South Korea 🇰🇷 The K League Assist Foundation launched the PlayONE Cup in Jecheon, a three-day inclusive tournament with 300 players with and without disabilities. The event promotes unity, participation, and social cohesion through football.

Argentina 🇦🇷 Villa La Angostura’s women’s football league returns on 5 October. Six teams will compete, with community support ensuring growth, inclusion, and visibility for women in sport.

Italy 🇮🇹 Giusi Parisi and Chiara Ozino are cycling the country on a tandem bike to promote inclusion. Their 41-stage journey highlights disability access, solidarity, and the power of sport to fight discrimination.

Brazil 🇧🇷 The Copa Alagoas Sub-20 semifinal between CSA and Miguelense was halted for 18 minutes after a CSA player racially abused an opponent. Police intervened and the FA condemned the abuse, referring the case to the Sports Court.

Italy 🇮🇹 In Sassari, Confcommercio Nord Sardegna hosted the “Women, Sport and Inclusion” conference as part of the EU-funded EPF project. Speakers stressed tackling stereotypes, embedding equality in education, and using sport to drive gender inclusion.

Spain 🇪🇸 In Segovia, the regional government will host the third “Deporte y Familia” on 27 Sept as part of European City of Sport 2025. The free event promotes equality and inclusion with family games, disability sports, e-sports, dance, and health workshops.

USA 🇺🇸 The Nashville Peacocks won the National Gay Basketball Association (NGBA) Division B Championship in Chicago celebrating not just victory but competing openly as LGBTQ+ athletes.

France 🇫🇷 In Brest, teacher Yann Hergoualc’h is launching La Bisc, an inclusive LGBT+ sports association. Its aim is to create a safe space that promotes health, conviviality, and community, with a first public meeting on 1 October.

Italy 🇮🇹 Atalanta’s La Scuola allo Stadio returns for its 23rd edition, engaging over 100 classes in Bergamo. The project uses football to teach respect, inclusion, and fair play, with activities tackling racism, bullying, and healthy living.

England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 The growth of women’s football in big stadiums is driving a rethink of venue design. With more families and women attending, new plans prioritise safety, toilets, and inclusivity, with Brighton set to open a custom-built women’s ground in 2027.

Mexico 🇲🇽 In Mexico City, head of government Clara Brugada welcomed the Mexican Short Stature National Football Team, celebrating their achievements and hearing calls for greater support. Players stressed the team’s role in fighting discrimination and driving inclusion. ntcd.mx/noticias-cla...

Türkiye 🇹🇷 Samsunspor hosted an Erasmus+ Sport event on rebuilding respect in sport, where athletes, referees, and NGOs shared experiences of discrimination and explored restorative justice to foster inclusion and respect in sport.

Greece 🇬🇷 Danae Sidira, Crete’s most successful female footballer and now team manager of OFI Women, has been honoured by the Panhellenic Association of Paid Footballers for her career. She dedicated the award to those who supported and inspired her.

England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Brighton CEO Paul Barber has launched the Lost Boys Taskforce, aiming to ensure every teenager in England has a mentor by 2035. The project will train 10,000 mentors to support boys’ wellbeing and tackle isolation, misogyny, and poor mental health.

Mexico 🇲🇽 Club América fans, including children, were denied entry at Estadio Alfonso Lastras for wearing their team’s shirt. Families were mocked, forced to buy local jerseys, and one woman was assaulted. Fans demand action from Liga MX.

France 🇫🇷 At Lyon’s Ligue 1 match against Angers, two fans stole a 17-year-old’s Algerian flag and threatened him with racist abuse. Olympique Lyonnais banned the perpetrators for 18 months, though enforcement remains uncertain.

England Chelsea Women’s manager Sonia Bompastor has spoken out about sexism in football, saying she is often asked in job interviews whether she can manage a top club while being a mother of four, a question she stresses would “never” be asked to a man.

Italy 🇮🇹 Italian referee Manuela Nicolosi, who officiated the 2019 UEFA Super Cup and a Women’s World Cup final, spoke out about sexism in her career. In her book, she recalls being reduced to her looks and excluded from top levels in Italy, forcing her move to France.

Israel 🇮🇱 UEFA is set to vote on suspending Israel from international football over the Gaza war, a move that would bar its teams from competitions. Pressure grows after UN genocide accusations and protests, echoing UEFA’s 2022 ban on Russia. buff.ly/VBpR44x

Spain 🇪🇸 Ahead of El Derbi Madrileño, Real Madrid and Atletico renew a rivalry marked by class divides, violence and racist abuse, with Atletico fans repeatedly targeting Vinicius Jr in recent years.

England In an interview for Sky Sports, Arsenal’s Chloe Kelly called for stronger action against sexism in the sport and said her biggest success this year wasn’t trophies but regaining joy in football after Arsenal restored her confidence.

Australia 🇦🇺 AFL player Mitch Brown, the league’s first openly bisexual footballer, backed Izak Rankine after his ban for a homophobic slur, saying the issue lies in the AFL’s culture of homophobia.

England Bristol City Women were acquired by Mercury13, marking the first full carve-out of a women’s team from a men’s club. The takeover aims to attract major investment and create a blueprint for independent women’s football ownership.

Italy 🇮🇹 Cosenza will launch Walking Football on 10 October, an inclusive sport for men over 50 and women over 40 that prioritises safety, well-being, and social connection by banning running and physical contact.

Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦 Nigerian defender Ashleigh Plumptre and teammate Lina Boussaha responded to a sexist comment claiming Plumptre “belongs in the kitchen.” Plumptre joked about Boussaha’s baking, while both affirmed they “cook on the field,” turning sexism into defiance. buff.ly/6unW3iq

FIFA president Gianni Infantino received a Global Citizen Award in New York, calling for world peace and saying football can unite people.

Netherlands 🇳🇱 Rugby Nederland will allow trans women in the women’s top division under strict conditions, requiring hormone data and coach assessments. The decision defies World Rugby’s ban and aims to balance inclusion, fairness and safety.

Chile 🇨🇱 Conmebol handed Universidad de Chile seven home games behind closed doors, a ban on away fans for seven fixtures, and a $270,000 fine after racist abuse and violence in the Sudamericana tie vs Independiente. The match in Avellaneda was abandoned.

Germany 🇩🇪 Christina Rann will become the first woman to commentate on a Bundesliga Konferenz on TV this Saturday, marking a historic step for women in German sports media.

Afghanistan 🇦🇫 The Afghan women’s refugee football team will debut in Dubai’s FIFA Unites: Women’s Series in October, a powerful stand for inclusion after the Taliban’s ban on women’s sport forced players into exile.

England Tributes continue following the death of Matt Beard, the former Liverpool Women, Chelsea, and West Ham manager, who passed away at 47. Beard is celebrated for galvanising players and laying foundations that helped grow the women’s game in England.

USA 🇺🇸 Hartford Athletic walked off in stoppage time against Pittsburgh Riverhounds after Marlon Hairston said rival captain Danny Griffin used a racial slur. The United Soccer League is investigating, with Pittsburgh denying the claim. buff.ly/sr6gzpY

Italy 🇮🇹 Nausicaa Dell’Orto, NFL and IFAF Global Ambassador, was once told women were “too weak” for American football. She persisted, founding Italy’s first women’s team and league. Now she promotes the sport as a tool for empowerment and inclusion.

Spain 🇪🇸 Sevilla fans targeted Villarreal’s Israeli winger Manor Solomon with chants of “Israel assassinates” and banners calling him a “defender of genocide” during their LaLiga clash. The hostility stemmed from his past posts backing Israeli military actions in Gaza.

England A Women in Football survey found 78% of women in England’s football industry have faced gender discrimination, with many complaints ignored. Women from ethnic minorities face even harsher barriers.

Spain 🇪🇸 Extremadura will guarantee equal sponsorship for women’s and men’s clubs in the same categories, with new funding measures for athletes during pregnancy or injury and continued investment in grassroots sport.

France 🇫🇷 During the Ligue 2 match between Le Mans and Grenoble, fans of Le Mans directed homophobic chants at the referee, forcing a brief stoppage. The club could face sanctions as French football confronts persistent abuse.

Germany 🇩🇪 In Germany’s Bezirksliga Ost, Oberschwarzach player Jonas Edwards was racially abused with the N-word during a match against TSV Trappstadt. His club went public after no apology came from Trappstadt.

Australia 🇦🇺 The Purnim Bears, a largely Indigenous Australian rules team, won a premiership in 1987 but were expelled after a grand final marred by racist abuse and unequal treatment. Their story highlights how racism shaped both their success and downfall.

England Tottenham forward Jess Naz said she is “done being quiet” after receiving racist abuse online following a League Cup game. Spurs condemned the abuse as “disgusting” and vowed strong action with authorities.

Chile 🇨🇱 Mexico’s Katia Itzel García will make history as the only woman main referee at the U-20 World Cup in Chile, leading an all-female officiating team and breaking barriers in international football.

Spain 🇪🇸 Argentine player Lee Aaliya was racially abused online after posing with his national flag at his UCAM Murcia presentation in Spain. The basketball community strongly defended him and condemned the abuse.

Australia 🇦🇺 Capital Football is investigating two racism cases: on 9 Aug, a Gungahlin player allegedly abused two Tigers FC players in a first grade NPL match; and on 31 May, racist abuse was reported after a U16 game in Wagga. Both cases remain under review.

USA 🇺🇸 Hartford Athletic walked off in stoppage time against Pittsburgh Riverhounds after Marlon Hairston said rival captain Danny Griffin used a racial slur. The United Soccer League is investigating, with Pittsburgh denying the claim.

Chile 🇨🇱 Ahead of the Copa Sudamericana quarter-final, Alianza Lima filed a complaint to Conmebol accusing Universidad de Chile fans of xenophobic abuse, an offensive banner, and violent acts in Coquimbo targeting their players and supporters.

England Salford City condemned police for dropping a racism probe after abuse of Adebola Oluwo forced a pre-season match at York City to be abandoned. The club will appeal via the Victims’ Right to Review Scheme.

Poland 🇵🇱 Legia Warsaw fans racially abused Jagiellonia’s Afimico Pululu with monkey chants after an Ekstraklasa match. Pululu responded defiantly, demanding change. It is the second such abuse he has faced this year in Poland.

Romania 🇷🇴 The Euro 2026 futsal playoff Romania v Hungary in Craiova was halted as Romania fans stormed the court, clashed with gendarmes and chanted anti-Hungarian xenophobic abuse. Tear gas was used and fans were banned.

England Hereford FC praised fans who unveiled a “Red card to racism” banner after their FA Cup tie was abandoned for racist abuse against Sporting Khalsa goalkeeper Ravan Constable. The club backed the stand, with fans also raising £1,000 for charity.

Peru 🇵🇪 Peruvian influencer Alejandra Argumedo was removed from the football podcast Hinchas al aire after a viral video showed her making racist insults on public transport, targeting Andean passengers as “vicuñas” and “alpacas.”