Soccer

FC Barcelona ain't wasting any time moving on from the Lionel Messi era ... the soccer squad just scrubbed a giant pic of the legend off a huge mural on its stadium wall.

The photo of the 34-year-old former Barca superstar had been front and center at Camp Nou in Spain for a long time ... but less than a week after Messi's departure was confirmed, stadium workers got to removing it.

Two men in hard hats jumped in a crane and ripped down the photo piece-by-piece ... leaving -- perhaps fittingly -- a giant empty space on the wall.

As we previously reported ... Messi and Barcelona officially went their separate ways back on Aug. 5, after the team said financial obstacles prevented a new contract from being hammered out.

Messi -- who called leaving Barcelona "very difficult" -- has since signed with Paris Saint-German, and he was treated like an absolute rockstar upon arriving at his new home Tuesday.

The soccer star was showered with cheers and chants ... and the city even popped off fireworks after his signing became official.

Christian Pulisic is leaving the Swoosh -- the American soccer star just inked a massive deal with Puma!!

The Chelsea midfielder -- who was previously under contract with Nike -- made the announcement Monday via Instagram ... saying, "Now it’s time to start a new chapter and create new memories."

"Today I’m joining a new family, the #PumaFam and together we are going to inspire the next generation of players out there."

The 22-year-old said in an interview with Complex that it was an "easy choice" for him --- especially since the brand wants his take on things and is giving him more freedom.

"I mean one of their biggest points and another massive reason why that seemed like an easy choice is because yeah, they want me to give my ideas, talk about what I like and that they want to see that and use that as well."

The corporation is also working on CP's own signature line --  with Pulisic saying they've already created a "really cool graphic" logo and he "was blown away right when I saw it to mix with the name and the brand."

Puma also released a statement, saying Pulisic's "journey has been incredible and has really paved the way for so many young American players who dream of playing in Europe for the world’s biggest clubs."

CP's been killin' it -- becoming the first American to win the Champions League with Chelsea in May and scoring the GW goal for the USMNT in the CONCACAF Nations League in June.

The brand added, "Not only have we signed an amazing talent, but a fantastic person off the pitch who wants to continue to grow soccer in America, a goal PUMA has committed to support."

And, you might see CP wearing some custom-made Pulisic ULTRA 1.3’s at the Super Cup Final Wednesday to celebrate his new deal.

No word on how much the deal is worth ... but there's serious money in endorsement deals.

Ever wanted Lionel Messi AND Cristiano Ronaldo's autographs on one item??

Well, you're in luck if you've got some serious cash laying around -- 'cause a card featuring the two soccer legend's signatures just hit the auction block ... and it's an INSANE piece!

The Leaf Superlative Sports "Superlative Trailblazers" card features a picture of Ronaldo on the top half, paired with a piece of one of his white Real Madrid jerseys and his slick blue signature.

On the bottom half, Messi's autograph is accompanied by a swatch of one of his sky-blue Barcelona kits.

In the bottom left corner, meanwhile, you can see the card is numbered "1/1" ... meaning it's the only one of its kind in existence!!

As for the back of the card, Leaf Trading Cards guaranteed its authenticity there with a huge "congratulations" note.

Bidding for the item at Goldin Auctions is set to end this weekend ... and our sources say the card could sell for around $20,000!!!

Not a bad price at all considering Messi's now moving on to a new team and cards with his Barcelona swag will become even rarer.

Soccer power couple Sydney Leroux and Dom Dwyer are dunzo -- the ex-USWNT star just announced they are breaking up after 7 years together.

Leroux and Dwyer first went public in 2014 ... and got married in 2015. They have two children together -- 4-year-old Cassius Cruz Dwyer and 2-year-old Roux James.

"I have always been a transparent person," Leroux tweeted Friday. "With that, I would like to share that Dom and I are ending our marriage."

"My children have always been and always will be my first priority. I ask that you respect my family's privacy during this time. Thank you."

Leroux and Dwyer both played in Orlando ... and had a star-studded wedding, with basically every U.S. sports star you can imagine in attendance.

