<![CDATA[EL PAÍS]]>https://english.elpais.comSun, 17 May 2026 10:37:22 +0000en1hourly1<![CDATA[UEFA and FIFA shelve Israel’s expulsion over Trump’s proposed Gaza peace plan]]>https://english.elpais.com/sports/2025-10-02/uefa-and-fifa-shelve-israels-expulsion-over-trumps-proposed-gaza-peace-plan.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/sports/2025-10-02/uefa-and-fifa-shelve-israels-expulsion-over-trumps-proposed-gaza-peace-plan.htmlThu, 02 Oct 2025 12:22:22 +0000The comprehensive plan presented by Donald Trump to end the war in Gaza has provided, for the moment, the perfect excuse for UEFA and FIFA to postpone Israel’s exclusion from all international competitions. To this end, the two most important organizations in world football began informal talks two weeks ago, fueled by the social pressure generated by the global amplification of the pro-Palestine protests during the Vuelta a España, the announcement by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen of the suspension of trade agreements with the Jewish state, and the ferocity of the Israeli army’s attacks in the Strip.

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]]>YOAN VALAT<![CDATA[From Eurovision boycott to import bans: Israel faces rising global condemnation]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-09-16/from-eurovision-boycott-to-import-bans-israel-faces-rising-global-condemnation.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-09-16/from-eurovision-boycott-to-import-bans-israel-faces-rising-global-condemnation.htmlTue, 16 Sep 2025 15:41:38 +0000The brutality of the invasion of Gaza has led to increasing expressions of disapproval toward Israel in more and more countries around the world. Although Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is not facing widespread vetoes and sanctions — as Russia has been subjected to following its large-scale invasion of Ukraine — culture, sports, and measures taken by some states are increasingly focused on condemning the Jewish state for the massacre in Gaza, in which at least 66,000 Palestinian civilians have already died as a result of the Israeli army’s actions. The direct call by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez for Israel to be banned from sports following the protests at the Vuelta a España cycling race is the latest example of a global movement that is making progress, albeit very slowly.

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]]>INMA FLORES<![CDATA[Soccer fans take back the sport at Euro 2024 with record ticket sales and back-to-the-roots attitude]]>https://english.elpais.com/sports/2024-06-28/soccer-fans-take-back-the-sport-at-euro-2024-with-record-ticket-sales-and-back-to-the-roots-attitude.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/sports/2024-06-28/soccer-fans-take-back-the-sport-at-euro-2024-with-record-ticket-sales-and-back-to-the-roots-attitude.htmlFri, 28 Jun 2024 11:13:05 +0000On the Karplatz in Düsseldorf, an Italian man shows off his juggling abilities with a foam ball with which he challenges any fan wearing a shirt that is not blue. A few meters further away, waiters are also doing balancing acts with their trays as they weave among high wooden tables where mugs of beer, sausages and meatballs evidence how this international sporting competition is also being settled with drinks and identity songs.

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]]>Angelika Warmuth<![CDATA[European Super League: Questions and answers after EU court ruling on ‘unlawful’ UEFA and FIFA veto]]>https://english.elpais.com/sports/2023-12-22/european-super-league-questions-and-answers-after-eu-court-ruling-on-unlawful-uefa-and-fifa-veto.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/sports/2023-12-22/european-super-league-questions-and-answers-after-eu-court-ruling-on-unlawful-uefa-and-fifa-veto.htmlFri, 22 Dec 2023 13:54:21 +0000The ruling issued Thursday by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on the Super League proposal concluded that both FIFA and UEFA abused their dominant position and therefore violated the rules of competition and free market in the bloc by vetoing the creation of a breakaway league. “There is no framework for the FIFA and UEFA rules ensuring that they are transparent, objective, non-discriminatory and proportionate,” the CEU said. The ruling may now open a new horizon that may favor a change in the classic structures of European soccer and sport in general as they have been known until now.

