Last year, I analyzed the soccer TV ratings data World Soccer Talk collected for 2016. This year, World Soccer Talk writer and researcher Collin Werner has more data for the 2017 season. The 2016 data did not include the Liga MX Clausura, amounting to just over one hundred games, but that is included in 2017's […]

Moscow (AFP) – Russian football chiefs said on Thursday they will probe apparent monkey chants directed at Cape Verdean midfielder Nuno Rocha during a domestic cup semi-final this week. The incident comes less than two months before Russia hosts the World Cup and is sure to fuel fears of racism marring the tournament. Wednesday's game […]

Following the 2011 UEFA Champions League Final, Sir Alex Ferguson soberly spoke to the media after the match. The legendary manager spoke on behalf of a team who had just defeated Manchester United 3-1 in the final of Europe's premier club competition. The date was May 28, 2011. The team was FC Barcelona. "They're the […]

It’s not often mid-April when fans get to begin the annual rite of predicting next season’s Premier League champions. While Manchester City galloped out of the gates, they somewhat limped to the finish line. Will Manchester City pick up where they left off earlier this season steam rolling the competition? Or, will another side wrestle […]

Do we need to change everything? Arsenal's sixth place position in the Premier League table is unfamiliar to both club and supporters. There is an assumption that there needs to be wholesale changes at the club. This is not exactly the case. Despite the north London club’s position in the table, the Gunners have been […]

During Saturday’s early kickoff against Southampton, Chelsea were two goals down with less than a quarter of the game remaining. A lackluster first 45 minutes was a perfect reflection of their general dip in performance. The Blues were second best for large parts of the game. However, a moment of inspiration from Frenchman Olivier Giroud […]

Over $600 million dollars were spent by English Premier League clubs during the winter transfer window. Signing players in January has always proven to be tricky. Even more true in an era of ridiculous transfer fees. The risks of deals during this period are well known! Andres D’Alessandro was the catalyst for Harry Redknapp and […]

Milan (AFP) – Former Italy star Andrea Pirlo on Thursday defended Gianluigi Buffon for his Champions League outburst as he named the veteran goalkeeper among his lineup for his testimonial on May 21. "If I'd been on the pitch, it would have burned to go out like that," said Pirlo, "when you play a game […]

Buenos Aires (Argentina) (AFP) – The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) on Thursday asked FIFA to bring forward plans to expand the World Cup to 48 teams in time for the 2022 tournament in Qatar. The competition is due to be enlarged from 32 teams to 48 in time for the 2026 finals, which will […]

ESPN has launched a brand-new streaming service that is a bold attempt to generate substantial revenue for what it considers a lot of niche sports that it previously mostly streamed at no additional cost to sports fans who had access to ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app. Since it's so new and different, there's a lot […]

Berlin (Germany) (AFP) – Veteran wingers Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben will sign one-year contract extensions to stay at Bayern Munich for the 2018/19 season, according to reports on Thursday. German magazines Sport Bild and Kicker claim the pair, who were both out of contract in June, have already agreed terms with the Bundesliga champions. […]

Turin (Italy) (AFP) – Gianluigi Buffon raged late into the night after a wild match in Madrid as the Juventus legend was sent off in what was probably the final Champions League match of an extraordinary career. The veteran goalkeeper's frustration spilled over at the Santiago Bernabeu after Juventus beat Real Madrid 3-1 on the […]

London (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino believes his side must maintain their form in the second half of the season for the whole campaign if they want to be Premier League champions next year. Spurs host champions-elect Manchester City to Wembley on Saturday hoping to further delay City's title triumph by […]

Tokyo (Japan) (AFP) – Japan's new football coach said Thursday he was aiming to get the Blue Samurai out of a tricky World Cup group, days after being parachuted in as an "emergency measure". "I want to get through the first round, of course. I think we will be fully competitive and will be able to […]

London (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Yellow card for a suspended sentence, red card for going to prison — these are the simple but stark analogies used in a revolutionary football programme to prevent young men falling prey to a life of crime. Football, or "Sport for Thought", is being used as a powerful tool in […]