As we previously reported, Leroux even designed Dom's wedding band ... which was worth a whopping $20k!!!

31-year-old Leroux has been playing pro soccer since 2013 ... suiting up for the Boston Breakers, Seattle Reign, Western New York Flash, FC Kansas City and Orlando Pride.

The Juventus FC Women's Twitter decided to send out a picture of a player wearing a cone on her head and making a wildly racist gesture on Thursday ... and now, the team is apologizing.

The Italian club's social media team kept the post live on their Twitter account for roughly 25 minutes before it got taken down ... but it received more than 7,500 negative replies before it was deleted.

The team released a statement on the disgusting tweet shortly after ... saying, "We sincerely apologise that our tweet, which was not meant to cause controversy or have any racial undertones, may have offended anyone."

"Juventus has always been against racism and discrimination. #DifferencesMakeTheDifference."

No word on why the team -- which was founded in 2017 -- decided to post a super racist pic out of the blue on a random Thursday ... but the screenshots will certainly last forever.

It's not the first time the club has been at the center of controversy -- back in 2019, men's player Moise Kean was on the receiving end of racist abuse from fans.

Huge news in the soccer world -- superstar Lionel Messi will NOT be returning to FC Barcelona ... the team announced Thursday.

The 34-year-old is now free to sign with the club of his choice ... and will undoubtedly come with a massive price tag.

The team released a statement ... saying both sides agreed to make a deal, but due to "financial and structural obstacles (Spanish Liga regulations)," there was no way to make it happen.

"As a result of this situation, Messi shall not be staying on at FC Barcelona. Both parties deeply regret that the wishes of the player and the club will ultimately not be fulfilled."

Messi is one of the greatest soccer players ever -- he's won the Ballon d'Or a record 6 times -- and has spent his entire pro career with Barcelona.

The club added ... "FC Barcelona wholeheartedly expresses its gratitude to the player for his contribution to the aggrandisement of the club and wishes him all the very best for the future in his personal and professional life."

Messi was #2 on Forbes' highest-paid athletes list this year ... and in 2020, became the second player to ever have $1 billion in career earnings, behind Cristiano Ronaldo.

Donald Trump just unloaded on Megan Rapinoe and the USWNT ... calling them "leftist maniacs" who cost the United States a gold medal at the Olympics.

The former President went off Thursday morning ... stunningly claiming the women's team's kneeling protests and political comments were the reasons they didn't win gold in Tokyo this summer.

"If our soccer team, headed by a radical group of Leftist Maniacs, wasn’t woke, they would have won the Gold Medal instead of the Bronze," Trump said.

"Woke means you lose, everything that is woke goes bad, and our soccer team certainly has."

Trump's rant didn't stop there ... he went on to say the team's protestors should be kicked off the squad, and then criticized Rapinoe for her political statements and her play.

"They should replace the wokesters with Patriots and start winning again," he said.

"The woman with the purple hair played terribly and spends too much time thinking about Radical Left politics and not doing her job!"

As we previously reported, several members of the USWNT took knees prior to the kickoff of the Olympic games this summer ... a continuing effort by the squad to raise awareness for injustice across the globe.

Several members from other national squads also took part in the kneeling protests during the Games as well.

The Gold Cup is returning to the U.S.A. -- and the champions celebrated with an all-out rager for the ages ... including a makeshift Slip 'N Slide, chugging booze from the trophy and having a T-Pain jam session!!

Sunday night's finals match between the U.S. and Mexico was nothing short of an instant classic ... with Miles Robinson nailing a header 117 minutes into play to put the Red, White and Blue up 1-0, which would be enough to secure the victory.

With a dramatic win like that, the guys had to let loose once the championship was secured ... and they didn't have to go far to get it going -- after all, the game was in Las Vegas!!

But, before the champs could even make it to the strip, they decided to get it poppin' by having a booze fest in the locker room ... with Sebastian Lletget and Paul Arriola diving on the ground and trying to slide as far as they could!!

Eryk Williamson also had a blast -- chugging right from the Gold Cup!!

