#sports-ban

#sports-ban

Families of the disappeared argue that the focus on safety for World Cup teams and fans ignores their desperate search for missing loved ones, highlighting a stark contrast in priorities.

Nearly everyone is losing money, a club executive is quoted as saying, presumably while dressed in a suit made entirely from gold leaf, bitcoin shavings and vintage parmesan cheese.

Roman Abramovich's tenure at Chelsea was marked by unrestrained spending and numerous violations, including tens of millions in off-the-book payments to various stakeholders, which raised serious concerns about the club's financial practices.

World Athletics has postponed its season-opening event in Qatar's capital, Doha, due to concerns for player and spectator safety as the US-Israel war on Iran continues to affect the Middle East.

"At the Olympic Games, even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat. So, it is absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category."

The report describes the situation as a 'human rights emergency' and points to what it calls a 'recognizable pattern of authoritarian practices' in the country.

FC Barcelona announces that, today, the Club's legal department has filed a formal complaint with UEFA regarding the events that occurred in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final against Atletico Madrid.

The ongoing discussions regarding future structural changes to the game, such as the introduction of new tournaments (eg. Fifa Club World Cup), further intensify this challenge. These changes have the potential to significantly reduce the downtime available to elite players, affecting their recovery and overall well-being.

Senegal's players walked off the pitch in protest when hosts Morocco were awarded a stoppage-time penalty before eventually returning. Following an appeal by the Moroccan FA, the Confederation of African Football ruled that Senegal had forfeited the match, with the result being recorded as 3-0 in favor of Morocco.

The club's use of slogans such as 'forever pure', and the repeated chanting of ethnic slurs such as 'terrorist' directed at Arab players, are not isolated incidents but rather form part of a systemic pattern of conduct that offends the basic rules of decent behaviour and brings the sport into disrepute.

USA's Katie Uhlaender, a five-time Winter Olympian in skeleton, accused the Canadian team of deliberately pulling four of its six athletes from a race in Lake Placid, New York, last weekend in order to make it harder for athletes from other countries to qualify. The reduced field meant fewer qualifying points were available and Uhlaender, who won the event, missed out on a place at this year's Games, which will take place in Milan-Cortina, Italy.

But there's also the matter of making sure one's equipment is up to snuff - and, beginning with this year's Winter Olympics, that means not having any PFAS, or "forever chemicals," in the mix. What happens if a competitor does turn out to have such chemicals in their equipment? They'll find themselves disqualified. As GearJunkie's Mary Andino reports, three skiiers have been disqualified so far due to their use of fluorocarbon wax, also known as "fluoro wax."

The sport-adjacent drama has been the real story of this year's Winter Olympics in Milan. Despite RTE's lacklustre Winter Olympics coverage, I have become completely enthralled in it. Not only by the sport but also for all the off-piste, behind-the-scenes, sport-adjacent drama. And by jove, there has been a cornucopia of it this year, from cheating confessions and allegations, to 'penisgate'.

Corners and second yellow cards will be added to the scope of the video assistant referee (VAR) for this summer's World Cup. Other rule changes for the 2026 World Cup will include new rules in place to cut down on time wasting by teams to ensure games flow more quickly. This will be achieved by countdowns on goal kicks, throw-ins, and substitutions, which have so often been taken slowly by teams if they're protecting a narrow lead late in games.