Soccer

Diego Maradona -- widely considered one of the greatest soccer players of all time -- has died at his home in Argentina, according to his reps.

He was 60.

Maradona, who was still recovering after emergency brain surgery earlier this month, reportedly suffered a heart attack at his home Wednesday morning and was not able to pull through ... according to Argentinian news outlet Clarin.

His death was confirmed by Maradona's longtime lawyer and agent Matias Morla.

Back in the day, Maradona was considered one of the best soccer players in the world -- leading Argentina to a World Cup in 1986.

In fact, his "Hand of God" goal against England during the '86 World Cup is one of the most famous moments in soccer history.

Maradona was tracking down a ball and slyly used his hand to punch it over the goalkeeper into the net -- while pretending his hand never actually touched it. His acting job worked and the goal counted!

After his playing career, he struggled with drug addiction, alcohol abuse and health issues -- and had been hospitalized multiple times.

But, he was still widely loved in his home country -- and the fans came out in force to show love just a few weeks ago when he was being transported to the hospital for brain surgery.

As we previously reported, doctors discovered a blood clot on Maradona's brain that required emergency treatment ... and he went under the knife on Nov. 3.

In the days that followed, Maradona's doctor said the outlook was good and he expected the star to make a successful recovery.

But, something went terribly wrong on Wednesday ... and now the world is mourning Maradona's death.

A pro soccer player could be facing discipline from his league ... after he straight-up grabbed his opponent's penis TWICE in a disturbing in-game incident that was all caught on video.

Here's the deal ... on Saturday in England, Preston North End FC player Darnell Fisher was trying to guard Sheffield Wednesday's Callum Paterson during a corner kick in the second half.

Video of the play showed Fisher got super close to Paterson ... and then Fisher suddenly grabbed Paterson's junk.

Paterson was clearly upset by the move -- he looked over at the ref to see if the official was going to say something to Fisher -- and that's when Fisher cupped Paterson's genitals yet again.

The two eventually separated, and Fisher's Preston squad ended up winning the game 1-0 ... but afterward, the Football Association reportedly launched a probe into the incident.

According to Sky Sports, the FA is set to investigate whether or not it should punish Fisher for the move.

Similar incidents in sports this past year have garnered big discipline ... remember, rugby star Joe Marler was hit with a 10-WEEK ban for grabbing a guy's penis in a game.

The president of the Haiti Football Association has been BANNED FOR LIFE by FIFA -- after the soccer org. found him guilty of sexually abusing female players, including minors.

FIFA issued a statement saying 73-year-old Yves Jean-Bart is forbidden from participating in all soccer-related activities -- plus, they've hit him with over a $1 million fine.

In a statement Friday, FIFA said Jean-Bart "abused his position and sexually harassed and abused various female players, including minors, in violation of the FIFA Code of Ethics."

FIFA says it had launched an investigation into Jean-Bart and other officials in the Haiti Football Association over allegations of "systematic sexual abuse against female football players between 2014 and 2020."

The allegations have been reported this way ... female soccer players in Haiti felt pressured into having sex with Jean-Bart in order to remain in good standing with the Haiti Football Association.

Several players have spoken up about the alleged abuse to various media outlets -- detailing an allegedly horrific situation.

For his part, Jean-Bart has repeatedly DENIED the allegations -- saying back in April, "I would not encourage such practices in Haitian football, much less in the centre which is under my responsibility."

"If there were such cases, I would encourage the victims to file a complaint with the federation and the judicial authorities of the country. We are ready, at the level of the federation, to support them."

There's more ... Jean-Bart was also reportedly "cleared of any wrongdoing" earlier this week during legal proceedings in Haiti.

Usain Bolt says Cristiano Ronaldo would "for sure" beat him in a foot race if the two decided to hit the track ... and yeah, he's dead serious.

The 8-time gold medalist was doing an interview with Spanish news outlet Marca over the weekend ... when he was asked straight-up -- who wins in a race RIGHT NOW??

"For sure Cristiano Ronaldo," the 34-year-old Jamaican legend says. "For me, he works out every day. He's a super athlete, you know what I mean?"

"He's always on top of his game. He works hard, he's focused. So right now, I definitely think he's faster than me."

With all due respect, Mr. Bolt -- WHAT ARE YOU SMOKIN'!?!?!

Sure, Bolt hasn't raced professionally since retiring in 2017 ... he's the fastest human being of all time. He crushed opponents easily for the majority of his career.

