Good morning football fans. It’s Monday, April. 27 - FIFA has proposed allowing leagues to have one match abroad per season, tourism demand is still flagging behind expectations for the World Cup, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
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KEY FIXTURE
Premier League Matchday 34 (April 27): Manchester United vs. Brentford, 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET. Brentford are looking to complete the league double over Man United for just the second time, having previously done so in the 1936-37 top-flight campaign, which saw the Red Devils relegated. The Bees have drawn their last five Premier League matches, while Man United have been in mixed form, winning two, losing two, and drawing once in their last five. See the Premier League table here.
Results…
Premier League: Arsenal 1-0 Newcastle | Wolves 0-1 Spurs | West Ham 2-1 Everton | Liverpool 3-1 Palace | Fulham 1-0 Villa | Sunderland 0-5 Forest
FA Cup semi-finals: Man City 2-1 Southampton | Chelsea 1-0 Leeds
Women’s Champions League semi-final: Bayern Munich 1-1 Barcelona | Arsenal 2-1 Lyonnes
La Liga: Betis 1-1 Real Madrid | Getafe 0-2 Barcelona (Table)
Serie A: Torino 2-2 Inter | AC Milan 0-0 Juventus | Genoa 0-2 Como (Table)
MLS (Results)
TOP TALKING POINTS
Abroad Matches Proposal
A new Fifa proposal would allow domestic leagues one game a season in foreign countries, aiming to bring clearer regulations to govern the divisive issue. In addition to each league being permitted one top-division game abroad, countries will be capped at hosting a maximum of five matches affiliated with another league each season. Importantly, Fifa makes clear that the one-game-per-league cap does not apply to “Super Cups”, a match between the previous season’s league and cup winners that are often played abroad before the season starts.
Strict guidelines and approval processes will be in place. Fifa’s draft proposal, which would replace the rules governing international matches since 2014, states that a league would need approval from its football federation and confederation, as well as the host nation’s federation and confederation. Fifa would have final approval on any matches, with the governing body likely to block matches if they feel it adversely impacts players’ welfare. Countries looking to host another league’s matches would need to provide evidence that it doesn’t impact their country’s league.
There was widespread outrage last year after La Liga and Serie A announced plans to play a league fixture abroad, which were both cancelled. Uefa had initially approved the matches, though reluctantly, but described Fifa’s framework as “not clear and detailed enough” regarding its position on matches being played abroad.
While Fifa reportedly wants to have the protocol in place next season, there has been no date scheduled for the working group’s next meeting.
World Cup Tourism Lull
U.S. government data does not yet indicate a clear early surge in travel to the U.S. for the World Cup, according to Sports Business Journal. Around 12,000 individuals have applied for the FIFA PASS, a digital registration system for international fans planning to attend matches, and data from Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) applications, shared in a closed-door meeting, also shows no significant uptick so far. ESTA applications, relevant for 20 of the 48 countries participating in the tournament, can be approved in minutes, meaning a spike could appear closer to the tournament.
This government data aligns with commentary from the hotel industry, which says bookings have not yet met expectations. Hotels in 11 U.S. host cities are reportedly slashing room rates after the demand they anticipated during the tournament has failed to materialise. New York City’s hotels have sold just 18% of available rooms between June 13, the date of the first match at MetLife Stadium, and July 19, when the venue hosts the World Cup final. The comparable figure this time a year ago was 26%, according to data compiled by CoStar Group Inc. earlier this month. Fifa says it expects to sell 6.5 million tickets for the 104 matches, 78 of which will be played in the U.S.
In related news, four tickets for the World Cup final at the MetLife Stadium were listed for more than $2m each via Fifa’s "resale/exchange marketplace", with a combined cost of $9.2m (£6.8m). The governing body does not control the asking prices on the resale website.
Championship Promotion Race
Wrexham’s 3-1 defeat to title-winners Coventry City means the race for a Championship play-off spot is now wide open. The final round of fixtures will be played next weekend on Saturday (May 2), with Wrexham, Hull City, and Derby County all in contention for the sixth spot. See the Championship fixtures here and table here.
