World Football

Indonesia President Joko Widodo confirmed the football stadium at which more than 130 people died in a crush will be demolished.

"We agreed to thoroughly transform Indonesian soccer," Widodo said after meeting FIFA President Gianni Infantino, per Reuters' Stanley Widianto.

The Kanjuruhan Stadium will be rebuilt in accordance with FIFA code.

Following a match between Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya in Malang, East Java, on Oct. 1, police responded to crowd disturbance by using tear gas on those in attendance.

The Associated Press cited eyewitnesses who said the police's use of tear gas led supporters to run away from the scene toward the stadium's exits, causing a crush. They also said some gates leading out of the stadium were locked.

Police spokesperson Dedi Prasetyo claimed the gates "were not closed but they were too small" and could only fit two people at a time.

An official investigation cited the use of tear gas as the inciting factor and that "police personnel on duty had no knowledge of the prohibition of tear gas at soccer matches," per Reuters. The investigation called said officers fired the tear gas "indiscriminately."

This wasn't the first instance of violence at a match in Indonesia, prompting the discussions over structural reforms with FIFA.

Widianto noted Indonesia is due to host the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2023 as well, an event that is likely to draw in fans from around the world.

"This is a football country, a country where football is a passion for over 100 million people," Infantino said. "We owe it to them that when they see a match they are safe and secure."

Kylian Mbappé is not seeking a move away from Paris Saint-Germain this winter despite rumors suggesting otherwise.

“I have not asked to leave Paris Saint-Germain in January. I’m not furious with the club; it’s not true," the French soccer star told RMC Sport after Sunday's win over Marseille, per Fabrizio Romano.

Mario Cortegana of Marca (via Get Spanish Football News) reported Oct. 11 that Mbappé's relationship with PSG was "broken" and that he would seek a transfer from the club in the January window.

ESPN's Julien Laurens confirmed the news, writing that Mbappé "feels betrayed by the club and has enough."

"Sources said Mbappé thinks promises made by sporting director Luís Campos, president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and manager Christophe Galtier have not been kept," Laurens wrote. "Sources close to Mbappe say he made a mistake by agreeing a new deal to stay at the club in May."

Mbappé signed a three-year contract extension with PSG in May after months of reports linking him to La Liga side Real Madrid. The 23-year-old received a €100 million signing bonus and a €50 million salary, per Adam White of Get French Football News (h/t the Guardian).

In addition, Mbappé was expected to be given a significant amount of power in decision-making for the club, though it doesn't appear his requests are being met, hence his reported displeasure.

One of Mbappé's reported demands was for the club to sell Brazilian star Neymar. He was also reportedly promised the addition of a "world-class center-back" to shore up the defense.

However, Neymar remains with the club, and PSG failed to add a center-back despite a hot pursuit of Inter Milan's Milan Skriniar before the season began.

PSG have denied a rift in the relationship between Mbappé and Neymar, with Galtier claiming the relationship is "very good."

In addition, Campos denied rumors of Mbappé wanting to exit the club while speaking ahead of its Champions League clash with Benfica on Oct. 11, per Mitchell Wilks of Goal.com:

"I am here to clearly deny, he [Mbappé] did not speak to me or to my president about leaving in January. This question never came up and we never talked about it. There are rumours every day, and we can't talk about them every day. But this one, it is serious. Because my name is there. An impact on the locker room? No, they are experienced players. It's not real news anyway, and it's not going to disrupt the group.

"We speak with Kylian every day, as with Neymar, Danilo, Vitinha and Verratti. All the players have their ideas and we discuss. On recruitment, we talked about it a month ago. It was very clear. And today, we work every day to be stronger."

Mbappé is PSG's best player and figures to play a significant role in the future of the club. He joined Les Parisiens ahead of the 2017-18 season after three years with Monaco and has tallied 127 goals in 151 Ligue 1 matches.

With Mbappé himself denying the rumors, it's reasonable to believe he'll honor his commitment to the club, at least for now. He's under contract with Paris through 2025.

Paris Saint-Germain announced that Lionel Messi will miss Tuesday's Champions League match against Benfica because of a minor calf injury.

Messi wasn't in the squad for PSG's 0-0 draw with Stade de Reims on Saturday. His status for their upcoming Ligue 1 fixture with Marseille this Sunday is unclear.

The 35-year-old is looking more like his usual self following an underwhelming first season in the French capital. He has five goals and seven assists through nine matches in Ligue 1 and another two goals and one assist at the halfway mark of the Champions League group stage.

Messi was Paris Saint-Germain's lone goalscorer in a 1-1 draw with Benfica in their first meeting.

