Skip to main content

Griezmann not moving to MLS this season, Atletico Madrid sporting director says

MADRID (AP) — Antoine Griezmann is not making an imminent move to Major League Soccer, according to the sporting director of Atletico Madrid.

The 34-year-old former France star had been linked to a transfer to Orlando City.

But Atletico sporting director Mateu Alemany said Saturday that “he has this season and two more years with us. I don’t see any major news.”

“He is going to continue with us and nothing more,” Alemany said before Griezmann got an assist to help beat Real Sociedad 3-2 in La Liga.

Griezmann, 34, is Atletico’s all-time leading scorer. He helped France win the 2018 World Cup before retiring from international soccer in 2024.

He has lost his starring role with Diego Simeone’s side this year with his coach managing his minutes, but even so he has scored 12 goals this campaign in all competitions.

Atletico will play Sociedad in the Copa del Rey final on April 18. Atletico is also third in the Spanish league and will play Tottenham in the Champions League round of 16 next week.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

NYPD says dozens rescued from human trafficking during World Cup

▶ Watch Video: Inside look at security preparations for World Cup Forty-three people, including seven minors, were rescued from human traffickers during the World Cup matches in the New York City area, according to the New York City Police Department's Special Victims Unit.The rescue operations were carried out between June 11 and July 19 by specialized NYPD detectives who arrested 89 individuals."The surprise was really the outpouring of support behind the mission and the collaboration with all our partners," said Inspector Gary Marcus, commanding officer of the Special Victims Unit.Those rescued, largely the victims of sex trafficking, are now being supported with an array of social services for the victims, including food, housing and counseling.The 87 operations carried out during the World Cup have generated new leads, officials said, and law enforcement agencies are building more cases based on the investigations already underway."We have ongoing investigations now as a result of these operations," an NYPD official told CBS News.Major sporting events are known to law enforcement as hotbeds of human trafficking.Years in advance, the NYPD devoted significant resources to preparing for the World Cup. Eight matches were played at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, including the final on Sunday."When we talk about the outreach and the prep we do, a large part of that involved visiting the known sex offenders, particularly the known human traffickers, in our registry," Marcus said. "Whether they're on parole or probation for human trafficking, we visited them to make sure they're compliant with the terms of their release, and secondly, to let them know that the NYPD is watching."The matches were held in multiple cities around the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Preparations to secure those games and prepare for crimes like human trafficking were coordinated between local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.Police departments in many locations that hosted World Cup matches have made arrests and rescues connected to human trafficking, including in Georgia, New England and Missouri. Nationally, there were more than 673 arrests on human-trafficking charges made during the World Cup, and 61 adults and 13 minors rescued, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Read Next Story