GM football fans. It’s Wednesday, July. 09 - MPs have voted in favour of enacting the Football Regulator Bill into law, La Liga president is being accused of sharing confidential material with a rival club, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
KEY FIXTURES
Club World Cup semi-final: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Real Madrid, 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET. Real Madrid have never lost a Club World Cup match and have won 15 of their last 16 matches in the competition, dating back to 2014. But European Champions PSG have won their last four knockout matches in all competitions by a combined score of 14-0. In total, PSG and Real Madrid have met 12 times, with Madrid narrowly ahead (W5 D3 L4). The winner of this fixture will face Chelsea in the final on Sunday, July 13.
TV Channels: DAZN / Channel 5 (UK) | DAZN (US) | DAZN (Canada)
Results…
TOP TALKING POINTS
Football Governance Bill to Become Law
The Football Governance Bill is set to become law after it cleared the House of Commons on Tuesday, with MPs voting in favour by 415 votes to 98—a majority of 317. The Bill would introduce an independent regulator for England’s top five men’s tiers, aiming to ensure clubs are run sustainably and are accountable to their supporters. David Kogan, a media rights expert, has been named the government’s preferred candidate to chair the Independent Football Regulator.
MPs rejected a proposal to make at least 10 Premier League fixtures available on free-to-air television each season. In the UK, certain sports events, including the World Cup, the Euros, and the FA Cup final, must be shown on free-to-air television. The Liberal Democrats, who had pushed for Premier League games to be added to the list, failed to gain the necessary support for the amendment.
Calls from the Conservatives to consult on the “two-tier” alcohol ban in football stands were also rejected. Stephanie Peacock, the sports minister, said that moves to reverse the prohibition, which have been in place since 1985, fell outside the scope of the legislation.
La Liga Controversy
La Liga president Javier Tebas has been accused of sharing Barcelona’s confidential financial information with Athletic Club. It was reportedly shared just days before Nico Williams, Barcelona's priority transfer target, renewed his contract with the Basque club. The accusation comes from lawyer Miguel Galan, who previously helped oust Angel Maria Villar and Luis Rubiales as Spanish FA presidents.
It’s alleged that Barcelona’s sensitive data was passed on by Athletic Club to Williams’ camp. It’s insinuated that this information led Williams’ representatives to demand several clauses in his proposed Barcelona contract, including allowing him to leave if the club failed to register him due to exceeding their league-imposed wage cap. This ultimately collapsed the negotiations.
Elsewhere in La Liga, Real Madrid have submitted a request to postpone their first match of the season to give their players enough rest following their Club World Cup campaign. A previously agreed collective bargaining agreement between La Liga and the Spanish Players’ Union (AFE) entitles players to three consecutive weeks of holiday per year after the end of the season. Madrid’s scheduled opener against Osasuna would breach that timeframe, given their participation in the Club World Cup.
Man Utd Reject Amazon Doc
Manchester United have rejected Amazon Prime’s access-all-areas documentary for next season, concluding it would distract from the first team’s progress. The reported offer, worth over £10m, would have been Amazon’s biggest ever for an “All or Nothing” series.
Head coach Ruben Amorim opposed the idea, saying it wasn’t appropriate or beneficial. After presenting the proposal to Amorim and receiving his feedback, United turned it down, despite senior executives initially backing the move.
The club has been unstable recently, with five players asking to leave and refusing to report for pre-season. Commercial income also suffered, with a new kit sponsor yet to be announced and another commercial partner, hotel chain Marriott, not renewing its partnership. But despite United’s commercial challenges, some commentators believe the decision to reject Amazon’s offer shows Amorim’s influence at the club.
Editor’s Note: Early police reports concerning the deaths of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva have been released. For those interested, the report is here. We have chosen not to report on the story at this stage, as the available information remains unverified and the report is largely speculation. We will provide full coverage once the facts are confirmed.