Eventually, the guys had to take the celly to the Vegas strip, hopping in vans where goalie Matt Turner -- who played out of his mind -- was really feelin' himself to "Buy U A Drank" by T-Pain!!!

The guys finally made it to the Bellagio to continue the rage fest ... and at the time of this post, we're not completely sure if they ever went to bed.

It's vacation time for Lionel Messi ... and the soccer megastar is enjoying his annual getaway on the Spanish waters with his wife, kids, and bestie, Luis Suarez!!!

Of course, Messi and Suarez are as close as it gets ... and the gang has been known to tour Spain on expensive boats during the summer months over the past few years.

2021 is no different, with both families bringing their kids along for a bit of R&R ... and fellow pal Cesc Fàbregas coming along for the ride.

Messi has a lot to celebrate -- he's fresh off his Copa America victory with Argentina ... the first of his career!!!

Messi's wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, Suarez's wife, Sofia Balbi, and Fàbregas' wife, Daniella Semaan, look to be enjoying the trip ... and they all look incredibly stunning!!

We can't forget to mention the fellas, though -- they look just as shredded as you'd expect ... after all, they are world-class athletes.

A former media executive for Major League Soccer claims she lost her job for speaking up about racial issues within the organization following the killing of George Floyd ... so she's suing.

Karine Travieso, who is Black, has filed suit against MLS along with 2 of her former bosses, alleging she was removed from job duties, excluded from meetings and unjustly blamed for other employee's mistakes after speaking at a Juneteenth event in 2020.

According to the legal docs, obtained by TMZ Sports ... Travieso began working for MLS in 2017 and worked her way up to a role of prominence ... despite what she describes as a work environment lacking diversity and inclusion.

She also describes multiple incidents of perceived racial stereotypes, such as one of her bosses allegedly implying in 2018 that there needed to be extra security at the 2 Chainz MLS All-Star Concert because Black people would be attending.

According to Travieso ... she mostly stayed silent about stuff like this until George Floyd's death on May 25, 2020, sparked nationwide protests and raised awareness about the plight of Black people.

She claims she encouraged MLS honchos to release a statement about Floyd's death like other major sports leagues after several days of silence, and they finally did ... but she points to it as another example of the soccer org dropping the ball.

Then, according to the docs, Travieso spoke at the Juneteenth event and "opened her heart about racial discrimination" and how she felt she couldn't raise race issues with MLS execs.

She says she cited the 2 Chainz incident as a reason MLS needed to incorporate unconscious bias training, called on "white allies" within the org to help, and pointed out there was "little to no Black representation in the decision-making positions and upper echelon of MLS."

According to Travieso ... her speech was met with praise by colleagues, but MLS did nothing to follow up on it. Instead, she claims she began to be treated differently by her bosses, was no longer invited to meetings she'd previously been a part of, and was removed from certain roles within the company.

She says she reported this to HR in October, and then a month later ... she was informed she was being laid off due to the circumstances with COVID-19 and some business restructuring.

Travieso's suing for race discrimination and retaliation, and she's seeking damages. We reached out to MLS ... no word back so far.

Athletes wasted no time making a statement against injustice as the Olympic competition kicked off this week ... with soccer players taking a knee before their matches on Wednesday.

Earlier this year, the International Olympic Committee released a strict policy for the 2020 Games ... banning any sort of demonstrations or protests on the field of play, during ceremonies or at the podium ... and anyone who broke the guidelines would face severe sanctions.

But, the IOC eased up on its rules leading up to Tokyo ... allowing athletes to "express their views" before or after the competition, as long as it is not disruptive or targeted against specific people, countries or organizations.

Members of Great Britain's and Chile's women's soccer teams took advantage of the relaxed policy by getting on one knee before their opening match at the Sapporo Dome hours ago ... a demonstration that would have resulted in harsh punishment if the amended rules didn't come into play.

Team USA and Sweden also dropped to one knee before their match ... as well as Australia and New Zealand.

British police say they've arrested 4 people for racially abusing Black England soccer players following the team's Euro 2020 loss ... and officials say the hunt for more is nowhere near over.

Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka -- who are all Black -- were ambushed by racial slurs on social media after they each missed key kicks in England's shootout loss to Italy on Sunday.

The comments and remarks were vile -- many featured the n-word and others contained violent threats -- and it got so bad, UK police launched an investigation into it all.

And, in an update on the probe Thursday, British officials said they've arrested four in connection with the online attacks ... adding more arrests could be coming soon.

"We are working very closely with social media platforms, who are providing data we need to progress enquiries," British police official Mark Roberts told reporters.

"If we identify that you are behind this crime, we will track you down and you will face the serious consequences of your shameful actions."

Of course, in England, it's illegal to make racist statements or threats, as there's no First Amendment protection.

Jessie J is glad Prince William spoke out against racists targeting Black players on England's soccer team after their championship loss -- she says it's a sign of great progress.

We got the English singer Tuesday leaving Crossroads Kitchen in L.A. and asked her if William's comments show the Royal Family learned from the recent racism scandal with Meghan Markle.

Jessie says Prince William calling the disgusting comments "totally unacceptable" is a big step in the right direction.

As we reported ... England's soccer officials also condemned the racial abuse directed at their players after missed opportunities during England's penalty shootout with Italy in Sunday's Euro 2020 championship match.

Heartwarming scene in England on Tuesday ... a vandalized mural of soccer star Marcus Rashford was repaired -- all while crowds of anti-racists gathered around it to show their support.

The wall art was defaced after Rashford was one of several England players who missed crucial kicks in England's penalty shootout loss to Italy in Sunday's Euro 2020 final.

The vandalism was crass ... there were swear words and other vile things drawn on the picture of Rashford -- and police say they're treating the whole thing as a racially motivated incident.

But, the community surrounding the mural in Manchester rallied to cover up the graffiti shortly after it was tagged ... leaving messages of love and unity.

And, on Tuesday, when a street artist repaired it back to normal ... dozens showed up to cheer on and display messages of anti-racism.

"There’s been an outpouring of kind of love and solidarity," an official who helped initially put up the mural told TheJournal.ie, "and it’s really heartening."

23-year-old Rashford has dealt with a ton of abuse since Sunday's game ... in addition to the defaced mural, he and other Black stars dealt with threats and racist comments on social media.

It got so bad, Prince William released a statement condemning it all ... and police even said they'd launch an investigation into the online comments.

Prince William says he's flat-out "sickened" that Black England soccer players were the targets of racial abuse on Sunday ... calling the disgusting comments "totally unacceptable."

Racists spewed vile words toward Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka -- who are Black -- after they all missed kicks during England's penalty shootout loss to Italy in the Euro 2020 championship match ... and it didn't take long for William to rush to their defense.

The 39-year-old issued a stern statement on social media, writing, "It is totally unacceptable that players have to endure this abhorrent behaviour. It must stop now and all those involved should be held accountable."

William's words are certainly commendable -- given the racial abuse that the players received ranged from n-word-filled rants to flat-out threats -- but, they didn't come without some criticism from observers.

Some on social media wondered why William didn't issue a similar statement after Meghan Markle told Oprah earlier this year that she had been subjected to racial abuse from members of the Royal Family.

As for England soccer officials, they, too, condemned the racism that their players were subjected to ... saying they were "disgusted" and "appalled" by it all.

"We're disgusted that some of our squad -- who have given everything for the shirt this summer -- have been subjected to discriminatory abuse online after tonight's game," the team said.

"We stand with our players."

Added England's Football Association, "The FA strongly condemns all forms of discrimination and is appalled by the online racism that has been aimed at some of our England players on social media."

"We could not be clearer that anyone behind such disgusting behaviour is not welcome in following the team. We will do all we can to support the players affected while urging the toughest punishments possible for anyone responsible."

The Metropolitan Police say they're aware of the comments ... and are now vowing to investigate it all, saying in a statement Sunday, "This abuse is totally unacceptable."

"It will not be tolerated and it will be investigated."

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson also condemned the racist remarks, adding in a statement of his own, "This England team deserve to be lauded as heroes, not racially abused on social media."