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Tough Schedule Is No Problem for Bayern Ahead of Leverkusen Clash, Says Kompany 

Bayern's head coach Vincent Kompany arrives for an interview before the German soccer cup match between Cologne and FC Bayern Munich in Cologne, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (AP)
Bayern's head coach Vincent Kompany arrives for an interview before the German soccer cup match between Cologne and FC Bayern Munich in Cologne, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (AP)
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Tough Schedule Is No Problem for Bayern Ahead of Leverkusen Clash, Says Kompany 

Bayern's head coach Vincent Kompany arrives for an interview before the German soccer cup match between Cologne and FC Bayern Munich in Cologne, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (AP)
Bayern's head coach Vincent Kompany arrives for an interview before the German soccer cup match between Cologne and FC Bayern Munich in Cologne, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (AP)

Bayern Munich's busy match schedule with three matches in seven days will not shift the focus of the German champions ahead of Saturday's Bundesliga match against visiting Bayer Leverkusen, said coach Vincent Kompany on Friday.

The Bavarians host improving Leverkusen and are looking for a record-extending 15th win in 15 matches across all competitions this season before then travelling to Paris St Germain for the Champions League next week.

Bayern have already set a record for Europe's top five leagues after beating Cologne 4-1 in the German Cup second round on Wednesday to make it 14 wins from 14 matches across all competitions.

"For me this is a top match (against Leverkusen)," Kompany told a press conference. "There is also a bit of the rivalry from the past two seasons."

Leverkusen were undefeated champions in 2024 and runners-up to Bayern last season. They are still on a league-record 37-match unbeaten streak in away games and are on 17 points in fifth place, with Bayern leading the title race on 24.

"I am not here to decide who our main title rivals are. The only thing that matters for me is to win tomorrow. But the fact is the rivalry is still there, and we cannot underestimate them because of what they have done in the past weeks," Kompany added.

Leverkusen are on a four-game winning run themselves in the Bundesliga, having turned their season around with the arrival of coach Kasper Hjulmand following the sacking of Erik ten Hag after just two league games.

They also sold half a dozen key players in the close season, including Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong, but signed a string of talented players as well.

"In our calendar there is no tough phase with three games in six matches. We are used to that and it is not that we suddenly have different goals because our schedule is difficult," Kompany said.

Bayern's winning run since the start of the season is a record for a club from the big-five European leagues with the previous best mark set by AC Milan with 13 wins in the 1992-93 campaign.

"Leverkusen under the new coach have gathered 16 of 18 possible points," Kompany said. "So they have this top form again in the Bundesliga and are dangerous in front of goal. They lost a lot of talent but they bought a lot of talent as well."

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FIFA Says it Has Stepped Up Efforts Against Online Abuse

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 15: FIFA President Gianni Infantino attends the International Friendly match between Colombia and New Zealand at Chase Stadium on November 15, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images/AFP
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 15: FIFA President Gianni Infantino attends the International Friendly match between Colombia and New Zealand at Chase Stadium on November 15, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images/AFP
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FIFA Says it Has Stepped Up Efforts Against Online Abuse

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 15: FIFA President Gianni Infantino attends the International Friendly match between Colombia and New Zealand at Chase Stadium on November 15, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images/AFP
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 15: FIFA President Gianni Infantino attends the International Friendly match between Colombia and New Zealand at Chase Stadium on November 15, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images/AFP

FIFA said on Sunday it had stepped up efforts to tackle online abuse directed at players and officials, reporting a surge in harmful content and referring more offenders to police.

Marking the International Day for Tolerance, FIFA said its Social Media Protection Service (SMPS) had flagged more than 30,000 abusive posts to platforms since the start of the year, part of more than 65,000 escalated since the tool was launched in 2022.

Eleven individuals in Argentina, Brazil, France, Poland, Spain, Britain and the United States have been reported to law-enforcement authorities in 2025 for abuse during FIFA competitions, with one case referred to Interpol.

The relevant national associations were alerted to allow follow-up action at local level.

FIFA said it was also blacklisting people identified as responsible for "highly abusive behavior", preventing them from purchasing tickets for future FIFA tournaments or events.

The SMPS has been deployed at several competitions this year, including the inaugural 32-team Club World Cup in the United States.

