Brazilian judges uphold Italian court’s ruling and say Robinho must serve the sentence in his home country.
Brazilian judges have ruled to uphold former AC Milan and Brazil striker Robinho’s rape conviction, adding that he must serve his nine-year prison sentence in Brazil.
The trial in Brazil’s Superior Court of Justice (STJ), the country’s top court for nonconstitutional matters, had a majority rule that Italy’s decision was valid in Brazil.
A Milan court in 2017 found Robinho and five other Brazilians guilty of gang-raping a woman in 2013 after plying her with alcohol in a discotheque.
The conviction was confirmed by an appeals court in 2020 and validated by Italy’s Supreme Court in 2022. Robinho who had played for Real Madrid and Manchester City, lives in Brazil and has always denied the charges.
Brazil does not usually extradite its citizens, so Italy requested last year that Robinho serve his prison sentence in his home country.
Robinho’s lawyer, Jose Eduardo Alckmin, told the court at the start of Wednesday’s hearing that his client wants a retrial in Brazil on the grounds of national sovereignty.
“Robinho is available for our judiciary. If an officer gets there, he will comply. He will not oppose,” the lawyer said. The first judge to vote, Francisco Falcao, said Robinho should serve his sentence in Brazil. He added that the former player cannot go unpunished and that diplomatic friction between Brazil and Italy could emerge if the sentence was not served.
“There’s no obstacle to validate the execution of his sentence. It was confirmed by a court in Milan, which is the competent authority in this case,” Falcao said. “The conviction is final. The defendant was not put on trial in absence in Italy, he had representation.”
Judge Raul Araujo, one of the two who disagreed with the majority, argued Robinho could not be jailed in Brazil for a conviction in Italy.
Judge Isabel Gallotti, one of the few women in the court, disagreed. “This foreign sentence is long, well-founded and well-reasoned,” Gallotti said.
‘We will punch her in the face’
Robinho lives in Santos, outside Sao Paulo. He relinquished his passport to Brazilian authorities in March 2023. He continues to deny any wrongdoing and insists his sexual relations with the woman at a Milan bar were consensual.
The court also ruled it would be up to authorities in Santos to decide when and how to jail Robinho.
The former footballer said in an interview with TV Record aired on Sunday that racism was to blame for his conviction in Italy.
“I played only four years in Italy and I got tired of seeing stories of racism. Unfortunately, that exists to this day. [The rape case] was in 2013, now we are in 2024. The same people who don’t do anything against it [racism] are the ones who sentenced me,” Robinho said.
Federal prosecutor Hindemburgo Chateaubriand reminded the judges during the session of some audio recordings obtained by Italian authorities in which Robinho discussed the case with friends.
“I can’t even say all he said because it would be too vulgar for this court,” Chateaubriand said.
Brazilian media published some of those recordings last year.
“We will punch her in her face. You will punch her in the face and say; ‘What did I do to you?’” Robinho tells a friend in one of the excerpts, during which he claims he did not take part in the rape.
In another dialogue, Robinho says: “That is why I am laughing, I don’t care at all.”
Robinho rose to national fame in 2002 as an 18-year-old who led Santos to its first national title since the football great Pele’s era. He did it again two years later as he became a prolific scorer with 21 goals in 36 matches in the Brazilian league.
The regulator will have the power to fine clubs up to 10 percent of their turnover for non-compliance with financial regulations.
The British government is planning to establish an independent football regulator to oversee the sport and encourage financial stability via a bill introduced in the parliament.
The regulator will be independent of government and football authorities with the power to fine clubs up to 10 percent of their turnover for non-compliance with financial regulations, the government said in a press release on Tuesday.
The legislation will strengthen tests of the suitability for those running clubs and would also block “closed-shop competitions” such as the frequently proposed European Super League.
Clubs will also be obliged to consult fans over matters such as strategic direction and anything that impacts their heritage.
“For too long some clubs have been abused by unscrupulous owners who get away with financial mismanagement, which at worst can lead to complete collapse,” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said.
“This bill is a historic moment for football fans – it will make sure their voices are front and centre, prevent a breakaway league, protect the financial sustainability of clubs, and protect the heritage of our clubs big and small.”
“Football is nothing without its fans,” Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said.
“We are determined to put them back at the heart of the game, and ensure clubs as vital community assets continue to thrive.
“The new independent regulator of football will set the game on a sustainable footing, strengthening clubs and the entire football pyramid for generations.”
Facing a possible reduction of its powers, the Premier League – the most-watched and most lucrative domestic league in the world – said it will study the bill and work closely with the government, having previously voiced concerns about how a regulator could potentially damage the league’s ability to attract investment.
“Mindful that the future growth of the Premier League is not guaranteed,” the competition said on Monday, “we remain concerned about any unintended consequences of legislation that could weaken the competitiveness and appeal of English football.”
The government announcement comes after the Premier League last week failed to agree a new financial settlement with the English Football League (EFL), which runs the professional game in lower tiers.
