Soccer

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.

The Patrick Mahomes family sports empire is growing -- this time, the NFL superstar's fiancee bought a stake in a pro women's soccer team!!

The National Women’s Soccer League announced its move to bring a team to Kansas City on Monday ... with none other than Brittany Matthews named in the female-heavy ownership group.

Of course, Mahomes recently joined the business side of athletics ... becoming part-owner of the Kansas City Royals shortly after inking his record-breaking $503 million contract this past summer.

Now, 25-year-old Matthews is claiming her own stake in sports ownership ... with the former college and pro soccer player gunning to bring another championship to Kansas City.

"As a former collegiate and professional soccer player, I have a true level of appreciation for what these incredible women do on a daily basis." Matthews said on Monday."

"I am honored to be part of an amazing ownership group that is passionate about the game and eager to welcome a NWSL team back to Kansas City."

FYI -- Matthews played college ball at UT Tyler before heading over to Iceland to play professionally ... winning a league title in 2017.

Matthews added ... "We have the greatest fans and community here in KC and I can’t wait to huddle around this team – we want more championship parades in the very near future!"

The Mahomes' have made it clear they're planning on staying in KC long-term -- Patrick is under contract through 2031 -- and they've been pretty active in giving back to the community.

It's been a great year for the entire fam -- Britt has her booming fitness brand and is pregnant with the couple's first child ... and Pat's brother, Jackson, is a rising star on social media.

Goodbye, Stadio San Paolo ... hello, Diego Maradona Stadium!!

The City of Naples has announced it will officially change the name its soccer stadium to honor legend Diego Maradona, who spent 7 years playing there.

Maradona -- who passed away at age 60 on Nov. 25 -- led the Napoli team to 2 Serie A titles during his run with The Blues from 1984 to 1991.

(Watch some of the highlights below, just NASTY stuff).

Despite the fact he's from Argentina, Maradona clearly made an impression on the locals -- who fell in love with the guy.

In fact, just HOURS after Diego's death ... Naples mayor Luigi de Magistris proposed the resolution to rename the stadium after Maradona.

The resolution went to the Naples City Council, which ultimately voted to approve the name change ... which should now officially happen soon.

Lionel Messi was just hit with a fine for his in-game tribute to late soccer legend Diego Maradona -- but it only amounts to $725.

... which is NOTHING to a rich guy like Messi.

The 33-year-old captain paid homage to his fellow Argentinian after scoring the final goal in Barca's 4-0 win over Osasuna on Sunday ... by ripping off his shirt to reveal a Maradona #10 jersey from his Newell’s Old Boys days.

It was an emotional moment for Messi ... who blew a kiss to the sky and hugged his teammates following the goal.

The tribute drew a yellow card due to Messi removing his shirt ... which resulted in a 600 euro fine handed down Wednesday. Messi can appeal ... and given the circumstances, he may have a shot at getting the decision overturned.

Messi was close pals with Maradona ... and grieved the loss after his passing on Nov. 25.

"A very sad day for all Argentines and for football," Messi said at the time. "He leaves us but does not leave, because Diego is eternal."

"I keep all the beautiful moments lived with him and I wanted to take the opportunity to send my condolences to all his family and friends. RIP."

Awesome honor for Sarah Fuller ... the Vanderbilt kicker, who just became the 1st woman to ever compete for a Power 5 college football team, has now earned an SEC Player of the Week award.

The conference announced the selection Monday ... splitting this week's Special Teams Player of the Week honors between Fuller and Florida punt returner Kadarius Toney.

"Fuller made history Saturday," SEC officials said in a statement.

Fuller -- who just joined the Commodores' football team last week after it was left shorthanded due to COVID-19 -- kicked just one ball for Vandy on Saturday, but she made it count.

In the opening kickoff of the second half of the Commodores' loss to Missouri ... Fuller executed a planned squib kick to perfection that was downed at her opponents' 35-yard line.

Afterward, Fuller -- who's the school's women's soccer team's starting goalkeeper -- said, "I just want to tell all the girls out there that you can do anything you set your mind to. Like, you really can."

"And, if you have that mentality all the way through, you can do big things."

A female Spanish soccer player says she's getting death threats for protesting a tribute to Diego Maradona ... who she considered to be a pretty horrible person.

24-year-old Paula Dapena -- a midfielder for Viajes Interrías FF -- sat on the pitch with her back turned during a planned moment of silence for Maradona before Saturday's match. The rest of her team stood up.

Dapena told local media she felt it was "hypocritical" to honor Maradona ... just days after her league did not hold a moment of silence for domestic violence victims on Wednesday's International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

FYI -- Maradona had been accused of domestic violence back in 2014, but he had adamantly denied ever striking a woman in his life.

"It [Maradona's death] totally overshadowed that day," Dapena said. "We went from putting the spotlight on the death of women due to this cause to talking only about Maradona and what an idol he was for everyone."

Dapena added, "For me, from a football standpoint, Maradona had spectacular skills and qualities. But as a person, he left a lot to be desired."

Maradona's personal issues are pretty well known -- drugs, booze, alleged mafia ties and much, much more.

Dapena now says the protest has led to terrifying ramifications ... claiming both she and her team are receiving death threats.

"It's not just me that has been harassed on social media but also my teammates," Dapena told AS. "We have also received death threats and messages such as 'I'm going to find your home address and go there and break your legs.'"

Dapena also called all of the responses "horrible" ... but added, "Keeping a minute of silence and paying homage to him is against me. I could not do it."

As we previously reported, Maradona -- widely viewed as one of the greatest soccer players ever -- died on Nov. 25 after he reportedly suffered a heart attack.