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]]>Siu Wu<![CDATA[FIFA bans Luis Rubiales for 3 years for non-consensual kiss on Jennifer Hermoso]]>https://english.elpais.com/sports/2023-10-30/fifa-bans-luis-rubiales-for-3-years-for-non-consensual-kiss-on-jennifer-hermoso.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/sports/2023-10-30/fifa-bans-luis-rubiales-for-3-years-for-non-consensual-kiss-on-jennifer-hermoso.htmlMon, 30 Oct 2023 14:49:21 +0000The Disciplinary Committee of the International Football Federation (FIFA) has banned Luis Rubiales from holding any position or activity related to soccer for three years for the non-consensual kiss he planted on player Jennifer Hermoso during the celebrations of Spain’s victory in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, as well as for his obscene gestures in the VIP box. The subsequent pressures that Hermoso received from the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) have also influenced the harsh sanction imposed by the disciplinary body of FIFA, which applied article 13 of its code referring to offensive behavior. Rubiales allegedly violated two points of the aforementioned article: “violating the basic rules of decent conduct” and “behaving in a way that brings the sport of football and/or FIFA into disrepute.” Rubiales could appeal the sanction.

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]]>SUSANA VERA<![CDATA[FIFA awards the 2030 World Cup to Spain, Portugal, and Morocco]]>https://english.elpais.com/sports/2023-10-04/fifa-awards-the-2030-world-cup-to-spain-portugal-and-morocco.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/sports/2023-10-04/fifa-awards-the-2030-world-cup-to-spain-portugal-and-morocco.htmlWed, 04 Oct 2023 16:09:35 +0000FIFA announced on Wednesday that it has awarded the 2030 World Cup finals to the joint bid of Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. The opening match will be played in Montevideo (Uruguay), while Argentina and Paraguay will also play their opening matches of the tournament on home turf, a move designed to mark the centenary of the first World Cup, which was staged in Uruguay in 2030.

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]]>Christopher Lee<![CDATA[Álvaro Morata: ‘We needed to address this issue publicly’ ]]>https://english.elpais.com/sports/2023-09-06/alvaro-morata-we-needed-to-address-this-issue-publicly.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/sports/2023-09-06/alvaro-morata-we-needed-to-address-this-issue-publicly.htmlWed, 06 Sep 2023 19:27:01 +0000As captain of Spain’s national team, it was Álvaro Morata’s job to read this past Monday the statement in which the squad members condemned Luis Rubiales’ behavior during and after the celebration of the Women’s World Cup. Writing the document was not an easy task, due to the disparity of opinions among the 23 players called up by Luis de la Fuente for the matches against Georgia and Cyprus. While some wanted a harsher letter, others preferred something more restrained. As for the youngest ones, like 16-year-old Lamine Yamal, the matter was just too much. Morata would prefer to talk about soccer, but he accepts with resignation that the interview revolves around the Rubiales case. His blank stare reveals his discomfort, as he tries not to add more fuel to the fire with his evasive answers.

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]]>INMA FLORES<![CDATA[Jorge Vilda fired as Spain’s women’s soccer coach]]>https://english.elpais.com/sports/2023-09-05/the-rfef-fires-jorge-vilda-as-spains-womens-soccer-coach.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/sports/2023-09-05/the-rfef-fires-jorge-vilda-as-spains-womens-soccer-coach.htmlTue, 05 Sep 2023 18:40:40 +0000Pedro Rocha, interim president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF, for its initials in Spanish), informed Jorge Vilda this Tuesday of his dismissal as head coach of the women’s soccer team which under his management was proclaimed world champion on August 20. Vilda becomes the first victim of the tsunami unleashed in the federation after Luis Rubiales’ non-consensual kiss to Jennifer Hermoso and his aggressive speech given in the assembly in which he announced that he would not resign. An hour after communicating the dismissal of Vilda, the RFEF shared the name of his replacement, as it appointed Montse Tomé, until now Vilda’s second in command, as the new national coach.