The government had warned the Premier League in February that it needed to reach an agreement for a new deal or have one imposed on it.
‘Why change winning a formula?’
The EFL welcomed the bill.
“We hope (it) will be an important milestone to help us secure the long-term financial sustainability of England’s football pyramid,” chairman Rick Parry said in a news release.
“The establishment of the independent football regulator will be at the heart of this reform, and we are encouraged that the regulator will be given backstop powers to deliver financial redistributions should the game be unable to agree a deal itself.”
David Sullivan, the owner of Premier League club West Ham United, said he was opposed to the establishment of a regulator and suggested it would be expensive and inefficient.
“The Premier League is the best league in the world so why change a winning formula?” he told Sky News.
“I hope the government don’t wreck something that works. This means we will be competing with teams from leagues in Europe who give a fraction of the money Premier League clubs give to both the EFL and grassroots football.
“If over the coming seasons the Premier League ceases to be the best league in the world, it will be down to an interfering government.”
Messi and Suarez scored in Miami’s 3-1 win but the Argentinian was substituted after sustaining an injury that will force him out of Miami’s next MLS game.
Lionel Messi scored a goal and made an assist before leaving the field due to a leg injury as Inter Miami beat Nashville 3-1 in the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup round-of-16 match.
Messi found his former Barcelona teammate, Luis Suarez, in stride for a goal that opened scoring in the eighth minute. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner then added a first-half goal to give Inter Miami an early 2-0 lead on Wednesday night.
The Argentinian great was substituted in the 50th minute and coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino later revealed that Messi was dealing with a mild leg injury that started bothering him during the game, so he was taken off as a precaution.
“He is overloaded in the right posterior,” Martino said through a translator. “We tried to see if he could go further along [in the game], but it was bothering him so we preferred to have him get out of the game.”
Messi had rested during Sunday’s 3-2 loss to Montreal, which is the only game he has missed this season.
Martino said Messi will likely miss the team’s Major League Soccer (MLS) match on Saturday against DC United.
“I don’t want to risk it,” Martino said.
Messi was replaced on Wednesday by Robert Taylor, who scored in the 63rd minute to give Inter Miami a 3-0 lead.
Inter Miami advanced to the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinals with the win and 5-3 advantage in aggregate goals in the total-goals series.
He earned a free kick after a foul by Nashville’s Anibal Godoy just four minutes into the match but had his attempt blocked. The 36-year-old seized his opportunity a few minutes later, using his impressive vision to fit a pass to a streaking Suarez, who sent the ball into the bottom right corner of the net.
Messi then used a pass from Diego Gomez to score from inside the penalty area as fans started chanting his name. Taylor later got on the board with a header off an assist by Suarez.
“Lionel Messi himself was very, very sharp in the first 15 minutes,” Nashville coach Gary Smith said after the match. He was then asked his thoughts when he saw Messi trotting off the field early in the second half.
“Firstly, thank goodness,” Smith said jokingly. “He’s such a huge influence on the rest of the group. Yes, they have other very good players, but there is no one that can do what he can do. … Delighted to see him go off, I honestly thought that their performance dipped, and it gave us a little bit of an incentive.”
Inter Miami are currently amid a busy month that includes seven matches — four of which have come in a 10-day span. Messi is expected to join the Argentinian national team in a pair of Copa America warm-up matches on March 22 and 26.
Mohammed Barakat, who played for Ahly Gaza and Palestine, died when his house in Khan Younis was bombed by Israeli forces.
Palestinian footballer Mohammed Barakat has been killed after Israeli forces bombed his house in Khan Younis amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
The Barakat family’s home was hit by Israeli bombs early on Monday, the first day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
Barakat, Gaza’s first centurion of goals and one of its top scorers, represented the national team and the Ahly Gaza football club in the local league.
The 39-year-old scored 114 goals and was known as “the legend of Khan Younis” during his long association with the Khan Younis Youth Club, which he captained. Barakat also played for several clubs in the occupied West Bank and Jordan, including Al-Wehdat.
The forward’s death was termed a “huge loss for Palestinian football” by Khalid Abu-Habel, a local club footballer.
“I played against him,” Abu-Habel, a defender for Khadamat al-Maghazi, told Al Jazeera hours after the legendary striker’s death was confirmed.
“He was quick and clever. A top, top goal-scorer. Off the pitch, he was kind and friendly. A beloved friend of all.”
“How many should we lose more? The sports community in Gaza is simply collapsing.”
In the first month of the war that began on October 7, Khalil Jadallah, a Palestinian football commentator and analyst, put together a starting XI of Palestinian players who have died due to Israeli violence.
“I am too angry. He is a football icon. Sport in Gaza has lost a lot during the war.”
Among the confirmed dead are athletes and administrators from a wide range of sports, including basketball player for Al-Breij, Bassim al-Nabahin, 27; footballer Rashid Dabbour, 28, who played for Al-Ahli Beit Hanoon; and Ahmad Awad, 21, who represented Palestine’s national football team for dwarfism.
