Soccer

Soccer journalist Grant Wahl was honored with a few touching tributes in the newest episode of "Ted Lasso" -- nearly four months after he died while covering the World Cup in Qatar.

The show, which follows Ted Lasso's fictional journey from American football coach to successful European soccer coach, paid tribute to Wahl by having one of its main characters hold a copy of Grant's book, "The Beckham Experiment."

In the scene, Coach Beard -- played by star actor Brendan Hunt -- carries the Wahl-penned literature in the palm of his hand ... making sure its perfectly placed so cameras can see its full title.

Wahl's name was also included in the show's closing credits.

As you may know, Wahl and Jason Sudeikis, who plays Lasso in the show, were close friends, with each holding a connection to the Kansas City area. In fact, Sudeikis actually appeared on Wahl's podcast with Hunt before his death.

Wahl had also written a blog in October 2022 just before his passing, detailing a trip to Richmond, England -- which, of course, is the home to the show's fictional AFC Richmond squad.

Wahl said in his blog that Hunt had brought him to The Prince's Head -- the real-life bar in the show -- where they shared a beer outside.

As we reported, Wahl died in December after suffering a medical emergency inside a press box at the World Cup. His wife, Dr. Celine Gounder, later revealed a ruptured aortic aneurysm was what killed him.

He was just 49 years old.

Inter Milan's Romelu Lukaku's representation is demanding an apology and calling for punishment after Juventus fans appeared to hurl racist chants at the star striker during a soccer match on Tuesday.

The alleged incident happened after Lukaku scored a late penalty shot to tie it up at 1-1 against Juventus in the Coppa Italia semi-final at Allianz Stadium in Turin.

While the 29-year-old was celebrating by taunting Juventus fans with a "be quiet" hand gesture -- which got him a second yellow card -- they made "monkey" noises towards Lukaku ... something Romelu's reps claim was happening all match.

The alleged chants were caught on video ... and you can see upset fans making noise toward the field.

Michael Yormark, president of Roc Nation Sports International which represents Lukaku, released a statement ... saying the incident was "beyond despicable and cannot be accepted"

"Romelu scored a penalty late in the game. Before, during, and after the penalty, he was subjected to hostile and disgusting racist abuse. Romelu celebrated in the same manner he has previously celebrated goals."

Yormark adds that Lukaku deserves an apology from Juventus and the league should condemn those who yelled the racist chants.

"The Italian authorities must use this opportunity to tackle racism, rather than punish the victim of the abuse. I am certain that the footballing world shares the same sentiment."

Forget doing gender reveals at parties, USMNT star Matt Turner did his at work ... booting a ball after a big soccer match Monday -- unveiling he and his partner are having a girl!!!

The awesome reveal went down right after the U.S. beat El Salvador, 1-0, in the CONCACAF Nations League tournament at Exploria Stadium in Florida.

Turner's squad huddled near the goalkeeper, and after an announcer gave him a countdown, the 28-year-old kicked a small soccer ball to reveal a cloud of pink smoke -- signaling he and his wife, Ashley, are going to be girl parents.

The team, crowd, and Turner all went crazy ... splashing water everywhere while hugging the Arsenal star.

Afterward, Turner told GOAL he's super excited about his baby girl's arrival ... but also nervous.

"It's a good feeling to know that we're gonna have a little baby girl and I think I'm in big, big trouble in the future," Turner said. "She's gonna have me wrapped around her finger!"

This will be Turner's second child with Ashley, an ex-NFL cheerleader ... they just had their son, Easton, last June.

Soccer star Sebastian Lletget says he's the victim of an "extortion plot" amid rumors he cheated on his fiancee, Becky G ... but admits he did, in fact, screw up.

It started last week when an Instagram user claimed the FC Dallas midfielder cheated on the award-winning singer with a woman last year while at a nightclub in Madrid, Spain.

Along with the accusation, the person also seemingly provided receipts including alleged video, text messages, DMs and audio from Lletget.

FYI, Sebastian proposed to Becky G just 3 months ago.

After the posts went viral, the accuser's IG account was deleted ... but the damage had already been done. Days later, Lletget has decided to address the rumors (though not in specifics) in a lengthy statement, saying on Monday, "a 10 minute lapse in judgement results in an extortion plot."

"Since this person did not get what they wanted it has now become a public social media spectacle filled with more lies than any truth and false posts aimed at the love of my life, the one person who I should never take for granted or put at risk."

