Football

The UNFP, the union for professional football players in France, have directed a scathing statement towards FIFA president Gianni Infantino - accusing him of "trampling on the physical and mental health of players."

The UNFP called the tournament a "massacre" as they protested the "drastic increase in workloads" in modern football.

The union said: "The incongruity of the situation is not lost on anyone, except of course Gianni Infantino and his courtiers. "From the top of his ivory tower, which he takes to the four corners of the planet, the FIFA president is not bothered by the fate that the international calendar reserves for the leading players in the game, while ‘his’ Club World Cup proves, to the point of absurdity, that it is urgent to put a stop to this game of massacre.

"It tramples on the physical and mental health of players for a few extra dollars, while making a mockery of, or even ignoring, the collective agreements - La Charte, in France - which, more or less everywhere, provide for an incompressible three-week rest period for footballers between two sports seasons."

The UNFP continued: "The UNFP, like FIFPRO and FIFPRO Europe, has been protesting for years against the drastic increase in workloads, but also against the harmful repercussions for domestic football of a calendar that FIFA alone is still building today.

"And this despite the more than explicit request made by the judges of the European Court in the Diarra ruling, calling on the International Federation to abandon its hegemonic approach and to include the players (players, coaches, doctors) and clubs in the decision-making process on issues that have a direct impact on their profession, whereas today they are simply presented with a fait accompli.

A decision on whether Crystal Palace can compete in next season's Europa League has been delayed by Uefa.

The Eagles' place, earned by winning the FA Cup last season, has been under threat because of Uefa's multi-club ownership rules, which prevents teams under the same ownership from competing in the same European competition.

Co-owner John Textor, who also co-owns French club Lyon, has agreed to sell his 44% stake in Palace in a bid to help their case.

A decision on Palace's participation had been expected on Monday.

In June, Irish Premier Division club Drogheda United were expelled by Uefa from the Conference League due to the Trivela Group, who owns the club, also owning Danish outfit Silkeborg.

Should Palace be granted a spot in the competition, they will enter the group phase which begins in September. The draw for the group phase is on 29 August.

Dusan Vlahovic continues to frustrate Juventus with his refusal to accept transfers, with reports he rejected €20m per season wages to join Al-Ahli.

Vlahovic and agent Darko Ristic agreed that it would not be right to leave Europe at this stage of his career, yet at the same time, he is resisting any pay cuts.

He also reportedly turned down a proposal from Fenerbahce.

This is causing a headache for the Bianconeri, who had also tried to propose a new contract at a lower salary, which was also rejected outright.

Credits: https://old.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/1lnbigk/multiclub_ownership_in_2025_a_nondefinitive_list/

Klopp "Club World Cup is the worst idea ever implemented in football. People who have never had anything to do with day-to-day business are coming up with ideas. I fear that next season players will suffer injuries they've never had before. If not, then it'll happen at the World Cup or afterwards."

Botafogo coach: "Today, with internet and everything, there are two kinds of football: the real-life kind and the Walt Disney kind. I met a fan and he told me that we should have beaten Atlético if we had been more offensive. I asked how many times he had seen Atlético this year and he said none."

LAFC have mutually parted ways with striker Olivier Giroud, the club announced Friday.

Giroud will reportedly soon sign with Ligue 1 side LOSC Lille, and is slated to play one last LAFC match on Sunday vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC (9:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass).

"Olivier has been an exemplary professional during his time at LAFC," said co-president & general manager John Thorrington.

"He brought humility and a winning mentality that helped elevate everyone around him. Olivier has been a tremendous ambassador for the club on and off the field. We are grateful for his contributions and wish him, his wife Jennifer, and his family all the very best in this next chapter."

Juan Bernabé had been the club’s official falconer for over a decade, ensuring the eagle Olympia mascot was able to fly around the Stadio Olimpico before kick-off in every home match, but also living with the bird at their Formello training ground.

He was fired in January after going on a radio show to discuss how a penile implant had improved his sex life, and posting pictures of the surgery on social media.

However, Bernabé refused to leave his rooms at Formello, insisting he had a medical note, sparking a legal battle that dragged on for six months.

It finally ended today, as Lazio released a statement confirming he had been evicted from the premises many months after his contract was terminated for “behaviour considered incompatible with the ethical values of the Club.”

But despite personal terms being agreed upon, Marca have reported that Williams has asked Barcelona to ensure that he will be registered with La Liga for the start of the 2025-26 season.

Barcelona must register Williams alongside already-signed Joan Garcia, who is expected to be the club’s starting goalkeeper next season. And while Joan Laporta has assured that there will no problems in this regard, La Liga have stated that the Catalans have not yet returned to the 1:1 rule, which would affect their chances of getting a deal done.

Barcelona need to sell players in order to guarantee that Williams can be registered, with the likes of Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, Andreas Christensen, Pablo Torre and Ansu Fati among those to have been identified as leading candidates to depart. But it is not certain that the club will be able to do the business required, and after the debacle with Dani Olmo and Pau Victor, it is understandable that Williams is seeking assurances.

Milan have officially released Joao Felix and Riccardo Sottil, returning the players from their loans to Chelsea and Fiorentina.

The Rossoneri brought both of the forwards in during the January transfer window on six-month loans.

Those contracts will expire on June 30 and there were no real attempts to negotiate any longer stays, let alone permanent transfers.

[FC Barcelona] FC Barcelona announce they have successfully refinanced over 40% of the Espai Barça debt. €424M of the original debt—previously due in 2028—into a new long-term structure. This new structure will begin repayments in 2033 and conclude in 2050, with an average interest cost of 5.19%.

Credits: https://old.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/1ll1e2f/ive_collected_videos_of_every_lionel_messi_goal/

With the under 21 euros coming to a close soon, I believe it's fair to look at the players that participated in it and try to find out who might become a household name soon.

The Guardian made a solid list in my opinion. The first player on their list, Nick Woltemade, is apparently already linked with a move to Bayern Munich.

Which other players from the tournament are likely to move up to their senior teams or bigger club teams soon?

PARIS — Kylian Mbappé has accused Paris Saint-Germain of moral harassment in a legal filing, the Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed on Thursday.

The Real Madrid star is at odds with his former club, arguing PSG owes him 55 million euros ($61 million US) in unpaid wages.

Mbappé is also unhappy with the way he was treated by the Ligue 1 club when the France captain was sidelined before the 2023-24 season, following his decision not to extend his club contract.