The Euro 2020 soccer Championship, trumpeted as a continent-wide feast of football from Dublin to Baku to mark UEFA's 60th anniversary, was postponed for a year on Tuesday as the coronavirus pandemic claimed its biggest sporting casualty yet. Europe's flagship tournament, staged every four years and second only to FIFA's World Cup in terms of prestige in soccer, will now be staged from June 11 to July 12, 2021.
Best images from sporting events held across the globe in the last week.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been voted UEFA's 2015-16 Best Player in Europe ahead of Real Madrid team mate Gareth Bale and Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann.
While Ronaldo, a three-time winner, has been ever-present in the final three since the award was created in 2011, centre back Van Dijk makes his first appearance after helping Liverpool win the Champions League title last season.
Euro 2008, co-hosted by Austria and Switzerland, generated a net profit of $393.7 million for UEFA.
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, who has won the award five times, did not receive a nomination for the first time in 20 years.
Earlier, Messi's World Cup-winning team mate Emiliano Martinez won the Lev Yashin award for the world's best goalkeeper.
Spanish football federation chief Luis Rubiales quit his post on Sunday after three weeks of scandal over allegations he gave an unsolicited kiss to a player.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
The Spanish Government mistakenly honoured celebrity Ivana Icardi, sister of Argentinian footballer Mauro Icardi, instead of Women's World Cup winning captain Ivana Andres, with the country's Royal Order of Sports Merit, Spain's National Sports Council (CSD) confirmed on Wednesday.
England forward Chloe Kelly reacted quickest to a loose ball from a corner and poked in the winner.
All 23 of the World cup-winning squad including Jenni Hermoso, as well as 32 other squad members, said they would not play internationals while Luis Rubiales remains head of the Royal Spanish Football Federation.
Russia's bid to host the Euro 2028 or the Euro 2032 tournaments have also been declared ineligible, the Switzerland-based governing body said.
Australia and New Zealand were handed the right to host the 2023 Women's World Cup soccer tournament by a comfortable margin after a vote by the FIFA Council on Thursday. Their joint proposal beat a rival bid from Colombia to host the tournament which is being expanded to 32 teams.
The tournament brings together the six continental champions from across the world, with European Champions League winners Bayern Munich the first to have qualified.
He said the treatment of women "in my culture and in the Middle East" had changed his opinions on gender issues.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Bayern Munich's Polish striker Robert Lewandowski won the FIFA Best Men's Player award for 2021 with Barcelona's Spanish midfielder Alexia Putellas winning the FIFA Best Women's Player prize at Monday's ceremony.
Lukaku was subjected to abuse during the first leg at Juventus "before, during, and after the penalty" he scored to earn Inter a 1-1 draw, the player's representatives said.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Saturday
A total of 36 referees, 69 assistant referees and 24 video match officials have been chosen by FIFA for the tournament.
UEFA president Lennart Johansson had said women's soccer should cash in on players' good looks to sell the game.
Ronaldo moved Coca Cola bottles aside as he sat down to speak to the media on the eve of Tuesday's Group F opener against Hungary in Budapest.
The postponed FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup in India was on Tuesday rescheduled to next year from February 17 to March 7 after the world body made a "thorough assessment" of the situation arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic. The tournament was originally scheduled to be held from November 2 to 21 this year but was postponed last month due to the coronavirus outbreak, which brought global sports activities to a grinding halt.
Russia was thrown out of the tournament by FIFA as a sanction for their military operation. They had been due to face Poland in their semi-final.
The training centre will be closed until Monday and another screening session will be carried out on Friday.
The leader of Sweden's Euro 2020 bid said "football politics" had denied his country a chance to provide a host city for the Euro 2020 tournament.
She oversaw her first Europa League game in October when Leicester City hosted Zorya Luhansk.
Brazil lived up to expectations by smashing Bolivia 5-1 at home in their 2026 World Cup qualifiers opener on Friday.
Fans carried rainbow flags to show their support for LGBTQ rights.
A round-up off all transpired on and off the football pitch
Frappart's achievement was met with recognition, with Costa Rica manager Luis Fernando Suarez describing it as a step forward for women in a "sexist sport".
This and more from the happenings in the world of football
IMAGES from the UEFA Nations League matches played on Sunday.
Dennerby admits India not up to USA standards
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Stephanie Frappart made history by becoming the first female to referee a men's UEFA Champions League match.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said he expected matches to be played without fans, although there was a small chance that could change.
He acknowledged that police had been caught off-guard by local delinquents who turned up to cause trouble at the match. But defending the security protocols in place, the minister said France had only had three months to prepare after the venue was moved from Russia.
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