Without Messi, PSG aren't lacking in firepower with Kylian Mbappé and Neymar. The squad is generally looking more cohesive under manager Christophe Galtier as well.

Still, Benfica have been difficult to break down defensively this season. They've allowed five goals in nine league Primeira Liga matches and two goals in their first three UCL fixtures.

Roger Schmidt's side will presumably sit deep to counter PSG's attacking threat. In that 1-1 draw, Benfica finished with 40 percent of possession and saw their opponents complete twice as many passes.

Even into his mid-30s, Messi has the singular ability to create something from nothing. His absence will undoubtedly make it harder for Paris Saint-Germain to come away with three points on Tuesday.

Arnim Whisler is no longer the chairman of the Chicago Red Stars.

Following the release of the findings from the independent investigation led by former United States deputy attorney general Sally Q. Yates that looked into allegations of abuse and sexual misconduct within women's professional soccer in the U.S., the NWSL team's board of directors announced it voted to remove Whisler from his position.

"The Board was deeply disappointed after reading the Yates report and believes the club cannot move forward in rebuilding trust with players, staff and the Red Stars community with his continued involvement," the statement said, in part.

Whisler released a statement on Tuesday revealing he was removing himself from his governance role with the NWSL board of governors and would no longer be in control of the Red Stars because he believed "current presence is a distraction."

He also said, "I am filled with sorrow upon reading the many stories and experiences shared by so many incredibly brave individuals who have played in the NWSL, including our beloved club. I am so deeply sorry for what our players experienced during their time spent in Chicago."

On Monday, the United States Soccer Federation released the findings of the investigation one year to the date it announced it retained Yates to conduct it after multiple reports of allegations of mistreatment toward players, sexual misconduct, and hostile workplaces.

The full report summarized the findings of abuse and misconduct within the sport at multiple levels:

"Our investigation has revealed a league in which abuse and misconduct—verbal and emotional abuse and sexual misconduct—had become systemic, spanning multiple teams, coaches, and victims. Abuse in the NWSL is rooted in a deeper culture in women's soccer, beginning in youth leagues, that normalizes verbally abusive coaching and blurs boundaries between coaches and players. The verbal and emotional abuse players describe in the NWSL is not merely 'tough' coaching."

Notably, U.S. women's national team star Christen Press told the Washington Post's Molly Hensley-Clancy last November that Rory Dames, who was her coach with the Red Stars, created a "toxic environment."

She said then-president Sunil Gulati "dismissed her concerns."

Whisler was mentioned a number of times in the Yates report, including when he suggested National Team players had an "axe to grind" with Dames and were motivated by their desire for "this league to shut down."

He also dismissed concerns about Dames as "Rory being Rory" and never completed a full background check or due diligence of the coach before hiring him, per Yates' report. Witnesses said Whisler was long aware of Dames' verbal and emotional abuse and even declined to accept the coach's resignation offer amid the complaints against him.

Following the release of the report's findings, U.S. Soccer announced it would undertake a number of recommendations in an effort to improve player safety.

Among those recommendations is a mandate to create a "uniform minimum standard for background checks for all U.S. Soccer members" and "the creation of a new player-driven Participant Safety Taskforce to convene leaders in soccer at all levels across the country – from professional leagues to youth and grassroots clubs."

The Red Stars are preparing to start their NWSL postseason run after clinching the sixth and final seed with a 2-0 victory over Angel City on Sunday. They will face the San Diego Wave in the first round on Oct. 16.

The Portland Timbers and Thorns FC fired president of soccer Gavin Wilkinson and president of business Mike Golub on Wednesday amid the ongoing fallout from an investigation that found widespread misconduct throughout women's soccer.

An investigation conducted by former U.S. deputy attorney general Sally Yates found Wilkinson gave a positive recommendation to former Thorns coach Paul Riley despite Riley being accused of sexual misconduct and abusive behavior toward players. The report alleged Riley engaged in sexual relationships with players and suggested players kiss one another to get out of drills in practice.

Wilkinson did not disclose any of Riley's behavior when recommending him for a job with the Western New York Flash (now the North Carolina Courage).

"In an email to [former U.S. Soccer president] Sunil Gulati, [former U.S. Soccer CEO] Dan Flynn, and [NWSL general counsel] Lisa Levine, [former NWSL commissioner] Jeff Plush conveyed his understanding that Gavin Wilkinson told the Flash that Riley was 'put in a bad position by the player,' and that Wilkinson would 'hire [Riley] in a heartbeat,'" the report read.

Golub is accused of making lewd comments in the report, including asking former coach Cindy Parlow Cone, "What's on your bucket list besides sleeping with me?"