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]]>PAblo García<![CDATA[In Spain, pressure mounts on suspended soccer chief Rubiales to resign over nonconsensual kiss]]>https://english.elpais.com/sports/2023-08-29/in-spain-pressure-mounts-on-suspended-soccer-chief-rubiales-to-resign-over-nonconsensual-kiss.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/sports/2023-08-29/in-spain-pressure-mounts-on-suspended-soccer-chief-rubiales-to-resign-over-nonconsensual-kiss.htmlTue, 29 Aug 2023 15:13:02 +0000Amid street protests in Madrid in support of Spanish national soccer team player Jenni Hermoso, Pedro Rocha, interim president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), and the 18 regional federation chiefs met to discuss how to dissociate themselves from the management of Luis Rubiales, who has been suspended by FIFA over his behavior at the World Cup final, where he forcibly kissed Hermoso and made a crotch-grabbing gesture in the VIP box at Stadium Australia with Queen Letizia of Spain and her teenage daughter, Princess Sofía, standing nearby. After a five-hour meeting, the RFEF chiefs issued a communiqué in which they unanimously requested Rubiales’ resignation.

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]]>ISABEL INFANTES<![CDATA[FIFA Disciplinary Committee provisionally suspends Luis Rubiales]]>https://english.elpais.com/sports/2023-08-26/fifa-disciplinary-committee-provisionally-suspends-luis-rubiales.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/sports/2023-08-26/fifa-disciplinary-committee-provisionally-suspends-luis-rubiales.htmlSat, 26 Aug 2023 16:07:33 +0000The Colombian Jorge Ivan Palacio, president of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, has decided this Saturday the provisional suspension of the president of the Spanish Football Federation, Luis Rubiales, from any activity related to soccer at national and international level. “This suspension, which will be effective as of today, is for an initial period of 90 days, pending the disciplinary proceedings opened against Mr. Luis Rubiales on Thursday, August 24.”

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]]><![CDATA[Defiant RFEF chief Luis Rubiales refuses to resign over Jenni Hermoso scandal]]>https://english.elpais.com/sports/2023-08-25/defiant-rfef-chief-luis-rubiales-refuses-to-resign-over-jenni-hermoso-scandal.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/sports/2023-08-25/defiant-rfef-chief-luis-rubiales-refuses-to-resign-over-jenni-hermoso-scandal.htmlFri, 25 Aug 2023 13:31:53 +0000“I will not resign, I will not resign, I will not resign,” insisted Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales. Empowered by the backing of the RFEF assembly, with his daughters standing a few meters away, Rubiales delivered a performance Friday aimed at presenting himself as a martyr who gave national team player Jennifer Hermoso a “consensual peck” during the celebrations following Spain’s victory at the World Cup in Australia. It was a kiss that swiftly went around the world, sparking outrage and leading to calls for Rubiales to step down from his position with immediate effect. The RFEF chief, however, has elected to cling to power despite the growing clamor for his letter of resignation. He did so with an aggressive speech, questioning feminism and even announcing legal measures of his own against the acting vice-president of the Spanish government, Yolanda Díaz, who has led calls for Rubiales to step down alongside acting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

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]]>Eidan Rubio<![CDATA[Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales under heavy fire for inappropriate behavior]]>https://english.elpais.com/sports/2023-08-23/spanish-soccer-federation-president-luis-rubiales-under-heavy-fire-for-inappropriate-behavior.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/sports/2023-08-23/spanish-soccer-federation-president-luis-rubiales-under-heavy-fire-for-inappropriate-behavior.htmlWed, 23 Aug 2023 15:06:06 +0000Luis Rubiales is facing a critical moment in his presidency of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF). His non-consensual kiss of Jennifer Hermoso and obscene gestures during the celebrations of Spain’s victory in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup are jeopardizing his leadership position. Spain’s Superior Sports Council (CSD) received a complaint about Rubiales’ behavior from Miguel Galán, president of the Cenafe coaching school. Cenfae’s legal department and government prosecutors are also weighing taking the case to Spain’s Administrative Court for Sports (TAD).

