Kylian Mbappé emerged as the French national soccer team’s biggest young star, and now he is putting Sunday’s FIFA World Cup winnings to good use.

France’s Kylian Mbappe To Donate World Cup 2018 Earnings

The 19-year-old Paris St-Germain forward announced just hours after France’s 4-2 victory over Croatia that he would be donating his salary from the tournament to a French charity named Premiers de Cordee that provides free athletic training to disabled and hospitalized children who participate in sports.

According to French newspaper L’Equipe, the organization also strives to promote awareness about disabilities in businesses and schools.

“Kylian is a great person,” Sebastien Ruffin, the head of Premiers de Cordee, told French news outlet Le Parisien. “When his schedule allows it, he intervenes for us with pleasure. He has a very good [relationship] with children, he always finds the right [words] to encourage them. I sometimes even feel that [he] takes more pleasure to play with the kids than the kids themselves.”

Mbappé made history in Sunday’s World Cup final by becoming the second teenager to ever score in the tournament’s title game, after Brazilian legend Pele did it in 1958 against Sweden. Mbappé finished the World Cup with four goals and won the Best Young Player Award.

According to Sports Illustrated, the French youngster earns approximately $22,500 per game with bonuses. The magazine also reported that Mbappé would earn an additional $350,000 if France won the World Cup.

England reached the 2018 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday by defeating Colombia 4-3 in penalty kicks following a 1-1 tie in Moscow, Russia.

World CuP: England Beats Colombia In Penalties

This marks the first time England have ever won a penalty shootout in the World Cup. The Three Lions had been knocked out of the 1990, 1998 and 2006 tournaments on penalties. England will next face Sweden, who defeated Switzerland 1-0 in regulation, on Saturday.

Tuesday’s second game was a notably tense one, filled with great animosity between the two teams and even with regard to the officials, particularly American referee Mark Geiger. Colombia was again missing star Bayern Munich midfielder James Rodriguez, who continues to recover from a leg injury.

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After a scoreless first half, England’s captain Harry Kane put the team up 1-0 with a penalty in the 57th minute following a call that was argued and reviewed for around three minutes. Carlos Sanchez had taken down Kane in the box. England didn’t escape this moment without any punishment, however, as Jordan Henderson received a yellow card for head-butting Colombia’s Yerry Mina. 

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Tempers flared for much of the second half, and England seemed to be just moments away from advancing to the next round before Mina tied it 1-1 in the 93rd minute with a header off a corner kick. Spartak Stadium, which had mostly Colombian fans in the stands, roared as the Latin Americans reveled in keeping their hopes alive for just a little while longer.

England finally secured their victory after Colombia’s Mateus Uribe and Carlos Bacca missed their team’s last two penalty shots. Henderson was the only member of the Three Lions squad to miss a penalty, the team’s third, but Eric Dier fired the last kick past goalkeeper David Ospina to make the win official.

Mexican national soccer team coach Juan Carlos Osorio made it clear after his squad’s 2-0 round of 16 loss to Brazil in the FIFA World Cup on Monday that he was very unhappy with the game’s officiating, claiming the referees favored Brazil.

Mexico Coach Slams Neymar

Now, the 56-year-old Colombian has directed his anger toward someone else: Brazilian superstar Neymar. Osorio accused the 26-year-old Paris St-Germain forward of being overly dramatic about the severity of his injuries.

“We had control of the match, but to me it is just shameful that so much time could be lost over one player,” Osorio told ESPN. “The delay for one player was even four minutes, and that is a lesson for even children who play. This should be a game of men and not so much clowning around.”

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The coach was referring to an incident that happened about midway through the second half of Monday’s game. As Brazil led 1-0, Neymar was sitting on the field after chasing a ball that ended up out of bounds. Mexico’s Miguel Layun walked over to him and picked up the ball and while doing so, seemingly stepped on the Brazilian’s ankle. Neymar started writhing in pain on the floor and play was stopped for several moments.