Lletget -- who joined the Dallas football club in 2022 -- apologized to Becky and vows to do better honoring their love.

"I know that any actions made that put us here should have never happened to begin with," Lletget said.

Sebastian continued ... "You have been the light in my life, my strength, who has always shown me unconditional love. Instead of honoring that love every day, I have done the opposite, hurting you, and disrespecting the one person I love more than anything."

"I am so sorry and Know I have to do whatever it takes to earn back the trust and love you deserve."

Lletget also revealed he'll participate in a wellness program to work on his mental health.

The fan who stormed the pitch and attacked a player during a Europa League match last month has been hit with a massive ban ... with Dutch club PSV announcing the intruder is persona non grata for the next 40 YEARS.

Remember, the spectator interrupted the PSV vs. Sevilla match at Philips Stadium in the Netherlands on Feb. 23 ... when he ran onto the field and punched Sevilla goalkeeper Marko Dmitrović in the face.

PSV said in a statement the culprit -- currently serving a two-month prison sentence -- is not only banned from the club for four decades, but he's also forbidden from entering the area around the stadium for two years ... and is facing a possible fine imposed by UEFA.

PSV also added that the 20-year-old man should have never been allowed to enter the stadium to begin with ... as he was already serving a ban for a prior incident, but he was able to get through the gates with a friend's ticket.

Of course, prison time and a 40-year ban wasn't the only thing the guy walked away with -- he also got his ass beat, as Dmitrović leveled him with one punch after the ambush, dropping him to the ground.

The intruder tried to put up a fight ... but security, with help from players from both sides, was able to escort him off the field.

Hundreds of Argentina fans flooded the streets of Buenos Aires just to get a glimpse of their hero, Lionel Messi, out at dinner Monday night ... and the scene was absolute insanity!!

The Paris Saint-Germain superstar is back in his home country ahead of an international friendly against Panama later this week ... and once word spread he was with his family at the Don Julio restaurant in Palermo, he was met with a massive crowd of crazed fanatics.

Videos show Messi needing a police escort just to make it out of the establishment shortly before 2 AM ... with folks screaming, reaching out and grabbing, and trying to take pictures with the footballer.

Despite the overwhelming amount of people, Messi appeared to take it pretty well ... smiling as he made his way through the sea of fans.

Of course, Messi was already beloved in Argentina ... but once he won the World Cup in December, his supporters' passion was multiplied by a billion.

Leo might be numb to all the love at this point -- after all, he also faced millions of backers who showed up to their World Cup parade.

SoFi Stadium might be coming up empty in its bid to host the World Cup finale in 2026 ... and it's all 'cause its field could be deemed too narrow for FIFA's liking.

Seriously.

According to a report from The Times, the pitch at SoFi in Los Angeles is not currently wide enough for FIFA. In fact, the outlet reports, the building would have to increase its field by up to 63 feet to meet the soccer org.'s requirement.

The stadium would have to take out some of its seats in order to make that happen -- but FIFA reportedly would have an issue with that too ... because SoFi, which seats 70,240, is already struggling to meet the 80K World Cup final minimum.

MetLife Stadium in New Jersey and AT&T Stadium in Dallas are now considered the front-runners for the tourney's championship if SoFi can't figure out a way to resolve the issues.

The 2022 World Cup Final between Argentina and France was played at Lusail Stadium in Qatar -- and set a record for attendance ... with 88,966 soccer fans packing into the venue to watch Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe go toe-to-toe.

Kim Kardashian has been a full-blown soccer mom for a while -- but now, she's taking the mini van overseas ... and she's brought the kiddos with her to watch the pros do it live.

The beauty-fashion mogul was in Paris Sunday to take in the PSG match against Rennes at the Parc des Princes stadium -- where it looks like she had box seats and a great view to peep all the action on the pitch below. Ditto for her son, Saint, who was tagging along.

KK was out there in all black, and rocking shades too ... looking quite chic. Saint himself was wearing a PSG jersey -- and the two of them even came down onto the field for pics.

It appears Saint's on this Euro trip with some buddies of his, who are no doubt enjoying the vacay. BTW, Sunday's soccer game wasn't their first -- a few days ago, Kim and the kids were out in London for an Arsenal game as well ... and there, too, they were loving it.

As we've seen over the past few years now, Saint is VERY into soccer. He plays in a local league, and Kim comes to a lot of his games. Kanye's been to some as well ... and, at times, it's been a little awkward/tense -- but the 2 parents have always played nice in public.

