Swedish soccer fans had been hoping that the strange circumstances of the coronavirus pandemic would have a surprising side effect: the return of striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic to his home country. But now it seems those hopes have been dashed, as Ibrahimovic, 38, is set to return to Italy for a two-week quarantine period before rejoining […] More
On June 30, most contracts in European soccer expire, and that will put hundreds, if not thousands, of players out of work. For the vast majority, the future is anything but certain. More
Iniesta turned from aspiring schoolboy to soccer icon on a Barcelona team that captivated the world. Now in Japan, he hopes for a return to a club plagued by infighting. More
1 of 11 Vice President Mike Pence toured a ventilator production plant in Indiana last week. Michael Conroy/Associated Press This week, what did Vice President Mike Pence call “a reflection of the tremendous progress we’ve made as a country”? A decline in the number of new coronavirus cases in the U.S. An increase in the […] More
In a time of great uncertainty, the N.F.L.’s 2020 regular-season schedule, which was revealed Thursday night, abounds with optimism. A full 17-week slate was released, with no obvious contingency plan in case the coronavirus pandemic prevents the season from starting on time. The league had already canceled the international games in London and Mexico City, […] More
The N.F.L. will announce its schedule for the upcoming season on Thursday night in a prime time TV event. But a handful of teams have begun tempering expectations that fans will be able to attend some of those games — assuming they will be played in front of fans at all. On Wednesday night, the […] More
LONDON — The eyes of the soccer world will be on Germany next Saturday. After weeks of planning and nervous negotiations, the Bundesliga has finally been cleared to return, the first of soccer’s major leagues to try and mount a comeback from coronavirus-induced global sporting stoppage. There is certain to be outsized interest in the […] More
LONDON — The sticking point in talks about reopening the Premier League, the richest league in global soccer, is not about how it would affect the best and wealthiest clubs, but about the way it would affect the worst ones. While leagues in Germany, Italy and Spain take halting steps toward restarting, the return of […] More