Neymar was not taken out, however, and eventually jogged back onto the field after he realized he could continue playing. Many fans on social media appeared to agree with Osorio that Neymar was simply being theatrical and people criticized the star player for his antics.

According to ESPN, Layun said he didn’t purposely step on Neymar, and the Mexican defender said Neymar shouldn’t have complained that much because injuries are just part of the sport.

“In the end, it’s football. If he doesn’t want to be touched then he should do something else,” Layun said. “If he wants to be on the floor he should go lie down in his house. I touched him a little, but it was because when I went to collect the ball he tried to half-block me so I couldn’t. I wasn’t even looking at him. I was looking at the ball.”

“The referee even told me that, ‘We’ve looked at it and it’s not been a situation that you did with the intention of touching him.'”

Neymar is one of the most expensive soccer players in the world, having transferred from Barcelona to Paris St-Germain in 2017 for € 222 million (roughly $260 million).

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Despite criticizing the referees for being biased toward Brazil, Osorio also conceded that Mexico did not have as strong of an attacking strategy. Monday’s game marked 39-year-old Mexican defender Rafael Marquez‘s last career international match. Marquez is retiring amid allegations of having ties to drug cartels accused of money laundering, which has prompted the U.S. Treasury Department to open an investigation into him and these organizations.

Brazil next plays Belgium in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Mexico crashed out of the 2018 FIFA World Cup on Monday after a 2-0 second-round loss to Brazil in Samara, Russia.

Brazil Beats Mexico In World Cup 2018

Neymar and Roberto Firmino scored for five-time World Cup champions Brazil in the second half to propel the team into the quarter-finals. Mexico has now been knocked out of seven straight World Cups in the round of 16, after four total games played.

Mexico’s coach, Colombian Juan Carlos Osorio,  heavily criticized Neymar without naming him — specifically accusing the superstar of “acting” or faking the severity of his injuries —, as well as the referees for what he perceived to be unfair calls that favored Brazil.

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After beating defending World Cup winners Germany 1-0 in their opening game, Mexico had drawn the admiration of many fans. El Tri then defeated South Korea 2-1 in its second game, and despite losing to Sweden 3-0 in their final group-stage contest, advanced to the second round after the asian nation eliminated Germany with their own shocking 2-0 triumph.

Brazil will now face Belgium in the quarterfinals on Friday at 2pm EST. Belgium advanced by eliminating Japan with a 3-2 comeback win after trailing 2-0 early in the second half.

Mexico had some strong scoring chances in the first half, starting in the ninth minute. On a corner kick, Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez crashed into Brazil’s goalie Alisson Becker in an attempt to head in the ball. However, Brazil also threatened with several shots in the first half, and Mexico’s goalie Guillermo Ochoa was there to make multiple key stops, including one from Gabriel Jesus in the 33rd. Ochoa also denied Philippe Coutinho, Paulinho and other Brazilian attackers’ strikes in the second half.

Neymar put Brazil up 1-0 in the 51st minute, after he carried the ball across the top of the box and then back-passed it to Willian, who tapped it near the left side of the goal and Neymar re-connected to shoot from close range into a nearly wide-open goal, as Ochoa had been jockeying to make a save near one post.

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Carlos Vela had an opportunity for Mexico in the 61st, but Becker bumped it over the crossbar. In the 71st minute, Neymar was writhing on the ground after a tackle, and it appeared that Mexico’s Miguel Layun stepped on the Brazilian star’s foot while walking over to pick up the ball, and Neymar subsequently seemed to be in even greater pain.

The referee eventually gave Layun a yellow card after he took down Neymar again six minutes later.

Firmino doubled Brazil’s lead in the 88th minute with a goal similar to the first. After racing down the left side, he delivered a short cross that Firmino met to tap in from a few yards out after also running to meet the ball. Just moments before that goal, Osorio was seen furiously arguing with officials on the sideline about a previous call.