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]]>INMA FLORES<![CDATA[Women’s World Cup still without a TV broadcaster in Europe’s ‘big five’ soccer nations]]>https://english.elpais.com/sports/2023-06-08/womens-world-cup-still-without-a-tv-broadcaster-in-europes-big-five-soccer-nations.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/sports/2023-06-08/womens-world-cup-still-without-a-tv-broadcaster-in-europes-big-five-soccer-nations.htmlThu, 08 Jun 2023 16:21:11 +0000A month and a half before the kick-off of the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, fans in Europe’s ‘big five’ soccer nations still have no idea whether they will be able to watch the tournament on television. FIFA has rejected reduced offers from the public broadcasters in Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Spain. World soccer’s governing body has refused to sell the rights to the competition that acts as a major showcase for the women’s game. Their last hope lies in the joint negotiations that the aforementioned five countries, all of which have qualified for the tournament, have conducted in recent days through the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). If an agreement cannot be reached, FIFA will endeavor to remedy the situation by implementing an application that will allow these countries to follow the tournament by means of live streaming broadcasts, which are less accessible and of poorer quality than the conventional channels.

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]]><![CDATA[Enríquez Negreira and FC Barcelona: A corrupt referee or a conman? ]]>https://english.elpais.com/sports/2023-02-17/enriquez-negreira-and-fc-barcelona-a-corrupt-referee-or-a-conman.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/sports/2023-02-17/enriquez-negreira-and-fc-barcelona-a-corrupt-referee-or-a-conman.htmlFri, 17 Feb 2023 12:02:11 +0000When his former colleagues describe José María Enríquez Negreira, disparaging adjectives, nicknames associated with hustlers who have gained popular notoriety and the assertion that he never enjoyed sufficient clout in his position as vice-president of the Spanish Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) to influence refereeing in La Liga are commonplace. The millions of euros his company, Dasnil, received from FC Barcelona for allegedly providing technical advice on match officiating matters have caused as much outrage as perplexity in the world of those that oversee Spanish soccer matches.

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]]><![CDATA[European Super League returns to the table to challenge the status quo]]>https://english.elpais.com/sports/2023-02-09/european-super-league-returns-to-the-table-to-challenge-the-status-quo.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/sports/2023-02-09/european-super-league-returns-to-the-table-to-challenge-the-status-quo.htmlThu, 09 Feb 2023 13:17:00 +0000A22 Sports Management, the company behind the proposed soccer European Super League (ESL), has drawn up a framework – published today by EL PAÍS together with other European newspapers – which sets out the bases on which it is working to redefine its project. The new Super League project seeks to iron out some of the most conflictive points of its initial attempt to challenge the hegemony of the UEFA Champions League while advocating for a competition in which the biggest clubs across the major European leagues have a place and in which sporting merit prevails.

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]]><![CDATA[Ukraine to join Spain-Portugal joint bid to host 2030 World Cup ]]>https://english.elpais.com/sports/2022-10-04/ukraine-to-join-spain-portugal-joint-bid-to-host-2030-world-cup.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/sports/2022-10-04/ukraine-to-join-spain-portugal-joint-bid-to-host-2030-world-cup.htmlTue, 04 Oct 2022 11:39:04 +0000Spain and Portugal can take a huge step toward securing the rights to organize the 2030 FIFA World Cup if, as reported by The Times, Ukraine joins the Iberian candidacy by offering to stage one of the groups in the preliminary round. EL PAÍS has contacted the Spanish Football Federation and the governing body headed by Luis Rubiales referred to a press conference that is due to take place on Wednesday at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, which will be attended by Rubiales and his Portuguese counterpart, Fernando Gomes. Both executives are UEFA vice-presidents and right-hand men to the organization’s president, Aleksander Ceferin. According to The Times, both the Spanish government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and the Portuguese administration of António Costa have spoken to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and agreed that Ukraine will be invited to join the bid. Sánchez’s office confirmed that it intends to add Ukraine to the Iberian candidacy to stage the 2030 World Cup and that the Spanish government supports the project being proposed by the soccer federations of both countries, which has also received the blessing of UEFA.

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]]><![CDATA[Five things to know about Qatar World Cup 2022: Heated debate about a winter tournament and the host nation]]>https://english.elpais.com/sports/2022-04-21/five-things-to-know-about-qatar-world-cup-2022-heated-debate-about-a-winter-tournament-and-the-host-nation.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/sports/2022-04-21/five-things-to-know-about-qatar-world-cup-2022-heated-debate-about-a-winter-tournament-and-the-host-nation.htmlThu, 21 Apr 2022 14:51:09 +0000For the first time in history, the FIFA World Cup will not be played in summer, but in winter, from November 18 to December 21. Temperatures in Qatar in summer, which reach between 40º and 50º Celsius, make a summer tournament impossible. The selection of the tiny but wealthy country as host nation has led to a raft of controversy and opened debate on the biggest question of all: is money the only ball that really moves the world of soccer?

