NYT > Soccer

• Drogba to Leave Chelsea at the End of June
  Didier Drogba brought down the curtain on a trophy-laden career at Chelsea on Tuesday when he announced he would be leaving the club after eight years in West London.
  
  
  
• Mourinho Extends Contract With Real Madrid
  Jose Mourinho has agreed a two-year contract extension with Real Madrid which ties him to the club until 2016, the Spanish champions said on Tuesday.
  
  
  
• FIFA Delays Appointing Anti-Corruption Officials
  FIFA President Sepp Blatter's anti-corruption drive hit another delay on Tuesday, even as soccer's world governing body appointed the first woman to its inner circle.
  
  
  
• Global Soccer: One Kick Could Alter a Lot of Lives
  When Didier Drogba led Chelsea to victory in the Champions League final, it also altered the off-season plans for other players and clubs.
  
  
  
• FIFA Names Woman to Executive Committee for First Time
  FIFA co-opted a woman to its executive committee for the first time on Tuesday and continued its reform process by pressing ahead with changes to its ethics committee.
  
  
  
• Goal: U.S. Roster Picks: Winners and Losers
  Winners and losers from Jurgen Klinsmann's pre-World Cup roster picks.
  
  
  
• FIFA Prepares to Pick Anti-Corruption Officials
  Tackling corruption in soccer will again top FIFA's agenda when the 208 members meet this week for a congress that will also see the first woman appointed to the governing body's executive committee.
  
  
  
• Drogba to Leave Chelsea-Report
  Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba is leaving Chelsea after playing a leading role in their Champions League triumph, according to a report to be published in French magazine France Football on Tuesday.
  
  
  
• Goal: Klinsmann Fills Out U.S. Roster With 11 Picks
  Jurgen Klinsmann has named his full roster for the U.S. national team's coming friendlies and World Cup qualifiers, and some of the inclusions and omissions raised eyebrows.
  
  
  
• Lighten Up for the Euros, Ukraine's Police Told
  Ukraine's Euro 2012 organisers on Monday urged local police to reform their poor image for heavy-handedness and take a softly-softly approach with thousands of soccer fans during next month's championship.
  
  
  
• Even the Rich Have to Wait, Says PSG Coach
  Paris St Germain's wealthy Qatari owners have discovered that building success can often be a slow process after failing to clinch a coveted Ligue 1 title despite operating with a budget more than four times bigger than their rivals.
  
  
  
• Ukraine's Topless Fighters Plot to Storm the Euros
  Anna darts gleefully around the two sparsely-furnished rooms situated through an archway off a steep street that climbs up from Kiev's Independence Square. She is a general showing off her new headquarters.
  
  
  
• Torres, Mata Called Up to Spain's Provisional Squad
  Chelsea duo Fernando Torres and Juan Mata were called up to Spain's provisional squad for Euro 2012 on Monday, two days after helping their club defeat Bayern Munich to win the Champions League final.
  
  
  
• Global Soccer: Change Will Come, but for Now Chelsea Celebrates
  The team that was struggling in the middle of the season is the same one that won the Champions League title in Munich.
  
  
  
• Lippi Relieved With Fast Start as Guangzhou Coach
  Celebrated Italian coach Marcello Lippi declared the future was bright for Guangzhou Evergrande after winning his first match in charge of the Chinese champions.
  
  
  
• Goal: Wait Goes on for Hibs
  Hibernian Football Club, which last won the Scottish Cup in 1902, was battered, 5-1, by crosstown rivals Heart of Midlothian.
  
  
  
• Chelsea Plans for Future as European Champion
  Chelsea can plan its future from an unexpected position of strength as champion of Europe following its dramatic upset of Bayern Munich.
  
  
  
• Cameron Basks in Chelsea's Triumph
  Prime Minister David Cameron savoured Chelsea's win over German club Bayern Munich in the Champions League final on Sunday after watching the deciding penalty shootout with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at a summit in the United States.
  
  
  
• Chelsea and City Triumphs Could Signal New Era
  Chelsea's late surge to glory, which saw them crowned European champions on Saturday, means that two of the richest clubs in England achieved breakthrough triumphs within a week of each other, suggesting soccer's balance of power could well be shifting.
  
  
  
• Bayern Munich 1, Chelsea 1; Chelsea Wins Shootout, 4-3: Champions League — Chelsea Beats Bayern Munich on Penalty Kicks
  Bayern Munich controlled play throughout the Champions League final, but Chelsea’s Didier Drogba scored the tying goal and converted the decisive penalty kick in the shootout.
  
  
  
• Roundup: In England, West Ham Wins Playoff and Promotion to Premier League
  West Ham United defeated Blackpool, 2-1, Saturday in London to earn promotion to England’s Premier League for the 2012-13 season.
  
  
  
• Goal: A Champions League Home Match, Sort Of
  Even though the Champions League final is being played in Munich, it's technically a neutral site, with each team receiving the same allotment of 17,500 tickets.
  
  
  
• Global Soccer: One Last Chance to Be Called a Champion
  The U.E.F.A. Champions League final, as Rummenigge implied, is all or nothing. Both sides are wounded by suspensions to key players in defense and midfield.
  
  
  
• Playing Soccer in Brazil
  After graduating from Princeton, an American player traveled to South America for a crash course in soccer.
  
  
  
• WORLD: TimesCast | Ruling on a Hijab Ban
  March 2, 2012 - A panel that dictates international soccer rules will decide on Saturday whether women can wear a hijab while competing at the World Cup and Olympics.