GM football fans. It’s Thursday, May. 08 - A change to offside could be just a year away, the 2026 World Cup task force announced, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.

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KEY FIXTURES

UEFA Europa League, Semi-Final, Leg 2, 20:00 / 15:00. Bodo/Glimt vs. Tottenham Hotspur, Agg 1-3. Spurs have not won back-to-back away games in major European competition since November 2013, and no team has scored more home goals than Bodo/Glimt (19) in the Europa League this season. Manchester United vs. Athletic Club, Agg 3-0. United are unbeaten in 13 Europa League games this season and could become only the seventh side to reach the competition’s final without losing a match en route.

Championship Promotion Play-off, Semi-Final, Leg 1, 20:00 / 15:00. Bristol City vs. Sheffield United. Bristol City are winless across their past seven games against Sheffield United in all competitions, though they’re unbeaten across their past eight home league games. Meanwhile, Sheffield United have won five of their past seven league trips to Ashton Gate. Dive deeper into Championship play-off projections here.

Results…

• Champions League: Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 Arsenal (Agg 3-1) (Report / Stat Report)

TOP TALKING POINTS

Offside Rule Change

Arsene Wenger, Fifa’s chief of global football development, says a change to the offside law could be in place in a year. The former Arsenal manager first proposed a ‘daylight’ offside rule five years ago—see it explained in detail here.

Under the proposed change, an attacker would be offside only when their whole body is in a completely offside position; put another way, they’re onside if any part of their body is onside. Players are currently ruled offside if any part of the body, apart from hands and arms, is beyond the last defender. The change favours attackers and is designed to increase goal-scoring.

Trials have taken place in Italian youth football, but they haven’t been successful, as it has been seen as giving too much to the attacking team. Further trials will happen before a final decision is made.

The last time there was a major alteration to offside was in 1990, when an attacker had to be behind the second-last opponent rather than level. That year’s World Cup in Italy saw an average of 2.21 goals per match, the lowest in the competition’s history.

World Cup Taskforce

President Donald Trump named Andrew Giuliani, son of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, as executive director of the presidential task force for the 2026 Fifa World Cup. A former pro golfer, Giuliani served as a White House aide during Trump’s first term.

One of the task force’s key concerns is the volume of visa applications expected for international visitors. A February report from a non-profit warned that visa backlogs and air travel issues could leave the U.S. unprepared to host.

The incumbent president also said at a press conference this week that Russia playing at the World Cup could be an “incentive” to end the war in Ukraine. Sitting next to Fifa president Gianni Infantino, Trump said he did not know Russia were banned from the tournament.

PL Broadcast Updates

Next season, Premier League cameramen will be allowed on the pitch to film goal celebrations using Steadicams. The new broadcast mirrors La Liga’s cinematic coverage, which has drawn praise since its introduction in 2021. See an example here and a celebration here.

Steadicams are already used in the Premier League at the final whistle, but now they will be encouraged to enter the field during celebrations.

Separately, pundits and commentators will be urged to film their real-time reactions in press boxes. The move aims to emulate the viral success of fan channels and boost the league’s social media engagement.

POLL

ON THE BALL

Europe

> Inter Milan and PSG will meet in the Champions League final on Saturday, May 31; there will be no English, Spanish, or German club in the final for the first time since 2004 (More)

> Former Wycombe Wanderers owner Rob Couhig has finalised an agreement to buy Reading, ending the reign of previous owner Dai Yongge (More) | West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta will give evidence at his FA hearing in the coming weeks (More)

> Brighton owner Tony Bloom had made an offer to invest £10m in Scottish Premiership side Hearts for a 29% stake (More)

> The shortlist for the 2024 Women’s Professional Game awards have been announced (More)

> Brothers Nico and Inaki Williams will both miss the second leg of Athletic Club’s Europa League semi-final against Manchester United (More)

Americas

> Inter Miami have relinquished their option to hold talks with departing Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne, leaving Chicago Fire in pole position to sign him should he decide to move to MLS (More)

> The USL Super League has unveiled the 2025-26 schedule for its first season as the Gainbridge Super League; it kicks off on August 23 and the regular season runs through May 16 (More)

> Skiing star and Colorado native Mikaela Shiffrin has joined the ownership group of Denver's expansion team in the NWSL (More)

Rest of the World

> Al-Ittihad completed a comeback to secure a 3-2 win over Al-Nassr on Wednesday, taking them a step closer to clinching the Saudi Pro League title (More) | Saudi’s Al-Hilal are ready to pay Bruno Fernandes around £65m per season on a three-year deal; the Manchester United midfielder’s contract runs till 2027 (More)

ROUTERS’ VOICE

Yesterday’s Poll: Do you think live football commentary should be neutral rather than partisan?

🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🤐 Yes... (70%)

🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🗣️ Nope... (25%)

🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other... (5%)

Your punditry takes:

• 🤐 J.Z: “The only time it should be partisan is when you’re listening to your club’s own broadcast. Nothing worse than announcers that should be neutral on a broadcast openly rooting against your team.”

• 🤐 W.G: “Facts and objectivity are sacrificed when a commentator shows his/her hand too often. Identify and talk about the positives and negatives, no matter which team displays the same.”

• 🗣️ S.H: “Having commentary biased in your direction brings far more engagement and passion from the fan base. For basketball in the US each team has a “home channel” that plays all the games and is very biased but the nationally televised games are neutral. Something like that would work well in football, too.”

• ✍️ P.D: “It depends very much on the match. A broadcast solely in the nation of one of the World Cup Finalists, for example, should be somewhat partisan, but commentary of a club match should always be neutral. However, when it comes to scrutinising officials’ decisions, neutrality is important whether or not the overall commentary is partisan.”

EXTRA TIME

How the visually impaired are learning to play football. (video)

Fans trade 5kg of fish for Europa semi-final tickets.

Who’s the king of second-tier titles?

Michele Kang is transforming women’s football. (interview)

Is league position or momentum better for EFL play-off success?

… and stat-based Championship Team of the Season.

Inter Milan's 25-26 home kit leaked.

MK Dons reveal new club crest.

GAME FACE ON

Question: At the weekend, someone set a new record for most Premier League appearances by a South American player. Who was it?

Scroll below for the answer.

ON TODAY

UEFA Europa League, SF

• Bodo/Glimt vs Tottenham Hotspur (Agg 1-3) (20:00)

• Manchester United vs Athletic Club (Agg 3-0) (20:00)

UEFA Conference League, SF

• Chelsea vs Djurgarden (Agg 4-1) (20:00)

• Fiorentina vs Real Betis (Agg 1-2) (20:00)

Championship Promotion Play-offs, SF

• Bristol City vs Sheffield United (20:00)

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

Answer

Willian, who made his 326th Premier League appearance.

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