A referee is alleged to have made a remark referring to menstruation that has revived concerns about treatment of playersIt was a comment allegedly made by a referee during a WK League match that became one of the biggest controversies in South Korean women’s football. What began as an on-field dispute involving South Korea’s all-time top goalscorer, Ji So-yun, has since developed into a wider debate, prompting a response from the Korea Football Association and raising questions about the treatment of female players, the structural set-up of women’s football in Korea and accountability within its governing bodies.It was around the 31st minute of the Suwon FC Women v Seoul City Hall game on 28 August when the incident happened. Suwon’s former Chelsea midfielder Ji appealed for a foul after what she felt were repeated rough tackles by the opposition. The female referee, Bae Sun-young, is then alleged to have made, over the officials’ radio system, a remark interpreted as referring to menstruation after describing Ji as “sensitive from the start”. Ji says she overheard the comment and footage from the game shows Ji visibly upset as she talks to the referee. Ji was shown a yellow card after confronting the official. In frustration Ji threw a water bottle as she approached the Suwon bench. Bae walked towards Ji, appearing to reach for a red card before deciding against issuing one, showing a yellow instead.This is an extract from our free email about women’s football, Moving the Goalposts. To get the full edition, visit this page and follow the instructions. Moving the Goalposts is delivered to your inboxes every Tuesday and Thursday. Continue reading...
Ibrahim Maza and Patrik Schick rounded off Bayer Leverkusen’s first Bundesliga victory of 2026/27 against Union Berlin, but it was their two Argentine goalscorers who underlined the Spanish-speaking reset that's taken place at the BayArena.
Rangers beat Motherwell 1-0 but lose Shankland to injuryKerjota’s late winner sees Hearts edge past DundeeYang Hyun-jun scored the winner as Celtic came from behind to beat an impressive St Mirren side 2-1. St Mirren were heading for the top of the Premiership when Nikolas Agrafiotis netted from the spot midway through the first half.Liam Scales conceded the penalty with a handball but made amends when he headed home six minutes after the break. And Yang finished off a counterattack midway through the second half after good pressing from Camilo Durán. Continue reading...
With the 2026 MLS season already underway, questions are being raised about when Argentina and Inter Miami star Lionel Messi will play his next game. Lionel Messi is still making history at 38 years old, remaining a cornerstone and captain for both Inter Miami and the Argentina national team. With the 2026 Major League Soccer season now underway, fans are wondering when they’ll see the forward back in action. Lionel Messi’s next match with Inter Miami is scheduled for Wednesday, September 9, when the Herons visit the Chicago Fire at Soldier Field for the 2026 MLS. The Argentine star heads to the game after selivering an assist in the 2-2 draw against Atlanta United As for his next game with Argentina, there is no game scheduled yet, but the next matchups will be in the upcoming extended international break in September-October. Still, Lionel Messi has already announced his retirement from the national team, marking the end of an era at the Albiceleste. During the World Cup, Messi featured in all eight matches for Argentina scoring eigth goals to cement his legacy as the second all-time top scorer in the torunament with 21 career World Cup goals. As for the 2026 MLS campaign, Messi has featured in 20 official matches so far across all competitions for Inter Miami, scoring 18 goals with 10 assist registered thus far. Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami CF during the MLS match against LAFC. Lionel Messi and the task of defending the World Cup title The year 2026 will be especially significant for Messi, not only because of Inter Miami’s ambitions but also because he’ll head into the 2026 World Cup aiming to defend the title. The triumph in Qatar in 2022 marked one of the defining peaks of his career, and now in North America he’ll enter another tournament wearing the champions’ badge for the first time. Drawn into Group J, Argentina will open its campaign against Algeria on Tuesday, June 16, in Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium. The second match will be against Austria on Monday the 22nd in Arlington at AT&T Stadium, before closing the group stage against Jordan on Saturday the 27th, also in Texas. The Argentina FA has announced that the national team will base itself in Kansas City during the tournament, though training facilities have yet to be confirmed. Expected to be his final World Cup appearance, Messi will have a chance to add to his record haul with a squad coached by Lionel Scaloni that remains one of the strongest in international soccer after winning the last World Cup and back-to-back Copa América titles.
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