Speaking of Ye, he's hanging with him and Kim's daughter, North, this weekend ... who's also in the presence of his new "wife," Bianca Censori. North seems adjusted, everyone's chill.

Georgina Rodriguez is opening up on the death of her and Cristiano Ronaldo's twin baby boy ... breaking down in tears as she relived the tragedy.

"This year I had the best and the worst moment of my life in an instant," the 29-year-old said in a trailer for her Netflix show released on Wednesday.

Rodriguez was overcome with emotion as she discussed the aftermath of the devastating experience that impacted their family last April ... saying, "Life is hard. Life goes on."

"I have reasons to move on and be strong."

The clip shows the soccer superstar with their newborn baby, Bella Esmeralda ... and Rodriguez said he was a rock for her as they did their best to return to normalcy.

"Cris really encouraged me to continue with my agenda," Rodriguez added. "He said, 'Gio, get on with life. It'll do you good.'"

"My priority right now is my family and my children," she said. "I'm so happy and thankful."

The Women's Tennis Association has secured the proverbial bag in a big way ... locking down a $150 million investment from the private equity firm that co-owns LaLiga, and the goal is to blow up the sport and increase player pay!

"Obviously, the ambition is to materially grow women's professional tennis. Grow our profile, its value, the prize money," WTA Chairman Steve Simon said, adding, "This arrangement is certainly going to provide for us to create more investment opportunity to our players and our tournaments."

The WTA and CVC Capital Partners formed WTA Ventures LLC. The new subsidiary will oversee all sponsorship, broadcast rights, gaming, and more.

The WTA was founded by Billie Jean King in 1973. The tour has more than 50 events yearly across the world. Unfortunately, outside of the four Grand Slams (U.S. Open, Wimbledon, French Open, Australian Open), prize money is significantly lower in the women's game. Hence the partnership.

The new deal has players hopeful that with an influx of cash and CVC's connections, the game will grow, and the money will follow.

“This is exactly what women’s tennis needs and I’m excited for what’s to come. For so long, we’ve been championing the sport for women across the world and it’s great to have the investment and belief in the players and WTA product,” number 3 ranked player Jessica Pegula said.

The daughter of the Buffalo Bills owners Terry and Kim Pegula isn't the only player pumped about the future prospects of the WTA.

Number 1 ranked player Iga Swiatek also believes the new deal could be a game changer.

“I am proud to be a part of the WTA, as they are committed to innovating the sport, investing in the players, and promoting us all over the world. I’m inspired to be a part of the evolution of women’s tennis and building out the next 50 years of the WTA.”

It's a familiar deal for Luxembourg-based CVC. A few years back, CVC struck a $2+ billion deal with LaLiga, the top soccer league in Spain. Like with the WTA, the partnership put the company in charge of sponsorship and broadcasting.

"Ted Lasso" fans will have the shot of a lifetime ... a chance to spend the night at Lasso's fave pub is getting offered on Airbnb, and it's virtually on the house!!!

As a toast to the upcoming season, the pub owner Mae -- played by Annette Badland -- teamed up with Warner Bros. to offer 3 one-night stays at The Crown & Anchor Pub, which is right around the corner from Ted's apartment in Richmond, London.

The pub is best known as the go-to place for football fans and the AFC Richmond team on the show ... and up to 4 guests will get to hang out there -- just like the 'Lasso' characters -- for just $13 per night on October 23, 24 and 25, 2023.

We're told guests will not only get an incredible place to stay ... they'll get decked out in   AFC Richmond gear, play a round of darts, and sing their hearts out at karaoke.

There's also the chance to sit at Ted’s favorite table in the pub, while playing chess ... and we can't forget about the biscuits! Guests will try those biscuits paired with "garbage water" AKA English tea.

A grocery store owned by Lionel Messi's in-laws was shot up by two men who fired at least a dozen shots into the shop in Argentina, before sending an ominous threat to the soccer legend ... "Messi, we’re waiting for you."

The Unico supermarket is located in Rosario, Argentina -- about 200 miles from the capital, Buenos Aires -- and is owned by the mom and dad of Lionel's wife, Antonela Roccuzzo. A normal day of shopping for groceries was interrupted Thursday when two assailants pulled up in front of the store on a motorcycle in broad daylight, with one of the men jumping off the bike, and opening fire, according to witnesses.

Miraculously, no one was injured ... though property was damaged, including a shattered front window pane.