Belgium beat Japan 3-2 later on Monday thanks to a late goal from Nacer Chadli. Japan had been leading 2-0 after scoring two goals early in the second half. In the 48th minute, Belgium’s Jan Vertonghen, a Tottenham Hotspur defender, failed to intercept a pass that he could have stopped, and Genki Haraguchi raced forward to put the Asians up 1-0. Four minutes later, Japan doubled their lead after Takashi Inui fired a stellar strike from just outside the box. Vertonghen redeemed himself from his mistake to score Belgium’s first goal with a brilliant, powerful header from a difficult left-side angle in the 69th minute. Marouane Fellaini tied it five minutes later, and Chadli netted the game-winner in the 94th, using Romelu Lukaku as a dummy.

The last two round of 16 games will be played on Tuesday. Sweden and Switzerland will face off first, and the winner of that game will play the winner of England vs. Colombia in the quarterfinals.

Lionel Messi scored his first goal of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in St. Petersburg, Russia on Tuesday to help lead Argentina to a 2-1 victory over Nigeria, but it was Marcos Rojo who rescued the albiceleste from elimination with a late strike.

Argentina Beat Nigeria 2-1 In 2018 World Cup

Argentina now finishes second in Group D with four points after its first victory of the tournament, five points behind leader Croatia, who defeated Iceland 2-1 on Tuesday to stay undefeated.

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Messi put Argentina up 1-0 just 14 minutes into the game. After taking a lobbed pass from midfielder Ever Banega near the top of the box, the 31-year-old Barcelona striker brought the ball down with his thigh and foot before shooting from close range. Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona, who attended the game, seemed jubilant in his celebration of Messi’s score. Argentina dominated possession 61 percent in the first half, which also featured Messi nearly scoring on a 34th-minute free kick that hit the post.

Nigeria tied it 1-1 on a penalty in the 51st minute. Argentina’s Javier Mascherano was called for pulling down an opposing player’s jersey and Victor Moses scored for the Africans to even the contest.

In the 76th minute, Argentina gave away the ball to let Nigeria take advantage of a 2-on-2. Rojo blocked a shot and cleared it, and the referee marks it as a corner, and at first the play is reviewed for a potential hand-ball. However, after an assessment, officials said no hand was used and a goal kick is called for Argentina.

Rojo’s goal came in the 86th minute after the Manchester United defender used the side of his cleat to volley home a cross from near the penalty spot. The stadium was roaring at that point, as Argentina’s fans were ecstatic that the team was now much more certain to advance to the second round, and so they did.

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Argentina will next play France in the round of 16 on Saturday. France tied Denmark 0-0 on Tuesday but won its group (C) with seven points. Denmark will next face Croatia on Sunday. Peru beat Australia 2-0 Tuesday to score its first goals in the World Cup in 36 years, although both Group C countries have now been eliminated from the tournament.

Uruguay will also play Portugal in the second round on Saturday, while Spain will face hosts Russia on Sunday.

Cristiano Ronaldo reminded boisterous fans at the World Cup in Russia on Sunday that even star soccer players need sleep.

Ronaldo Asks World Cup Fans To Let Him Sleep

Portugal’s 33-year-old striker begged Iranian fans to let him sleep peacefully ahead of his national team’s final group-stage game against Iran on Monday at 2pm EST.

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As loud fans swarmed outside Portugal’s hotel in Saransk with drums and vuvuzelas on Sunday night, Ronaldo walked over to the window and made a universal gesture to ask fans to stop making noise: he wagged his finger, then put his hands together and leaned his head onto them to signal his desire for rest.

Ronaldo then quickly gave them a thumbs-up as if to say “thank you.”

Portugal is in second place in Group B with four points, after tying Spain 3-3 in its opener and defeating Morocco 1-0 in its second game last week. Spain leads the group and also has four points, and will play Morocco at 2pm EST on Monday.

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Spain and Portugal are predicted to reach the second round, the eighth-of-finals.

Earlier on Monday, Uruguay routed Russia 3-0 after the host team earned a red card late in the first half, while Saudi Arabia beat Egypt 2-1.

