Liverpool has U2 "to thank" for a friendly with Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin "going ahead as planned" next week. A new pitch has been laid at Berlin's Olympic Stadium "to replace the damaged surface after the Irish band performed a concert there" on July 12. A spokesperson for the stadium confirmed that U2 paid about €90,000 ($105,000) toward the total cost of €130,000 ($151,600) (BBC, 7/21).
Thousands of Barcelona fans "gathered to create a giant mosaic of Barcelona's new home shirt on Saturday," spanning the length of Brant Park in N.Y. Over 4,000 fans took part in the event, ahead of the team's first Int'l Champions Cup game on Saturday (ESPN.com, 7/22).
Formula 1 team Force India Owner
Vijay Mallya said that "
a name change to Force One is by no means a certainty" as other re-branding ideas "are being brought to the table." While Force One has been registered, "Mallya has insisted that there are still other options to consider." He said, "The [name change] is a work in progress. It arose because we were in discussion with certain sponsors who expressed some reservations on Force India being too geographically or territorially specific" (
PLANET F1, 7/20).
VfB Stuttgart "has become the third Bundesliga football club to enter esports, having picked up two FIFA players." VfL Wolfsburg and FC Schalke 04 already have a presence in esports. VfB Stuttgart entered esports with the help of STARK Esports, a consultancy that "assists sports clubs looking to enter the space" (ESPORTS INSIDER, 7/20).
Indian Super League side Atlético de Kolkata is set to end its association with Atlético Madrid, "and will now just be known as ATK, short for Amar Tomar Kolkata (Yours and Mine Kolkata)." Principal Owner Sanjiv Goenka announced the news on Saturday. The team's "disassociation with Spain" coincides with its "English makeover," with Teddy Sheringham coming in as head coach and Ashley Westwood as technical director (ESPN.com, 7/22).