GM football fans. It’s Monday, Mar. 10 - Legal victory for supporters against Uefa, a United States task force for the World Cup, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
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KEY FIXTURES
Premier League MW28: West Ham United vs Newcastle United, 20:00 / 15:00. While Newcastle are unbeaten in their last five league trips to West Ham, Eddie Howe’s side have lost their last two league away games without scoring. Meanwhile, West Ham are looking to make it three straight league wins and complete a Premier League double over Newcastle for the first time since 2018-19. See the full list of Premier League MW28 results here.
Results…
Premier League: Chelsea 1-0 Leicester | Spurs 2-2 Bournemouth | Man Utd 1-1 Arsenal (Match Report) (League Table)
La Liga: Getafe 2-1 Atletico | Real Madrid 2-1 Vellecano | Athletic Club 1-1 Mallorca | Betis 1-0 Las Palmas (League Table)
Scottish Cup, QF: Celtic 2-0 Hibernian (Match Report)
Women’s FA Cup, QF: City 2-0 Villa | Arsenal 0-1 Liverpool | Chelsea 1-0 Palace (Semi-Final Draw)
TOP TALKING POINTS
UEFA Case Approved
Liverpool fans have secured a victory in the legal battle against Uefa over their treatment at the 2022 Champions League final. Uefa argued in July that English courts did not have jurisdiction but a judge has ruled that the legal claim made by more than 800 Liverpool fans over the chaotic scenes before the final can be heard in England.
Congestion outside the Stade de France in Paris saw thousands of fans penned in, tear-gassed and pepper-sprayed by police. The supporters want Uefa to be held liable for their physical and psychological injuries. Uefa settled claims brought by two other groups of Liverpool supporters represented by other law firms “without any admission of liability.”
The latest ruling marks a significant shift for football fans. It suggests that, in certain cases, legal claims involving incidents at continent-wide tournaments may not be restricted to courts in the country where they took place.
World Cup Task Force
United States President Donald Trump created a task force on Friday to prepare for the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted in the US, Canada, and Mexico. The task force, which Trump will chair, will coordinate the federal government’s security and planning for the tournament.
The news follows a report last month that the US air travel system is unprepared for the millions of visitors expected for the 2026 Fifa World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics. The report also raised concerns about slow visa processing times—with some countries’ visitors waiting up to 700 days for visa approval.
On the same day, at the White House Crypto Summit, Fifa president Gianni Infantino suggested the governing body may develop a cryptocurrency token. The proposed cryptocurrency, “FIFA Coin,” would likely be used for ticket purchases, merchandise, and digital fan engagement, such as accessing exclusive content or loyalty rewards. It could potentially make cross-border ticketing prices more transparent, too. However, details on its actual use are still unclear.
Watch Infantino’s pitch to the White House here.
Early Adopters
Serie A club Bologna FC have partnered with the local government to gift every baby born in the city a free shirt this year. The initiative aims to help establish "a bond of affection with its new fans from day one.” See a photo of the gifted shirts here.
Since January, Bologna has kitted every newborn in Rossoblu stripes, providing families with infant-sized kits for the club’s newest members. The shirts are distributed at two major hospitals in the city, as well as the municipality’s registrar offices.
Bologna are sixth in the Serie A with 50 points from 28 games and are level on points with fifth-placed Lazio, who play Udinese on Monday (Mar. 10). See the Serie A table here.