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]]><![CDATA[Spain’s national soccer team to be vaccinated with just days to go before first Euro 2020 game]]>https://english.elpais.com/sports/2021-06-09/spains-national-soccer-team-to-be-vaccinated-ahead-of-euro-2020.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/sports/2021-06-09/spains-national-soccer-team-to-be-vaccinated-ahead-of-euro-2020.htmlWed, 09 Jun 2021 15:02:56 +0000Spain’s Health Ministry has today approved a request to vaccinate the national soccer team against Covid-19 ahead of its first match at the UEFA European Football Championship on June 14. The move comes after two players tested positive for coronavirus: team captain Sergio Busquets and Diego Llorente.

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]]><![CDATA[Atlético de Madrid becomes first Spanish club to pull out of new European Super League]]>https://english.elpais.com/sports/2021-04-21/atletico-de-madrid-becomes-first-spanish-club-to-pull-out-of-new-european-super-league.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/sports/2021-04-21/atletico-de-madrid-becomes-first-spanish-club-to-pull-out-of-new-european-super-league.htmlWed, 21 Apr 2021 10:17:04 +0000Atlético de Madrid soccer club has announced that it is pulling out of the new European Super League, a controversial breakaway competition that was announced this past weekend. Atlético is the first of the three Spanish clubs involved to do so. The other teams from Spain involved are Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.

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]]>Mariscal<![CDATA[Spain’s LaLiga slams plan for European Super League as ‘secessionist and elitist’ ]]>https://english.elpais.com/usa/2021-04-21/spains-laliga-slams-plan-for-european-super-league-as-secessionist-and-elitist.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/usa/2021-04-21/spains-laliga-slams-plan-for-european-super-league-as-secessionist-and-elitist.htmlMon, 19 Apr 2021 12:28:37 +0000Spain’s top-flight soccer league, LaLiga, on Monday expressed its total rejection of the European Super League, the creation of which was announced over the weekend. The breakaway competition, which has raised the ire of fans, players and politicians alike, would involve a midweek competition that would rival UEFA’s Champions League, and involve English teams such as Manchester United and Liverpool, as well as Real Madrid, Atlético de Madrid and FC Barcelona from Spain, and AC Milan and from Italy, among others, for a total of 12 clubs.

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]]>DAVID KLEIN<![CDATA[Spanish soccer players held for match-fixing in top divisions]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2019/05/28/inenglish/1559051337_911201.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2019/05/28/inenglish/1559051337_911201.htmlTue, 28 May 2019 14:36:23 +0000Around a dozen arrests were made in Spain on Tuesday as part of a probe into an alleged match-fixing network in Spanish soccer. Among those detained are the former Real Madrid and Spanish national team player Raúl Bravo, suspected of being the ringleader of the criminal association, as well as the chairman of the Huesca soccer club, Agustín Lasaosa. A second-division match between that team and Club Gimnàstic de Tarragona – known as Nàstic – was the origin of the probe.

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]]><![CDATA[Spanish soccer legend Quini dies aged 68]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2018/02/28/inenglish/1519809887_702561.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2018/02/28/inenglish/1519809887_702561.htmlWed, 28 Feb 2018 11:09:08 +0000Enrique Castro Quini died on Tuesday in Gijón from a heart attack. He was 68. Nicknamed “El Brujo,” or The Wizard, Quini was one of the most prolific goal scorers in the history of Spanish soccer. Few players have been as well admired as Quini, who was praised for both his skill on his field and his good sportsmanship. He made history with the team Sporting de Gijón, playing alongside his brother and goalkeeper Jesús Castro, and coming in second place in the 1979 championship. In 1980, he signed with FC Barcelona, joining other legendary players such as Diego Maradona and Javier Urruticoechea on a team that looked set to win the championship. Then, on March 1 1981, Quini was kidnapped at gunpoint by two individuals.

