GM football fans. It’s Tuesday, August. 5 - Fifa is facing a multi-billion-pound compensation case, the EFL is concerned a Championship fixture won’t go ahead, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
TOP TALKING POINTS
FIFA Faces Multi-Billion Legal Claim
FIFA is facing a multi-billion-pound claim for compensation from former players after last year’s ruling by the European Court of Justice (CJEU) that its transfer rules are unlawful. The group filing the claim, Justice for Players Foundation (JFP), is seeking compensation on behalf of players who have allegedly lost income because of Fifa’s transfer rules, which inadvertently made it difficult for some players to leave their clubs.
The CJEU found that some of Fifa’s regulations on player transfer breached EU competition law and freedom of movement. This relates to a case won by former player Lassana Diarra being ordered to pay €10.5m to Lokomotiv Moscow after his contract was terminated, with Fifa rules then making any new club he joined partly responsible for that debt—a rule the CJEU found illegal. Read more on the case here.
JFP says the legal case will involve around 100,000 players, and it has served notice of its intention to file a class action against Fifa and the football associations of France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Denmark. The lawyer who led the historic Bosman ruling, Jean-Louis DuPont is representing the JFP.
Championship Fixture in Doubt
The English Football League (EFL) is concerned (paywall) that Sheffield Wednesday’s opening fixture of the Championship may not go ahead. This comes after the club’s players forced the cancellation of a friendly with Burnley over the weekend after not being paid on time.
Wednesday are due to travel to Leicester City for the first league match on Sunday (August 10). Players are considering not playing as they would risk injury at a time when many are considering terminating their contract over unpaid wages. The club currently has only 15 first-team players, with more likely to leave, and this is compounded by the fact that the club is under an EFL registration embargo.
Staff are reportedly struggling to pay bills, the cancellation of pre-season matches is impacting revenue, and players will have to pay for their own hotel rooms should they wish to stay overnight for away matches. Despite this, owner Dejphon Chansiri has refused to sell the club for £60m, double what he bought it for in 2013.
See all the opening Championship fixtures here.
Wembley of the North Delays
Manchester United’s new stadium, dubbed the ‘Wembley of the North’, is facing delays as the club disputes the valuation of land around Old Trafford. Freightliner, the haulage company that owns the land, is demanding around £400m, while United value it at between £40m and £50m. The land, currently used as a rail freight terminal, is integral to United’s £4.2bn regeneration project.
The club set a target of completing the project by 2030 and were hoping to begin preparatory work by the end of this year. This was an ambitious target given that United are yet to obtain planning permission, secure ownership of the land required, or formally appoint architects. Regarding the land required, United’s options would be to increase their offer for the land, wait for Freightliner to lower its demands, or scale back the project so that the freight terminal land is not required.
The proposed 100,000-seat stadium is part of a wider regeneration plan that United claims could generate £7.3bn annually for the UK economy. United insist that public funds will only be used for infrastructure around the stadium, not for the stadium itself, which is expected to cost £2bn.
POLL
Do you think the upcoming Premier League season will be one to remember?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> Alexander Isak has reported to Newcastle's training ground after his personal training camp in Spain (More) | Everton have agreed to sign Chelsea midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in a deal worth around £28m (More)
> Marcus Rashford has said he believes Barcelona will find the funds to complete his registration (More); the English winger scored his first Barca goal yesterday (Watch)
> USMNT defender Sergio Dest scored the winning goal for PSV as they lifted the Dutch Super Cup in a 2-1 win over Go Ahead Eagles (More)
> Hearts started their Scottish Premiership campaign with a 2-0 win over Aberdeen, taking them to the top of the table after Matchday 1 (Match Report); see standings (More)
Americas
> Lionel Messi has a minor muscle injury in his right leg, but his timeline for his return isn’t yet known (More)
> Trinity Rodman, who has just returned from injury, scored in stoppage time to guide Washington Spirit to a 2-1 victory over Portland Thorns (More) | Orlando Pride retain second place in the NWSL following a 1-1 draw at home to Utah Royals (More)
> Leagues Cup: Four Mexican sides won on penalty shootouts in the Leagues Cup as five Liga MX sides out of six advance (Round-Up); see full results (More)
Rest of the World
> Chinese Super League’s Shandong Taishan have been banned from participating in continental competition for two years following their no-show in the AFC Champions League Elite earlier this year (More)
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ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Are you in favour of domestic leagues reducing their size to ease fixture congestion?
🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 👍 Yes (25%)
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🙅♂️ Nope (72%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (3%)
Your punditry takes:
👍 J.L: “A couple of fewer games is not going to impact my experience of my domestic league (what's the difference between 36, 34 or 32 games?). But it will improve the continental or international tournaments, for which the domestic games are swapped. I want to see my team play against the best teams around the world as often as they can, and I want them to be fresh when they do.”
🙅♂️ S.C: “Domestic leagues are the heart and soul of the sport. They also provide the best opportunities for people to attend matches affordably. The number of matches some players are expected to compete in is too high, but that is a reason the extraneous non-league matches should be reduced.”
🙅♂️ J.H: “Domestic football should not suffer at the hands of greedy organisations trying to push other competitions and increase their own tournaments to line their pockets. The only reason we are talking about fixture congestion in the first place is because Fifa have increased the World Cup from 24 to 32 teams and Uefa has bent the rules for a more prolonged European calendar!”
✍️ F.F: “Why does Fifa and Uefa keep coming up with different tournaments to add games to an already long season? I say limit the number of tournaments the teams compete in.”
EXTRA TIME
How players use data in contract negotiations to show their worth.
Rashford’s first goal for Barcelona.
Gondomar honours Jota and Silva with new kit.
The evolution of Serie A team crests. (photo)
Meet England’s newest full-pro football club.
You’ll either love or hate Galatasaray’s new third kit.
Gary Neville interviews Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.
How players are tested before a new season. (video)
GAME FACE ON
Who Am I…
I’ve played for only two clubs in my senior career, beginning with RB Leipzig in 2013.
In 2019-20, I won the continental treble with my club and was included in the UEFA Team of the Year.
I made 24 consecutive appearances for Germany between June 2016 and October 2017–bettering a record set by Franz Beckenbauer.
Scroll below for the answer.
ON TODAY
English League Cup
Accrington Stanley vs. Oldham Athletic (19:45)
Champions League, 3rd Qualifying Round
Malmo FF vs. Kobenhavn (18:00)
Dynamo Kyiv vs. Pafos (19:00)
Shkendija vs. Qarabag (19:00)
Rangers vs. Viktoria Plzen (19:45)
*All times in UK. ET -5. CDT -6. PDT -8. MDT -7. CET +1.
Answer
Joshua Kimmich.
Daily Wordle: Guess the football-related word, from player names to classic phrases, in six tries or fewer. Play it here.
When the younger players start scoring twice as many goals as me, then I’ll start thinking about retirement.
