Three Valencia fans have been handed eight-month prison sentences after pleading guilty to racially insulting Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior.

Barcelona President Joan Laporta says keeping Lionel Messi would be risky and not even the greatest player in the world was worth jeopardizing the club’s future.

Barcelona say Lionel Messi will not stay with the club.

The English and Spanish leagues are pursuing new regulations to try to avert another attempt by elite clubs to form a breakaway European competition.

Barcelona's Lionel Messi leaves the pitch after the the Champions League quarterfinal soccer match between Barcelona and Bayern Munich in Lisbon, Portugal, Friday, Aug. 14, 2020. The Spanish league is about to see another top player leave one of its clubs, all within a four-year span. The league wasnt hugely affected financially after Neymar left Barcelona or Ronaldo left Real Madrid. The league still benefited from Messis presence after Ronaldo left, but now it wouldn't have that same star power anymore. Since Neymar left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, Spain gained few top-notch players.

MADRID Chaotic, contentious and comical the end of the Spanish soccer season hasnt gone smoothly at all. The turmoil was created by the suspension of a match in the final round of the second division because of the coronavirus. It expressed its indignation with the leagues recent decisions and called for an expanded second division next season. Tebas and Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales, the top soccer officials in Spain, were often at odds until the sports council intervened to call for a peace treaty between them amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Spanish league finished successfully with Real Madrid winning the title.

(AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)When the time came to vote on restarting the Premier League, no black chief executives or chairmen from the English clubs were involved. There is only one black manager in the Premier League Nuno Esprito Santo -- at Wolverhampton and no black referees. The Bundesliga has no black coaches and black players can face racial abuse. The league will support players who take a knee before or during matches, the Premier League said. The Premier League believes there is no room for racism, anywhere.___More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports___AP Sports Writer Ciaran Fahey in Berlin contributed to this report.

panish Prime Minister Pedro Snchez announced Saturday, May 23, 2020 that the soccer league in Spain will be allowed to resume from June 8. While the top tier, La Liga, can play from this date, it has already said it wants to resume play on June 12. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort, File)When the coronavirus gripped Europe in early April, the prospect of professional soccer resuming this season felt unfeasible and even unethical. So it is very rejected in countries like Spain, Italy, Portugal and France, and more accepted in England and the Scandinavian countries. Britain is also behind its European rivals in shaking off the virus, leading to some players voicing their concerns that a return to play is coming too early.

Spanish league clubs are now allowed to train with groups of up to 14 players as the league stays on track to restart in less than three weeks. (AP Photo/Paul White)MADRID The Spanish league is not ruling out the return of fans to stadiums this season. Until recently, Tebas and the government were not considering having fans back in any of the stadiums until next season. Tebas also confirmed that fans will have the option to watch matches with virtual crowds including supporters' chants when it restarts this week. Tebas said the league had been testing virtual crowds along with video game company EA Sports, which will provide the audio that it uses in its FIFA titles.

MADRID The Spanish league is resuming in less than two weeks with Real Madrid playing its games at the club's training center. Madrid will host Eibar on June 14 at the 6,000-capacity Alfredo Di Stfano Stadium, a venue used mostly by the clubs B team at the Ciudad Real Madrid center on the citys outskirts. Madrid is not stopping renovation work at the Santiago Bernabu Stadium as all remaining league games are likely to be played without fans because of the coronavirus pandemic. Defending champion Barcelona, which has a two-point lead over Real Madrid after 27 rounds, will resume at Mallorca on June 13, while Atltico Madrid visits Athletic Bilbao the following day. Clubs in the first and second divisions are scheduled to begin full squad training on Monday.

MADRID Spanish soccer matches could have the look of a video game when the competition resumes next month. The league is contemplating adding virtual crowds to the television broadcast of matches that will be played in empty stadiums because of the coronavirus pandemic. Tebas said the Bundesliga, which resumed recently in Germany, was successful using virtual sound during its matches, and the Spanish league wants to go a step further by using the virtual fans. The biggest challenge for the virtual crowd the Spanish league wants to use is to make sure it will work properly when superimposed during the live event. Tebas said the league is expected to finish on July 19, with the next season starting on Sept. 12.

Spanish league clubs are now allowed to train with groups of up to 14 players as the league stays on track to restart in less than three weeks. (AP Photo/Paul White)MADRID Spanish league clubs are now allowed to train with groups of up to 14 players as the league stays on track to restart in less than three weeks. Players were only allowed to practice individually during the first stage of training. We need to align the phases, meet with the Spanish soccer federation and the Spanish sports council to finalize everything, he said. Spanish authorities dont expect fans to be allowed in sports events at least until after the summer.

In this photo provided by Atletico Madrid, team players take part in the first group training session in Madrid, Spain, Monday May 18, 2020. All Spanish league clubs can begin group training sessions this week despite stricter lockdown restrictions remaining in place in parts of Spain because of the coronavirus pandemic. (Atletico de Madrid via AP)MADRID The president of the Spanish soccer league said Sunday the competition could restart as early as June 11 with the Seville derby between Sevilla and Real Betis. Teams will be allowed to train with groups of 14 players beginning on Monday, up from 10 players the past week. Tebas said it remains impossible to guarantee the June 11 start date because the decision ultimately depends on how the pandemic progresses.

In this photo provided by FC Barcelona, Barcelona's Gerard Pique runs with the ball during a training session in Barcelona, Spain on Friday May 8, 2020. (Miguel Ruiz/FC Barcelona via AP)MADRID All Spanish league clubs can begin group training sessions this week despite stricter lockdown restrictions remaining in place in parts of Spain because of the coronavirus pandemic. The league has told clubs that on Monday all players can start small group sessions regardless of the lockdown phase in their regions. Teams in Madrid and Barcelona theoretically would not be allowed to start training in groups if the government hadnt created exceptions. It's a good thing because it allows all teams to practice in a similar way, Spanish league president Javier Tebas told league broadcaster Movistar on Sunday.