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]]>Agustí Carbonell<![CDATA[Spain at “serious” risk of being ejected from World Cup: disgraced soccer boss]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/12/18/inenglish/1513599688_593745.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/12/18/inenglish/1513599688_593745.htmlMon, 18 Dec 2017 12:57:19 +0000The suspended president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), Ángel María Villar, has warned there is a “serious threat” of Spain being barred from the 2018 World Cup over alleged government meddling in Spanish soccer’s governing body.

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]]>G.B.<![CDATA[Ángel María Villar suspended as head of Spanish soccer federation]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/07/26/inenglish/1501065624_771658.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/07/26/inenglish/1501065624_771658.htmlWed, 26 Jul 2017 11:51:00 +0000Ángel María Villar has been suspended as head of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) following his arrest on July 18 as part of an ongoing operation targeting the upper ranks of the sport’s top body in Spain.

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]]>Francisco Seco<![CDATA[Scandal-hit head of Spanish soccer federation mocked judicial wiretaps]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/07/19/inenglish/1500464525_974070.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/07/19/inenglish/1500464525_974070.htmlWed, 19 Jul 2017 12:23:04 +0000But the legacy of Villar – whose sometimes murky RFEF presidency has been made possible by the support of a network of equally long-serving regional soccer chiefs – is now very much in doubt after he was arrested on Tuesday morning as part of an ongoing operation targeting the upper echelons of the sport’s top body in Spain.

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]]><![CDATA[Second night of clashes between police and Leicester soccer fans in Madrid]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/04/13/inenglish/1492069209_490954.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/04/13/inenglish/1492069209_490954.htmlThu, 13 Apr 2017 08:34:12 +0000Once again, supporters of the English Premier League reigning title holders, among them many families, had gathered in Madrid’s historic Plaza Mayor. For most of the day, fans were generally well-behaved, although some mocked beggars who gather in the square, throwing coins at them. Fans of Dutch side PSV Eindhoven were filmed doing the same last year.

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]]><![CDATA[Former Atlético Madrid player among victims of Colombia air crash]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2016/11/29/inenglish/1480432957_702354.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2016/11/29/inenglish/1480432957_702354.htmlTue, 29 Nov 2016 16:18:34 +0000At 35, Santana was the captain of a modest Brazilian team that was about to play the biggest game in its history.

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]]><![CDATA[Spain’s Euro 2016 exit: the end of an era?]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2016/06/28/inenglish/1467103516_366860.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2016/06/28/inenglish/1467103516_366860.htmlTue, 28 Jun 2016 14:48:49 +0000Slowly and carefully, one step at a time, Vicente del Bosque made his way through the darkness down the steps into the press room of the Stade de France. He then walked up onto the podium to sit down for what will probably be his last appearance before the media as coach of the Spanish national soccer team.

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]]>PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU<![CDATA[Spain-Belgium friendly soccer match canceled over attack risk]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2015/11/17/inenglish/1447750555_951856.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2015/11/17/inenglish/1447750555_951856.htmlTue, 17 Nov 2015 09:41:26 +0000Tuesday’s friendly match between the Spain and Belgium national soccer teams in Brussels has been canceled over fears that it could be the target of terrorist violence following Friday’s Paris attacks.

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]]><![CDATA[Spain’s Ángel María Villar to take over suspended Platini’s duties at Uefa]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2015/10/15/inenglish/1444928567_462144.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2015/10/15/inenglish/1444928567_462144.htmlThu, 15 Oct 2015 17:36:41 +0000Spaniard Ángel María Villar is to temporarily take over all the responsibilities and duties held by suspended Uefa president Michel Platini, the body’s executive committee has decided following crisis talks between the organization’s 54 members in Nyon on Thursday.

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]]>Ivan Sekretarev<![CDATA[Spanish soccer players’ strike suspended by High Court]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2015/05/14/inenglish/1431604190_298935.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2015/05/14/inenglish/1431604190_298935.htmlThu, 14 May 2015 12:19:41 +0000A strike called by Spanish soccer players over the distribution of TV rights to broadcast games has been suspended by the national High Court.