The Palestinian sporting community in the occupied West Bank has also been affected as tensions have spiked there. Nineteen-year-old Markaz Balata midfielder Mohammed Maree Sawafta was killed by Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces during a protest in his hometown of Tubas, near Nablus, on October 27.
Perhaps the biggest loss has been that of Hani Al-Masdar, one of Palestine’s greatest-ever footballers and a manager of the Olympic team, who was killed in January. Al-Masdar was hit by shrapnel from a missile that landed near his home in the central part of the Gaza Strip.
‘A constant feeling of anxiety’
When the Palestinian national team participated in the AFC Asian Cup 2023 in Qatar in January and February, the players cut a visibly emotional figure when they recorded a historic win over Hong Kong in the group stage and qualified for the second round.
In an interview with Al Jazeera during the tournament, Palestine forward Mahmoud Wadi opened up about the struggles of putting on his best performance on the field while the war rages at home.
Wadi explained how players, especially those from Gaza, spend their days and nights anxiously waiting for news from home.
“One morning, my brother disappeared. No one in my family knew anything due to a communication blackout. I felt very anxious during those 10 hours until I heard from him.
“This is our situation: A constant feeling of anxiety and unimaginable conditions. It’s indescribable not knowing where your loved ones are, feeling helpless and unable to do anything. All you can do is pray. Every second of our lives is a test.”
Abubaker Abed contributed to reporting from Deir al-Balah, Gaza.
On October 7, Palestinian footballer Mahmoud Wadi was recovering from an injury in Egypt when Israel launched its war on Gaza, following the Hamas attacks on southern Israel.
The 29-year-old, from Khan Younis in southern Gaza, has spent the past five months desperately seeking news about the safety of his friends and family in the besieged enclave while travelling with the Palestinian national team.
He has lived through three Israeli military assaults on Gaza – in 2008, 2012 and 2014 – and says he remembers spending every night wondering if he would make it to dawn.
Wadi, who now lives in Cairo and plays for Arab Contractors in the Egyptian Premier League, was part of Palestine’s squad for the AFC Asian Cup 2023 in Qatar, where the team recorded a historic second-round finish.
The al-Fidayi (as the Palestinian team is known to its fans) received passionate support from the crowds of people from various countries, religions and age groups, who turned up in their tens of thousands to support the Palestinian team before their round-of-16 elimination by hosts and eventual champions Qatar.
In a conversation with Al Jazeera, Wadi opens up about the struggles of putting on his best performance on the field while the war rages at home.
Al Jazeera: Growing up in Gaza, what did football mean to you?
Wadi: Football is the only escape from war and the Israeli occupation. Young people and children turn to football as it offers distraction from the circumstances. Football makes them feel good. In Gaza, we love football. But the wars waged against us over the years, the harsh economic conditions and the siege that has completely closed Gaza and its people, preventing children from achieving their [footballing] dreams.
The Israeli occupation always places barriers and obstacles that prevent us from achieving that and, unfortunately, people leave Palestine. We are forced to look for options elsewhere.
Al Jazeera:Why did you leave Gaza and how difficult was that decision?
Wadi: To leave your country, your homeland, your family and your friends for a better future is not easy. It brings a constant feeling of alienation and loneliness. But we make sacrifices for our ambitions. We are people who love life, people who want to live like others and follow our dreams. The difficulty lies in the fact that you are leaving behind the people you love.
Now, I live abroad and my family is in Gaza exposed to the killing, destruction and displacement. I left Gaza, my family and friends to play football, but I live in fear and anxiety.
We do not leave Palestine because it is not a beautiful country. We love our land madly, but we have to search for a better life.
Al Jazeera: What are the struggles of being an international footballer for Palestine?
Wadi: In light of the Israeli occupation and its obstacles, it is not easy to be a footballer. It has a massive impact because you cannot gather players for football camps in Palestine.
Players from Gaza cannot enter the occupied West Bank, and vice versa. There are players outside Palestine who cannot enter, and so on. Despite the difficult circumstances, the Palestine national team gathers abroad from various places. We have players from the occupied West Bank, Gaza Strip, Palestine 48, from various Palestinian refugee camps in the occupied territories, and from the diaspora.
No team in the world can go through such conditions and participate in a prestigious regional championship [like we have]. This in itself is considered a great Palestinian achievement and source of pride.
We have always harboured dreams and ambitions but the occupation tries to crush our spirit. We rose from under the rubble of three wars in order to reach where we are now, and we hope to carry on this path. We derive our strength from our people’s courage and steadfastness.
Mahmoud Wadi, centre, trains with the Palestinian football team during the AFC Asian Cup 2023 in Doha, Qatar [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
Al Jazeera: How difficult is it for you to communicate with friends and family back home?
Wadi: It is very difficult, especially when communication is cut off in Gaza. I have never left my phone since the start of the war. Be it in Egypt, while travelling with the team, or during our training sessions.
One morning, my brother disappeared. No one in my family knew anything due to a communication blackout. I felt very anxious during those 10 hours until I heard from him.
