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The Italian champions announced on Monday that Romelu Lukaku will miss Napoli’s opening game of their Serie A title defense because of a thigh injury that could keep the Belgium international out for months.

Lukaku had a “serious” tear in his left thigh during Thursday’s pre-season friendly against Olympiakos, according to a statement from Napoli, who will travel to promoted Sassuolo on Saturday.

Napoli provided no information regarding Lukaku’s potential suspension until November, but Italian media reported that the player might not play until November.

Also read: FIFA spokesman denies racism at German Cup games.

Lukaku, 32, may need surgery, according to Napoli’s suggestion.

Lukaku scored 10 Serie A goals in addition to the 14 that he had already scored under Antonio Conte, which helped Napoli win their fourth league title last year.

In a statement released on Monday, FIFA President Gianni Infantino blasted the alleged racial abuse that took place over the weekend during two German Cup games as “unacceptable.”

“I keep repeating myself,” he says. In the statement, Infantino said, “There is no place for racism in football.”

After winger Christopher Antwi-Adjei claimed he was racially abused by home spectators, a match between Lokomotive Leipzig and Schalke was postponed on Sunday.

Racist abuse was publicly announced on the stadium PA. The home support repeatedly booed the winger after the game ended, and Lokomotive apologized later on Sunday.

A Kaiserslautern player also alleges racial abuse from a crowd member at club RSV Eintracht on Sunday.

Infantino promised to work with the German FA (DFB) “in the fight against racism” and that FIFA would “continue to closely monitor these incidents.”

In Friday’s Premier League opener against Liverpool, Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo claimed he was attacked by a member of the crowd and that he was racially attacked.

Semenyo reported being abused by a member of the crowd during Liverpool’s 4-2 win, and Merseyside Police later made him a suspect for a racially aggravated public order offence.

Semenyo later added that the incident “would stay with him forever” and that “football showed its best side when it mattered most” in response to players and officials.

It is “absolutely unacceptable that racist abuse has occurred at football matches for the second time in recent days,” Infantino said on Monday, which was also published on Sunday following the Semenyo incident.

Sebastien Haller was confirmed as a permanent player by Borussia Dortmund on Monday.

Haller, who had already been given the opportunity to end his Dortmund contract a year early, reportedly signed for free.

The Ivory Coast international, 31, loaned out of Utrecht, the club he played for between 2015 and 2017, for the second half of last season.

There were a lot of interest from other clubs this summer, but FC Utrecht was the ideal choice, according to Haller in a statement posted on the club’s website.

Jota “Will Forever Be Part Of Football History,” declares Joao Felix.

Haller’s turbulent time at Dortmund is come to an end with the departure.

After receiving a 31 million euro ($36 million) deal from Ajax in 2022, Haller was diagnosed with testicular cancer and missed six months of treatment.

In a 2-2 home draw against Mainz, which earned Bayern Munich the Bundesliga title, he missed a penalty on the final day of the 2022-23 season.

In the Africa Cup of Nations final against Nigeria last year, the former West Ham and Eintracht Frankfurt forward scored the winning goal.

Diogo Jota, a close friend and Portugal team-mate, will “forever be a part of football history,” Joao Felix said on Monday, according to Jose Felix. Joao died at the age of 28.

When their Lamborghini in northern Spain went off the road on July 3rd, Jota and brother Andre Silva were killed.

The Portuguese forward had already wed Rute Cardoso, the father of his three children, just 11 days prior to the collision.

Over the weekend, Jota was remembered by the Premier League in a number of moving tributes.

Felix appeared visibly moved as he spoke about his close friend and international colleague, adding his voice to the outpouring of grief throughout the world of football.

“Diogo to me was one of my best friends in the national team, he was always a member of our mini group in the national team, those of us who were always together,” Felix, who was one of the mourners at the brothers’ funeral, said.

Read more about Chelsea’s blank draw at the Crystal Palace stalemate.

I was aware of his incredible family, especially his parents.

Felix, who is currently playing for his new team Al Nassr for this week’s Saudi Super Cup in Hong Kong, said: “I think he will forever be a part of football history. He will stay in the hearts of those who were already close to him.

Every time we play on the field after that day, we will remember him and play a part in his memory.

Late last month, Felix, a Portuguese attacker, and Cristiano Ronaldo moved from Chelsea to Saudi Arabia’s Al Nasr, where they reportedly spent up to 43.7 million pounds ($58 million).

Felix, who has also played for AC Milan, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, and Benfica, is projected to make $10 million annually.

Arsenal’s shaky new forward line, which has been lavishly put together, drew a blank as they fought hard to win the Premier League title at Old Trafford on Sunday.

After United’s stand-in goalkeeper Altay Bayindir made a mistake, Riccardo Calafiori made the final score.

More to come soon…

In order to begin their Premier League campaign on Sunday against Crystal Palace, Chelsea was fortunate to escape with a 0-0 draw.

When Marc Guehi obstructing the Chelsea wall, a VAR review found him unfit for his free kick, Palace were denied an early lead.

Estevao, a new Chelsea signing, was on par with scoring a winner for the home side, but the newly-crowned world champions were brutal in their attack on a well-organized Palace defense.

Despite growing rumors that England internationals will join Liverpool and Tottenham, respectively, the Eagles’ key duo of Guehi and Eze got going.

“They will play as they are so good,” said Palace boss Oliver Glasner, as long as they are 100 percent committed.

They “weren’t just great footballers,” according to the statement “they are great people, and that’s what I expected.”

Eze believed Robert Sanchez had too much power for him to open the scoring with a blistering free-kick.

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Guehi’s role in causing a gap by man-handling Moises Caicedo into the Chelsea wall was foreclosed, and the goal was not allowed.

Chelsea’s hopes of defending their first Premier League title since 2017 were heightened by their defeat of European champions Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup final last month.

However, Enzo Maresca expressed disappointment with his team’s lack of preparation since its 35-day defeat to PSG in New York.

The Italian said, “They played about eight (pre-season) games, and we only played two because we made the best of it.”

We anticipated a difficult game. We didn’t give up any chances after the first half free kick.

In his final game for Palmeiras, Estevao scored against Chelsea in the Club World Cup.

The Brazilian, who has been touted as one of the world’s brightest young talents, struggled to maintain composure when he cut high and wide from the center of the box.

With a dominant 3-1 victory over a much-changed Brentford, Nottingham Forest feigned Nuno Espirito Santo’s pre-season fears over a lack of signings.

On a dreary afternoon for new Brentford boss Keith Andrews, Chris Wood scored twice on either side of Dan Ndyoe’s debut goal for Forest.

“The first half was excellent. The combinations turned out to be excellent, beautiful goals, Nuno said.

“We are putting pressure on a good balanced squad that gives us options and solutions,” says the group’s leader.

In the off-season, the Bees lost their manager, captain, and top scorer.

Thomas Frank left to take over at Tottenham, Bryan Mbeumo signed for Manchester United, and Christian Norgaard was signed by Arsenal.

Prior to his anticipated move to Newcastle, Yoane Wissa was also missing from the Brentford squad.

The visitors only found comfort in Igor Thiago’s late penalty goal, which came from the spot.

“I do believe in this, but we must accept responsibility for a first half that wasn’t good enough,” Andrews said.