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]]>Luis Sevillano<![CDATA[Chinese billionaire to buy 20% stake in Atlético Madrid soccer club]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2015/01/19/inenglish/1421678988_181592.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2015/01/19/inenglish/1421678988_181592.htmlMon, 19 Jan 2015 15:31:16 +0000The president and the main shareholder of Atlético de Madrid traveled to Beijing to authorize a capital increase that will give Chinese businessman Wang Jianlin control of around 20% of the soccer club.

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]]>Suzie Wong<![CDATA[How Depor ‘ultras’ got their tickets to fatal Madrid fan battle]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2014/12/01/inenglish/1417453147_817424.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2014/12/01/inenglish/1417453147_817424.htmlMon, 01 Dec 2014 17:22:31 +0000How radical Deportivo de La Coruña soccer fans got hold of tickets to the match against Atlético Madrid was one of the big unknowns about Sunday’s violent confrontation between hardcore ultra gangs from the two teams that left one man dead and a dozen injured.

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]]>PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU<![CDATA[Atlético Madrid and Barcelona get ready for unique Liga ‘final’ at Camp Nou]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2014/05/12/inenglish/1399900209_558789.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2014/05/12/inenglish/1399900209_558789.htmlMon, 12 May 2014 13:43:25 +0000A heart-stopping, emotional roller-coaster of an afternoon on Sunday left this year’s Liga title still hanging in the balance. The fight between leader Atlético Madrid, which stalled with a 1-1 tie at home to Málaga, and second-placed Barcelona, which could only manage a 0-0 tie away at Elche, will now go right down to the pair’s last game of the season, which just happens to be against each other in Camp Nou at 6pm next Saturday. Real Madrid, meanwhile, said goodbye to its title chances with a 2-0 defeat against Celta in Vigo.

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]]>ALBERTO DI LOLLI <![CDATA[Luis Aragonés, inventor of La Roja]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2014/02/02/inenglish/1391351868_357706.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2014/02/02/inenglish/1391351868_357706.htmlSun, 02 Feb 2014 14:53:09 +0000“The ball is music and has to be accompanied properly.” “Iker, the goalkeeper also has to know how to play it. You must take good care of the ball,” Luis Aragonés, who died early on Saturday morning age 75, could be heard to shout in the training sessions prior to the match in which he would turn Spanish soccer history on its head by tossing the ball to a group of small players with the instructions to keep passing. Spain was about to play Denmark in a qualifier for the 2008 European Championship, which the team would go on to win, and Aragonés picked the trio of Andrés Iniesta, Cesc Fàbregas and Xavi — all players with a Barcelona pedigree. The revolution had started. The 1-3 win in Aarhus helped to consolidate the idea of possession-based soccer, an approach that would lead La Roja to more triumphs, with Vicente del Bosque in charge, in the 2010 World Cup and again at Euro 2012.

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]]>alejandro ruesga<![CDATA[Atlético striker Diego Costa elects to play for Spain]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/10/29/inenglish/1383066528_905347.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/10/29/inenglish/1383066528_905347.htmlTue, 29 Oct 2013 17:16:24 +0000Brazil-born Atlético Madrid striker Diego Costa has finally brought to an end an international tug-of-war for his soccer-playing services by issuing a written statement to Fifa and the Brazilian Football Federation – stating that he does not want to be considered for selection by the Canarinha.

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]]>JuanJo Martin<![CDATA[Cristiano Ronaldo handed new contract by Real Madrid]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/09/15/inenglish/1379257603_443025.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/09/15/inenglish/1379257603_443025.htmlSun, 15 Sep 2013 15:10:42 +0000Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo have agreed to renew the player’s contract keeping the Portuguese forward at the club until 2018. With an improved annual salary of close to 20 million euros, the deal makes Ronaldo the highest-paid soccer player in the world, according to Real Madrid.

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]]>JESUS ALVAREZ ORIHUELA<![CDATA[“It’s very easy to talk when you’re watching the game on TV”]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/08/19/inenglish/1376914146_514994.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/08/19/inenglish/1376914146_514994.htmlMon, 19 Aug 2013 12:13:31 +0000In the cafeteria at Atlético Madrid's Cerro del Espino training complex, Diego Costa is greeted warmly by veterans Luís Pereira and Roberto Marina. They congratulate the Brazilian forward on earning a new contract with the team, which was pushed through when interest from Liverpool became apparent. "You've been mugged," Costa smiles back. Everyone at the club says that the forward is a "wonderful person, always in a good mood," which is a very different image to Costa's on-field reputation.

