on the fun" and that's when things went sideways.

The woman claims she REJECTED both men and tried to stop the sexual activity -- but she claims the soccer player forced her to perform a sex act on him and then told his brother to resume having sex with the woman against her will.

After the incident, the woman went to police -- and the case was kicked over to a Special Investigation Detective.

Officials say, "The victim provided more information and evidence supporting the allegation to the Detectives. Based on the information provided by the victim, Detectives were able to positively identify Jonathan Suarez-Cortes and Rafael Suarez Jr., as the suspects involved in the incident and developed probable cause for their arrest."

Jonathan and Rafael were arrested and booked into the Osceola County Jail for sexual battery ... where they are being held without bond.

The OCSO posted video of the arrest ... showing the two men in handcuffs and white jumpsuits as they are taken to jail.

Major League Soccer released a statement on Jonathan's arrest ... saying he has been immediately suspended from play as the league investigates the situation.

"Major League Soccer will remain in close communication with the Orlando City SC, local law enforcement, and the MLS Players Association during this investigation."

"MLS will make further determinations concerning the player’s status as more information becomes available."

Jonathan Suarez was a high school soccer star in Fontana, CA and signed a pro contract to play in Argentina when he was 18.

He went on to play professionally in the top soccer leagues in Mexico -- with teams like Cimarrones de Sonora, Querétaro FC and Pumas UNAM.

He arrived in Orlando in February to begin a stint with the Orlando City SC team -- but now, obviously, those plans are on hold.

Cristiano Ronaldo's pet cat is down to 8 lives ... it's currently recovering in Spain after being hit by a car.

The animal, Pepe, is a hairless Sphynx cat -- the beloved family pet who travels everywhere with the Ronaldos on private jets, fancy cars and stays in mansions all over the world. Pepe has been a part of the Ronaldo family for about 2 years.

But, Pepe was badly hurt recently -- after leaving the family residence in Turin, Italy and getting run over by a car.

"It was close to death and after a month and a half in intensive care at the vet’s, we’ve decided my sister Ivana should look after it," CR7's girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez told the Spanish magazine InStyle.

"Pepe’s now in Spain recovering ... now he's in the best hands."

Sphynx cats only have an average lifespan of 8 to 14 years ... and it sounds like the Ronaldos are doing everything they can to help little Pepe get to double digits.

She owns the tennis court. Now, Naomi Osaka owns a pro women's soccer team too!

The 23-year-old superstar just bought an ownership stake in the North Carolina Courage of the National Women's Soccer League -- and it's all part of her plan to grow women's sports throughout the country.

The Courage are the reigning NWSL champions -- and have been one of the most dominant teams in the league over the past few years.

Unclear how much Osaka paid for her ownership stake -- but she can certainly afford it ... Forbes says she was the highest-paid female athlete in the world in 2020, raking in more than $37 MILLION.

So, why the NWSL? Osaka says it was extremely important to her to invest in women's sports -- and she felt the NWSL was the perfect place to start.

"Throughout my career I've always received so much love from my fellow female athletes, so that's why I am proud to share that I am now an owner of the NC Courage," Osaka tweeted Thursday.

"The women who have invested in me growing up made me who I am today, I don't know where I would be without them,"

Osaka also told People she had been wanting to invest in an NWSL team for a while -- and ultimately felt the Courage was the perfect fit for her.

"I love that young girls can now look to professional soccer as a realistic sporting career," Osaka said ... "When I was young it felt like tennis -- and maybe golf -- was the only option."

Osaka joins a star-studded group of women who recently invested in NWSL teams -- including Candace Parker, Billie Jean King, and Patrick Mahomes' fiancee Brittany Matthews.

Stephen Malik -- who bought the Courage in 2017 -- said he's "thrilled" to welcome Osaka to the ownership group ... saying, "She brings an invaluable viewpoint on topics beyond sports."

"I cannot think of anyone better to help us as we continue to make a difference in our community and inspire the next generation of women."

Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly under police investigation in Italy for allegedly violating the country's strict COVID rules to take his girlfriend on a fancy ski trip.

Multiple news outlets in Italy say Ronaldo and Georgina Rodriguez traveled from Turin to Courmayeur earlier this week, which is not allowed at the moment.

Courmayeur is located in Aosta Valley, which is reportedly off-limits to visitors currently because the region is located in a medium-to-high risk orange zone, according to Sky Sports.

Italy has been hit extremely hard by COVID -- with more than 2.5 million cases and 86,000 deaths. More than 500 people died from COVID on Tuesday alone. And, daily cases are reportedly on the rise.

The Juventus superstar reportedly set up a 2-day birthday ski getaway for Georgina, who turned 27 on Jan 27. Video has circulated on social media showing Ronaldo and Georgina on a snowmobile.

Neither Ronaldo nor his girlfriend have been formally accused of any wrongdoing -- but police in the city of Aosta are reportedly looking into the trip to see if they broke the law.

Manchester United officials are sick after 2 of its players were racially abused following a loss Wednesday ... and now, the team is urging social media platforms to find and ban the "mindless idiots" who spewed the vile comments.