During that tournament, the service monitored 2,401 active accounts across five platforms, analyzed 5.9 million posts, flagged 179,517 for review and reported 20,587 to the platforms.

"Football must be a safe and inclusive space – on the pitch, in the stands and online,” Reuters quoted FIFA president Gianni Infantino as saying.

"Our message is clear: abuse has no place in our game, and we will continue to work with our Member Associations, the confederations and law-enforcement authorities to hold offenders accountable."

The SMPS uses a mix of technology and human moderation to detect, filter and block racist, discriminatory or threatening messages, while protecting players' followers from exposure to abusive content.

Sports

Kane: Trophies, Not Goals, the Key to Fulfilling Ballon d'Or Ambition

England's forward #09 Harry Kane speaks during a press press conference on the eve of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group K European qualification football match between Albania and England, at the Air Albania stadium in Tirana, on November 15, 2025. (Photo by Adnan Beci / AFP)
England's forward #09 Harry Kane speaks during a press press conference on the eve of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group K European qualification football match between Albania and England, at the Air Albania stadium in Tirana, on November 15, 2025. (Photo by Adnan Beci / AFP)
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Kane: Trophies, Not Goals, the Key to Fulfilling Ballon d'Or Ambition

England's forward #09 Harry Kane speaks during a press press conference on the eve of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group K European qualification football match between Albania and England, at the Air Albania stadium in Tirana, on November 15, 2025. (Photo by Adnan Beci / AFP)
England's forward #09 Harry Kane speaks during a press press conference on the eve of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group K European qualification football match between Albania and England, at the Air Albania stadium in Tirana, on November 15, 2025. (Photo by Adnan Beci / AFP)

Harry Kane is banging in goals at a breathtaking pace this season but the England and Bayern Munich striker is keenly aware that his hopes of winning the next Ballon d'Or hinge on how much silverware he can collect this season.

The 32-year-old is enjoying arguably the best campaign of his career with 23 goals in 17 appearances for Bayern, who are unbeaten and are top of both the Bundesliga and Champions League group stage standings.

He has also netted three goals in four appearances for England, scoring twice in October's 5-0 thrashing of Latvia, which sealed their place in next year's World Cup finals.

Asked about being a contender for soccer's top individual award, Kane told reporters on Saturday: "I could score 100 goals this season, but if I don't win the Champions League or the World Cup, you're probably not going to win the Ballon d'Or.

"It's the same with (Erling) Haaland, it's the same with any player. You have to be winning those major trophies," he added, speaking ahead of England's World Cup qualifier against Albania later on Sunday.

"We're in great shape at Bayern Munich so that maybe makes the odds a little bit more in my favour. Same with England.

"Hopefully, if things go my way for club and country then I'm definitely going to be in the conversation for a trophy like the Ballon d'Or."

Although England have already qualified for the World Cup, this week's matches against Serbia and Albania are a crucial part of their preparations for the tournament.

The importance of the matches was highlighted by the presence of defender Marc Guehi, who was part of the camp despite being injured and attended meetings leading up to Thursday's 2-0 win over Serbia.

"Representing your country is the biggest honor and, when you're trying to build a culture and a winning mentality, you need the players there as much as possible. Every moment is important," Reuters quoted Kane as saying.

"We're trending in the right direction on the pitch and off it. You can see with this camp ... Marc had a little injury, but still wanted to be around the group and the meetings and learn from what we're trying to do.

Sports

Car Ploughs into Crowd at Australia Race, 9 Injured

The moon rises between buildings in Sydney, Australia, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
The moon rises between buildings in Sydney, Australia, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
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Car Ploughs into Crowd at Australia Race, 9 Injured

The moon rises between buildings in Sydney, Australia, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
The moon rises between buildings in Sydney, Australia, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Nine people have been injured, with one in critical condition, after a car ploughed into a crowd at a racing event in southeastern Australia, police said.

The car was taking part in a race on Saturday evening when it flew through a fence and into a crowd of bystanders in Walcha, about 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of Sydney.

A 54-year-old man suffered "critical injuries", New South Wales police said, while three others were seriously hurt.

The injured are aged between 20 and 75, police said.

Dramatic footage shared by local media showed the car flying through a fence at top speed into the crowd.

Police said the driver had been involved in an "on-track collision" in the moments before the crash.