Wrexham, who are level on points with Hull but ahead on goal difference by just one, will finish sixth if they beat Middlesbrough and maintain their goal difference. Hull host ninth-placed Norwich City and will secure the final play-off spot if they better Wrexham's result against Middlesbrough and match or better Derby's result against Sheffield United. Should both sides be level on points and goal difference, it will go down to goals scored, of which Hull have one more than Wrexham heading into the final day. Derby must beat Sheffield United and rely on both Wrexham and Hull failing to win their matches to clinch sixth position.
Elsewhere, Ipswich Town reclaimed the second-place automatic promotion spot after drawing 0-0 with West Brom, who were docked two points before the match for breaching EFL financial rules. Ipswich are currently level on points with Millwall and one point ahead of Middlesbrough, but the Tractor Boys have a game in hand, which will be played on Tuesday (April 28th) against Southampton.
POLL
Do you support FIFA’s proposal to allow domestic leagues to play one official match per season abroad?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> A Spanish court has ruled that there is no criminal liability over the car crash that killed Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva last July (More) | Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah will miss the rest of the season after suffering a hamstring injury in a 3-1 Premier League win over Crystal Palace (More)
> York have returned to the English Football League (EFL) after securing a 1-1 draw against Rochdale AFC (More); watch their 103rd-minute equaliser to win promotion (More)
> Mathis Albert, a 16-year-old from South Carolina, has become the youngest American to play in the Bundesliga after making his debut for Borussia Dortmund (More)
> Hearts’ men’s and women’s teams are top of the Scottish Premiership and SWPL 1 tables, respectively (More)
> OFI Crete have won their first trophy in 39 years after securing the Greek Cup in a 3-2 win over PAOK (More)
Americas
> Timo Werner has now produced at least a goal and an assist in three straight games for San Jose Earthquakes (More); see every MLS result (More) and Conference Standings (More)
> San Diego Wave remain top of the NWSL standings and unbeaten this season following their 3-2 away win at Denver Summit (More); see every NWSL result (More) and Standings (More)
> The first round of the USL Cup has been played, with Miami FC vs. FC Naples left to play on Wednesday (April 29); read a round-up of the results (More)
> Halifax Tides, Montreal Roses, and AFC Toronto won their opening NSL regular-season fixtures; see results (More) and Standings (More)
Rest of the World
> Al Ahli joined rivals Al Ittihad Club as the only sides to have won the AFC Champions League Elite in successive seasons following their 1-0 win against Japanese side FC Machida Zelvia (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Friday’s Poll: Do you think football clubs should be run to make a profit?
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🤑 Yes (75%)
🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🙅♂️ Nope (22%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (3%)
Your punditry takes:
🤑 G.M: “All businesses should try to make a profit, and a football club is no different. This doesn’t mean they should gouge the spectators with high ticket prices and go crazy with spending. But they should make a profit for their shareholders, otherwise no one would invest in them.”
🙅♂️ J.L: “Only one thing matters in any game of football, and it isn't making money. Taking three points makes the fans happy and keeps the club on track for winning trophies. Football clubs should be run to win. Period. Making a profit has to be secondary to success on the field.”
✍️ S.P: “Yes, but any net profit should be used to attract the best players for the team, and improve club facilities for supporters.”
EXTRA TIME
Breaking down Lionel Messi's 900 career goals. (video)
Arsenal break the Premier League’s corner record.
Three players from the same team clash into each other.
Why a calendar change might do the NWSL more harm than good.
The worst goalkeeper mistake you’ll see all week.
Watch La Liga’s ref cam debut.
GAME FACE ON
Question: Bayern Munich have won the Bundesliga title 35 times in their history, while two clubs have won the German top flight a total of five times (since 1963). Can you name them?
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.
The Saudi offer with all that money, it was huge. But we don't want to be the richest people in the world, only the ones who have achieved their dreams, who lead a beautiful life with their children.
Answer
Borussia Dortmund (most recent 2011-12) and Borussia Monchengladbach (most recent 1976-77). Including the entire history of German football, FC Nurnberg would be second with 9 total German titles.