On Thursday, Mexico’s soccer federation and at least two of the national team’s star players jumped on social media as part of an effort to eliminate a homophobic chant that fans have long chanted during games.

Mexican Soccer Tries To End Homophobic Chant

The move came one day after FIFA fined Mexico $10,000 for its fans’ repeated use of the word “puto,” a slur that roughly translates to “faggot” and is thus perceived as homophobic by many. Fans usually scream the derisive word after a goalie from the opposing team kicks the ball off into the field. For years, FIFA and other soccer organizations have been striving to get fans to stop using the slur through the use of fines and other sanctions.

Mexican fans reportedly shouted the word at the national team’s 1-0 upset victory over Germany at the World Cup in Russia on Sunday.

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Mexico midfielder Andres Guardado, the team’s captain for its first game, was one of two players to urge fans to stop using the word “puto.”

“Let us show that as Mexicans our values are of respect and cordiality,” he wrote on Twitter on Thursday morning. “We have been received with open arms, it is time to show that we are excellent visitors.”

Star forward Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez also commented on the controversial chant:

“To all Mexican fans in the stadiums, don’t shout ‘puto’,” Hernandez wrote in his Instagram story. “Let’s not risk another sanction.”

The country’s soccer federation also posted statements in English and in Spanish on its social media accounts, and warned of the punishments that could be dealt for shouting the word:

“Let’s show the world we have the best fans!!” the federation’s English-language Twitter account posted. “Avoid getting your Fan ID taken away from you.”

FIFA said in a statement that it would not tolerate any type of discrimination under any circumstances, while ESPN reported that monitors at stadiums could start ejecting fans who partake in the chant.

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During Mexico’s games in World Cup qualifying, public addresses about the chant were reportedly even made over the announcing system at stadiums.

CONCACAF, the regional confederation in which Mexico plays, also recently unveiled its own anti-discrimination rules.

A term like “puto” also carries significant meaning in a country like Russia, where homophobia is rampant and gay people are treated very poorly, to say the least.

Last month, Grupo Modelo — one of Mexico’s biggest beer companies — started an advertising campaign for its Victoria beer in which it recommended 2018 Word Cup attendants to start shouting “Putin!” instead, a reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

However, the effort did not gain much following and was criticized by many, including the Russian ambassador to Mexico.

Spain defeated Iran 1-0 in Kazan, Russia on Wednesday in both teams’ second 2018 FIFA World Cup game.

Spain Defeats Iran 1-0 In World Cup

Diego Costa provided Spain’s lone goal in the 53rd minute. After taking a pass from Andres Iniesta in the box, Costa took a shot that seemed to deflect both off his own leg and an Iranian defender’s leg. It was not marked as an own goal, however, likely because the ball also went off Costa’s leg.

Iran had several strong scoring chances in the second half, but ultimately couldn’t finish. There were also several moments during the game where Iran’s players seemed to argue with the referee about injuries they claim to have sustained, but the officials weren’t buying it. Apparently, neither were Spain’s players or the announcers at certain points.

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Iran’s Saeid Ezatolahi also scored a goal on a free kick in the 62nd minute, but it was disallowed after officials ruled it was scored offside thanks to a video assistant referee (VAR). Ezatolahi moved offside after the kick but before a teammate headed the ball to him.

ESPN also reported some amazing statistics on the game 35 minutes in:

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Spain and Portugal now lead Group B with four points each after a win and a tie in the tournament, after Portugal beat Morocco 1-0 earlier on Wednesday. Iran has three points, while Morocco appears to be virtually eliminated from the World Cup.

Sweden defeated South Korea 1-0 on Monday in its opening FIFA World Cup 2018 game in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia after a video review on the play before the goal.

Sweden Vs. South Korea, Belgium Vs. Panama Recap

Captain Andreas Granqvist scored penalty in the 65th minute following Kim Min-woo’s foul on Viktor Claesson, which was analyzed thanks to a video assistant referee (VAR) after about four Swedish players pleaded for a review. No whistle came immediately after the tackle.