Also, back in 2009 Bolt was clocked at 27.8 mph -- the fastest recorded time in human history!!

Don't get us wrong, Ronaldo is a beast, too -- but he's just not in Usain's league when it comes to running in a straight line.

35-year-old Ronaldo was reportedly clocked at 21 mph during the 2018 World Cup, which is still fast ... but that's still 6 mph slower than UB's top speed.

Even if Bolt has gorged on donuts and milkshakes since his retirement (which he hasn't), we'd still bet on Bolt just from the muscle memory alone.

Also, Ronaldo just had COVID, which certainly doesn't help his chances.

Bottom line ... it's Bolt all day -- unless Ronaldo got a 35-yard head start AND Usain had to run backward.

Mohamed Salah -- one of the best soccer players in the world -- has tested positive for coronavirus, the Egyptian Football Association confirmed.

The 28-year-old Egyptian superstar will now begin a self-isolation period -- where he must remain until he's cleared to return to action by medical officials.

"The medical swab conducted on the mission of our first national football team showed that our international player, Mohamed Salah, the star of Liverpool, was infected with the Coronavirus," the EFA said in a statement,.

Officials say Salah is not showing any symptoms -- and no other members of the Egyptian team have tested positive.

Salah is a beast on the pitch -- he's won the Golden Boot for leading the Premiere League in scoring in two separate seasons ('17-'18, '18-'19) and was the BBC African Footballer of the year in 2017 and 2018.

Wanna reduce concussions in soccer by 20 percent?!?! Reduce the air pressure in the balls ... so says Purdue University.

Yeah, this is potentially huge news.

A team of engineers at Purdue have been looking into ways to make the game safer, citing claims that 22% of soccer injuries are "concussions that can result from players using their heads to direct the ball during a game."

Long story short, the team believes there's a connection between air pressure and injury ... and inflating balls to a lower pressure could make a HUGE difference to player health.

"The study, conducted by Purdue University engineers, found that inflating balls to pressures on the lower end of ranges enforced by soccer governing bodies such as the NCAA and FIFA could reduce forces associated with potential head injury by about 20%," the school said in a statement.

The researchers also recommended swapping out wet balls for dry ones -- because they more water they take on, they more danger they pose to players.

“If the ball has too high of a pressure, gets too waterlogged, or both, it actually turns into a weapon," said Eric Nauman, who spearheaded the study.

"Heading that ball is like heading a brick."

Unbelievable photo of Diego Maradona -- who was smiling for a picture with his doctor just 8 days after undergoing emergency brain surgery.

The Argentinian soccer legend was diagnosed last week with a subdural hematoma -- also known as a brain bleed, a potentially life-threatening condition requiring immediate surgery.

The 60-year-old went under the knife on Nov. 3 -- and it appears his recovery is going pretty well!

Maradona's doctor, Leopoldo Luque, posted a photo posing next to the soccer star ... who is still sporting a bandage to cover the scar on the right side of his head.

Dr. Luque told reporters he expects Maradona to be discharged from the hospital sometime Wednesday.

Maradona will reportedly continue his recovery at a rehabilitation facility just outside of Buenos Aires, where his daughter lives.

Maradona's lawyer, Matias Morla, also spoke to the media -- saying it's a "miracle" the soccer star survived the blood clot.

"Diego has gone through perhaps the hardest time of his life," Morla said.

"What is needed now is family togetherness and being surrounded by health professionals. With the doctors and his family, Diego will be as he should be: happy."

Soccer legend Diego Maradona has been diagnosed with a blood clot on his brain and his doctors say they will perform emergency surgery ASAP.

The 60-year-old Argentinian star was hospitalized Monday in his home country because he wasn't feeling well -- complaining of dehydration and depression.

Doctors began running tests, including an MRI, which revealed a subdural hematoma -- also known as a brain bleeds -- usually caused by a traumatic head injury.

If not treated, the bleeding and added pressure on the brain from the hematoma can be fatal, according to WebMD.

Maradona's doctor, Leopoldo Luque, will perform the surgery and seemed to be optimistic about Maradona's chances, when he spoke with the media.

"This is a routine surgery that even [Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, Vice President of Argentina] has undergone," Luque said.

As for how Maradona suffered the injury, Dr. Luque believes it likely happened over the past month.

"We did an MRI one month ago and everything was normal. We repeated the study and we saw the subdural hematoma. These types of injuries are tough to spot, I don't know if he suffered some kind of hit or fall."

