GM football fans. It’s Thursday, Mar. 27 - Fifa reveals Club World Cup earnings, Lionel Messi’s fake signature on a trading card, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
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KEY FIXTURES
UEFA Women’s Champions League, Quarter-Finals, Leg 2: Barcelona Women vs. Wolfsburg Women, Agg 4-1, 17:45 / 13:45. Barcelona have reached the semi-finals in each of the last six seasons and are unbeaten in their last 19 UWCL home games, winning 18. Meanwhile, Wolfsburg have lost three of their last five away matches. Chelsea Women vs. Manchester City Women, Agg 0-2, 20:00 / 16:00. The Blues have won all 16 of their home matches under Sonia Bompastor and are unbeaten at Stamford Bridge in Europe since March 2022. Man City are bidding to reach the semi-finals for the first time since 2017-18.
Results…
TOP TALKING POINTS
Lucrative Club World Cup
Fifa has revealed that the winners of the Club World Cup could earn up to $125m in prize money, the biggest prize for club football in a seven-game format. The world’s governing body will not retain any funding for this tournament as all revenues will be distributed to the clubs.
The new 32-team tournament, held in the United States between June 14 and July 13, will see $475m distributed based on performance. Meanwhile, clubs will receive a participation fee based on “sporting and commercial criteria”. The 12 European teams will earn between $12.8m and $38.2m, while the six South American clubs will earn a flat fee of $15.2m. See a detailed breakdown of earnings here.
The prize fund rivals that of other elite club competitions, despite far fewer matches. Clubs could earn as much as $173m from this year’s expanded Champions League, though that would need teams to play at least 15 matches. Similarly, winners of the Premeir League can earn around $176m over a 38-game season.
Messi Card Controversy
The issuer of a collectible trading card ‘signed’ by Lionel Messi is under scrutiny after being deemed fake by a leading authenticator. Only 10 cards of the kind were printed, and it’s potentially worth more than $1,000. See the card in question here.
In an interview with The Athletic, the collector revealed how the signature on his card was labelled as fake by PSA, an industry-leading grading company. PSA speculated that Messi’s brother may have signed the card, though it’s unclear what this suggestion was based on. PSA grades are not immune to human error. Learn how sports cards are graded here.
Topps, the card’s manufacturer, states that all player autographs are witnessed by company representatives. While Topps did not confirm the card was fake, the owner received an email offering a replacement. He interpreted the gesture as “an acknowledgement that this is fake.”
Dive deeper into the best practices for trading cards here.
New Ground New Standards
Brighton’s chief executive Paul Barber believes that female footballers might need "a different pitch type” to reduce the risk of injuries. The club is currently exploring various surfaces as part of its purpose-built stadium—close to the men’s team’s stadium—for their WSL team.
A report in 2023 found that female players are up to six times more at risk of an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injury than males. Many factors, including training facilities, football boots, and calendar congestion, have been cited as reasons for this. Some studies suggest that biological reasons do not explain the difference in risk.
Additionally, Brighton promises its new stadium will provide facilities catered towards women's football fans and will be more family-oriented. Among the facilities will be breastfeeding rooms, baby changing areas, and 'buggy parks' for storing prams.
POLL
Do you think the lucrative Club World Cup prize pot softens concerns over player welfare?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> The Premier League is considering a two-pronged broadcast strategy from 2029 onwards, with a direct-to-consumer model for overseas markets while domestic broadcast rights are still sold to traditional broadcasters (More) | Chelsea fans have asked the Premier League to investigate their owner Todd Boehly over his involvement with a ticket resale company (More)
> Paris Saint-Germain owners are reportedly in advanced talks to buy Spanish division two side Malaga for €100m, French outlet L’Equipe claims (More/translated)
> Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies has suffered a cruciate ligament tear and will be sidelined for around six months (More)
> Former Chelsea Women executive Adrian Jacob has been appointed as head of football for the new global women’s seven-a-side tournament with a prize pot of $5m (More)
Americas
> Argentina secured its place at the 2026 World Cup just before their 4-1 win over Brazil; Bolivia’s failure to beat Uruguay meant the current world champions qualified (More)
> The Boston NWSL expansion club has officially renamed itself to Boston Legacy FC five months after it received criticism for launching as BOS Nations FC (More) | Portland Thorns have announced the signing of CanWNT forward Marie Alidou from Benfica (More)
> Hank Steinbrecher, widely considered one of the most influential architects of American football, has passed away at age 77 (More); Watch a tribute to Steinbrecher after his 2012 Werner Fricker Award win here.
Rest of the World
> Algeria, Egypt and Morocco all moved closer to World Cup qualification following their home success (More)
> Fifa has cleared a path for Afghanistan’s women’s side to represent their country again but has been criticised for moving too slowly (More)
> Real Kakamora FC, a team from the Solomon Islands which has grown in popularity this season, admit they don’t know who is in charge of their U18 squad. It is possible “a random person has taken control” without their permission (More)
> The United Arab Emirates sacked Portuguese coach Paulo Bento, the morning after his team kept their World Cup qualification hopes alive (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Is it the club’s fault or the player’s choice when someone leaves for free?
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 ⬜️ 🏟️ Club... (60%)
🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🙋♂️ Player... (27%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other... (13%)
Your punditry takes:
🏟️ L.K: “TAA is leaving and Salah and VVD may also, but Liverpool should have been in negotiations last year, not waiting until the mid-point this year. If you wait until there is one year left, then it's definitely on the club.”
🙋♂️ J.L: “If a player decides he no longer wants to play for the club, it is clearly the player's choice. Even if the club is low-balling the player on wages, it is still the player's choice not to re-sign and to leave on a free transfer.”
✍️ K.P: “I do not think it is a matter of whose fault it is, the club offer a termed contract and the player accepts or doesn’t. When it’s up for renewal, then it is a joint exercise and if it doesn’t suit either or both parties then “adios”. Loyalty is rare in football, careers are short so good luck to any player if they can get an improved contract elsewhere. Not many will stay for the love of the club.”
✍️ R.M: “The fan in the street will never know what goes on behind the scenes. Clubs are talking to agents and to players. Do we get told what was said? No we don't! There is far too much speculation in the media, which I believe influences outcomes.”
EXTRA TIME
What it’s really like cooking for Premier League players.
Why Lo-Fi stadium’s grass impressed visitors.
Real Madrid’s 25-26 third kit leaked.
The best free-kick takers of the modern era.
Why refs want to change the throw-in rule. (via X)
The brutal Premier League injury list—club by club.
Inside Barcelona's fixture nightmare.
The biggest football clubs in Britain–ranked.
Which football match-up scores highest in Scrabble?
GAME FACE ON
Who Am I…
I’ve played in the Premier League, Serie A and Saudi Pro League.
I signed for Manchester United in 2010 and won two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, and the Europa League.
I became the second English player to join Roma.
Scroll below for the answer.
ON TODAY
Women’s Champions League, Quarter-Finals, Leg 2
Barcelona Women vs. Wolfsburg Women (Agg 4-1) (17:45)
Chelsea Women vs. Manchester City Women (Agg 0-2) (20:00)
*All time in UK. ET -4. CST -5. PDT -7. MDT -6. CET +1.
Answer
Chris Smalling.
Thanks to our humility and work we played a great match. We danced around them.
