Good morning football fans. It’s Wednesday, April. 15 - UEFA is set to see record revenue increases, a new trial into the death of Diego Maradona has begun, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
KEY FIXTURES
UEFA Champions League quarter-finals leg 2 (April 15): Arsenal vs. Sporting CP, Agg 1-0, 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET. Arsenal have lost only one of their last 12 Uefa competition matches against Portuguese teams (W6 D5) and are unbeaten in their last eight at home to them (W6 D2). While Sporting have won nine of their ten previous Uefa competition two-legged ties against English opposition, they have only won one such match in 14 ties after losing the first leg at home. Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid, Agg 2-1, 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET. Despite their one-goal deficit, Real Madrid have won their last nine Uefa competition two-legged ties against German opposition, a run stretching back to their 4-3 aggregate defeat by Dortmund in the 2012-13 Champions League semi-finals. However, Bayern have won 29 of their 30 two-legged European ties after winning the first leg away from home. See the Champions League bracket here.
Results…
Champions League: Atletico 1-2 Barcelona (Agg 3-2) | Liverpool 0-2 Paris Saint-Germain (Agg 0-4)
TOP TALKING POINTS
UEFA’s Revenue Increase
UEFA is set to bring in more than €1bn (£870m; $1.17bn) a year in commercial revenues from club competitions next year. Alongside the governing body’s sale of the first block of TV rights for the 2027-31 cycle, two pending commercial deals with a payments provider and a technology provider will take Uefa’s annual earnings over €6bn, up from €4.4bn.
The uptick in revenue has coincided with UC3, the commercial joint venture owned by Uefa and the clubs, hiring American agency Relevent Football Partners last year to handle TV and sponsorship tenders. According to sources who spoke to The Guardian, Relevent has completely restructured Uefa’s sponsorship sales process. One such change was offering “elevated partners” rights for all three Uefa competitions, rather than solely focusing on the Champions League. It means that they’re selling commercial rights for brand exposure across 531 matches each season, not just 189 in the Champions League.
The increase in revenues should translate into higher prize money for clubs, as Uefa distributes funds based on a percentage of its income. Currently, 56% of club competition revenue is allocated to Champions League clubs, with 17% going to the Europa League and 9% to the Conference League.
25-Minute Halves?
The owner of Serie A’s Napoli, Aurelio De Laurentiis, has proposed that matches should be reduced to 50 minutes with a stopped clock instead of added time. Speaking to The Athletic, the 76-year-old movie producer believes the new generation of children “do not have the patience to see a very slow-paced match on television.” Despite openly admitting that he wasn’t a football lover growing up, De Laurentiis is widely credited with taking Napoli from a bankrupt Serie C club to one of Serie A’s most profitable and sustainable football clubs.
In his interview, he proposed a number of radical changes, including the belief that “small clubs” - defined as those with fewer than around 1 million supporters - shouldn’t be in the top leagues. As such, he has suggested that Italy’s top flight be reduced from 20 to 16 teams to improve quality and reduce fixture overload. However, perhaps his most radical suggestion was to include top American teams in European competitions and even to create a pan-American league combining North and South America to “fix Major League Soccer.”
Ultimately, De Laurentiis believes that football should be modernised as an entertainment product. This includes changes on the pitch, such as modifying rules to encourage more goals or forcing players off the pitch immediately if they go down injured to stop time-wasting. He has also called to scrap yellow and red cards entirely and replace them with temporary sin bins - five minutes for minor fouls and 20 minutes for serious ones.
Maradona Trial Continues
A new trial over the death of one of football’s greatest-ever players Diego Maradona began on Tuesday. The trial of seven members of Maradona’s medical team for negligent homicide first started in March last year but was ultimately declared a mistrial after one of the three judges was interviewed in the corridors of the courthouse as part of a documentary, which was in breach of judicial rules. Maradona died aged 60 on November 25, 2020, following a heart attack.
In the initial trial, prosecutors argued that the medical team broke treatment protocols. Specifically, the home where Maradona was recovering from brain surgery to remove a blood clot was a “theatre of horror,” and the necessary care was not provided. Investigators classified the case as culpable homicide, a crime similar to involuntary manslaughter. Moreover, a medical board, appointed by the prosecutors in 2021, found that the medical team acted in an “inappropriate, deficient and reckless” manner, and that Maradona "would have had a better chance of survival" with adequate treatment.
The defendants deny any wrongdoing. If convicted, the seven medical professionals could face prison sentences ranging from eight to 25 years.
POLL
Do you think football needs major rule changes to remain engaging for future generations? (relates to Story 2)
ON THE BALL
Europe
> Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid have advanced to the Uefa Champions League semi-finals; PSG will face Bayern Munich or Real Madrid, and Atletico will face Arsenal or Sporting; see the bracket (More) | The Champions League ball will likely lose its stars design as Nike enters exclusive talks to win Uefa’s ball rights, and Adidas holds the rights to the star design (More)
> Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola will leave the club at the end of the season and is linked with a return to Athletic Club (More)
> England have taken control of their 2027 Women’s World Cup qualifying group after beating Spain 1-0 (Match Report); see all Women’s World Cup qualifying results (More)
> Former French Football Federation president Jean-Pierre Escalettes has died at the age of 90 (More)
Americas
> US Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker is leaving his position for a new role with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, with less than two months before the 2026 World Cup (More)
> Javier Mascherano has resigned from his position as Inter Miami head coach and has left the club with immediate effect (More)
> The United States women’s national team’s second of three friendly matches against Japan will conclude shortly after publication; see the live result (More)
> Nubank, a fintech company, will name Palmeiras’ stadium, the Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras, in Sao Paulo after winning the rights (More/paywall)
Rest of the World
> Eighteen Senegalese fans sentenced to prison for between three months and one year for their involvement in the incidents during the Afcon final had their sentences upheld on appeal (More)
> The Asian Football Confederation has recommended the expansion of the AFC Champions League Elite to a 32-team tournament from 24 starting from next season (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Do you think Neymar should be selected for Brazil's 2026 World Cup squad?
🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ 🤩 Yes (46%)
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🙅♂️ Nope (50%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (4%)
Your punditry takes:
🤩 D.J: “It is only fitting that one of the most dazzling players of all time receive a curtain call on the world’s biggest stage. Love him or hate him, he changed the game forever.”
🙅♂️ N.S: “I myself watch the Brazilian league, and he is far from being physically fit. The talent is still there, and perhaps bringing him on for the last 15 minutes could work, but Ney’s ego is too big.”
🙅♂️ M.B: “Old. Bad attitude. Entitled. Thinks his name should automatically qualify him. No thanks! I want players to earn their spot.”
✍️ L.J: “It's all about form. If he rediscovers his mojo ahead of the tournament, they could be catching lightning in a bottle, but if not, he shouldn't be selected in name value and past glory alone.”
EXTRA TIME
Jorginho withdraws criticism of popstar Chappell Roan.
The smallest nation in World Cup history just unveiled new kits.
Atletico fans welcomed their team in style.
Who is Marseille’s new president Stephane Richard?
BBC’s Premier League team of the week.
Netflix to launch Untold football mini-series in May.
GAME FACE ON
Question: Which club was relegated from the Premier League in 2019 and then the Championship in 2024?
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.
I have zero fear. Just purpose, fire, direction and conviction that we’re going to do it.
Answer
Huddersfield.