Dr. Luque says Maradona is "alert" and "not upset" -- and has signed off on the surgery.

Back in the day, Maradona was considered one of the best soccer players in the world -- leading Argentina to a World Cup in 1986.

After his playing career, he struggled with drug addiction, alcohol abuse and health issues -- and has been hospitalized multiple times.

There was no Quarantine 15 for Cristiano Ronaldo ...

The Juventus striker returned to the pitch Sunday after spending nearly 4 weeks in isolation battling COVID-19 -- and proved he's STILL JACKED!

35-year-old CR7 initially tested positive around October 13 while training with the Portugal national team. He was sent to his palatial estate to ride out the virus.

He finally tested NEGATIVE on Friday, and was allowed to rejoin Juventus on Sunday as they took on Spezia at Dino Manuzzi Stadium in Italy.

First chance Ronaldo got to remove his shirt, he did -- showing his bout with the 'rona has ZERO impact on his insane bod.

Good god, man ... have a carb once in a while.

Of course, Ronaldo was rocking his signature undies during his little strip tease ... because he's ripped and business savvy!!!

As for the game, Ronaldo entered the match while it was a 1-1 tie ... then scored 2 goals in a 20-minute span. Yeah, dude's back.

Juventus went on to win, 4-1 ... and Ronaldo's abs are clearly the MVP.

Welcome back!!

Soccer fans, rejoice ... Cristiano Ronaldo is free of COVID-19!

The superstar's team, Juventus, made the announcement Friday ... saying the 35-year-old has finally tested negative after contracting the virus nearly three weeks ago.

"Cristiano Ronaldo carried out a check with a diagnostic test (swab) for Covid 19," the team said in a statement. "The exam provided a negative result."

"The player has, therefore, recovered after 19 days and is no longer subjected to home isolation."

It's great news for Juventus ... the squad won just 1 of its 4 games with Ronaldo out -- and lost its highly anticipated matchup with Lionel Messi's Barcelona team on Wednesday.

As we previously reported, it was announced on Oct. 13 that Ronaldo had COVID ... and he had quarantined himself every day since.

Though, based on his isolation pics, it didn't seem THAT difficult ...

"They could do so much if they decided to use their stupendous level of popularity to fight racism."

Soccer superstar Megan Rapinoe clearly ain't happy with the efforts Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have made to try to stamp out racism ... and now, she's urging them to do far more.

"I’m not talking about wearing a Black Lives Matter T-shirt," Rapinoe told L'Equipe Mag this month. "I’m talking about going deeper."

Racism is still a huge problem in international soccer -- particularly in 2019.

The two international footballers -- arguably the most popular athletes on the planet -- have in the past used their platforms to fight against racism and for equality.

Just two years ago, Ronaldo famously stood up for a Black player who fans had hurled racial insults at ... writing in an IG post, "In the world and in football there always needs to be education and respect. No to racism and to any sort of insult and discrimination!!!"

Messi, meanwhile, was part of a 2016 UEFA PSA with Ronaldo and other stars denouncing racism.

But, clearly, Rapinoe feels that ain't enough ... pushing for them to use their voices much more.

Megan went on to praise athletes like Naomi Osaka, Lewis Hamilton and LeBron James for their efforts in the battle for social justice.

Cristiano Ronaldo ain't out of the woods yet ... he reportedly tested positive for COVID again, which means he won't be able to join his Juventus teammates to take on Barcelona next week.

Remember, the 35-year-old soccer superstar initially popped for COVID last week (it was announced Oct. 13) -- and was sent home from practicing with the Portugal national team.

CR7 has since been posting photos on social media showing him training and relaxing in his mansion -- with a big ol' smile on his face.

He even posted a pic of his freshly-shaved head on Thursday morning -- flaunting a ridiculously expensive watch.

But, behind the scenes, Ronaldo -- one of the top athletes on the planet -- is still battling coronavirus, according to Spanish outlet Marca.com.

The new positive test means he'll have to miss at least another week of action before he can join his Champions League club Juventus, which is scheduled to take on Lionel Messi's Barca squad on Wednesday.

It's heartbreaking news -- EVERYONE was looking forward to Ronaldo vs. Messi!

But, in order to be cleared to participate in a UEFA match, a player must test negative for an entire week before a game ... and now that's off the table.

