The dark cloud over Conmebol won't go away; its offices in Paraguay were raided Thursday as authorities continue their investigation into corruption and bribery scandals stemming from sales of commercial rights for events such as the Copa America Centenario.

Liverpool lost its best player and one of its only healthy defenders in Tuesday's Capital One Cup semifinal win over Stoke City, 1-0, with Juergen Klopp adding his name to the long list of coaches who've chased fool's gold in the hopes of raising this trophy that few covet.

French soccer has been taking it on the chin recently. Its best player, Karim Benzema, has been suspended from the national team, pending a criminal investigation into charges he took part in a scheme to blackmail teammate Mathieu Valbuena. Michel Platini, the greatest player in its history, has been suspended by FIFA for eight years in connection with a suspicious payment of $2 million he received on the eve of FIFA president Sepp Blatter's reelection in 2011. But Off the Post will today focus on a French soccer love story, a love story that survived tragedy and has endured for …

Real Madrid on Monday fired Rafael Benitez as head coach, immediately installing Real Madrid Castilla (the club's second-team) coach Zinedine Zidane as the Spaniard's successor for the remainder of the season. Zidane, who is a former La Liga and UEFA Champions League winner with Real as a player in the early 2000s, will be formally unveiled in a press conference on Tuesday.Embed from Getty Images