This is our situation: A constant feeling of anxiety and unimaginable conditions. It’s indescribable not knowing where your loved ones are, feeling helpless and unable to do anything. All you can do is pray. Every second of our lives is a test.
Al Jazeera: How do you feel after speaking to your family and friends in Gaza?
Wadi: They try to describe a small part of the reality they live through every day but it’s very difficult for them to convey their feelings. Words cannot describe the reality of the war. Our conversations are focused on the harsh and bitter conditions they face. But just like everyone else in Gaza, they remain brave.
Al Jazeera: What was it like to meet your family after two months?
Wadi: I met my mother, brothers, and their families in Egypt after more than 80 days of war. I had an image in my mind about the ugliness of the war, but when I looked at their weak faces, eyes, frail bodies, and white hair, it was far worse than anything I could imagine.
I have lived through three wars. It was scary spending nights waiting for bombs to drop and for the roof to crush me – but this war is not the same.
Al Jazeera: What is the last memory of Gaza in your mind?
Wadi: I remember the people, their affection, and their bonds of love. It feels great.
My last memory of Gaza was its sea, streets, buildings, and the electricity schedule – on for eight hours and off for the next eight.
Despite everything, Gaza was developing every day. Clean streets, beautiful facilities, restaurants, chalets on the sea – that’s the image of Gaza imprinted in my memory.
It deserved preservation of its sweetness and beauty. Despite the war, death and destruction, it is still beautiful and it will be more beautiful.
Just as we built it before, we will build it a second time, a third time and so on.
Al Jazeera: If you were able to go back to Gaza now, what would you do?
Wadi: I want to return to Gaza after the war ends and offer my condolences to the family of my best friend Hamed, who was martyred in this war. I want to see my brothers and their children, my friends, and I want to see Gaza and what happened to it after all this destruction.
I want to share with people a bit of their sorrow and memories of the war. I want to be a part of their suffering.
Al Jazeera: How did you feel when you saw the horrific video of Yarmouk Stadium being destroyed by Israeli forces?
Wadi: Yarmouk Stadium is not the only destroyed facility. There are thousands of mosques, churches, offices, hospitals, universities, and schools. Not even a tree or a stone has been spared.
I scored many goals in Yarmouk Stadium as hundreds of fans cheered. The image of the tank circling the stadium remains fresh in my memory. There are no words to describe its ugliness. But no matter how horrific these scenes are, they aren’t as horrific as the death of children and the images of them being blown into pieces that we see every day.
I can’t forget them for a single moment. They live within me.
Palestinian spectators watch the first leg of the Palestine Cup final football match between Gaza Strip’s Shejaia and Hebron’s Al-Ahly at Yarmouk Stadium in Gaza City, August 6, 2015 [File: Suhaib Salem/Reuters]
Al Jazeera: When you step on the football pitch, are you able to take your mind off the war in Gaza?
Wadi: The war affects my family, my friends, and my people.
My cousin was martyred. My best friend was martyred. My childhood memories were destroyed. The occupation has destroyed all lives in Gaza.
Even if someone survives this war, they won’t be able to live a normal life. There are no job opportunities, no education, no offices or markets in Gaza. They killed all life there. We cannot forget the suffering, but it can motivate us.
The ferocity can be seen in the [Palestinian] team on the pitch. It reflects the character of the Palestinian people. As players, we motivate ourselves to make people happy, even if it is for a single moment.
We derive our strength from the suffering and steadfastness of our people.
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Who: Manchester City vs Manchester United What: Premier League football When: Sunday, March 3, 2024, 15:30 GMT Where: Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says the Premier League champions are ready for rivals Manchester United to try to “close the gap” ahead of Sunday’s derby match at the Etihad Stadium.
City are just one point behind league leaders Liverpool, who travel to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
United are eight points off Aston Villa in fourth spot, the fourth Champions League qualification spot.
New minority owner at Old Trafford, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, laid out his plans to return the 20-time English champions to the summit when he completed his acquisition of 27 percent of the club’s shares this month, including re-establishing the pecking order in the city.
Ahead of Sunday’s match, Guardiola admits the recent change at United is likely to change matters.
“Sir Jim and others know the diagnosis of the club. If Sir Jim said they need two or three years to be there, who am I to say the opposite?” the manager said.
Guardiola says he knows this era of dominance on the blue side of Manchester will end eventually, but he’s determined it won’t be anytime soon.
“In the ’80s it was Liverpool, the ’90s, it was United – now we are this many years, winning seven Premier League titles in the last 11, 12 years,” he said.
“It has happened, but in 50 or 60 years, there has never in one country been a club that dominates and controls everything, so we can try to extend for as many years as possible what we are trying to do.”
United’s Premier battle for a Champions League spot
Although not feasting at the top table, United have their own battles to fight and Champions League qualification is top of their agenda. A home defeat by Fulham last weekend ended a seven-game unbeaten run, but United manager Erik ten Hag remains in defiant mood.
“We are also on a good run. The spirit is very good,” he said.