Thorns owner Merritt Paulson is accused of knowing about the rampant inappropriate behavior in the organization but failing to take action. As noted by Sam Stejskal, Paul Tenorio and Meg Linehan of The Athletic, Wilkinson signed a contract extension earlier this year despite Yates' investigation being well underway. However, a club spokesperson told The Athletic that Wilkinson's extension was effective Jan. 1, 2023, because the Thorns were "cognizant that new information may be discovered in the course of these investigations, and ensured that it could address those concerns prior to the extension taking effect."

Paulson has stepped away from the team amid the fallout of the investigation. He maintains ownership control but is not handling any day-to-day operations.

Heather Davis has been interim president of Peregrine Sports, the company that operates both teams.

USA Curling CEO Jeff Plush is under fire after a United States Soccer Federation independent investigation into "allegations of past abusive behavior and sexual misconduct in women’s professional soccer" found that the former NWSL commissioner did not take appropriate action when confronted with player reports of abuse during his tenure running the league.

In light of the report, the USA Curling Board of Directors released a statement backing its CEO, saying that he "acted in accordance with prioritizing the safety of athletes" when he oversaw the NWSL from 2014-2017.

The statement read, in part:

"Through internal and external review procedures, the Board conducted an independent investigation to ensure that former commissioner of the National Women’s Soccer League and current Chief Executive Officer of USA Curling, Jeff Plush, acted in accordance with prioritizing the safety of athletes—which was found to be the case.

"The Board called a special session on October 3, 2022, following the release of US Soccer’s independent investigation. This convening was called for the sole purpose of thorough review and discussion regarding the current investigative report. The Board will navigate forward in a way that reviews fact and prioritizes safety for all."

Former U.S. deputy attorney general Sally Q. Yates led the investigation, and she summarized her conclusions as follows in the report:

"Our investigation has revealed a league in which abuse and misconduct—verbal and emotional abuse and sexual misconduct—had become systemic, spanning multiple teams, coaches, and victims. Abuse in the NWSL is rooted in a deeper culture in women’s soccer, beginning in youth leagues, that normalizes verbally abusive coaching and blurs boundaries between coaches and players."

Nancy Armour of USA Today summarized the findings against Plush, who did not respond to requests for an interview as part of the U.S. Soccer Federation investigation:

"USA Curling’s CEO is Jeff Plush, who was the NWSL’s commissioner from 2014 to 2017. During that time, several players alerted the league and U.S. Soccer to abuse by their coaches, including verbal tirades, retaliation, sexual harassment and sexual coercion. There often was no punishment and, in the instances where there were repercussions, coaches were allowed to move to other teams without anyone at the league or federation raising an alarm."

Most specifically, the report alleges that Plush was made aware of allegations of sexual harassment and coercion against then-Portland Thorns coach Paul Riley. Portland Thorns player Mana Shim notably reported her allegations directly to Plush, who forwarded an email to U.S. Soccer about the matter.

However, the league never took action against Riley, who eventually landed another head coaching job in the league with the Western New York Flash (now North Carolina Courage) from 2016-21. Riley was fired in 2021 shortly after Meg Linehan of The Athletic released a report detailing allegations against the coach from multiple players on different teams.

Plush was named USA Curling's CEO on Feb. 5, 2020.

United States women's national soccer team captain Becky Sauerbrunn called for the removal of people responsible for misconduct in the National Women's Soccer League.

"The players are not doing well. We are horrified and heartbroken and frustrated and exhausted and really, really angry," Sauerbrunn told reporters Tuesday. "It's my opinion that every owner and executive and U.S. Soccer official who has repeatedly failed the players and failed to protect the players, who have hidden behind legalities and have not participated in these investigations, should be gone."

An investigation conducted by former U.S. deputy attorney general Sally Yates found widespread sexual misconduct and other abuse toward players across the league, along with several NWSL owners and U.S. Soccer officials ignoring complaints.

Former Racing Louisville coach Christy Holly, former Portland Thorns coach Paul Riley and former Chicago Red Stars coach Rory Dames were cited throughout the report for acts of sexual or verbal abuse against players.

"Our investigation has revealed a league in which abuse and misconduct—verbal and emotional abuse and sexual misconduct—had become systemic, spanning multiple teams, coaches, and victims," the report read. "Abuse in the NWSL is rooted in a deeper culture in women's soccer, beginning in youth leagues, that normalizes verbally abusive coaching and blurs boundaries between coaches and players."

The report states all three organizations were either misleading or not entirely forthright throughout the investigation. Former NWSL commissioner Jeff Plush also refused to cooperate with investigators. Plush allegedly knew of Riley's misconduct and did not prevent him from coaching.

