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Good morning football fans. It’s Wednesday, April 22 - Championship clubs have rejected the use of VAR, Fifa struggles to sell tickets for the US’s opening World Cup match, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
KEY FIXTURES
Premier League MD33 (April 22): Burnley vs. Manchester City, 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET. Man City have won 14 of their last 15 Premier League games against Burnley, whilst scoring 5+ goals on five different occasions. Burnley, who are winless in their last 12 league matches, can become the second team to be mathematically relegated this season if they lose in this fixture. AFC Bournemouth vs. Leeds United, 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET. Bournemouth haven’t won any of their five Premier League games against newly promoted teams this season. Meanwhile, Leeds have lost just two of their 15 league games against Bournemouth and are unbeaten in their last eight away games across competitions. See the Premier League table here.
Results…
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TOP TALKING POINTS
Championship Rejects VAR
EFL Championship clubs have rejected plans to introduce a version of VAR next season. The VAR variation, called Football Video Support (FVS), is a cost-effective technology for leagues with fewer cameras and provides each coach with a set number of reviews per game. Unlike VAR, it doesn’t use a dedicated video match official, and so reviews are not done automatically.
England's men's second tier does use goal-line technology, and there will be a vote in June on whether goal-line technology will be introduced in League One. However, VAR is understood to be off the table for the foreseeable future and is unlikely to be revisited within the next year, as clubs were strongly opposed when the EFL canvassed feedback on the proposal. The opposition from clubs comes despite several Championship managers calling for video technology to be introduced.
The Canadian Premier League (CPL) is trialling FVS this season, alongside Arsene Wenger’s “daylight” offside rule, but the system has already raised concerns following a controversial incident. During a match between Pacific FC and Supra de Quebec, the away side used a failed red-card challenge to trigger a broader review, resulting in Joshua Belluz being sent off for a second yellow. Quebec then scored a late winner in the additional stoppage time generated by the review.
US World Cup Opener Lag
Ticket sales for the United States’ World Cup opener are lagging behind other matches in Los Angeles, according to documents seen by The Athletic. As of April 10, around 40,934 tickets had been sold for the fixture against Paraguay, despite SoFi Stadium's World Cup capacity of 69,650. Meanwhile, Iran's match against New Zealand, three days later at the same venue, had sold around 50,661 tickets.
The United States’ opening match was initially the third-most expensive in the tournament, behind only the final and one semi-final. Category 1 and 2 tickets were priced at $2,730 and $1,940, respectively. While price is a factor, analysts believe Fifa has overestimated the US men’s national team’s popularity, as the team has struggled to attract strong home crowds ahead of this tournament.
Critics of Fifa’s ticket policies claim the governing body is withholding tickets to create the illusion of scarcity. Last week, Fifa president Gianni Infantino claimed that they had sold around 5 million of the 6.7 million total tickets available for this summer’s tournament. “We could have” sold all tickets, Infantino said, but “we want to keep a few for continuous sale until the start of the tournament to give opportunities to latecomers.”
In related news, Fifa is making tickets for all 104 matches available from 11:00 ET (16:00 BST) on Wednesday, April 22. See here.
Regulator Costs Rise
Premier League clubs are reportedly unhappy with the Independent Football Regulator (IFR) costs, which have exceeded the government’s £10m-a-year projection. While the IFR is currently paid for by the government, clubs will be asked to cover the costs from the 2027-28 season. The IFR, one of a kind in professional football, will oversee the top five men's leagues in England.
Clubs are also concerned about the uncertainty around how much each club will be required to pay. All 116 clubs will contribute to the bill, but it's unclear whether Premier League clubs will pay the largest share of operating costs, whether each team will pay the same levy, or whether those in the Champions League, for example, will pay more. The regulator has also appointed a consultancy firm, the Boston Consulting Group, which has heightened clubs' concerns over spiralling costs.
Operational expenses for Premier League clubs have already increased by 30% over the past five years, when divided equally among the clubs. Losses in the English top flight hit a combined £1.65bn ($2.24bn) in 2024-25, a 43% increase compared to the year before.
POLL
Do you think video review technology should be introduced in lower divisions?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi told Lyon striker Endrick to “focus on football” after criticising his goal celebration after winning the match 2-1 for Lyon (More) | PSG can extend their Ligue 1 lead as they play Nantes at home on Wednesday (April 22) (More)
> Leicester City have been relegated to League One just 10 years on from winning the Premier League (More) | Frank Lampard’s Conventry City sealed the Championship title after their 5-1 home win over Portsmouth (More)
> Arne Slot is expected to continue as Liverpool head coach next season (More) | Premier League referee Stuart Atwell has been deliberately not assigned Nottingham Forest matches due to his controversial history with the club (More) | Baroness Karren Brady has stepped down as vice-chair of West Ham United after 16 years (More)
> Bayer Leverkusen host Bayern Munich in the German DFB Pokal semi-final on Wednesday (April 22) (More); see the bracket (More)
> Atalanta face Lazio (Agg 2-2) in the second leg of the Coppa Italia semi-finals on Wednesday (April 22) (More)
Americas
> United States goalkeeper Jonathan Klinsmann, son of former Germany striker Jurgen, is recovering from a broken neck sustained while playing for second-tier Italian side Cesena (More)
> Former Mexico and Barcelona defender Rafael Marquez will become Mexico’s men’s manager following the 2026 World Cup (More)
> Four Liga MX Clausura Matchday 16 fixtures conclude shortly after publication; see live results (More) and table (More)
Rest of the World
> Vissel Kobe’s head coach Michael Skibbe has said that Japanese clubs can’t compete financially with their counterparts from the Gulf States after being eliminated from the Asian Champions League Elite by Al Ahli (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Is the Champions League a bigger competition to win than the Premier League?
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 👍 Yes (65%)
🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🙅♂️ Nope (30%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (5%)
Your punditry takes:
👍 W.T: “The only trophy more prestigious than the Champions League is the World Cup. The Champions League forces its participants to travel farther, adapt to different playing styles, and face off against the best teams from the best leagues on the planet. It's not as much of a grind as a successful Premier League season, but it puts more of a glimmer on the victorious club because of what they've achieved.”
👍 M.B: “The cream of the crop play in the Champions League. The best of the best, typically. The Premier League is ultra-competitive, but nowhere near the overall quality of teams in the Champions League.”
🙅♂️ R.B: “From a money perspective, yes. But the league is your bread and butter. Without it, you don't make the Champions League.”
✍️ S.F: “It depends on the club and their domestic league. For teams like Bayern Munich or PSG, who win their domestic leagues almost every year, the Champions League is a much bigger competition. But for English teams, the Premier League might be bigger. Now, would Arsenal fans rather they win the EPL or UCL this year? That’s a million-dollar (or pound) question!”
EXTRA TIME
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Erling Haaland’s day in the life of a footballer.
Is the new Premier League ball causing more long-range goals?
FC Copenhagen’s 150th anniversary kit is a throwback.
Ref’s view of Bayern Munich’s title-winning match.
BBC’s Premier League team of the week.
GAME FACE ON
Finish the sequence: Manuel Neuer, Cesar Azpilicueta, Karim Benzema, Ilkay Gundogan, _________ , _________.
Scroll below for the answer.
Daily Wordle: Guess the football-related word, from player names to classic phrases, in six tries or fewer. Play it here.
This is the problem for England. They are tired and they fear.
Answer
Nacho Fernandez. Marquinhos.
The sequence was the last six Champions League-winning captains.