“We have done it before against City, also against Liverpool. We will prepare well. The players are looking forward to it. I can smell it. I’m excited.”
“We need a great day,” ten Hag admitted. “We like the challenge and we are looking forward to the challenge with them. We know we have to give everything and show a team performance if we want to get the result. But if you do it, it is possible.”
🗓️ 3 Mar: Man Utd 🗓️ 6 Mar: Champions League round of 16 🗓️ 10 Mar: Liverpool 🗓️ 16 Mar: FA Cup quarter-final 🗓️ 31 Mar: Arsenal 🗓️ 3 Apr: Aston Villa
Following the United game, City face a tough run of games facing their title rivals Liverpool and Arsenal in the league, along with their Champions League last 16-second leg with Copenhagen on Wednesday.
“I prefer that than the opposite,” Guardiola said on the challenge he faces in all competitions. “Key players, we have 20 key players. We have had key players out injured and still done well.
“So nice to play the fixtures. They are the best. A chance to get to the quarterfinals of the Champions League, then Anfield, a chance against Newcastle United [in the FA Cup] – we work to arrive here to live these moments.”
Form guide
Manchester City’s season has picked up pace since their Club World Cup triumph in December. Pep Guardiola’s side have won 14 of their last 15 games and are undefeated in their last 18 games.
United had been on a seven-game undefeated run until Fulham’s surprise win at Old Trafford in the Premier League last weekend. Erik ten Hag’s side returned to winning way in the FA Cup in midweek by overcoming Nottingham Forest 1-0.
Head-to-head
The Manchester rivals first faced each other in the old Division Two in England in November 1894. United won 5-2 at City before sealing the double over their neighbours with a 4-1 win in the return fixture in January 1985.
There have been 190 meetings in total with United winning 77 to City’s 60.
Team news
Manchester City are without Jack Grealish, who injured his groin in the FA Cup at Luton on Tuesday.
Defender Josko Gvardiol is close to a return from an ankle injury but the derby is likely to be too soon.
Manchester City predicted lineup: Ederson; Kyle Walker, Josh Stones, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake; Rodri; Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva, Julian Alvarez, Jeremy Doku; Erling Haaland
Manchester United’s main absentees are defender Luke Shaw and striker Rasmus Hojlund. Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martinez and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are also all absent from the back line.
Manchester United predicted lineup: Andre Onana; Diogo Dalot, Raphael Varane, Jonny Evans, Victor Lindelof; Kobbie Mainoo, Casemiro; Christian Eriksen, Bruno Fernandes, Alejandro Garnacho, Marcus Rashford
Ronaldo made the alleged gesture in response to Al-Shabab fans’ chants of ‘Messi’ after their Saudi Pro League game on Sunday.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been suspended for one match for making an alleged offensive gesture during a Saudi Pro League game while playing for Al Nassr.
After Al Nassr defeated their Riyadh rivals Al-Shabab 3-2 on Sunday, video footage appeared to show Ronaldo cupping his ear and repeatedly thrusting his hand forward near his pelvis, in a gesture that seemed to be aimed at Al-Shabab fans.
The Disciplinary and Ethics Committee of the Saudi Arabia Football Federation (SAFF) committee announced the ban on Thursday morning. Al Nassr’s next league game is at home to Al-Hazem on Thursday evening.
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United star will also have to pay a fine of 20,000 Saudi Riyals ( $5,333) to Al-Shabab, to cover the costs of the club filing the complaint, and half of that amount to the federation.
The committee said that the decision was not open to appeal.
While the incident was not captured by television cameras, the action was widely criticised in Saudi Arabia by former players and commentators.
It is not the first time that the Portuguese forward has been at the centre of controversy since joining Al Nassr. Last April, upon leaving the field after a game against Al Hilal, Ronaldo appeared to grab his genitals as fans chanted Messi’s name. On that occasion, Al Nassr said that the forward had sustained a groin injury in the match.
Ronaldo, who moved to the Riyadh-based club in December 2022, has a league-leading 22 goals. He scored the opener against Al-Shabab, a first-half penalty.
Al Nassr are also in the quarterfinals of the Asian Champions League, a tournament the club has never won.
The new Major League Soccer season is set to get under way in North America with the spotlight shining brightly on one man: Lionel Messi.
Argentina’s World Cup-winning captain joined David Beckham’s MLS club, Inter Miami, in the middle of the US’s regular football season last year and delivered instant results.
The club won the first match Messi played after a streak of 10 winless games and, what’s more, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner landed the side its first trophy – the Leagues Cup.
Messi and his former Barcelona teammates Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, have transformed the team in a matter of months.
Now, with Messi fully established as the centrepiece and playing his first full campaign for the club’s fourth year of existence, Miami will be eyeing the big prize: a first MLS Cup.
The 29-team championship gets under way on February 22, when Miami host Salt Lake City at the DRK PNV Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.
Here’s what you need to know about the upcoming MLS season:
Who are the biggest names in MLS?