According to the report, Riley is accused of making lewd sexual and defamatory comments, having sexual relationships with players and providing alcohol. One incident saw Riley allegedly suggest players kiss one another during practice.

Holly is accused of multiple acts of sexual misconduct and assault, including forcibly putting his hands down the pants of a player during a film session. He also allegedly sent unsolicited sexually explicit photos to the player and masturbated in front of her during another film session.

Dames was accused of more than a decade's worth of abuse dating back to 1998 that largely went unchecked. Only when Christen Press filed a complaint in 2018 was Dames removed from his post as coach of the Red Stars.

Yates' investigation found that not only were player complaints about these coaches ignored but those within the soccer community offered at-times glowing recommendations for the coaches for different jobs.

Thorns general manager Gavin Wilkinson is accused of recommending Riley for a job with the Western New York Flash and not providing the team with any information regarding the past allegations.

Yates noted in the report that the abuse was systemic across the league and both the NWSL and U.S. Soccer "failed to put in place basic measures for player safety" from the founding of the league. Likewise, the report found "overlapping 'jurisdiction' among teams, the NWSL, and USSF ... enabled each organization to avoid taking independent responsibility for player safety."

At least 125 fans were killed after riots broke out following an Indonesian league soccer match Saturday in Malang, East Java, according to the Associated Press.

Per The Guardian, Persebaya Surabaya earned a 3-2 victory over Arema. Arema supporters then reportedly "stormed the pitch and authorities fired tear gas, leading to a crush and cases of suffocation."

The AP provided more information, noting that witnesses said that "police beat them with sticks and shields before shooting canisters directly into the crowds." At that point, "hundreds of people ran to the exit to avoid the tear gas. In the chaos, 34 died at the stadium, including two officers, and some reports include children among the casualties."

More than 300 people were taken to local hospitals, but some died on the way and during treatment, East Java police chief Nico Afinta said Sunday during a press conference.

The Indonesian soccer federation has suspended play indefinitely in top division Liga 1 and has banned Arema "from hosting soccer matches for the remainder of the season," per the AP.

Saturday's events are part of what has been a larger problem, though. David Lipson of ABC in Australia wrote in February 2019 how at least 74 people had died in Indonesia in "football-related violence" since 1994.

Fajar Junaedi, an Indonesian professor who studies the sport, told Vice in September 2018 that he thought disorganization within the necessary governing bodies was partially to blame.

"The main factor is that the officials employ poor procedures and management," he said. "Both the organizing committee and the security officers don’t comply to the regulations. This has been a major problem for years."

Five women's soccer players told Nathan Kalman-Lamb and Derek Silva of the Guardian that they heard racist chants coming from BYU's fans during a game in 2021 after the players took a knee during the national anthem in a protest against racial discrimination and police brutality.

"I just remember that there was like a consistent chant of, 'Stand up, N-words' during the anthem and right after," one of the players said. "And when brought to the attention of the BYU coaching staff there was no real response or sense of, like, alarm."

"I felt disappointed but not surprised," she continued. "Backlash for kneeling was not new for our group but to hear that in person was shocking. I think both the fans and coaching staff knew we wouldn't cancel the game after the incident, which once again shows this could be part of a bigger cultural issue within BYU as an institution."

The accusations come in the wake of Duke volleyball player Rachel Richardson accusing BYU fans of directing racial slurs and threats at her and her teammates during an August match:

She also said the BYU officials and coaching staff failed to properly address the situation when made aware.

While BYU modified its code of conduct and even briefly banned a fan from future events—that fan was later reinstated after a formal review—the school said it found no evidence of racial slurs nor threats during the August match.

"From our extensive review, we have not found any evidence to corroborate the allegation that fans engaged in racial heckling or uttered racial slurs at the event," BYU said in a statement at the time. "As we stated earlier, we would not tolerate any conduct that would make a student-athlete feel unsafe. That is the reason for our immediate response and our thorough investigation."

BYU also denied having any knowledge of racist chanting at the 2021 soccer match in question.

"BYU responded to a concern from the [visiting team] about fan reaction when players knelt during the national anthem. A public announcement, similar to one made earlier, reminding fans to be respectful was repeated, and the game proceeded," associate athletic director for communications and media strategy Jon McBride told Kalman-Lamb and Silva. "We are not aware of any additional concerns being brought up during the game or any time thereafter. As we have stated, BYU will not tolerate racism in any form."

Alongside the five players who said they heard racist remarks coming from the crowd, a sixth player said she had not heard them but said that BYU's coach was informed of the slurs and "seemed shocked and did ask" for another announcement about fan behavior.