7:44 AM ET Associated Press FIFA president Gianni Infantino has urged the 32 nations preparing for the most political World Cup in the modern era to focus on the game in Qatar and avoid handing out lessons in morality. A letter imploring teams to “let football take center stage” was sent by Infantino and FIFA

7:30 AM ET Manchester City ended their Champions League group campaign unbeaten with a 3-1 victory over Sevilla at the Etihad on Wednesday and gave their fans a new name to sing: Rico Lewis. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, more (U.S.) City actually had to come from behind after Rafa Mir opened the

4:45 PM ET Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has shocked the football world this evening by announcing that he intends to retire, not at the end of the current season but midway through the current campaign when the Spanish league breaks for the World Cup later this month. 2 Related Pique revealed that Barca’s upcoming game

4:33 AM ET Connor O’Halloran Vivianne Miedema has scored two goals in five games in the WSL this season. Julian Finney/Getty Images Arsenal forward Vivianne Miedema has been granted a leave of absence by the club to “rest and recharge.” The Netherlands international, who finished at No. 11 in voting for the Ballon d’Or Femenin last

6:27 PM ET Liam Wheeler Chelsea sailed through to Champions League knockout stages with a 2-1 win over Dinamo Zagreb at Stamford Bridge. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, more (U.S.) In their first fixture since Halloween, the hosts were given an early fright when Bruno Petkovic capitalised on some poor defending, but goals

12:49 PM ET A stirring speech made by Lionel Messi before Argentina‘s Copa America win against Brazil has been revealed in a new documentary about the tournament. Messi captained Argentina to the trophy last year — his first senior honour for his country after a host of near-misses — with a 1-0 victory against Brazil

4:30 AM ET It looked at one stage as though Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang would become the talisman of Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, yet now he is the symbol of a dysfunctional period the Gunners appear to be leaving behind. 2 Related Aubameyang signed a new three-year contract with Arsenal in September 2020 — worth an initial £250,000-a-week

3:36 AM ET The organisers of the World Cup in Qatar are paying groups of fans to travel to the tournament, saying they are asking them for positive comments on social media in return. The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) confirmed the policy of inviting groups of supporters to the finals as guests

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9:34 AM ET The participants in the 2022 MLS Cup final are set, and for the first time since 2003, the top seed in each conference — the Philadelphia Union in the East and LAFC in the West — will square off. It will take some doing to reach the drama of that 2003 final,