Inter Miami: Inter Miami brought Messi mania to the MLS for the end of their last season and the Qatar World Cup 2022 winner arrived in a media whirlwind.
Soon, Messi’s good friend Suarez was signed in the off-season to bolster the team’s ranks. The Uruguayan has set out his motive for joining the club: “to try to win [the] MLS”. Busquets, Alba and Paraguayan midfielder Diego Gomez complete Miami’s star-studded lineup.
Columbus Crew: The defending champions are led in attack by Columbian star Cucho Hernandez. He scored 16 goals and produced seven assists last season.
Atlanta United: Thiago Almada, who was part of Messi’s World Cup-winning team in 2022, is central to Atlanta United’s hopes. The midfielder scored 13 goals in his 35 appearances last season.
Chicago Fire: Belgian striker Hugo Cuypers was a club-record $12m signing for the Eastern Conference side, where Switzerland international and former Liverpool forward Xherdan Shaqiri netted seven goals last season.
Toronto FC: Lorenzo Insigne is the Canadian club’s star name. The winger won the last of his 54 caps for Italy in their failed World Cup qualification bid in 2022 and moved to Canada the same year following a 15-year career with Napoli.
Los Angeles FC: French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris moved to the West Coast from Tottenham Hotspur in January, ending an 11-year association with the London club.
Inter Miami’s managing owner Jorge Mas termed the player’s arrival a “seminal moment” for the sport in the US last year.
Meanwhile, MLS Commissioner Don Garber believes Messi’s presence will “put MLS on a different trajectory.”
“And who knows what that’s going to look like years from now? But certainly, we’re in a different position today than we had been, with Messi in our league.”
If numbers provided by Garber are anything to go by this season, MLS season ticket sales have seen a 15 percent increase, league sponsorship revenue is up by 17 percent, club revenue has received a 15 percent boost and merchandise sales have shot up by 44 percent.
Shirts of Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez are displayed for sale outside the Cuscatlan stadium prior to a friendly match between El Salvador’s national team and Inter Miami in San Salvador, El Salvador on January 19, 2024 [File: Moises Castillo/AP]
What are conferences?
The 29 teams are broken into two conferences to reduce travel. The Eastern Conference features 15 teams, and 14 are in the Western Conference.
Which teams are in the conferences?
Eastern Conference: Atlatana FC, CF Montreal, Charlotte FC, Chicago Fire FC, Columbus Crew, DC United, FC Cincinnati, FC Inter Miami, Nashville SC, New England Revolution, New York City FC, New York Red Bulls, Orlando City SC, Philadelphia Union, Toronto FC.
Western Conference: Austin FC, Colorado Rapids, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamos FC, LA Galaxy, Los Angeles FC, Minnesota United FC, Portland Timbers, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders, Sporting Kansas City, St Louis City SC, Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
What is up for grabs in the North American season?
The Eastern and Western Conferences will primarily play for two titles in the MLS.
The overall leader from the two groups is awarded the Supporters’ Shield, while the winners of the end-of-season playoffs will lift the MLS Cup.
The Leagues Cup, which is a knockout competition also available to clubs from Mexico’s Liga MX, offers teams another route to the continental club competition CONCACAF Champions Cup.
This has already been a happy hunting ground for Messi and Miami, as the Argentinian helped the Florida-based team to lift the revamped tournament last season to qualify for the prestigious Champions Cup.
Miami will enter that tournament in the last-16 stage in March and will vie for a place at the expanded FIFA 2025 Club World Cup set to be hosted in the US.
The US Open Cup is the fifth crown that Messi can challenge for with Miami this season and is another knockout competition but this one is open to clubs outside the MLS conferences in both the US and Canada. Houston beat Miami in the final last season.
FC Cincinnati were winners of the Eastern Conference, as well as the Supporters Shield, while St Louis City finished atop the Western Conference in the team’s first season.
Lionel Messi guided Inter Miami to the Leagues Cup Championship win last year [File: Christopher Hanewinckel/USA Today Sports]
Who are the favourites?
Inter Miami’s spending spree and the capture of Messi will mount pressure on them to challenge in all competition this season, but they have their work cut out having finished 27th out of 29 teams last season.
With the late addition of Rossi to their ranks last season, it’s hard to look past defending champions Columbus Crew who also have MLS’s MVP for 2023 Hernandez.
Almada helped Atlanta top their conference last year but the club’s fans will be desperately concerned about the growing interest in the forward from across the Atlantic, especially when the transfer window opens in the mid-year.
LAFC have been heavily overshadowing their neighbours, and five-time record MLS winners, LA Galaxy in recent years and were denied back-to-back MLS crowns in last year’s final by Columbus.
They do have Lloris in goal this season to bolster them, while Denis Bouanga, who has scored seven goals in 35 internationals for Gabon, is the main focus at the other end of the pitch.
Who are the past winners?