Granqvist sent goalkeeper Cho Hyun-woo diving to the wrong side to give Sweden the edge midway through the second half. The Scandinavians — appearing in their first World Cup since 2006 — now have three points in Group F, as does Mexico after beating Germany 1-0 on Sunday.

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Sweden was missing veteran star Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who has retired from international soccer. The team had 15 shots on Monday, while South Korea took just four.

South Korea had a big scoring chance one minute into stoppage time in the second half, but Hwang Hee-chan‘s shot flew wide.

Pontus Jansson nearly had a chance for Sweden in the 58th minute: his fast header was saved by Cho. The Swedes also took two quick shots on a corner in the 43rd, but both were blocked.

South Korea lost Park Joo-ho to a leg injury in the 28th minute. The Asian nation may now have to beat Mexico and Germany to advance to the second round.

Later on Monday, Belgium rolled past Panama — who are playing in their first-ever World Cup — 3-0 in Sochi thanks to two goals from Romelu Lukaku and another from Dries Mertens, all of them in the second half.

Just two minutes after halftime, Mertens took a rebound and fired a one-time shot from just inside the corner of the box to put Belgium up 1-0.

Manchester United star Lukaku doubled the lead in the 69th minute after Kevin De Bruyne fed him a pass and the forward made a diving header to find the back of the net.

Lukaku struck again just six minutes after that following an assist from Eden Hazard. 

Belgian goalie Thibaut Courtois also made several solid saves during the matchup.

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England and Tunisia — who are also in Group G with Belgium and Panama — play later on Monday. For now, Belgium leads that group with three points.

On Sunday, Brazil and Switzerland tied 1-1 behind goals from Philippe Coutinho in the 20th and Steven Zuber in the 50th. Serbia leads that group (E) with three points after beating Costa Rica 1-0 on Sunday.

Three World Cup games are scheduled for Tuesday:

Colombia vs. Japan: 8am EST

Poland vs. Senegal: 11am EST

Russia vs. Egypt: 2pm EST

The U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team may not have qualified for this year’s World Cup in Russia, but American fans are still excited to attend the tournament.

U.S. Tops 2018 World Cup Ticket Sales After Russia

According to ESPN, 871,797 tickets for the Cup have been sold to fans in Russia as of the beginning of this week, and the U.S. has sold 88,825 tickets since they went on sale last September. FIFA’s website says 2.4 million tickets have thus far been sold for the 64-game event, which begins in Moscow on Thursday when Russia plays Saudi Arabia.

After Russia and the U.S., five-time World Cup champions Brazil have sold the most tickets (72,512).

The next countries on the list of most tickets bought by fans are all Latin American nations whose teams qualified for the tournament: Colombia (65,234), Mexico (60,302), Argentina (54,031) and Peru (43,583).

The U.S. failed to reach the 2018 World Cup for the first time since 1986 after being eliminated by Trinidad and Tobago in their final qualifying game.

Defending World Cup champions Germany (62,541), China (40,251) and Australia (36,359) are also in the top ten in ticket sales. Germany defeated Argentina to win the 2014 tournament in Brazil.

Among the other nations that surprisingly failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup — and that have large fan bases — are Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands and Chile. At last year’s Confederations Cup, 13,000 fans from Chile attended the tournament, which was also held in Russia.

Due to those four countries exclusion from the World Cup, crowd sizes are projected to perhaps be smaller this year. The World Cup will end on July 15.

On Wednesday, a vote will be held to determine whether or not FIFA will accept the U.S.’s joint bid with Canada and Mexico to host the 2026 World Cup over Morocco’s campaign to host the event. The New York Times reported on Tuesday that three letters from President Donald Trump to FIFA President Gianni Infantino could help the U.S.’s bid to co-host the tournament. Qatar is set to host the 2022 World Cup.

Nike has cut ties with Iran’s soccer team just days before the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia is to begin.

Nike Cuts Ties With Iran Before 2018 FIFA World Cup

The sports apparel giant on Friday said they would withdraw their supply of cleats to the Iranian squad in light of the recent economic sanctions against the Middle Eastern nation.

