Paris Saint-Germain's opening game of its title defense in the French league against Rennes has been relocated at short notice because of damage to the champion's pitch following a heatwave this summer.

Sunday's match will now take place in Rennes, French soccer's competitions committee announced late Wednesday.

The first round of the German Cup faces disruption this weekend with several supporter groups planning major protests against the use of video technology during games.

The new German soccer season begins Friday with Bundesliga teams Eintracht Frankfurt and Stuttgart facing lower-league opposition among other games, with the first round continuing through the weekend and Monday.

A collection of football fan groups from around the world launched a petition Thursday calling for Gianni Infantino to resign as FIFA president after he tried to sell future World Cup profits to private investors.

The petition with the hashtag InfantinOut also calls for FIFA "to be rebuilt so that the current debacle can never happen again."

Barcelona have signed defender Joao Cancelo on a free transfer, the Spanish champions said Thursday.

One of FIFA's vice presidents has withdrawn his support from the world football body's embattled president Gianni Infantino, saying the "unexpected dismissal" of critic Kevin Lamour was the "final straw".

Cristiano Ronaldo says this Saudi Pro League season is likely to be the last of his professional career.

The 41-year-old superstar's contract with Riyadh club Al-Nassr, signed in December 2022, expires next June, and he has told Vogue magazine that another is unlikely.

Paris Saint-Germain hardly needed to bolster a squad good enough to win five consecutive Ligue 1 crowns and two straight Champions League titles.

Yet that's exactly what coach Luis Enrique did this offseason and it remains to be seen whether it was a wise move.

FIFA's removal of the senior official who said Gianni Infantino deceived staff with his World Cup sell-off plan was unacceptable, Norway soccer president Lise Klaveness said on Tuesday while urging other leaders at the governing body to resist potentially damaging orders.

The firing of FIFA chief operating officer Kevin Lamour late Monday came 17 days after his statement to the Associated Press criticizing Infantino's $20 billion private equity project that helped to end it hours later.

Less than a month after Spain won the World Cup, La Liga is the first of Europe's big domestic leagues to kick off this weekend, though in muted fashion.

One game has been postponed and defending champion Barcelona and José Mourinho's Real Madrid won't play until the following weekend because they had players return later from the World Cup.

The heads of six Arab football federations expressed their "full support" and "confidence" in Gianni Infantino on Thursday as the embattled FIFA president fights to keep his job after his failed World Cup private investment plan.

The backing came from 2030 World Cup co-host Morocco, Qatar, Egypt, Mauritania, Lebanon and Sudan, with four of the signatories being FIFA council members.