LA Galaxy: 2002, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2014
DC United: 1996, 1997,1999, 2004
Columbus Crew: 2008, 2020, 2023
Sporting Kansas City: 2000, 2013
San Jose Earthquakes: 2001, 2003
Houston Dynamo: 2006, 2007
Seattle Sounders: 2016, 2019
Chicago Fire, Portland Timbers, Toronto FC, Real Salt Lake, Colorado Rapids, LAFC, Atlanta United FC and New York City FC all have one title to their names.
MLS is in the middle of a labour dispute with its referees.
The Professional Referees Organisation (PRO), which manages MLS referees, announced on Saturday that it will lock out match officials after they rejected a proposed collective bargaining agreement just days before the start of the season.
PRO said it had reached a tentative agreement last weekend with the Professional Soccer Referees Association. But the union said nearly 96 percent of its members voted to reject it.
That means there will likely be replacement refs officiating matches for the foreseeable future.
The Elephants of Ivory Coast came from behind to complete a dramatic recovery and redemption on home soil at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations as they claimed a third continental title by beating Nigeria 2-1 in Abidjan on Sunday.
The Super Eagles had taken a first-half lead, against the run of play, through their captain William Troost-Ekong, but goals from Franck Kessie and Sebastian Haller condemned Nigeria to their fifth defeat in eight appearances in AFCON finals.
For striker Haller, and for even the most ardent Nigeria fan, it was a fitting finale to a journey back to full health having been diagnosed with testicular cancer in July 2022.
Ivory Coast were on the brink of elimination in the group stage, for which Haller was injured, and lost their coach Jean-Louis Gasset as a result.
Their victory on Sunday, secured against a Nigerian side that were heavy favourites, also marked the first win by any hosts since Egypt claimed the crown in 2006.
Let the Elephants’ party begin
The triumph, all the sweeter for so many side stories, left the people of the West African nation, gripped by a five-year civil war until 2007, dancing long into the night. Heavy traffic jams with cars blaring horns and the sound of vuvuzelas, a horn instrument blown by football fans, took over a 3km radius of the Ebimpe area of Abidjan.
“We are the champions of Africa. Long live the Elephants,” jubilant Ivorian fan Siaka Kouassi told Al Jazeera.
“No team was better and we deserve to win against Nigeria. We are ready to party all night long,” a sweaty Maimouna Yaya added.
On the pitch, Nigeria had taken the lead through Troost-Ekong’s powerful first-half header before Kessie equalised with his aerial effort from a corner just past the hour-mark for the hosts.
Haller, who returned to playing in January 2023 after four rounds of chemotherapy and surgery in November 2022, steered Simon Adingra’s cross into the net to break Nigerian hearts with less than 10 minutes to play.
“It’s the power of the group and the mindset that put us through,” said Ivorian man of the match Adingra.
“We had some challenging moments but we rescued ourselves, although it wasn’t easy. The mental fortitude saw us restore our chances and do what we achieved today.
“Our people deserve this victory because they stood with us even when many thought we were dead.”
Pressing problems for Nigeria
The Super Eagles made surprise changes to the starting 11 with Samuel Chukwueze preferred over Moses Simon in attack, while the fit-again Zaidu Sanusi was picked ahead of Bright Osayi-Samuel on the flank.
It meant Nigeria, unbeaten with four clean sheets in six matches previously in the tournament, adopted the same defensive approach they used until their semifinal against South Africa. As a result, they failed to press their dominant opponents on the night.
“The Ivorians fought till the end. We should’ve pressed higher, but we didn’t,” Nigeria defender Kenneth Omeruo told Al Jazeera.
“We conceded a goal and that’s where things went wrong. Congratulations to the Ivorians.”
The tournament’s most valuable player and Nigeria captain Troost-Ekong said he would trade his best player award for the AFCON trophy. “No one gave us a chance before the start of the tournament but we exceeded expectations,” he said.
“It’s an unfortunate end to a great campaign and heartbreaking for us as a team. Ivory Coast wanted it more.”
Brentford midfielder Frank Onyeka says most of the Nigerian players are shattered and broken. “I feel sad. We fought till the end. It just wasn’t our day, and we were made to pay for it.
“We tried to play as the coach asked us to do by playing our game, but this was simply not a solid Super Eagles performance.”
Nigeria coach Jose Peseiro, whose future is now in the air, as his two-year contract expired at the end of the tournament, admitted his side were second best.
“Our team had a fantastic tournament but today Ivory Coast was better,” the 63-year-old said. “Our team didn’t show our level. That’s the truth. It was not the same job as we did in the previous rounds.”
For Peseiro’s opposite number, Emerse Fae, the future is clouded for a very different reason.
The 40-year-old was appointed as interim manager to replace Gasset following two defeats in the group stage.
It was not so much a comeback for Fae, as in the sense of his side’s redemption and the recovery of their match-winning hero Haller, but rather the completion of an evolution following the cards life dealt him.
The former Ivorian international, who played in the Premier League with Reading, focused on coaching at the age of 28 when he was forced to retire from playing due to Phlebitis, the inflammation of veins close to the skin.