POLL
Do you agree with Ruben Amorim's decision to block Amazon’s behind-the-scenes documentary at Man United?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> Joao Pedro scored two in his first start for Chelsea in their Club World Cup semi-final win over Fluminense; see his 20-yard curler (Watch) and his stunner off the underside of the bar (Watch)
> Newcastle United have agreed a £55m deal with Nottingham Forest for winger Anthony Elanga (More) | Brentford have contacted former Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou about replacing Thomas Frank (More) | Wayne Rooney is set to become a regular pundit on Match of the Day, reportedly landing a £800,000 two-year contract with the BBC (More)
> Wales Women’s team bus was involved in a road collision ahead of their final training session for their Euro 2025 match against France (More)
> Real Madrid captain Luka Modric will join AC Milan after the Club World Cup, the Serie A club’s manager, Massimiliano Allegri, confirmed (More)
> Kylian Mbappe has withdrawn his legal complaint against former employer Paris Saint-Germain for moral harassment (More)
Americas
> U.S. Open Cup quarter-finals have begun as Minnesota play Chicago and San Jose play Austin; matches conclude shortly after publication (See Results); see a preview of the remaining matches (More)
> York United host Atletico & Cavalry FC host Vancouver FC in the second leg of the Canadian Championship quarter-finals; matches conclude shortly after publication (See Results) | Montreal host Forge FC & Vancouver Whitecaps host Valour in the remaining quarter-final match-ups on Wednesday (July 9) (More)
> Inter Miami travel to the Gillette Stadium to face New England Revolution on Wednesday (July 9) at 19:30 ET (More); See MLS Conference Standings (More)
> Angel Di Maria was introduced as the latest signing by Roasio Central, 18 years after he left his boyhood club (More)
Rest of the World
> Wrexham have arrived in Australia ahead of the first of three pre-season tour matches as they prepare for the Championship (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Should football clubs cover policing costs, even if it means higher ticket prices for fans?
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 👮 Yes (65%)
🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🙅 Nope (32%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (3%)
Your punditry takes:
👮 P.M: “They should cover the policing costs, but the clubs charge fans enough as it is. There is no need to increase the ticket prices. Fans should be able to watch a trouble-free match without incurring any extra costs.”
👮 M.H: “Hooliganism has been a big blot on football’s reputation. That is one of the biggest reasons that security is so important, and the clubs should share the burden.”
🙅 O.C: “In terms of the Premier League, I personally don’t think this is a good idea. The ticket prices for fans will increase, which will ultimately decrease the fan population inside stadiums. This could cause home atmospheres in a team's home stadium to sway toward the away team, meaning teams could drop points not only because of poor play but also because of home atmosphere.”
🙅 D.M.H: “Wholeheartedly disagree with this. It will start with football, and where does it end? Before you know it, police will be 'required' everywhere unnecessarily hiking up prices for all events.”
EXTRA TIME
Who are Premier League clubs playing in pre-season?
Michael Buffer opens CWC match with “Let’s get ready to rumble!”
Next season’s Champions League starts today.
Football fans can now say “go” in Quebec.
Lionel Messi’s bodyguard signs a $15m boxing contract.
USL Championship Player of the Month nominees.
Real Madrid’s unique third kit leaked.
GAME FACE ON
For which club have each of the following pairs of players been teammates?
Brad Friedel & Gheorge Hagi.
Diego Maradona & Diego Simeone.
Edgar Davids & Wilfried Zaha.
Scroll below for the answer.
ON TODAY
Club World Cup
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Real Madrid (20:00)
Women’s Euro 2025
England vs. Netherlands (17:00)
France vs. Wales (20:00)
*All times in UK. ET -5. CDT -6. PDT -8. MDT -7. CET +1.
Answer
Galatasaray. Sevilla. Crystal Palace.
Daily Wordle: Guess the football-related word, from player names to classic phrases, in six tries or fewer. Play it here.
They’re missing a player like me and are still searching. The problem is that there aren’t many players like this, and the ones out there are hard to sign.
