L’agression de Kheira Hamraoui: où est la vérité ?

By BY TARIQ PANJA from NYT Sports L’agression de la footballeuse du PSG a choqué les esprits: attaquants masqués, barre métallique, sa coéquipière Aminata Diallo arrêtée. Ces dernières semaines, de nouveaux éléments sont venus bouleverser la première version de l’histoire.https://nyti.ms/3dv82x5

The Elusive Truth Behind the Attack on a French Soccer Star

By BY TARIQ PANJA from NYT Sports The assault of a top women’s player made headlines, with masked men, a metal bar and a teammate arrested. But weeks later, new details suggest the original story might have been wrong.https://nyti.ms/3rGVgnq

The Demise of the Old Lady

By BY RORY SMITH from NYT Sports Juventus has thought for too long about the now, and too little about what comes next.https://nyti.ms/3pj7CPG

Lionel Messi Wins Record Seventh Ballon d’Or

By BY RORY SMITH from NYT Sports The Paris St.-Germain star capped a year in which he led Argentina to the Copa América title by edging Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski.https://nyti.ms/319QZ0A

How Much Does Your Team’s Manager Matter?

By BY RORY SMITH from NYT Sports One set of researchers estimated a manager is responsible for only eight percent of a team’s results. But eight percent, when you think about it, is a lot.https://nyti.ms/316aO9b

Le secret le mieux gardé du foot ? Il n’en dira rien.

By BY RORY SMITH from NYT Sports Serveurs de messagerie cryptés, réunion à huis clos, confidentialité absolue. Pour tenir secrète jusqu’au bout l’identité des lauréats du Ballon d’Or, Pascal Ferré, rédacteur en chef de France Football, s’astreint à une discipline qui frise la “paranoïa”.https://nyti.ms/3rckMRs

He Knows the Best-Kept Secret in Sports. No, He Won’t Tell.

By BY RORY SMITH from NYT Sports Encrypted email servers, secret meetings, strict confidentiality: The identity of the winner of the Ballon d’Or, soccer’s biggest individual prize, is guarded like a state secret.https://nyti.ms/3G5126v

Ralf Rangnick Will Manage Manchester United. For Now.

By BY RORY SMITH from NYT Sports Rangnick, an architect of the Red Bull soccer empire, will take over as United’s manager while the club pursues a permanent replacement for Ole Gunner Solskjaer.https://nyti.ms/3CRcaBU

Karim Benzema, French Soccer Star, Is Convicted in Sex Tape Scandal

By BY AURELIEN BREEDEN from NYT Sports The Real Madrid striker was found guilty of being part of an attempt to blackmail a fellow player, charges that had led to his being dropped from his national team for more than five years.https://nyti.ms/32unoQd

Manchester United and the Perils of Living in the Past

By BY RORY SMITH from NYT Sports Years of success under Alex Ferguson changed the way United viewed itself. But the glory days are gone, and the sooner the club admits that, the better.https://nyti.ms/3cyX6hB

The World Cup Is a Year Away. Who’s In?

By BY RORY SMITH from NYT Sports The field for Qatar 2022 is starting to take shape. Here’s a look at where things stand so far.https://nyti.ms/3kWFZup

Solskjaer Out at Manchester United After a Loss Too Far

By BY RORY SMITH from NYT Sports Lopsided defeats against Liverpool and Manchester City had the one-time fan favorite teetering. A humbling loss at lowly Watford finished him off.https://nyti.ms/3x7lpfT

Transfer Rumors From Another World

By BY RORY SMITH from NYT Sports Talk about stars headed to Barcelona and Real Madrid conveniently leaves out an important fact: Neither club can afford them at the moment.https://nyti.ms/3CsClyw

A Resilient Team for a Broken Nation

By BY JAMES MONTAGUE AND BRADLEY SECKER from NYT Sports Afghanistan’s national soccer team played a rare match this week. But what, and whom, does the team represent?https://nyti.ms/3qPPu2f

The World Cup Loses Its First Star

By BY RORY SMITH from NYT Sports Norway’s failure to qualify for Qatar means Erling Haaland will have to watch from home. Norway has taken it in its stride.https://nyti.ms/3nnmNYq

After Mexico Win, U.S. Falls Flat in Draw

By BY ANDREW KEH from NYT Sports Before a sparse Kingston crowd limited by pandemic regulations, the United States could not sustain the momentum from its victory against Mexico last week in front of raucous home fans.https://nyti.ms/3FeTwFA

What’s a Soccer Player Worth? Italy’s Regulators Are Asking.

By BY TARIQ PANJA from NYT Sports The authorities in Italy are investigating dozens of transfers involving top clubs. In doing so, they might pull back the curtain on accounting practices that defy easy explanation.https://nyti.ms/3nknq4W

U.S. Beats Mexico and Then Rubs It In

By BY ANDREW KEH from NYT Sports Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie scored and the Americans, fueled by a perceived slight, reveled in their third win over their rival this year.https://nyti.ms/3Dgcye1

For Qatar, the World Cup’s Glamour Is the Payoff

By BY RORY SMITH from NYT Sports As the 2022 field starts to take shape, there is a sense that the host nation, after a decade of scrutiny and criticism, will at last get the return it expected.https://nyti.ms/3CaY8dK

The Little Country That Could Wonders if It Still Can

By BY RORY SMITH from NYT Sports No South American nation has performed as well as Uruguay over the past three World Cups. Now the country’s three million people wonder if the good times might be over.https://nyti.ms/3Fa0cF2