Sports News Roundup: Soccer-Several French cities to ban Qatar World Cup fan zones, giant screens; Rugby-Red Roses prop Brown out of England's World Cup opener with COVID-19 and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Soccer-Several French cities to ban Qatar World Cup fan zones, giant screens

Several major French cities including Lille, Strasbourg and Bordeaux said they will not organise fan zones or put up giant outdoor screens to show Qatar World Cup soccer matches in protest against ecological and humanitarian issues. Leftist and ecologist mayors in those cities said the loss of immigrant workers' lives during construction of the stadia in Qatar and the energy that will be wasted to cool the sports arenas means they would not promote the Nov. 20-Dec. 18 event.

Rugby-Red Roses prop Brown out of England's World Cup opener with COVID-19

Shaunagh Brown will miss England's opening match of the women's Rugby World Cup against Fiji after testing positive for COVID-19, the team said on Monday. Prop Brown, who will have to stay in isolation for seven days, is the second England player to test positive for the virus after roommate Sadia Kabeya, who has completed her isolation period.

Soccer-Argentine Higuain to retire at the end of the MLS season

Argentine forward Gonzalo Higuain will retire at the end of the season, the 34-year-old said on Monday, bringing the curtain down on a trophy-laden career that lasted almost 18 years. Higuain started his career with River Plate but made a name for himself at Real Madrid, Napoli and Juventus before moving to Major League Soccer club Inter Miami in 2020, scoring over 300 goals in his club career and 31 times for Argentina.

NFL-Dolphins' Tagovailoa ruled out of Sunday's game at Jets due to a concussion

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, whose clearance to return to a recent game after his head slammed into the field put the NFL's concussion protocol under scrutiny, will not play this week, the team said on Monday. Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said Tagovailoa has had a couple of good days but would miss Sunday's game at the New York Jets and there is no "definite timeline" for when the former first-round draft pick will return.

U.S. Supreme Court punts Oakland appeal over Las Vegas move by NFL's Raiders

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear Oakland's bid to collect more than $240 million in damages from the National Football League and its 32 teams for allowing the Raiders franchise to relocate to Las Vegas in violation, according to the jilted California city, of federal antitrust law. The justices turned away Oakland's appeal of a lower court ruling in favor of the NFL and the Raiders, which moved to Las Vegas for the 2020 season. Oakland, which the Raiders previously left in order to play in Los Angeles only to return 13 years later in 1995, had sought monetary damages but was not demanding that the Raiders be forced to return to the city.

Soccer-Inquiry shows abuse, misconduct 'systemic' in U.S. top-flight NWSL

An independent investigation released on Monday showed abuse and misconduct "had become systemic" in the U.S. top-flight National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and that the league, teams and the governing U.S. Soccer body failed to adequately protect players. NWSL was forced into a reckoning a year ago as a report from The Athletic outlined allegations of sexual abuse by former North Carolina Courage head coach Paul Riley, after speaking to more than a dozen players he had coached since 2010.

Tennis-Kyrgios seeking to have assault charge dismissed on mental health grounds - media

Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios is seeking to have his assault charge dismissed on mental health grounds, media reported on Tuesday. Kyrgios is facing a charge of common assault in relation to an incident in January 2021 which his barrister said involved a "domestic relationship".

Soccer-Informal workers at risk of exploitation in Qatar during World Cup - U.S. official

Workers in Qatar's informal economy are especially at risk of exploitation during this year's soccer World Cup and Doha must strive to prosecute human traffickers and identify their victims, U.S. Under Secretary of State Uzra Zeya told Reuters. The Gulf Arab state has come under intense scrutiny and criticism from human rights groups over its treatment of migrant workers in the run-up to hosting the tournament next month, the first Middle Eastern country to do so.

Tony La Russa confirms plan to leave White Sox post

Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa confirmed his retirement Monday and revealed that a second health condition has led to him leaving his post with one year remaining on his contract. Multiple outlets have reported in recent days that La Russa intended to step aside. He has not managed the team since Aug. 30, citing a health concern.

Soccer-Ukraine to join bid for 2030 World Cup - report

Ukraine is set to join Spain and Portugal in their bid to host the 2030 soccer World Cup, The Times reported on Monday.

Ukraine would host one of the groups in the tournament under the plan which is understood to have been sanctioned by Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky and the governments of Spain and Portugal, The Times said.

(With inputs from agencies.)