GM football fans. It’s Friday, Feb. 28 - La Liga files a complaint against Man City, Premflix ambitions, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.

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FA Cup, Fifth Round: Aston Villa vs Cardiff City, Fri 28, 20:00 / 15:00. Cardiff are winless in their last 15 visits to Villa Park, losing the last seven in a row–they also have only one win in their last 17 away matches. Manchester City vs Plymouth Argyle, Sat 1, 17:45 / 12:45. City have won their last 18 FA Cup games against sides from a lower division by an aggregate score of 69-9. Plymouth have progressed on four occasions in 44 previous FA Cup ties against top-flight opponents. Manchester United vs Fulham, Sun 2, 16:30 / 11:30. United have lost just one of their last 21 meetings with Fulham in all competitions. Meanwhile, the Cottagers have failed to progress on all three occasions they’ve faced FA Cup holders. See all the FA Cup Fifth Round fixtures here.

Results…

La Liga president Javier Tebas has admitted that the Spanish league filed a legal complaint to the EU Commission, alleging that Manchester City are trying to circumvent financial fair play rules. This complaint is separate from City’s alleged 115 charges case.

The complaint was filed in 2023, claiming that City has breached EU Competition Law by receiving foreign subsidies from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). La Liga claims that this has allowed the English champions to enhance their competitive position and has caused significant distortions across national and EU markets. In effect, Tebas believes City have been able to sign elite players beyond what would be feasible under normal conditions.

City told sources that Tebas has a long history of attacking the club and refused to comment. In 2022, the Spanish top flight complained to UEFA about Paris Saint-Germain and City, complaining that both clubs were in “continuous breach” of financial fair play rules. While both clubs were investigated separately—and PSG fined among eight others—it’s not considered a result of La Liga’s complaint.

The Premier League would need more than 12 million UK subscribers paying £20 a month to justify launching its own streaming platform, dubbed ‘Premflix’. While the English top flight generates around £3.5bn a year from selling its media rights, a direct-to-consumer (D2C) streaming service could prove more lucrative.

Rumours that the Premier League might be considering a D2C platform gathered pace last year when it announced it was bringing all overseas content and production in-house from 2026. However, the upfront cost of launching a Premflix service is so great that it could severely hit clubs in the short term.

Across Europe, broadcast deals have taken a hit as media executives say it’s harder to justify the high cost of live broadcast rights due to the stark rise in online piracy. This season, Ligue 1 and Serie A agreed to broadcast deals at reduced rates, while the Premier League managed a 4% increase in broadcast revenue but with a 40% increase in the number of televised matches. Ligue 1 has already launched a D2C service with Amazon in response to the falling broadcast deals.

The FA Cup Fifth Round begins on Friday (Feb. 28) when Aston Villa host Cardiff City. The tournament is down to the last 16, with eight ties to be played across four days. All the games will be decided on the day—if there is not a winner by the end of normal time, the match will go to extra time before penalties.

Video Assistant Referee (VAR) will be introduced from the fifth round onwards, with in-stadium VAR announcements included to provide "improved clarity and understanding" for fans and viewers. Most notably, semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) will be used in all seven matches at Premier League grounds for the first time in live competitive matches in English football. The Championship match-up between Preston and Burnley will not feature SAOT. Learn how SAOT works here.

On Saturday, Crystal Palace host Millwall, Preston host Burnley, Bournemouth host Wolves, and Manchester City host Plymouth. On Sunday, Newcastle host Brighton and Manchester United host Fulham. On Monday, Nottingham Forest host Ipswich.

> Ruben Amorim said he would speak to Alejandro Garnacho after he went straight to the dressing room when he was substituted (More) | Arsenal expect Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli back from injury by April 1, in time for when they host Fulham (More) | West Ham have frozen Season Ticket prices for next season; joining Brentford and Liverpool (More) 

> English Football League (EFL) end of season and Play-Off dates confirmed (More) | The EFL is weighing up a conflict of interest over a proposed purchase of Reading by American businessman Robert Platek (More)

> Jose Mourinho, Fenerbahce manager, has been banned for four games and fined a total of £35,194 for comments made after Monday's game with local rivals Galatasaray (More)

> Bayern Munich withdraw their new contract offer for Joshua Kimmich (More)

> Marseille president Pablo Longoria has been given a 15-match suspension after he claimed his side were victims of corruption following a Ligue 1 defeat against Auxerre (More)

> Liverpool Women have parted company with manager Matt Beard after three-and-a-half years in charge (More)

> The MLS Matchday two begins on Saturday (Mar. 01) when Charlotte FC host Atlanta United (Fixture List)

> Japan beat the United States 2-1 at the SheBelieves Cup to end the Americans’ streak of five straight trophies at the annual tournament and hand manager Emma Hayes her first defeat since taking charge (More)

> Two Argentine football fans were shot in Rio de Janeiro ahead of the second leg of the Recopa Sudamericana final between visiting Racing and local Botafogo (More)

> Canada’s American-born manager Jesse Marsh says he’s “ashamed” of US President Donald Trump’s comments about making Canada the 51st state (More)

> Sydney's Stadium Australia will host the final of the 2026 Women's Asian Cup on March 21, along with a semi-final and two quarter-finals (More)

> A court has ruled that depicting the disputed Western Sahara as part of Morocco on club shirts violates rules against political messaging (More)

Yesterday’s Poll: Is Mohamed Salah on course to have the greatest individual season in Premier League history?

🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🤩 Absolutely... (72%)

🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🙅 Nope... (23%)

🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other... (5%)

Your punditry takes:

Messi’s acting skills on show in Lay’s latest UCL advert. (via X)

Jurgen Klopp will have his own float.

Upcoming MLS milestones for Matchday 2.

Philipp Lahm’s column on Bayern Munich’s 125th anniversary.

How understanding players’ cycles is breaking new ground for women’s football.

Nuno Espirito Santo shuts down Martin Keown’s question. (via X)

Which teams have gone the longest without conceding in the Premier League?

The renaissance of Scandinavian football clubs.

English first division table 100 seasons ago.

Philadelphia Union’s Cavan Sullivan teaches Gen Z slang.

Keane and Wright argue if Bruno Fernandes is a good captain. (via X)

Who Am I?

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FA Cup, 5th Round

La Liga

Bundesliga

Serie A

Ligue 1

*All time in UK. ET -5. CST -6. PST -8. MST -7. CET +1.

Answer

Christian Pulisic.