POLL
Is a clean sheet more about a solid defence or a standout goalkeeper?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> Barcelona's La Liga match against Osasuna was postponed 20 minutes before kick-off following the death of the club's first-team doctor, Carles Minarro Garcia (More) | Real Madrid move level on points with leaders Barcelona after a 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano (Match Report)
> Andrea Berta has reached an agreement with Arsenal to become their new sporting director (More); see Berta’s top ten signings (More) | Registration for early access tickets for the Premier League Summer Series held in the United States have been released (More)
> Bochum came from two goals down to beat a 10-man Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga (Match Report); Second-place Bayer Leverkusen lost 2-0 to Werder Bremen at home (Match Report)
> Belgium goalkeeper Koen Casteels has quit the national team in protest at the “red carpet” return to the squad of Thibaut Courtois (More)
> Baller League, a new six-a-side football league with legends and influencers, will kick off with draft picks on Monday (Mar. 24) (More) | Influencer match by YouTube group Sidemen, hosted at Wembley Stadium, drew over 14 million views (More)
Americas
> Philadelphia Union make it three wins in three after a 0-2 win over New England to stay top of the MLS Eastern Conference (Highlights) | Vancouver Whitecaps’ 2-0 win over Montreal makes it three wins in three to lead the MLS Western Conference (Highlights); see the conference standings (More)
> The National Women’s Soccer League has opened an investigation into the coaching staff at Bay FC following a report published on the “toxic” work culture (More)
> Club America drop points in a 0-0 draw to Guadalajara as Leon stay top of the Liga MX Clausura (League Table)
Rest of the World
> Cristiano Ronaldo has now scored the same number of goals since turning 30 (463) as before turning 30 (463) after scoring in Al-Nassr’s 2-1 victory over Al-Shabab (Watch)
> Hiroshima had their Asian Champions League quarter-final first-leg win overturned after fielding a suspended player (More)
> Indian football legend Sunil Chhetri will return to the national team aged 40 in an unexpected reversal of his retirement (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Do you view the Club World Cup as a major tournament?
🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ 👏 Absolutely... (40%)
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 ⬜️ 🙅 Nope... (58%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other... (2%)
Your punditry takes:
👏 L.R: “It's basically like the Champions League but with the BEST OF BEST from Europe and ALL other continents, which makes it more global and bigger, in my opinion. It's basically like a World Cup but for Clubs all over the world. Keep it up FIFA. Kudos 👏 👍”
👏 D.C: “It totally can and should be a major tournament, it has the complete potential to be so. But the problem, in my opinion, is that it is marketed very poorly. Because the idea that the best club from every continent playing against each other should be world renown but it just simply isn’t and I believe PR is the problem.”
🙅 M.B: “Nope it's a gimmick by Fifa to try and generate money, it won't resonate with supporters and will only leave players burnt out. Not a fan, there was nothing wrong with the old way, with the champions of each continent.”
🙅 L.K: “I follow world club football fairly well and know just a handful of teams in this event. I also live in a host city and am not inclined to go to a game with two teams I haven't heard of.”
EXTRA TIME
A key is required to unlock the Club World Cup trophy.
Arteta walks out of his post-match interview. (via X)
Why Russia holds influence inside UEFA.
Is this the worst bottom three in Premier League history?
How Cornish miners brought football to Mexico.
Jose Mourinho nearly falls asleep with an interviewer's question. (via X)
How Frank Lampard is changing Convetry’s fortunes.
The best throw-in you’ll see all week.
Cristiano Ronaldo wasn’t happy with his look-a-like. (via X)
Where Palmer ranks after his first penalty miss.
When free-kicks don’t go to plan.
GAME FACE ON
Question: After scoring two goals against Southampton, Mohamed Salah became Liverpool’s third-highest goalscorer in history. Can you name the first and second?
Scroll below for the answer.
ON TODAY
Premier League
West Ham United vs Newcastle United (20:00)
Scottish Cup, Quarter-Finals
Livingston vs St. Johnstone (19:45)
La Liga
Espanyol vs Girona (20:00)
Serie A
Lazio vs Udinese (19:45)
*All time in UK. ET -5. CST -6. PST -8. MST -7. CET +1.
Answer
Ian Rush (346 goals - Player Profile) and Roger Hunt (285 goals - Player Profile).
I asked Messi to take the penalties at PSG and he said ‘No, I’m not here for that. You or Mbappe can handle that’. He doesn't argue for anything.