Perhaps the scariest part ... after unloading on the store, the men dropped a written note that threatened the 35-year-old World Cup champion.

“Messi, we’re waiting for you. Javkin is also a drug trafficker, so he won’t take care of you.”

Javkin is Rosario Mayor Pablo Javkin.

Shortly after the violent incident, Mayor Javkin went to the scene and criticized Argentina's national police for failing to reign in drug-related crimes.

Local police officials also spoke, and despite the seemingly menacing message, they say this was likely an attempt to "attract attention," as opposed to a threat.

Narco violence has been on the rise in Argentina, and Rosario, specifically, has seen a big jump in drug-related murders. In fact, last year the Buenos Aires Times wrote, "narco violence plaguing the city has reached 'critical' levels."

Despite the scary situation at his family's store, Messi didn't appear to be bothered at Paris Saint-Germaine F.C. practice on Thursday ... where Lionel hit the field with his teammates.

Shakira is going after her ex Gerard Pique's new boo ... putting her on blast for seemingly not following the "girl code" of dating.

The singer didn't hold back in a recent interview with Mexican TV network Canal Estrellas, dragging Gerard's 23-year-old GF Clara Chia Marti by saying there's a "special place in hell" for women who don't support each other.

She also says she's become a much more independent woman since last year's split, mentioning she thought she needed a man to truly feel whole -- but that isn't the case anymore.

She notes she was always emotionally dependent on men in the past, but today she stands "sufficient on my own."

As you know, Shakira and Gerard called it quits last year ... after she says she spotted a jar of jam eaten while she was away.

Gerard and Clara went public on Instagram last month, with a close and personal pic that quickly garnered millions of likes.

An unruly spectator stormed the pitch and punched a player in the face during a Europa League match on Thursday ... and his reward was getting dropped with a vicious right hand before being dragged out by security.

It all went down at Philips Stadium in the Netherlands .... where PSV was playing Sevilla FC.

During the contest, a man ran onto the field and punched Sevilla goalkeeper, Marko Dmitrovic -- but the fan was in for a rude awakening because the Serbian star was ready for the smoke.

Check out the clip ... the guy comes face to face with Dmitrovic before teeing off, but Marko demonstrates quick reflexes and drops the fan to the ground with one punch.

Once Dmitrovic leveled the guy, who was wearing a black jacket, blue jeans, and sneakers when he did the ambush, Marko tried to subdue him until security intervened.

Players on the field began running in Dmitrovic's direction once they realized what was happening ... and eventually, a swarm of people surrounded the man.

The guy attempted to put up a fight while on the ground by trying to break free from Marko's grasp ... but he was unsuccessful, and security ultimately booted him from the match.

Storming the pitch is a common tradition in soccer ... but in this instance, the fan got more than he bargained for and chose the wrong goalkeeper to put his hands on.

Legendary BBC football (soccer) commentator John Motson, one of the most well-known voices in the sport, has sadly passed away, his family announced Thursday. He was 77.

Motson's family released a statement about his passing, writing ... "It is with great sadness we announce that John Motson OBE died peacefully in his sleep today."

Motson -- also referred to as "Motty" -- started calling games for Britain's national broadcaster in 1968 ... and his stellar career spanned 50 years.

The BBC said John covered 10 World Cups, 10 European Championships, and 29 FA Cup finals ... before calling his final match in 2018.

John -- best known for his signature sheepskin coats -- also covered more than 200 England matches and commentated on over 2,500 televised games.

Tributes came pouring in after John's death had been announced ... with the Prince of Wales sending his regards to Motson's family for their tragic loss.

"Very sad to hear about the passing of John Motson - a legend whose voice was football. My thoughts are with his family and friends," Prince William and Kate Middleton tweeted from their official Prince and Princess of Wales Twitter account.

LAFC star Kellyn Acosta's home was broken into last week ... and three of his pricey watches were taken in the burglary -- this according to law enforcement sources.

Cops tell TMZ Sports ... the incident happened at Acosta's Los Angeles-area home after thieves made their way into the residence through a door and allegedly rummaged through the house, before making off with three of the 27-year-old soccer player's Rolexes.

As of now, our sources say the watches appear to be the only thing taken.

No arrests have been made ... but we're told police are not ruling out the possibility that it was an inside job. An investigation remains ongoing.

Acosta, who initially began his MLS career with FC Dallas, joined LAFC last season -- and started 28 games ... scoring two goals.

Acosta was also part of the 2022 U.S. World Cup team that advanced to the Round of 16.