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Good morning football fans. It’s Thursday, May. 14 - Southampton could face a sporting sanction for spying on their play-off opposition, public transport costs to the MetLife Stadium have been reduced for the World Cup, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
KEY FIXTURE
League One Promotion play-off semi-final (May 14): Bradford City vs. Bolton Wanderers, agg 0-1, 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET. Bradford haven’t won any of their last 11 matches against Bolton Wanderers, and they have failed to win any of their last three home matches of the regular League One season. Meanwhile, Bolton dipped in form toward the end of the regular season, winning just one of their final six matches, which ended with a 3-2 home defeat to Luton Town. The winner will play Stockport County in the play-off final on May 24.
Results…
Premier League: Manchester City 3-0 Crystal Palace (Table)
Coppa Italia final: Lazio 0-2 Inter Milan
League One Promotion play-off semi-final: Stockport 2-0 Stevenage (Agg 3-0)
Scottish Premiership: Hearts 3-0 Falkirk | Motherwell 2-3 Celtic | Rangers 1-2 Hibernian (Table)
Women’s Super League: Arsenal 1-0 Everton (Table)
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TOP TALKING POINTS
Spy-Gate Escalates
Southampton are likely to face a sporting sanction if they are found guilty of spying on Middlesbrough’s training before their Championship play-off semi-final tie. Southampton won 2-1 on aggregate to advance to the play-off final, but a sporting sanction, such as a 3-0 first-match forfeit or being banned from the play-offs altogether, would deny the Saints the opportunity to be promoted to the Premier League. Watch a full breakdown of the alleged spy’s movements here and the first images of the ‘spy’ here.
The independent commission deciding on the allegations is expected to make a decision before the Championship play-off final on May 23. The commission has the freedom to impose whatever sanction they deem appropriate, and it can even push Southampton’s punishment into next season. Although Leeds received only a financial penalty in 2019 for spying on opponents - when no specific rule existed - the new regulations introduced since then could lead the commission to impose a harsher sanction.
Prior to the second leg, Middlesbrough manager Kim Hellberg confirmed that a plan is in place for his players to continue working toward the final, even if they lost the semi-final tie. Following their loss, Hellberg spoke on the incident in an emotional press conference — watch the full version here.
World Cup Travel Cost Cut
Prices for public transport to World Cup matches at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey have been cut following a backlash from fans. Train fares will now be reduced from $150 (£111) to $98 (£73), and shuttle bus fares from $80 (£59) to $20 (£15). MetLife Stadium will host eight matches at this summer’s tournament, including the final.
New Jersey governor Mikie Sherrill, who previously spoke out against Fifa not subsidising transport costs, said that commercial sponsorship meant the price for the train journey could be reduced. Meanwhile, New York governor Kathy Hochul confirmed that 20% of the tickets for shuttle buses will be reserved for New York residents because they are “helping host the world.”
In related news, the MetLife Stadium field is expected to be used for the World Cup final halftime show, rather than the usual constructed stage in the stands, which is normally used to avoid damaging the field. Some analysts believe the plans would mean the usual 15-minute interval will also be exceeded.
Many fans have considered walking to MetLife Stadium from New York City due to the cost of transport. Find out why that’s a bad idea here.
Man Utd to Back Carrick
Manchester United’s senior executives are set to recommend that Michael Carrick be awarded the permanent head coach role at the club. As first reported in The Athletic, the club’s two most senior executives, Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox, have concluded Carrick should be given the job, and will try to convince minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe at a meeting this week. Formal discussions with Carrick are expected to begin after their final game at Brighton on May 24.
Since Carrick’s appointment on January 13, no Premier League club has won more points than Man United (33). In his 15 league games in charge, Man United have won 10 matches, including victories over Manchester City and Arsenal. Success on the field has guaranteed Man United Champions League football next season, potentially boosting the club’s revenue by £100m.
Man United’s board are still assessing other options, though their key candidates - Thomas Tuchel and Luis Enrique - have remained committed to the England national team and Paris Saint-Germain, respectively.
POLL
Should Southampton be kicked out of the Championship play-off final if they are found guilty of spying on Middlesbrough’s training?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> Disallowing West Ham’s late equaliser against Arsenal was the correct decision, according to referees’ chief Howard Webb (More) | EFL clubs will vote on Friday on changes to their financial regulations that would widen the spending power between the Championship and League One (More) | Stockport County beat Stevenage 3-0 on aggregate in the League One Promotion play-off semi-finals to earn a spot in the play-off final (Match Report)
> The Scottish Premiership title race will go down to the final day as Hearts and Celtic play each other on the final day, with just one point between them (More); a penalty in the 90’+9 minute for Celtic kept their title race alive in their 3-2 win over Motherwell (More)
> Bayern Munich have broad terms in place to purchase Anthony Gordon with Newcastle seeking £75m+ for the Englishman (More)
> Real Madrid have lost their appeal against Uefa after being fined for fans singing homophobic chants at Pep Guardiola during their Champions League match against Man City (More)
Americas
> The MLS has launched its voting process for the 2026 MLS All-Star Game (More); see every MLS mid-week result (More) and Conference Standings (More) | Chicago Fire’s new stadium, which opens in 2028, will be named McDonald’s Park, after the fast food chain won the naming rights (More)
> The White House refuted reports that the United States denied visas for five members of Iraq's national team ahead of next month's World Cup (More) | Curacao have confirmed that Dick Advocaat will return as their manager, and the 78-year-old will be the oldest manager in World Cup history (More)
> Liga MX Clausura semi-final between Cruz Azul and Guadalajara will conclude shortly after publication; see live result (More)
Rest of the World
> A formal agreement between the Australian Professional Leagues and a group representing football fans in Australia is set to give supporters far more input into the big decisions affecting the A-League (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Should the Premier League expand the use of VAR to corners and yellow cards?
🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ 👍 Yes (46%)
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🙅♂️ Nope (51%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (3%)
Your punditry takes:
👍 D.C.P: “We should not expect on-field refs to be able to see every action on the field at all times, and corners and second yellow cards are too critical to many games to go unchecked. For the integrity of the game, we ought to use every technology that accurately provides clearer reviewable evidence of what actually happens.”
🙅♂️ L.B: “Get rid of it entirely! This striving for perfection is badly flawed. And just think what a boring place this would be if everything were perfect. Ugh.”
🙅♂️ S.M: “They take too long nitpicking over less than an inch! If they can't make a decision within 30 seconds, I think they need to go with the call on the pitch, whether it's right or wrong. I liked the old days before VAR, and we could complain for days that the ref got it wrong.”
✍️ J.M: “Yes, for second yellows. No for corners. We waste enough time on corners and throws as it is, without having to double-check every decision in detail. The vast majority are correctly awarded anyway.”
EXTRA TIME
Predicting the starting XIs for each World Cup team.
Everyone’s talking about Mexico’s third shirt.
How the Football League expanded from 12 to 92.
The arguments for and against Liverpool sticking with Arne Slot.
A look inside Man City’s brand new Women’s First Team facility.
Ian Wright’s biopic will be produced by Stormzy.
What is the greatest distance between two football teams contesting a derby?
GAME FACE ON
Question: Which club holds the record for the most promotions to the English top flight in history?
Scroll below for the answer.
Daily Wordle: Guess the football-related word, from player names to classic phrases, in six tries or fewer. Play it here.
He has a unique work ethic. When he won the 2014 Ballon d’Or, Cristiano treated himself to a glass of champagne to celebrate. Then, at the first training session after the award, he asked for an extra session to make up for it.
Answer
Leicester City, 13 times. Source.
