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Billy Haisley

A child taunts the Chelsea fans during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Leeds United at Stamford Bridge on February 10, 2026 in London, United Kingdom.

There Are No Good Teams In The Premier League

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<div>Abigail Segel is a contributing writer at Defector. She is also an editor for The IX Soccer and the Equalizer. Her work has been published in the Guardian and the Montreal Gazette.</div>
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Abigail Segel

Manchester City players huddle ahead of the Subway Women's League Cup Semi Final match between Manchester City and Chelsea at Joie Stadium on January 21, 2026 in Manchester, England.

Manchester City Lost A Battle But Is Winning The War For English Women’s Soccer Supremacy

Ray Ratto

Fans of Manchester United protest against the club's owners outside the stadium, as a fan wears a sticker reading "Love United Hate Glazer" on his head.

Manchester United Wants To Get Into The Docuseries Business

Luis Paez-Pumar

Morocco players celebrating winning the semi-final on penalties during the Africa Cup Of Nations Semi-final match between Nigeria and Morocco at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium on January 14, 2026 in Rabat, Morocco.

Morocco Outlasted Nigeria In A Battle Of Africa’s Finest

Xabi Alonso head coach of Real Madrid and Real Madrid president Florentino Perez greet after the Spanish Super Cup final match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid at King Abdullah Sports City Hall Stadium on January 11, 2026 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Real Madrid Cuts Down Its Fall Guy

Fans hoist Luke Duffy of Macclesfield (L) and Paul Dawson of Macclesfield onto their shoulders as they celebrate victory after the Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between Macclesfield and Crystal Palace on January 10, 2026 in Macclesfield, England.

Macclesfield’s Historic Upset Is Why The FA Cup Rules

Diego Simeone head coach of Atletico de Madrid argues with Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid CF during Copa del Rey match between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid CF at Civitas Metropolitano Stadium on January 18, 2024 in Madrid, Spain.

Diego Simeone Spiced Up The Supercopa With A Bit Of Vinícius Heckling

Ruben Amorim, Manager of Manchester United looks on prior to the Premier League match between Leeds United and Manchester United at Elland Road on January 04, 2026 in Leeds, England.

When A Coach Gets The Can And It Makes Him Feel Grand, That’s Amorim

Head Coach Enzo Maresca of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Everton at Stamford Bridge on December 13, 2025 in London, England.

Unlikable Manager Loses Job At Detestable Club

Christen Press and Tobin Heath at their live show

Christen Press And Tobin Heath Want To Keep Up The Fight

Arsenal players form a huddle prior to the Premier League match between Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Emirates Stadium on December 13, 2025 in London, England.

Arsenal Is Heading For A Title That Only A Gooner Could Love

Xabi Alonso, Head Coach of Real Madrid, reacts during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD6 match between Real Madrid C.F. and Manchester City at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on December 10, 2025 in Madrid, Spain.

Real Madrid Is Stuck

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah applauds the fans after the English Premier League match between Leeds United and Liverpool in Leeds, Britain, on Dec. 6, 2025.

Everyone Loses In The Liverpool-Mo Salah Clash

Phil Foden of Manchester City and Rayan Cherki of Manchester City celebrate 4th goal during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Sunderland at Etihad Stadium on December 6, 2025 in Manchester, England.

Rayan Cherki’s Pass Was A Thing Of Beauty

Tom Ley

Mohamed Salah of Liverpool waves to the fans at full time during the Premier League match between Leeds United and Liverpool at Elland Road on December 6, 2025 in Leeds, England.

Liverpool’s Nightmare Season Now Features Mo Salah Drama

Here’s The 2026 World Cup Draw

Nice's fans cheer their team with smoke flares during the French L1 football match between OGC Nice and Olympique de Marseille (OM) at the Allianz Riviera stadium in Nice, south-eastern France, on November 21, 2025.

OGC Nice Fans Physically And Verbally Attacked Players After Loss

Zohran Mamdani holding up a photo of Ian Wright

This Is So Stupid

Can Zohran Mamdani Keep New Yorkers Safe From Remembering Some Arsenal Guys?

Idrissa Gueye of Everton receives a red card for a disagreement with Michael Keane of Everton during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Everton at Old Trafford on November 24, 2025 in Manchester, England.

You Can Get Slapped By Your Own Teammate And Still Beat Manchester United

SAN JOSE, CA - NOVEMBER 22: Rose Lavelle #16 of NY/NJ Gotham FC celebrates scoring the winning goal with teammates during the 2025 NWSL championship game between Washington Spirit and NJ|NY Gotham City FC at PayPal Park on November 22, 2025, in San Jose, CA. (Photo by Elysia Su/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)

Gotham Grabs The Crown Of An NWSL At A Tipping Point

<p>Lesley Ryder is a writer and a host covering the Chicago Red Stars. She co-created <a href="https://galpalsports.com/">Gal Pal Sports</a>, a platform that lives to make women’s sports fun for everyone.</p>


Lesley Ryder


<p>Diana Moskovitz is Defector&#8217;s investigations editor. You can contact her at diana@defector.com or dfmoskovitz@protonmail.com. She&#8217;s also on Signal @dmoskovitz.99</p>


Diana Moskovitz

A detail of the NWSL logo on a game ball prior to the NWSL match between the Houston Dash and the Angel City FC at Shell Energy Stadium on April 12, 2025 in Houston, Texas.

The NWSL Received 43 Complaints In 2024, And Five In The First Half Of This Year, Public Records Show

Scotland's Kieran Tierney (R) and Kenny McLean celebrate at full time during a FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier between Scotland and Denmark at Hampden Park, on November 18, 2025, in Glasgow, Scotland.

Scotland Stunned Its Way Back To The World Cup

Ireland's forward #07 Troy Parrott celebrates his 2-3 during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group F European qualification football match betweem Hungary and Republic of Ireland at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary on November 16, 2025.

The World Cup Is The Best, Even When It’s Not The World Cup

Norway's team players ans staff celebrate their victory at the end of the FIFA World Cup 2026 European qualification football match between Italy and Norway, at the San Siro Stadium, in Milan, on November 16, 2025.

Norway Is So Much More Than Just Erling Haaland

Luis Rubiales and editor Gonzalo Sichar speak during the presentation of "Matar a Rubiales"on November 13, 2025, in Madrid, Spain. The former president of the RFEF presents his book "Matar a Rubiales" in which he tells his version of events about the non-consensual kiss to Jenni Hermoso.