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Good morning football fans. It’s Wednesday, Apr. 8 - The Championship promotion race tightens up, Brazil is considering introducing a unified football league, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
We’re back from our mini-break since Friday. Thank you for all the messages since we’ve been away!
KEY FIXTURES
UEFA Champions League Quarter-Finals, leg 1, (Apr 8): Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid, 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET. Atletico have never won a Champions League away match against a fellow Spanish side, losing four of the five they have played. Plus, in these sides’ most recent La Liga meeting on Saturday, Barcelona won 2-1 away at Atletico. Paris Saint-Germain vs. Liverpool, 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET. These teams have met on six previous occasions in European competition, with both sides registering three wins each. Their most recent meetings came in the Champions League last season, where both won 1-0 away from home in the round of 16, before the Parisians won on a penalty shootout at Anfield to progress. See the Champions League bracket here.
Results…
Champions League quarter-final: Real Madrid 1-2 Bayern Munich | Sporting CP 0-1 Arsenal
Championship: Wrexham 1-5 Southampton (Table)
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TOP TALKING POINTS
Championship Tightens
Three clubs - Ipswich Town, Middlesbrough, and Millwall - are level on points with 72 in the race for automatic promotion to the Premier League. Following the latest round of fixtures, in which both Middlesbrough and Millwall dropped points, Ipswich now lead the race for the second automatic promotion spot, with a better goal difference and two games in hand. See the Championship table here.
Despite their goalless draw with Hull City on Monday, Coventry moved 12 points clear at the top of the table. Frank Lampard’s side, who are currently on 84 points, now need to reach a total of 88 points to officially seal promotion to the Premier League, with Millwall and Middlesbrough only able to reach a maximum of 87. Promotion will end Coventry’s 25-year wait for top-flight football.
Elsewhere, on Tuesday, Southampton moved above Wrexham to sixth place after beating them 5-1 away from home, meaning the Saints are now in position to qualify for a play-off spot. Southampton, who knocked Arsenal out of the FA Cup in Saturday’s quarter-final match, are now on a 16-game unbeaten run in all competitions.
In League One, leaders Lincoln have secured promotion to the Championship for the first time since 1961 after their 2-1 win over play-off chasers Reading.
Players’ Protest Ruled Legal
A Spanish Court has ruled that the 15-second protest by La Liga players earlier this season was not an “illegal strike”, following the league’s lawsuit against its own players. The court ruled that the protest, which was a response to a proposal to play the Villarreal vs Barcelona league match in Florida, “did not constitute a strike” but was an “exercise of their right to freedom of expression.” Two days after the protest, the match abroad was scrapped, blamed on “insufficient time” to organise the event.
La Liga was claiming damages of €8.7m (£7.6m; $10m), which it tied to harm to the competition’s audiovisual value and, by extension, its appeal to broadcasters and sponsors. The Spanish league said it would appeal to Spain’s Supreme Court to not only protect its audiovisual rights but also “ensure the adequate protection of the integrity of the competition.” The court concluded that the duration of the protest didn’t have a material impact on the matches, despite it taking place during the players’ working hours, and therefore it couldn’t be considered a strike.
The ruling represented a significant blow to La Liga president Javier Tebas, who had previously defended his aggressive legal approach.
Brazil’s Next Step
Brazilian clubs have held initial talks to discuss the creation of a unified football league in the country. Currently, Brazil’s top competition - the Brasileiro Serie A - exists, but is not run as a fully independent, club-led league in the same way as Europe’s biggest competitions, limiting clubs’ control over commercial strategy and revenue generation. The competition is, instead, organised by the country’s governing body.
A unified league, operated by the clubs, would allow for a centralised TV rights deal and improved scheduling, both of which are key areas holding back Brazilian football. Under the current system, clubs negotiate broadcasting rights individually, reducing collective bargaining power and leading to a fragmented business strategy.
Brazilian football, long a producer of elite talent, has undergone a significant structural shift since 2021 with the introduction of SAFs, which allow external investment into clubs. Nearly 40% of clubs across Serie A and B have adopted this model, improving financial stability and increasing revenues. This has led to greater spending on squads, as clubs attempt to retain talent rather than simply export it to Europe.
POLL
Which team do you think will win the Champions League this season, and why?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> The Premier League has officially secured its fifth Champions League spot following Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Sporting in the Champions League on Tuesday (More)
> Harry Maguire has signed a one-year contract extension with Man United, with the option for a further year (More) | Former Man United captain Antonio Valencia, 40, has joined the veteran team Manchester club Wythenshawe AFC (More)
> The Uefa Europa League quarter-final between Sporting Braga and Real Betis will be played on Wednesday (April 8), with the rest of the fixtures to be played on Thursday; see the schedule (More)
> Wales captain and former Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey has retired from professional football aged 35 (More)
Americas
> Minnesota United have denied rumours that midfielder James Rodriguez is suffering from a potentially life-threatening muscle-wasting condition (More) | Nashville SC lost their first game of the MLS regular season with a 1-0 defeat to Chicago Fire, where they scored the fastest goal in club history (More); read a full MLS round-up (More) and see the Conference Standings (More)
> The Concacaf Champions Cup quarter-finals — Nashville vs Club America and LAFC vs Cruz Azul — will conclude shortly after publication (Live Results)
> San Diego Wave remain top of the NWSL table following their fourth straight win as they beat Boston Legacy 1-0; see every NWSL result (More) and table (More)
> Louisville City FC lost their first regular-season match in this season’s USL Championship 2-0 at home to Charleston Battery, ending two unbeaten runs (More); see the USL Championship results (More) and Conference Standings (More)
> Neymar has undergone a knee procedure during the international break to “be raring to go” leading up to the World Cup, Santos coach Cuca has revealed (More) | Corinthians have appointed former Brazil interim coach Fernando Diniz after sacking Dorival Junior (More)
Rest of the World
> Iran's government will only decide on the national team's participation in the World Cup once they receive a response from Fifa over the relocation of its matches (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Friday’s Poll: Are World Cup ticket prices justified based on the demand that FIFA claims?
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 👍 Yes (3%)
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🙅♂️ Nope (95%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (2%)
Your punditry takes:
👍 T.F: “Strictly speaking, Fifa is an entertainment industry whose purpose is to make money. If the market will bear those ticket prices, then they are justified in charging them. If they lose customers because of them, then the obvious business decision is to lower them.”
🙅♂️ C.K: “The roots of football come from mostly industrial and less economically successful areas where kids were kicking handmade balls in the streets. Football is a sport for the masses and should be available to all. Charging $10,000 per seat is insane.”
🙅♂️ B.W: “I live in Canada and want to support my team and take part in this historical event, but don’t want to pay these prices! It is madness that this is allowed. I’ll wait for the next World Cup, I guess?”
✍️ M.K: “Very disappointed. I signed up for every lottery I could find. Was successful in none. Tried to buy tickets yesterday in the last ticket sale. Prices were crazy high, and the seats were the worst in the stadium. Guess the only way I will see a World Cup match is on TV.”
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GAME FACE ON
Question: Which season saw a front three score the highest combined goals this century, and what was their total number of goals?
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.
There are certain players I no longer want to see on the pitch. I don’t want them to play anymore, but they are club assets. Even if I want to sell them, it’s easier if I play them to maintain their market value.
Answer
Barcelona’s front-three during the 2015-16 season. They scored 131 goals in total, with Luis Suarez netting 59, Lionel Messi 41, and Neymar 31.