Following Man U's 2-1 defeat to Sheffield United ... Black players Anthony Martial and Axel Tuanzebe faced some heinous, racist remarks and emojis on their social media pages.

In fact, the outpouring of sewage got so overwhelming, Tuanzebe reportedly deleted his entire Twitter page.

A short time later, Man U officials dropped a scathing statement ... ripping people for the racist attacks -- and demanding it all stop ASAP.

"Everyone at Manchester United is disgusted by the racial abuse received by players via social media after last night’s game," the team said.

“We utterly condemn it and it is encouraging to see other fans condemn this on social media also."

Team officials continued, "Identifying these anonymous mindless idiots remains problematic. We urge social media platforms and regulatory authorities to strengthen measures to prevent this kind of behaviour."

Manchester United captain Harry Maguire, meanwhile, took to his social media page to defend his teammates as well, writing, "UNITED against racism. We will not tolerate it."

The apple doesn't fall too far from ... The Worm?!

That's definitely the case in the Rodman family ... 'cause Dennis Rodman's soccer-playing daughter, Trinity, has entered the NWSL draft -- and it's likely she'll be a 1st-round pick!!

NWSL officials announced Tuesday that the NBA legend's daughter had officially registered for the league's draft ... and some pundits now believe she has a chance to possibly be the #1 overall pick when selecting begins Wednesday evening!

Of course, if ya follow women's soccer closely, this ain't too much of a surprise ... Trinity has been BALLIN' on the pitch for years, and has future superstar written all over her.

The 18-year-old tallied eight goals and six assists as part of the U.S. youth national team that won the 2020 CONCACAF under-20 women's title last spring.

Trinity had been all set to begin a collegiate soccer career at Washington State in 2020 ... but, because of the COVID pandemic pushing the season into 2021, she was able to possibly forego that career to pursue one in the NWSL.

The league is set to begin its draft at 4 p.m. PT on Wednesday ... with Louisville's Racing Louisville FC selecting first.

The second pick, which some believe could be Trinity, belongs to the Washington Spirit.

A teenage soccer player in Brazil was DECKED by a flying karate kick during an insane brawl in a championship game ... and the dude came away from the scrap with a gnarly wound.

The wild scene all went down Monday in Curitiba, Brazil, where Fluminense and Athletico Paranaense were duking it out for the U-17 Brasileirão title.

In the 93rd minute of a tight game ... Fluminense's João Neto was charging for a ball looking to add on to his team's scoring sheet.

The problem? He was tackled around midfield and was so pissed about it, he came up shoving.

That ignited a huge melee ... and when an Athletico Paranaense player tried to defend his teammates, he came in with an MMA style dropkick that connected squarely with Neto's face.

Check out a tighter angle of the violent kick ... it landed flush, and Neto dropped like a bag of sand.

More pushing, shoving and kicking went down between the two teams ... until, finally, the players were all able to separate themselves from the fracas.

In total, NINE players (including Neto) were reportedly sent off for their roles in the brawl ... and Neto showed off his cleat wound in the locker room a short time later.

Yeah. Ouch.

File Under: TOTALLY NOT COOL!!!

Soccer star Reece James was about to bring holiday cheer to a bunch of kids this Christmas season ... until some scumbag broke into his G-Wagon and stole all the toys!!

The 21-year-old Chelsea defender shared the unfortunate event on Instagram ... saying he was participating in a food giveaway with the Felix Project in London when someone smashed the window to his Mercedes and jacked all the presents he was going to donate.

"Unfortunately, I was met with huge disappointment when returning to my car," James said. "During the event, someone felt the need to break in and steal gifts that I was due to go and donate later in the day."

Seriously -- here's a dude doing everything he can to give back to the community during the holidays ... and some Grade-A dirtbag had to ruin it!?!

James added he's sure the culprit will get what's coming to them ... saying, "What goes around comes around."

Shoutout to James for trying to do the right thing.

Neymar and his Paris Saint-Germain teammates all walked off the pitch during a Champions League game Tuesday -- protesting racial language a ref used about a Black coach.

Here's the deal ... PSG was taking on the Turkish team Basaksehir at a match in Paris when the head ref went to hand out a red card over an incident during the game.

The head ref asked the other officials who should get the red card -- and the 4th official, Sebastian Coltescu, allegedly replied, "The Black guy."

He was referring to Basaksehir asst. coach Pierre Webo -- a Black man from Cameroon.

One of the star players on the Basaksehir team -- named Ba -- could be heard arguing with the official about the comment ... saying, "When you mention a white guy, you never say 'This white guy', you just say 'this guy.' So, why when you mention a Black guy do you say 'This Black guy?’"

Players and staff from both teams were so upset at the alleged comment -- they ALL walked off the pitch and refused to come out.

But now, UEFA (The Union of European Football Associations) announced the 4th official will be removed from the match and replaced ... and the game will continue.

“Following an alleged incident involving the 4th official, the match was temporarily suspended," UEFA said in a statement.

"After consultation with both teams, it was agreed that the match would restart with a different 4th official."

UEFA says it will launch an investigation immediately.

Racism is a huge issue in international soccer -- and has been for years. Top teams and players across the globe have vowed to protest games over racist language and gestures and clearly, they're showing it's not just tough talk.