GM football fans. It’s Thursday, June. 05 - Uefa is preparing to sanction several clubs, Premier League teams have voted to keep the away ticket cap, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.

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KEY FIXTURE

UEFA Nations League, Semi-Final: Spain vs. France, 20:00 / 15:00. Ranked second in the world by Fifa, behind Argentina, Spain are currently on a 20-game unbeaten run across all competitions. They’ve been dominant in the Nations League, having picked up 16 points from a possible 18 in their Group before overcoming the Netherlands in March. However, expect a tight fixture, as both sides have alternated between victory and defeat in their last five meetings and four of those games have been settled by a one-goal margin. See possible line-ups here.

TV Channels: Amazon Prime Video (UK) | fuboTV (US) | DAZN (Canada)

Results…

• Nations League, Semi-Final: Germany 1-2 Portugal (Report)

TOP TALKING POINTS

UEFA Sanctions Incoming

Barcelona are set to face sanctions from Uefa after breaching its financial rules for a second consecutive year. The Catalan side could face a points deduction or a restriction on the number of players they can register for next season’s Champions League.

Barcelona sold 10% of their broadcasting rights over the next 25 years for €267m. They later sold another 15% of the rights for €400m, but the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has ruled that these profits cannot be included in Financial Fair Play calculations, hence the breaches.

Chelsea and Aston Villa are set to be hit with financial penalties for first-time breaches. In Chelsea’s case, they breached Uefa’s rules after the club’s deal to sell their women’s team to a sister company wasn’t recognised by the governing body. Both clubs are currently negotiating settlements with Uefa, with formal punishments expected to be announced later this month.

Ticket Cap Stays

Premier League clubs have unanimously agreed to extend the current £30 ($40.56) cap on away ticket prices for a tenth consecutive season. Since the price cap was introduced in 2016, away game attendance has risen from 82% to 91%.

This comes after fans from several Premier League clubs united under the Football Supporters' Association campaign “Stop Exploiting Loyalty.” Some clubs, including Liverpool, Brentford, and Manchester City, have confirmed ticket price freezes for next season. Several other clubs have announced prices will rise around 3-5% next season.

Overall, Premier League tickets remain more expensive than those of their continental counterparts. The average Bundesliga standing season ticket was three times cheaper than the lowest-priced Premier League equivalent last season. In 2023, a report found that the average Premier League supporter spends over £3,000 per season, or up to 13% of their annual salary, to follow their team.

Read more on how to support your team without breaking the bank here.

Best Players Ranking

Paris Saint-Germain have the most players (11) featured in ESPN’s annual FC 100 list, which ranks the best 100 men’s players globally. This year’s rankings also include 40 first-time entrants, and three players that have made the list for a ninth consecutive year since its inception: Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski, and Jan Oblak. See the full list here.

The Premier League dominates the rankings, with over one-third (35) of the players currently playing in the English top-flight. Liverpool are the second most-represented club for 2024-25, with 10 players. Nottingham Forest notably feature four times, while Manchester City have only two inclusions: Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush.

Regarding the best players in each position, Kylian Mbappe was voted as the best centre-forward, Mohamed Salah as the best winger, Jude Bellingham as the best attacking midfielder, Pedri as the best central midfielder, Virgil van Dijk as the best centre-back, Achraf Hakimi as the best fullback, and Thibaut Courtois as the best goalkeeper.

POLL

ON THE BALL

Europe

> Chelsea complete the signing of Liam Delap for £30m (More) | Manchester City and Tijjani Reijnders have reached an agreement to sign the midfielder from Milan for around €55m (£46.5m) (More); read analysis of Reijnders (More) | City has also reached an agreement with Rayan Cherki on personal terms and the club is expected to make a bid (More)

> Lucas Paqueta's FA spot-fixing hearing has finally concluded, and the Brazilian is awaiting a verdict; the FA have pushed for a lifetime ban (More)

> Cesc Fabregas has shut down speculation that he will manage Inter Milan, and vows to continue at Como (More)

> Sheffield United Women won’t be relegated and remain in WSL 2 next season after Blackburn announced they were dropping out (More)

Americas

> Seattle Sounders’ owner Adrian Hanauer reportedly angrily addressed the team after they protested again the Club World Cup prize pool distribution (More)

> USL’s Birmingham Legion FC and Indy Eleven face off in their first of three meetings this year; result to be determined shortly after publication (More)

> Ally Sentnor and Lynn Biyendolo each scored two goals as the United States women’s national team beat Jamaica 4-0 (More)

> Former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning has joined the ownership group of the Denver NWSL expansion franchise (More)

Rest of the World

> The Club World Cup winner will be awarded a special champions badge, and it will remain on their shirt for four years (More); see what the badge looks like (More)

ROUTERS’ VOICE

Yesterday’s Poll: Do you agree with the new rule that accidental double-touch penalties should be retaken rather than disallowed?

🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 👏 Absolutely... (82%)

🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🙅‍♂️ Nope... (15%)

🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (write in!)... (3%)

Your punditry takes:

• 👏 J.M: “It is a vanishingly rare occurrence, and I do think it is fairer to the penalty taker to let them retake the penalty rather than just ruling it as a miss. A similar change was made recently for players entering the box before the penalty was taken, it now only matters if the player being in the box has any benefit (e.g., if they were to score a rebound).”

• 👏 W.T: “There are some cases, as was clear with Julian Alvarez's penalty, where the touch is completely accidental. This gives him another fair chance to convert. At the same time, if the touch is intentional, the taker has now shown the keeper how he planned to take the shot. Not much of a punishment, but a slight disadvantage.”

• 🙅‍♂️ K.S: “If you can’t kick a sitting ball without double-touching, you don’t deserve a goal (or second chance). What’s next, giving teams re-dos for matches they don’t play well in?”

• ✍️ G.A: “I agree, but who decides if the double touch was accidental and how long does that review add to the process of taking a penalty and ultimately added time?”

EXTRA TIME

Finland accidentally calls up a 51-year-old.

This might be the best signing video so far.

Meet the player who’s just retired with over 50 transfers.

Man hides in toilet 24hrs to sneak into UCL final.

Has one nation ever won all five European leagues?

Why Florian Wirtz is worth more than €100m.

PSG add their first star to their shirt.

GAME FACE ON

Question: Which two players finished the 2024-25 Champions League as joint-top goalscorers?

Scroll below for the answer.

ON TODAY

UEFA Nations League, SF

• Spain vs France (20:00)

*All times in UK. ET -5. CDT -6. PDT -8. MDT -7. CET +1.

Answer

Serhou Guirassy and Raphinha (8).

Want more? Try our daily football Wordle – guess the name of a current or former player in six tries. Play it here.