Sucks, but if you're gonna have to self-isolate for another week -- at least Ronaldo has a gigantic mansion to enjoy ... with a private pool, gym, etc.

France's premiere soccer league -- Ligue 1 -- will pay tribute to the teacher who was killed last week in a terror attack in Paris, officials say.

47-year-old Samuel Paty -- a history teacher at Collège du Bois d'Aulne -- was attacked and beheaded on Friday while walking home from work.

Officials say the killer is 18-year-old Abdoullakh Abouyezidovitch -- who was upset Paty used caricatures of the prophet Muhammad during recent lessons.

Cops tracked down the suspect after the killing -- but when they approached, he allegedly opened fire with an airgun.

Officers fired back -- striking Abouyezidovitch 9 times, killing him. Cops say Abouyezidovitch confessed to the murder before his death.

The story has been headline news in France (and around the world) for the past few days.

Now, Ligue 1 -- home of legendary teams like Paris Saint-Germain, Marseille and more -- says the entire league will honor Paty's memory this upcoming weekend with moments of silence, armbands and more. Ligue 2 will also participate in the tributes.

"Before the matches kick off, a minute's silence will be observed in tribute to the history and geography professor beheaded on Friday in the Conflans-Sainte-Honorine attack and his portrait will be shown on giant screens in the stadiums," league officials said in a statement.

"During the match, all the players in the game (players, coaches, referees) will wear a black armband to pay tribute to him."

Nobody seems more content with COVID than Cristiano Ronaldo ...

The 35-year-old soccer superstar -- who was ordered to self-isolate earlier this week after testing positive -- is now chillaxing in his mansion in Turin, Italy like he doesn't have a care in the world.

As we previously reported, the Portuguese Football Association announced Ronaldo's positive test on Tuesday -- and said he had been sent home to prevent exposure to other Team Portugal players and staffers.

Well, home for CR7 is a massive estate with an indoor pool.

He's still smiling. He's still ripped to shreds. And, he's offering up encouraging words to his fans.

"Don't let what you can't do stand in the way of what you can do," Ronaldo said Friday on IG.

Ronaldo reportedly flew from Portugal to Italy on a private "air ambulance" which he paid for himself.

While Ronaldo has not personally commented about his health since the positive COVID test -- the Portuguese Football Federation said he was "well, without symptoms, and in isolation."

Cristiano Ronaldo -- arguably the most famous athlete in the world -- has tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Portuguese Football Association.

He's already been sent away from the team so he can self-quarantine at his home.

The PFA issued a statement saying Ronaldo "is doing well, without symptoms." PFA did not say exactly WHEN Ronaldo tested positive.

Ronaldo's teammates were all retested after CR7's positive result -- with no new positives. The rest of the team will continue to train as usual to prep for Wednesday's game against Sweden in Portugal.

What's concerning is a photo Ronaldo posted on social media Monday, showing him crowded around a table with his Portugal teammates.

No one in the photo is wearing a mask or social distancing.

35-year-old Ronaldo played all 90 minutes when Portugal took on France on Sunday in France.

Only 1,000 fans were allowed inside the Stade de France to watch the game. The stadium typically holds around 80,000 people.

Ronaldo also played against Spain last week.

One of the big issues ... medical experts say it can take between 2 and 14 days for someone infected with COVID to show symptoms.

In other words, it's probably not safe to assume his teammates are all out of the woods yet. And, the decision to push forward and practice and play could lead to disaster.

Diego Maradona says the "Toy Story" jokes stemming from his COVID mask are NOT funny ... and now, the soccer legend is firing back at his critics in a scathing social media post.

Maradona stepped out to coach his Argentinian soccer club this week in a huge face shield that covered the top of his head to below his chin ... and he quickly became the subject of Internet memes.

People poked fun at the face covering ... calling the 59-year-old everything from an astronaut to Buzz Lightyear.

But, Maradona says the mask is NOT a laughing matter ... adding he's using it to make sure he stays safe and coronavirus-free.

"It is the same that some doctors use," Maradona said Wednesday. "I did it out of obligation, and out of respect for all those who died from COVID."

Of course, Maradona's health problems have been well-documented ... he's battled breathing and heart issues throughout his life, as well as a much-publicized addiction to cocaine.

Maradona also famously needed medical treatment at the World Cup in 2018 ... after his body apparently couldn't handle the rush of all his animated celebrations.

Maradona is healthy now ... and taking all the proper steps to keep it that way -- including sanitizing his hands repeatedly during games.