The development comes after President Donald Trump decided last month to pull the U.S. out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, and to reinstate the aforementioned sanctions against Iran.

Nike said in a statement: “U.S. sanctions mean that, as a U.S. company, Nike cannot supply shoes to players in the Iranian national team at this time,” though the firm also acknowledged that: “Sanctions applicable to Nike have been in place for many years and are enforceable by law.”

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Iran’s coach, Carlos Queiroz, was reportedly very upset with Nike’s decision. According to ESPN, he said: “Players get used to their sports equipment, and it’s not right to change them a week before such important matches.”

Adidas, whose headquarters are in Germany, makes Iran’s uniforms, although according to the Washington Post, it is not sponsoring their soccer squad.

Iranian leaders expressed outrage, as did many other people, over Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran deal. Some Iranians even burned American flags. Trump also recently suggested federal authorities should investigate his predecessor Barack Obama‘s administration for a waiver that would have authorized Iran’s government to have financial access to the U.S.

“We are disappointed that Nike has boycotted Iran’s World Cup players by refusing to provide shoes to the Iranian national team,” Jamal Abdi, the vice president for policy of the National Iranian American Council, a nonprofit focused on Iranian-American relations, said in a statement. “We call on the U.S. Government to take immediate steps to address this shameful situation and that Nike actively seek a resolution. FIFA should also take necessary steps to address this issue and ensure that none of the teams in the World Cup are subject to double standards.”

The statement continued: “Governments that drag politics into international sporting events, including Iran itself when it boycotts matches with Israel, face well-deserved admonishment. This situation is unfortunately no different. Events like the World Cup and the Olympics are meant to rise above disputes between nations and serve as an example of what unites us.”

Nike previously supplied Iran’s soccer team in 2014, when there were also economic sanctions against the country.

Iran is scheduled to play Morocco in St. Petersburg on Saturday for its World Cup opening game. Iran is also grouped with Spain and Portugal for the tournament, which begins on Thursday when host Russia faces Saudi Arabia.

Brazilian soccer star Neymar has said he is optimistic about being able to return from his injury to play in this summer’s FIFA World Cup.

Neymar Hopes to Return For 2018 World Cup

The 26-year-old Paris Saint-Germain forward had surgery on a broken foot bone, which he injured in a game against Marseille on February 25. He has not played since then.

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Neymar said, however, that he will return to training on May 17 and that he hopes he will subsequently be available for Brazil’s opening World Cup game against Switzerland, which will be played June 17 in Russia.

“I hope to get there in great shape,” Neymar said. “I get my final examination on 17 May and then I’ll be free to play,” he stated at a press conference in Sao Paulo, where he is being treated.

“I had an examination last week, it is all perfect, evolving well, so I hope that continues so I can get back as soon as possible.

“I am having treatment every day, and from the moment I start training I am going to work harder than I ever worked because this is a dream that’s coming up. It’s a World Cup. I’ve waited four years for this chance, it’s close.”

Neymar signed with PSG in August 2017 after playing four years with Barcelona. The five-year deal he inked with the French club was for 222 million euros (about $275 million at today’s rate), a contract whose value broke the world record for any soccer player.

This season, Neymar has scored 25 goals and added 16 assists for PSG.

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Neymar played for Brazil in the 2014 World Cup in his home country. However, he sat out the national team’s embarrassing 7-1 semifinals loss to eventual champions Germany due to injury.

Brazil will face Switzerland, Costa Rica and Serbia in the group stage at this year’s World Cup.

Paris St-Germain defeated Monaco 7-1 on Sunday to win the French Ligue 1 title, but Neymar reportedly did not attend his team’s home victory. PSG also defeated Caen 3-1 in the French Cup semi-final on Wednesday.

FOX Sports is set to release a thrilling new documentary series about rising soccer stars called Phenoms, and executive producers Mario Melchiot and David Worthen Brooks discussed the series in an exclusive interview with uSports.