AMSTERDAM (AP) — Soccer great Marc Overmars has been suspended from working in soccer in the Netherlands for one year after admitting to sending inappropriate messages to female colleagues. Overmars relinquished his sports director role at Dutch club Ajax last year and apologized for his behavior. He was later appointed sports director at Belgian club Antwerp. According to local media, the Dutch Sports Tribunal decided that Overmars should refrain from "exercising any function" with any Dutch soccer association-affiliated organization for a period of two years, one of which is suspended. The b ..read more

The rest of Europe didn't take notice when Albanian club KF Tirana hauled themselves out of relegation trouble before miraculously clinching the title in 2020. For a continent where Champions League glamor and the wealthiest domestic competitions hog the limelight, Albanian football isn't even an afterthought. But on this occasion, Tirana's climb up the Kategoria Superiore table captured the attention of millions outside Europe. Africa was watching. "I didn't follow the directive of the owner of the team, or the president or the directors, because they have been doing it the wrong way - and th ..read more

Luis Diaz's father was released Thursday after he was kidnapped on Oct. 28 in Colombia, the Colombian football association announced. Luis Manuel Diaz was freed as the guerrilla group National Liberation Army (ELN) handed him over to United Nations and Catholic church officials, according to BBC News. The Bishops Conference of Colombia, which was involved in the handover, posted a picture of Luis Manuel Diaz on X, formerly known as Twitter, shortly after he was released. ¡Damos gracias a Dios por la liberación del Sr. Luis Díaz! ??Con él ya se encuentran Mons. Francisco Ceballos, obispo de Ri ..read more

Aitana Bonmati, who powered Spain to its first-ever Women's World Cup in August, won the Ballon d'Or Feminin on Monday. The 25-year-old dethrones Spanish compatriot and Barcelona teammate Alexia Putellas, who won consecutive Ballons d'Or before rupturing her ACL in July 2022. Named the World Cup's best player, Bonmati scored three goals and laid on two assists during Spain's triumphant campaign in Australia and New Zealand. The creative midfielder also took home the UEFA Women's Player of the Year award, beating out Australia's Sam Kerr and Spain's Olga Carmona, who scored the only goal in the ..read more

Lionel Messi keeps one-upping himself. The Argentine icon won his record-extending eighth Ballon d'Or on Monday. He captured the sport's most prestigious individual accolade on the power of his 2022 World Cup performance, in which he led his country to glory. Messi, 36, beat prolific Manchester City striker Erling Haaland for the award, which was presented at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris. Haaland smashed the Premier League's single-season scoring record and helped Manchester City claim a historic treble in his first campaign with the club in 2022-23. However, Norway's inability to qualify ..read more

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) — Slumping in last place in the Dutch league, four-time European champion Ajax named former player John van 't Schip as coach Monday for the rest of a so-far calamitous season. Ajax said in a statement van 't Schip will be interim coach "before stepping into a function in technical management" in July. The appointment came one day after Ajax lost 5-2 to league-leading PSV Eindhoven and one week after coach Maurice Steijn was fired just seven league games into a three-year contract. Ajax's only league win was on the opening day in August and fan disorder forced a hom ..read more

AMSTERDAM (AP) — Ajax parted company with coach Maurice Steijn on Monday with the biggest team in the Netherlands languishing in next-to-last place in the Dutch league after just one win from its opening seven games. Steijn only joined from Sparta Rotterdam in the offseason, signing a three-year deal. The mutual decision for Steijn to leave was taken after a 4-3 loss at Utrecht that left Ajax, a four-time European champion, one point off last place. "We have worked intensely and professionally together over the last few months," Ajax chief executive Jan van Halst said. "But the sporting succes ..read more

NYON, Switzerland (AP) — Israel will not host any UEFA-sanctioned soccer matches until further notice, Europe's governing body said Thursday. UEFA said it had conducted a "thorough evaluation of the current safety and security situation in the whole territory of Israel" before the decision was made by its Executive Committee. The ruling will impact Israeli teams Maccabi Haifa and Maccabi Tel Aviv, which are competing in the Europa League and Europa Conference League respectively. "The Israel Football Association and its clubs Maccabi Haifa FC and Maccabi Tel Aviv have been requested to propose ..read more

Paul Pogba risks a long-term ban after testing positive for testosterone again following analysis of his B sample, according to football insider Fabrizio Romano. The Juventus midfielder, who initially returned a positive result after being tested following a match at Udinese on Aug. 20, could be barred from the sport for up to four years, Agence France-Presse reports. However, that ban could be limited to just a few months if the use of the substance took place "out of competition and is not related to his level of performance," Agence France-Presse adds. Pogba's representatives said in Septem ..read more

Morocco, Portugal, and Spain won a joint bid to host the 2030 men's World Cup on Wednesday, with governing body FIFA awarding three of the tournament's opening games to Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay to commemorate the 100th anniversary of soccer's most prestigious event. It'll be the first World Cup hosted on multiple continents. All six countries will automatically qualify for the 2030 edition, according to The Athletic's David Ornstein. FIFA president Gianni Infantino said the first of the three matches in South America will take place in Montevideo's Estadio Centenario, which hosted the ..read more