September 2023
Spain’s top soccer official resigns over unwanted World Cup kiss
Luis Rubiales posted a statement on social media saying he had submitted his resignation as the federation’s president and as vice president of UEFA.
- Michael Wolgelenter and Rachel Chaundler
August 2023
Spain’s soccer bosses urge World Cup kisser to quit
Luis Rubiales has been left more isolated than ever after leading officials demanded his resignation over his behaviour at the Women’s World Cup final in Sydney.
- Graham Dunbar
FIFA suspends Spain’s soccer boss over World Cup kiss
Luis Rubiales sparked a furore after he forcibly kissed a star Spanish player at the Women’s World Cup medals ceremony in Sydney.
- Aaron Boxerman and Constant Méheut
- Opinion
- FIFA Women's World Cup
Spain’s World Cup glory sabotaged by abuse of power
The grimmest aspect of the “kissing” incident was how, at the end of a wonderful tournament, the achievements of women were hijacked by an attention-seeking man.
- Oliver Brown
June 2023
Manchester City wins first Champions League title
The Champions League win means City has completed a rare treble of trophies after winning the English Premier League title and FA Cup this season.
- James Robson
November 2022
FIFA threatens teams over armbands in more World Cup controversy
Soccer’s governing body says it will penalise players with yellow cards in a move condemned as unprecedented.
- Leo Sands, Cindy Boren and Adam Taylor
March 2022
Russia’s athletes banned over Ukraine invasion
Russia will likely be excluded from this year’s Football World Cup and the women’s Euro 2020 tournament.
- Rory Carroll
November 2021
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter charged with fraud
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and ex-UEFA president Michel Platini have been charged with fraud over unlawfully arranging a payment of $2.94 million.
- Updated
- Rohith Nair, Silke Koltrowitz and Simon Evans
June 2021
Soccer stars snub Coca-Cola, Heineken as ‘Bottlegate’ escalates
Two of the most popular soccer stars at the Euro 2020 championships have shown their disdain for alcohol and soft drink product placement.
- Joe Easton
April 2021
Brussels reluctant to play referee in football’s Super League drama
Brussels has played down its role in adjudicating any antitrust dispute, saying the issue is best handled ‘by relevant arbitration bodies and national courts’.
- Mehreen Khan, Javier Espinoza and David Hindley
- Analysis
- EPL
Super League rebels shift the goalposts of European football
If successful, the new elite competition would amount to the biggest transformation of how football is organised in decades, and mark a seismic shift in the allocation of money and power in the world’s favourite sport.
- Murad Ahmed, Arash Massoudi, Mehreen Khan and Javier Espinoza
Crunch talks in battle for control of Europe’s Champions League
UEFA is pressing for a dramatic revamp of the format of the Champions League from 2024, changes that would represent the biggest transformation of the European game in decades.
- Murad Ahmed
December 2019
Plan for new global football tournament looks at round numbers
Buyout group CVC Capital Partners' proposal for a new global football tournament could make business sense, but getting it off the ground will be tricky.
- The Lex Column