GM football fans. It’s Wednesday, May. 28 - Details of the Liverpool parade crash, Cristiano Ronaldo hints at a Saudi exit, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.

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KEY FIXTURE

UEFA Conference League Final: Real Betis vs. Chelsea FC, 20:00 / 15:00. Chelsea could become the first team to win four different major Uefa tournaments, having previously won the Cup Winners’ Cup, Champions League and Europa League. Although Spanish sides have won their last nine major European finals against English opponents, Betis have won just one of their eight meetings with such teams in all competitions. Opta’s prediction model gives Chelsea a 51.1% chance of winning the final within 90 minutes. See possible line-ups here.

TV Channels: TNT Sports (UK) | Paramount+ (US) | DAZN (Canada)

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Results…

• Swiss Play-off Finals: Grasshoppers Zurich 4-0 FC Aarau

TOP TALKING POINTS

Liverpool Parade Incident

A car drove into a crowd of Liverpool fans during a parade celebrating their side’s Premier League title, hospitalising 27 people–including four children–with two seriously injured. At the time of writing, 11 victims remain hospitalised, but are said to be in stable condition. Watch verified videos of the incident here (viewer discretion advised).

A 53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area, who they believed to be the driver of the vehicle, has been arrested. Merseyside Police said (see video report) they do not believe the incident was terrorism-related and there was no intelligence to suggest an incident of this nature would take place. The collision is being treated as an isolated incident, and police are not looking for anyone else in connection with it.

While the suspect’s motive isn’t clear, he is under suspicion of attempted murder, dangerous driving, and driving while unfit through drugs. He remains in custody, and the police have until Wednesday to either release him or pursue charges.

The driver gained access to the crowd when a temporary roadblock was lifted for an ambulance to treat a member of the public for a suspected heart attack. See a visual guide of how the parade collision unfolded here.

Cristiano Hints Saudi Exit

Cristiano Ronaldo has hinted that his time at Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr has come to an end. Following their 3-2 loss at Al Fateh, in which the 40-year-old Portuguese forward scored his 800th club goal, he posted a message on social media that read: “This chapter is over. The story? Still being written. Grateful to all.” Ronaldo could use the one-off transfer window set up by Fifa between June 1 and 10 to sign for a new club.

Last week, Fifa president Gianni Infantino said that Ronaldo “might” play in next month’s Club World Cup, which would require him to transfer to a team that has qualified for the tournament. Reports in Brazil claim that Botafogo are in talks with Cristiano, with a clause that allows him to become a partner in John Textor’s Eagle Football Holdings.

Al Nassr were handed a lifeline to qualify for the AFC Champions League when the Saudi Football Federation accepted their appeal to award three points after Al Ourbah used an ineligible player when they beat Al Nassr 2-1 in March. However, the loss to Al Fateh has ended their qualification hopes, and ultimately, their route to salvaging a difficult season.

Roma Alledge Physical Altercation

Roma have accused Fiorentina midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo of punching two of the club’s youth players. Zaniolo, on loan at Fiorentina from Turkish side Galatasaray, is said to have visited the Roma dressing room after the game, where the altercation allegedly took place.

Zaniolo denied any wrongdoing after Roma issued a statement on the “regrettable incident,” but the Italian Football Federation reportedly opened an investigation. If found guilty of striking the players, Zaniolo could face a lengthy ban.

Following the Primavera youth league title play-off semi-final, where Zaniolo watched from the stands, the 25-year-old says he went to the locker rooms to congratulate both teams on their seasons. He claims that after Roma youth players began insulting him, and “to prevent the situation from degenerating”, he chose to leave.

POLL

ON THE BALL

Europe

> Matheus Cunha's transfer to Manchester United is at an advanced stage as the Wolves forward nears a £62.5m move to Old Trafford (More) | Jeremie Frimpong has arrived in the UK to finalise his move to Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen (More)

> Lamine Yamal agrees to sign a new deal at Barcelona on a six-year deal until June 2031; the contract will include a special bonus payment for a Ballon d’Or win (More)

> England goalkeeper Mary Earps has announced her retirement from international football just 36 days before the start of the Euro 2025 (More)

> Disney+ is the new home of the Uefa Women's Champions League in Europe from next season after securing rights to the competition for the next five years (More)

Americas

> Carlo Ancelotti has left Neymar out of his first Brazil squad due to just returning from injury and has brought back Casemiro, Richarlison and Antony for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers (More); See the Brazil squad (More)

> One of the three Argentine judges presiding in the trial of seven members of Diego Maradona's medical team charged with negligent homicide stepped down from the case on Tuesday amid accusations of ethical breaches (More)

> MLS Matchday 16 kicks off on Wednesday (May 28) as Vancouver Whitecaps lead the Western Conference and Philadelphia Union lead the Eastern Conference (Schedule)

> 2026 World Cup host cities are racing to overcome logistical challenges (More)

Rest of the World

> For the second consecutive year, the A-Leagues have sold out the A-League Grand Final as fans flock to get tickets for the first-ever Melbourne Derby finale (More)

ROUTERS’ VOICE

Yesterday’s Poll: Are you satisfied with the overall standard of refereeing in football?

🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 👏 Absolutely... (34%)

🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🙅‍♂️ Nope... (63%)

🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other... (3%)

Your punditry takes:

• 👏 P.C.S: “For the most part, the referees do an excellent job. Yes, there are occasional errors, but they are mostly corrected by VAR. The one thing I would change is the business of having ARs hold the flag when a player is clearly offside. I think that the current practice can lead to unnecessary injuries.”

• 🙅‍♂️ A.W: “Refereeing will never be a perfect science. There is never a perfect call. But the issue is the inconsistency both across matches and across referees. As a fan who watches multiple leagues, I’m not certain I could define what a handball is anymore.”

• 🙅‍♂️ G.M: “It has dropped off alarmingly in the past few years, and referees have no accountability for their mistakes, which basically makes it appear that they don’t care much if they get it wrong.”

• ✍️ C.C.M: “Mostly. The officials mostly do a great job in what has to be one of the most difficult jobs, since everything is heavily scrutinised. The problem is consistency. The same action is called differently far too often. The laws of the game remain unclear.”

EXTRA TIME

Alonso speaks as Real head coach for the first time.

Prize money each PL team earned this season.

… and ten players who could leave the PL this summer.

Pope Leo XIV casts doubt over which team he supports.

Dortmund fans reject red Vodafone shirt logo.

Why American money is taking over English football. (video)

Who’s won the most Golden Boots?

Hazard, 34, can’t turn like he did before.

GAME FACE ON

Question: Can you name the missing team from the sequence below?

_______ , West Ham, Olympiakos.

Scroll below for the answer.

ON TODAY

Uefa Conference League Final

• Real Betis vs Chelsea (20:00)

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

Answer

Roma. The Italian side were the first team to win the Uefa Conference League in 2022, with West Ham (2023) and Olympiakos (2024) subsequently winning.

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