GM football fans. It’s Tuesday, May. 13 - A proposal to reward player development has been submitted to Uefa, Ancelloti to lead Brazil’s national team, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.

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KEY FIXTURES

Championship Promotion Play-offs, Semi-Final, Leg 2, 20:00 / 15:00. Sunderland vs. Coventry City, Agg 2-1. The first leg of this tie was Sunderland’s first win against Coventry since February 2007, ending a run of 10 games without a victory against the Sky Blues. Opta’s prediction model gives Frank Lampard’s Coventry side, who finished seven points behind Sunderland in the league, just a 19.1% chance of reaching the play-off final. The winner of this fixture will face Sheffield United in the final.

Results…

• Championship Play-offs: Sheffield United 3-0 Bristol City (Agg 6-0) (Report)

• Serie A: Venezia 2-1 Fiorentina | Atalanta 2-1 Roma (Table)

TOP TALKING POINTS

UEFA Windfall Proposal

A lobby group has submitted a proposal for Uefa to distribute 5% of its £3.7bn ($4.9bn) annual revenue from club competitions to clubs that have developed players now featuring elsewhere in Uefa competitions.

The so-called Player Development Reward (PDR) system, proposed by the Union of European Clubs (UEC), would distribute funds based on minutes played and prize money earned by those players. The 36 teams that qualify for the league phase of the Champions League would not be eligible for payments, as they already receive substantial prize money.

According to The Athletic, more than 400 European clubs would have received over €100,000 each had the PDR system been in place last season. At the top end, Ajax, Schalke, Bayer Leverkusen, Sporting, Chelsea, and Stuttgart would each have received more than €3m.

Ancelotti Takes Brazil

Carlo Ancelotti has agreed to become the Brazil national team head coach at the end of the current season with Real Madrid. The 65-year-old will become the nation’s first permanent foreign head coach.

Set to assume the role on May 26, Ancelotti will take charge of Brazil’s World Cup qualifiers against Paraguay and Ecuador next month. The aim will be to restore the Selecao to its former heights, having not won the World Cup since their fifth time in 2002 and currently struggling in their 2026 qualifying campaign. Explore Brazil’s recent form here.

In related news, Xabi Alonso has reportedly signed a deal to become Real Madrid’s manager through 2028. The Spaniard is expected to lead Los Blancos into next month’s Club World Cup.

WSL Rebrands

The Women’s Super League (WSL), the top flight of women’s football in England, has revealed a rebrand for next season. As part of the overhaul, the second-tier Women’s Championship will be renamed WSL2, bringing both leagues under a unified structure.

The Women's Professional Leagues Limited (WPLL), which oversees the top two divisions, has been renamed WSL Football and introduced new visuals for the leagues. This is the first major change since WSL Football assumed control in August 2024. See the new rebrand here.

The update has received mixed reactions online, with many fans suggesting the changes were unnecessary and potentially damaging to the league’s discoverability.

With the 2024–25 WSL season now concluded, dive deeper into the key moments here.

POLL

ON THE BALL

Europe

> Barcelona fans claim to hear a VAR official say “thank goodness” as they disallowed Fermin’s goal for handball in the Clasico (More) | Sevilla players slept at the club’s training ground following “extreme violence” from supporters (More)

> A record nine Paris Saint-Germain players featured in the Ligue 1 team of the year; Ousmane Dembele won the league’s player of the season award, and Desire Doue won the best young player (More)

> Sporting CP are reportedly eying Cristiano Ronaldo as a replacement for Viktor Gyokeres, as the Portuguese forward wants to return to his homeland (More)

> Basel have won the Swiss League title; Xherdan Shaqiri has 41 goal contributions in 35 matches for them (More)

> Arsenal Women midfielder Mariona Caldentey has been named the inaugural Women’s Professional Game’s WSL player of the year (More)

Americas

> David Beckham has told Minnesota United via social media to “show a little respect” in response to their social media post after beating Inter Miami 4-1 (More)

> Angel City FC defender Savy King is stable in the hospital after going down with a non-contact injury in the 78th minute against Utah Royals (More)

> Brazil have won the Fifa Beach World Cup final against Belarus 4-3 in a record-extending seventh victory (More)

Rest of the World

> Karim Benzema scored twice as Al-Ittihad increased their Saudi Pro League lead to nine points with a 3-0 win over Al-Fayha (More)

ROUTERS’ VOICE

Yesterday’s Poll: Do you think broadcasters should be given more access to players and dressing rooms during matches?

🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🎥 Absolutely... (16%)

🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🚫 Nope... (81%)

🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other... (3%)

Your punditry takes:

• 🎥 P.J.M: “Younger viewers are accustomed to having more access through Twitter, Twitch, and other social platforms. Access that the teams expect their players to give to build the brand. Now they have to give the same access to keep up.”

• 🎥 E.W: “As an international fan living in the U.S., I see the NHL, NBA, and NFL often include in-game interviews with players and coaches. These add entertainment value and engage viewers. It’s important players and coaches remember that sports are, at their core, entertainment—and the revenue they generate comes from fans watching, attending, and supporting sponsors.”

• 🚫 J.L: “This has been done in other major sports and in my experience it rarely, if ever, enhances the reporting and most often detracts.”

• 🚫 N.P: “Not during the match and not immediately before or following. Given their pay, it’s fair to demand more player and staff interviews, but the dressing room is private. Discussions of strategy, words between players, and the simple act of dressing should be left uncovered by audio/video.”

EXTRA TIME

What’s at stake across Europe’s top leagues–in detail.

Real Madrid are hosting trials in the US.

Manchester City’s 25-26 home shirt leaked.

The history of all-English European finals.

Cristiano Ronaldo's son trains with Portugal's U15s.

Key numbers behind two decades of the Glazers at Utd.

Metallic FA Cup Final ball released.

GAME FACE ON

Question: Who is the missing player from the list?

Fabio Cannavaro,  ____  , Philipp Lahm, Hugo Lloris, Lionel Messi.

Scroll below for the answer.

ON TODAY

Championship Play-offs, SF

• Sunderland vs Coventry City (Agg 2-1) (20:00)

Scottish Premiership Play-offs, SF

• Partick Thistle vs Livingston (19:45)

La Liga

• Real Valladolid vs Girona (18:00)

• Real Sociedad vs Celta Vigo (19:00)

• Sevilla vs Las Palmas (20:30)

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

Answer

Iker Casillas. The sequence: the last five World Cup-winning captains.

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