Chelsea star Eden Hazard was ejected from the English League Cup semifinal at Swansea on Wednesday night for kicking a ball boy in the ribs while attempting to retrieve the ball after it rolled off the field.
Dutch club FC Den Bosch pledged Wednesday to do all it can to identify and punish a group of fans who hurled racist abuse at United States striker Jozy Altidore during a match.
In a lucrative career that has seen him earn millions around the world, David Beckham has joined Paris Saint-Germain pledging to play for free and donate his salary to a children's charity.
Daily newspaper Le Parisien headlined with "PSG gives itself a royal gift," while Marseille-based newspaper La Provence said "Popstar David Beckham arrives to fanfare in Paris."
Back in Italy after a turbulent period in England, Mario Balotelli has been voted player of the week in the Associated Press global soccer rankings for scoring twice in his first game for AC Milan.
"Racism is very tough to fight," Balotelli said recently. "I really don't know how to defeat it. You need to keep firm and sooner or later we'll win," he said.
The U.S., which had been 12-3-3 against Honduras, lost its final-round opener for the first time in five games since the "hexagonal" format was adopted in qualifying for the 1998 tournament.
