6:02 PM ET Roman Abramovich has been an untouchable billionaire free to bankroll Chelsea‘s unprecedented success for almost two decades, but that changed on Thursday morning. The U.K. government announced sanctions against seven Russian oligarchs with what it believes are close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s murderous regime, with the move following two weeks
Football
4:06 PM ET The U.S. Soccer Federation issued a statement on Thursday in which it said it has received assurances from Mexico Football Federation (FMF) officials that fans, teams and players will “safely experience” the upcoming World Cup qualifier at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on March 24. The statement was issued in response
4:22 PM ET On a seismic day for the club off the pitch, Chelsea conducted their business as close to usual as possible on it to claim a 3-1 victory over Norwich City at Carrow Road on Thursday. Trevoh Chalobah and Mason Mount came through with the early goals for Chelsea before Norwich threatened a
4:57 PM ET Barcelona were held to a lacklustre, goalless draw against Galatasaray in the first leg of their round-of-16 match at the Camp Nou on Thursday. Xavi Hernandez’s side booked passage into the last-16 with a decisive 4-2 win over Napoli in their playoff round second leg — part of an eight game unbeaten
12:00 PM ET For better and for worse, Major League Soccer is the ultimate “zig when they zag” soccer league. Instead of the typical August-to-May schedule, it goes from February to November. Instead of the customary 18- to 20-team league with round-robin scheduling and relegation, it just keeps on adding teams to the first division.
12:32 PM ET Mauricio Pochettino should only be thinking about winning against Bordeaux this weekend, but it’s difficult to imagine that the Paris Saint-Germain coach won’t be distracted by Manchester United’s Premier League clash with Tottenham on Saturday. It’s a game between the club that has never quite been able to get the timing right
10:59 AM ET Major League Soccer has announced it will leverage a $25m loan with Black banks. Mitchell Leff/Getty Images Major League Soccer has announced a partnership with the National Black Bank Foundation (NBBF) that will see the league leverage a $25 million loan with Black banks. “Major League Soccer’s partnership with the National Black Bank
12:02 PM ET Chelsea will play without a shirt sponsor after Three announced they are suspending their £40 million-a-year deal ($52.4 million) with immediate effect. The decision comes on the same day Blues owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the U.K government for his alleged ties to Russia president Vladimir Putin amid the country’s ongoing
8:09 AM ET Alex Kirkland Rodrigo Faez Neymar and Gianluigi Donnarumma clashed in a dressing room bust-up after Paris Saint-Germain‘s 3-1 Champions League defeat to Real Madrid on Wednesday, sources have confirmed to ESPN. The Brazil forward and Italy goalkeeper had to be separated by teammates after a heated post-match exchange at the Bernabeu, with
11:13 PM ET Cesar Hernandez In the aftermath of last week’s violence in Liga MX, Chivas and Club America have joined forces for to stage a Clasico Sin Colores (Clasico Without Colors) in this weekend’s matches for their men’s and women’s sides. The idea for the rivalry between the two sides, usually known as the