Fae said it was too soon to speak about his future and instead insisted he just wanted to celebrate a significant achievement in the history of Ivorian football.
“Everyone suffered to achieve this, now we can celebrate being African champions,” he said.
“This victory is for our people who stood by us and never stopped supporting us.”
For Fae, Haller and the Ivorian team as a whole at the tournament, this AFCON was the story of mighty Elephants who never stopped marching through terrain that seemed ever inclining in front of them.
Lusail Stadium, Qatar – The world’s eyes were on the majestic Lusail Stadium once again as it played host to yet another historic final that saw hosts Qatar hold on to their Asian Cup crown against first-time finalists Jordan.
The country’s favourite footballing son and the tournament’s standout performer Akram Afif was the hero as he slotted in three penalties that gave Qatar a 3-1 win in an all-Arab AFC Asian Cup 2023 final on Saturday.
The hosts were one of the contenders for the crown but not outright favourites when they opened their tournament campaign with a 3-0 over Lebanon at the same venue last month.
But they leave Lusail as back-to-back champions – the first time the feat has been achieved since Japan’s consecutive wins in 2000 and 2004 – and with their star Afif as the continent’s best player.
Losing finalists Jordan leave with their hearts broken but their heads held high after an inspirational run at the tournament that landed them in their first-ever final.
An-Nashama began the match with jangled nerves and under the weight of the expectations of their adoring fans. They were unable to complete moves and lay the ball through to their strike force of Musa Tamari and Yazan Al Naimat.
The poor start eventually cost them when Qatar were awarded a penalty midway through the first half and Afif was handed the ball by his captain Hassan Al-Haydos. The number 11 made no mistake and rolled down his sock to bring out a card with the letter S written on it to celebrate.
His unique goal celebration sparked social media debates but Afif later confirmed it was a nod to his wife whose name begins with the letter and whom he credits with his success.
“It was her first time watching me inside a stadium so I decided to dedicate it to her,” he told bemused reporters afterwards.
Jordan reemerged a much-improved side after half-time. Pushed on by their raucous supporters, the players began showing glimpses of their attacking prowess. It resulted in an equalising goal from Al Naimat and the game seemed to be heading for a nail-biting last half-hour.
As soon as the ball returned to Jordan’s half, Jordan defended clumsily and gave away another penalty. Afif duly obliged to score the goal that put his tournament Golden Boot award beyond any doubt.
The swift change in fortunes and scoreline seemed too much to take for the Jordanian players and their fans. Their loud chants gave way to stunned silence as Qatar’s fans celebrated in disbelief.
Jordan players look dejected after the match [Thaier Al-Sudani/Reuters]
Later on, Jordan’s coach Hussein Ammouta would pinpoint the second penalty as the moment his team fell far behind the hosts.
“The timing of the penalties was crucial and they didn’t allow us to make a comeback,” he said in his post-match news conference.
Ammouta, who has won over Jordanians in a matter of weeks, said the pressure from players’ friends and families, as well as fans on social media, may have impacted their performance.
“I cannot take away their phones and tablets and tell them they can’t talk to people – but I did have a fear that these factors would have an impact on their mental state during the match.”
Akram Afif holds up a card reading ‘S’ after scoring Qatar’s first goal [Molly Darlington/Reuters]
‘Cristiano of the Middle East’
Qatar’s win and Jordan’s fate were sealed in the fifth minute of stoppage time when Afif completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot after being handed the ball yet again by his teammates.
The 27-year-old was the standout performer and it was only a matter of time that he would be linked to European leagues.
But the Al Sadd striker, who has had loan spells at Spanish clubs, evaded the questions and said any potential move would have to be initiated by a club and approved by his beloved wife.
“For now, what I do know is that we’re back-to-back [Asian] champions,” Afif said with a shrug.
With his player-of-the-match performance, Afif won over new fans from across the Arab world.
“He [Afif] is too good – my word, he’s the Cristiano [Ronaldo] of the Middle East,” Mohammed Rabeea, who came to watch the final from Kuwait, told Al Jazeera after the match.
Others, like eight-year-old Mohammed al-Kaabi, were over the moon to see the player score a hat-trick.
“It’s the happiest day of my life!” the young fan exclaimed outside the stadium.
Hassan Al-Haydos with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani [Thaier Al-Sudani/Reuters]
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani was in attendance during the match and handed warm embraces and winners’ medals to al-Annabi.
When the time came for the trophy to be handed to the winning captain Al-Haydos there was a moment’s delay. What trophy presentation in Lusail is complete without a black-and-gold bisht? The emir helped his captain put on the now world-renowned cloak before handing him the glistening trophy that never left Qatar.
Al-Haydos, Afif and Qatar’s hero in goal Meeshal Barsham collected the tournament’s top awards and ensured the trophy doesn’t leave the country for another four years – at least.
Lusail Stadium lit up with a ring of fireworks once again and its adjoining boulevard hosted another champions’ parade a year on.
The party that started in Lusail carried on towards different parts of the country with beeping cars and waving flags.
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