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KEY RESULT

UEFA Conference League Final: Real Betis 1-4 Chelsea. Chelsea are the first side in history to win each of the European Cup/Champions League, UEFA Cup/Europa League, Cup Winners' Cup, and the Conference League. Cole Palmer is also the first player to assist twice in the final of a major European competition since Marcelo for Real Madrid against Liverpool in the 2017-18 Champions League. Read the Match Report here.

More results…

• MLS (Results)

TOP TALKING POINTS

Messi, Suarez Launch Club

Luis Suarez has announced that he has founded a professional football team in Uruguay, and his teammate Lionel Messi will join him on the project. The team formerly known as Deportivo LS will now be called LSM, a representation of the two footballers' names, and will start playing in Uruguay’s fourth division.

It’s unclear what Messi’s role will be, although local media report that he will be a partner. It was also reported that Alvaro Recoba, a former Uruguay international and Inter Milan player, will be the team’s head coach.

The announcement also launched the club’s Instagram account, which had over 40,000 followers within two hours of its creation. At the time of writing, the account has over 320,000 followers.

Fifa Structure Criticised

Fifa has been accused of being “more poorly run” today than it was ten years ago, figures from across the world have argued in an open letter to the organisation. The letter, which has 35 signatories from academics, whistleblowers, and supporters’ groups, comes a decade after the arrests of seven Fifa officials on corruption charges.

The letter argues that there is little evidence to show that the primary impact of Fifa’s revenue distribution has been the development of the game. Instead, it argues that “there is considerable evidence to suggest its main purpose has been to ensure the loyalty and allegiance of member associations”. In their view, such a model “disincentivises ethical conduct”.

The letter goes on to cite the Club World Cup’s impact on the fixture calendar and the decision to grant the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia, despite backlash against he country’s human rights abuses, as examples of concerning trends.

Champions League Conundrum

Next season, the six non-English teams in Pot 1 of the Champions League will face at least two Premier League clubs in the group stage. This could make the fixtures more challenging for these teams. See next season’s Pot 1 and 2 here.

Uefa’s rules prohibit teams from the same association being drawn together and limit each team to facing a maximum of two clubs from any one other association. With six Premier League teams—Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Newcastle, and Tottenham—competing, the only way to comply with both conditions is for the Pot 1 non-English teams to play at least two Premier League sides.

As an example, if Barcelona were to get Bayern Munich and Inter from Pot 1. They would then have to get two of Arsenal, Tottenham and Newcastle to satisfy the two English clubs constraint. In comparison, this season’s Pot 1 teams faced either one or no Premier League clubs in the group stage. Of the eight encounters, non-English teams recorded two wins, one draw, and five losses.

Dive deeper into how the pot draw works here.

POLL

ON THE BALL

Europe

> Inter Milan will wear their golden third kit in Saturday’s Champions League final against PSG, who will be wearing their first-choice kit (See Kit)

> Manchester United have lost their first game on their Malaysia post-season tour 1-0 to ASEAN All-Stars (More) | Turki Al-Sheikh, Chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, is exploring investment in English football; Southampton and Millwall are his main interests (More)

> The Women’s Super League is in advanced discussions with the Professional Footballers’ Association over providing a funding deal that would enable all players in the top two divisions to join the union for the first time (More)

> If Lamine Yamal activates all the performance-related bonuses in his new deal, then the total package of salary, bonuses and signing-on fee would reach just shy of €40m (£33.5m; $45.3m) a year before tax, making him Barcelona’s highest-paid player (More/paywall)

> Rio Ferdinand has announced that he is leaving his role as pundit on TNT Sports after the Champions League final (More)

Americas

> The USL and Central Florida Pro Soccer has announced their intent to bring a professional men’s team to the region (More)

> Former Los Angeles FC player Carlos Vela, who set the MLS single-season record with 34 goals in 2019, announced his retirement at 36 (More)

> Jorginho has confirmed his departure from Arsenal as a free agent and has signed for Brazil side Flamengo on a three-year deal; he will be available to compete in the Club World Cup (More)

Rest of the World

> Nicolas Milanovic won A-League men’s player of the season, while Alex Chidiac won the best women’s player for the second time in her career (More)

ROUTERS’ VOICE

Yesterday’s Poll: Should the Conference League be seen as a major European trophy?

🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🤩 Absolutely... (34%)

🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🙅‍♂️ Nope... (63%)

🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other... (2%)

Your punditry takes:

• 🤩 S: “It’s a Uefa competition, just like the Champions League and Europa League. It involves clubs from across Europe who have earned qualification based on domestic performance, and includes a group stage, knockout rounds, and a final—just like its ‘bigger siblings’. The winner qualifies for the following season's Uefa Europa League, solidifying its position in Uefa’s tournament hierarchy. Conclusion: While it's not the Champions League, it's still hard to win, carries prestige, and represents real European success. Think of it like the Uefa Cup Winners’ Cup in the past: not top-tier, but highly meaningful.”

• 🙅‍♂️ S.G: “There’s only one major trophy in European football—the Champions League. The Europa League is where middling teams go to feel relevant. The Conference League? A dressed-up participation trophy. In 2023-24, Chelsea finished 6th, Betis 7th—both miles off the title. This isn’t about sporting glory; it’s about keeping the cash flowing.”

• 🙅‍♂️ P.J.F: “It should be seen as how the Carabao/Carling/EFL...Milk Cup is. It is a nice win and some hardware, but nowhere near as prestigious or major as the League, Champions League, Europa or even the FA Cup.”

• ✍️ C.S: “For a small Scandinavian or Eastern European club, absolutely. But for a large club from one of the top leagues, absolutely not. Simple as that.”

EXTRA TIME

How fans in Asia moved on from Man Utd.

Tom Cruise will join Beckham’s UCL final viewing.

ESPN’s La Liga end of season awards.

Who made Opta's team of the season?

Emily Fox receives hero's welcome from USWNT.

Bayern Munich’s 25-26 home kit launched.

What’s the most offside goal ever?

Thierry Henry joins the Stick to Football podcast.

GAME FACE ON

Question: Bukayo Saka reached 10 goal involvements in just eight appearances for the season (3 goals, 7 assists) by October, the fewest games by an Arsenal player to reach 10+ in a single campaign since who in 2009-10?

Scroll below for the answer.

ON TODAY

French Play-off Finals

• Reims vs Metz (Agg 1-1) (19:30)

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

Answer

Cesc Fabregas (six games). Credit: Opta.

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