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]]>CRISTÓBAL MANUEL<![CDATA[Carlo Ancelotti signs for Real]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/06/26/inenglish/1372256701_867273.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/06/26/inenglish/1372256701_867273.htmlWed, 26 Jun 2013 14:29:34 +0000Carlo Ancelotti on Tuesday became the eighth coach to be hired under Florentino Pérez's 10-year stop-start tenure as president of Real Madrid. The Italian, 54, follows Vicente del Bosque, Carlos Queiroz, Mariano García Remón, Vanderlei Luxemburgo, Juan Ramón López Caro, Manuel Pellegrini and José Mourinho on the Real bench in the two stages of Pérez's reign, from 2000 to 2006, and 2010 to the present. Of all of those, only current Spain national team coach Del Bosque saw his contract out to the end. The rest received settlements before their stewardships were terminated.

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]]>Juan Carlos Hidalgo<![CDATA[Real returns to its obsession]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/02/11/inenglish/1360599345_340059.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/02/11/inenglish/1360599345_340059.htmlMon, 11 Feb 2013 16:15:07 +0000With this season's Liga having been forfeited to Barcelona — which saw its lead over second-placed Atlético stretch to 12 after Rayo beat Diego Simeone's team 2-1 on Sunday night — Real Madrid now reaches the business end of the current campaign as Manchester United comes to town. The pick of round-of-16 Champions League ties opens on Wednesday night at Madrid's Bernabéu stadium, with the second leg to be played in Manchester on March 5, by which time the result of Real and Barcelona's duel to reach the King's Cup final will also be known.

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]]>PAUL ELLIS PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU<![CDATA[“In England you don’t have to wait until the second half for a game to open up”]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2012/12/27/inenglish/1356642085_618443.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2012/12/27/inenglish/1356642085_618443.htmlThu, 27 Dec 2012 21:06:48 +0000Miguel Pérez Cuesta, Michu, has made a sensational start to his Premier League career with Swansea. The Welsh club snapped up the Oviedo-born midfielder from Rayo Vallecano for a bargain two million euros after he ended last season as the highest-scoring non-striker in La Liga. Michu is currently tied as top scorer in the English top flight with Manchester United’s Robin van Persie.

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]]>CORDON PRESS<![CDATA[Coaches seeing red over referees]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2012/10/31/inenglish/1351708277_120462.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2012/10/31/inenglish/1351708277_120462.htmlWed, 31 Oct 2012 18:30:28 +0000Spain’s soccer coaches have had enough. Since the beginning of the season seven have been ordered to the stands by match referees in what many believe is a persecution. “It seems as though somebody didn’t notice that Franco is dead,” said Miroslav Dukic of Valladolid after receiving his marching orders.

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]]>CLAUDIO ÁLVAREZ<![CDATA[The perks of being the best]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2012/09/10/inenglish/1347297698_798736.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2012/09/10/inenglish/1347297698_798736.htmlMon, 10 Sep 2012 17:44:17 +0000Spain opens its qualification campaign for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil with the knowledge that it will not have to visit the far-flung corners of some of the continent’s coldest cities during the coming winter.

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]]>K. Huesca (EFE)<![CDATA[Does Spain have the boys for Brazil?]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2012/07/05/inenglish/1341495584_117846.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2012/07/05/inenglish/1341495584_117846.htmlThu, 05 Jul 2012 13:53:56 +0000"First we have to qualify. It seems that we are already there or that it will be easy to do so," said Vicente del Bosque when asked about the Brazil World Cup in 2014. On September 11, Spain begins its qualification campaign in Georgia and Del Bosque is counting on the almost mystical allure of a World Cup in Brazil to channel the motivation of a group of players that has just completed an unprecedented triple crown of international tournament victories. "If there is a country that motivates the players, it is Brazil, the cradle of football, a sanctuary to play in and defend our style and our title," said the Spain coach.

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