North Sports

  In Santos, the home of his old team, thousands of mourners lined the streets as Pele was laid to rest. At the club's Urbano Caldeira stadium, Pele had been lying in state for 24 hours so that fans could pay their respects. On Tuesday, a large crowd of people lined the streets as a fire engine carried his casket to a private family funeral. Three-time World Cup champion Pele passed away on December 29th at the age of 82. He has been having treatment for colon cancer since 2021 and was arguably the greatest footballer to ever play the game. After his passing, the Brazilian government proclaimed three days of national mourning, and the nation's new president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, went to Santos to pay his respects. Pele's coffin was transported on a fire truck through the crowded streets of supporters while draped in the Brazilian flag. The home of his 100-year-old mother, Celeste Arantes, was also passed by during the procession. More than 230,000 people, according to...

  Following the Moroccan national team's impressive showing in the FIFA 2022 World Cup, US President Joe Biden has added his name to a growing list of admirers who have expressed their public admiration for them. In a tweet posted on Wednesday, Biden thanked Morocco's head of government, Aziz Akhannouch, for inviting him to witness the semifinal match between Morocco and France. This week, Akhannouch traveled to Washington to attend the US-Africa conference. Regardless of your allegiance, Biden said, "It was amazing to observe what this squad, Morocco, has been able to accomplish." The tweet also included a picture of Akhannouch and Biden enjoying the game alongside other African leaders, including Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari. Over the course of the international tournament, the US has been among those who have admired Morocco's Atlas Lions. Every time Morocco competed in a World Cup match, the US embassy in Rabat prepared to support the Atlas Lions. Follo...

Roman Saiss, the team captain, is a question mark for Moroccan coach Walid Regragui ahead of Wednesday's semifinal match against France. The Atlas Lions defeated Portugal 1-0 on Saturday, with the Moroccan captain being carried off the field on a stretcher 13 minutes into the game. Thirteen minutes into The Atlas Lions' 1-0 victory over Portugal on Saturday, the Moroccan captain was being carried off the field on a stretcher while sobbing. Nayef Akrad and Nawsir Mazrawi, however, might be permitted to join the squad for the match against France. Due to injuries, the two players were unable to compete against Portugal in the quarterfinals. According to a source in the squad's camp, "Mazrawi trained in accordance with the precautionary measures that he got from the technical and medical personnel of the Lions team, for fear of aggravating his health and re-injuring." Morocco became the first nation from Africa to get to the World Cup semifinals. When the Atlas Lions...

  Obviously, Peter Drury has taken over as the voice of English football commentary. When Morocco defeated Portugal to become the first nation from the continent to get to the semifinals of a FIFA World Cup, he was at his most poetic. Peter Drury is currently just displaying when he stands in front of the microphone. The prominent English analyst waxed poetic in his description of Morocco's triumph over Portugal, establishing the Atlas Lions as the first country from Africa to advance to the FIFA World Cup semifinals. "IT IS A MOROCCAN MARVEL! THE ATLAS LIONS ARE NOW JUST ONE MORE PROWLING STEP FROM THE WORLD CUP FINAL ITSELF!    "THE ARAB WORLD UNITES! THE AFRICAN CONTINENT BELIEVES! ITS STANDARD BEARER CONTINUES TO CONJURE WITH THE BARELY BELIEVABLE! "FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD CUP THERE WILL BE AN AFRICAN NATION IN THE SEMIFINALS! AND PORTUGAL ARE OUT, AND CRISTIANO RONALDO IS OUT!"            #FIFAWORLDCUP On Wednesday...

 After Brazil's World Cup match against South Korea, a frightening video showing Samuel Eto'o punching an unidentified man outside the stadium has appeared online. Eto'o is believed to have attended the large number of spectators who gathered at Stadium 974 on December 5 on Monday night to watch the round of 16 match. The Barcelona icon, though, appeared to lose his composure soon after the game, as seen by a now-viral video that is making the rounds on social media and showing him kneeing a cameraman in the parking lot.

  Samuel Eto'o , the president of the Cameroonian Football Federation, congratulated Morocco on being the fourth African nation to advance to the World Cup quarterfinals. After defeating Spain in a penalty shootout on Tuesday, the Atlas Lions shocked the 2010 champions to advance to the round of eight. Yassine Bounou, the goalkeeper for Morocco, made two saves from kicks, and Achraf Hakimi added the cherry on top with a well executed penalty kick. Eto'o, who predicted a Morocco vs. Cameroon final, lauded the North Africans on social media. "History is made. The fourth African team to ever make it to the quarter finals. Bravo Morocco," wrote Eto'o on Twitter .  Only Morocco and three other African nations—Cameroon, Senegal, and Ghana—have advanced to the World Cup's round of eight. Portugal, which defeated Switzerland 6-1, will now play the former African champions in the quarterfinal. Even though Cameroon defeated Brazil and drew with Serbia, they were elimina...

  Following their behavior at the conclusion of their final World Cup group match against Ghana, the Uruguayan football association and four players have been the subject of disciplinary action by Fifa. Uruguay defeated Ghana 2-0 but lost on goals scored, placing third in Group H behind South Korea. At the end of the game, the Uruguayan players became enraged when the referee failed to give a penalty for a collision between Darwin Nunez and Alidu Seidu. They confronted him and appeared to be assaulting his assistant. For violating Fifa's disciplinary code regarding offensive behavior and misconduct, Jose Maria Gimenez, Edinson Cavani, Fernando Muslera, and Diego Godin could all face sanctions. The Uruguayan FA will be held accountable for the same code violations as well as one involving discrimination. After the game, Valencia forward Cavani was caught on camera pushing over the pitchside monitor as he made his way down the tunnel, prompting ITV analyst Ian Wright to call him a ...