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GM football fans. It’s Thursday, Mar. 19 - Senegal’s government claims corruption after their Afcon was revoked, Boston’s World Cup committee resolves an ongoing dispute to host matches, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
KEY FIXTURES
UEFA Europa League Round of 16, leg 2, (Mar 19): Midtyjlland vs. Nottingham Forest, Agg 1-0, 17:45 GMT / 13:45 ET. Midtjylland have won both of their two meetings with Forest, both in this season’s Europa League. They’ve also won each of their last four major European home matches. Aston Villa vs. Lille, Agg 1-0, 20:00 GMT / 16:00 ET. Lille have never won on their nine previous visits to England in major European competition (D1 L8), losing their last seven in a row. Meanwhile, Villa have won their last six Europa League games. Roma vs. Bologna, Agg 1-1, 20:00 GMT / 16:00 ET. Bologna remain unbeaten in their last 10 games in major European competition (W6 D4), though Roma have lost only one of their last five Europa League matches against fellow Italian opposition. See every Europa League fixture here.
Results…
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TOP TALKING POINTS
Premier League Dispute
Several mid-table Premier League clubs are reportedly pushing for a portion of the biggest clubs’ Uefa revenue to support a new financial agreement with the English Football League (EFL). The lobbying forms part of ongoing negotiations between England’s top flight and the lower leagues over how much funding should be distributed. The six Premier League clubs in the Champions League are set to receive more than £600m in broadcast and prize money this season.
Negotiations between the Premier League and the EFL have stalled over future funding, including reformed solidarity payments to lower-league clubs. Talks broke down after Premier League clubs failed to agree on a new six-year financial settlement — a proposal the EFL estimated would amount to roughly 14.75% (or around £900m) of the combined overseas media revenue of the two leagues, well short of the 25% the EFL was seeking. If no agreement is reached, the newly created Independent Football Regulator has backstop powers to impose a settlement.
The Dutch top-flight league has a similar system in place. Eredivisie clubs in Uefa competitions pay 5% of their group-stage and 3.75% of knock-out revenue prize money to teams in the league that did not qualify for Europe. They also distribute 15% of the redistributed pot to teams in the second tier.
Senegal Claims Corruption
The Senegalese football federation has vowed to appeal the Confederation of African Football’s (Caf) decision to revoke their Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) win over Morocco. On Tuesday, Caf overturned Senegal’s 1-0 win in January, officially declaring Morocco the winners with a 3-0 forfeit ruling. Caf ruled that Senegal forfeited the match after they walked off the pitch for 16 minutes in protest at a last-minute penalty awarded to their opponents. The decision followed an appeal made by the Moroccan FA.
The Senegalese government has also become involved, calling for an independent international investigation into “suspected corruption” of Caf. “By overturning a result earned at the end of a regularly conducted match and won in accordance with the rules of the game, Caf inflicts serious damage on its own credibility as well as on the legitimate trust that African peoples place in continental sports institutions,” Senegal’s government said.
Senegal’s FA will appeal to sport’s highest court, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas). A Cas arbitrator, Raymond Hack, says he expects the court to rule in favour of Senegal if they go ahead with an appeal of Caf’s decision. Speaking to ESPN, Hack said that Morocco failed to lodge a protest before the end of the game, and the referee kept the game going, leaving no basis for the Appeal Board to side with Morocco. It's unclear whether Hack's opinion is well-founded.
World Cup Green Light
The Foxborough select board has approved an entertainment license for Fifa, allowing seven 2026 World Cup matches to go ahead in Gillette Stadium, reports The Athletic. The approval followed a months-long dispute over who would cover public safety costs, which are estimated to be around $7.8m, or roughly 10% of Foxborough’s annual budget.
Boston Soccer 2026, the host committee, will cover the security costs, with financial backing from Kraft Sports & Entertainment, led by Robert Kraft. While Foxborough were promised reimbursement for the payments, they were always concerned that they might never recover the money since the host committee would be dissolved after the tournament. Now they will not have to pay any costs themselves. The Boston host committee has agreed to provide upfront funding guarantees and has already placed $1.5m in escrow.
The seven matches at Gillette Stadium include multiple group-stage matches featuring teams such as England, France, and Scotland, a round of 32 match, and a quarter-final.
In related news, the 11 US cities set to host World Cup games have been awarded $625m in security funding after delays.
POLL
Do you think it was fair that Senegal's AFCON win was overturned because they left the pitch in protest?
ON THE BALL
Europe
Following the conclusion of the Champions League last 16, see the quarter-final matches here.
> Robert Lewandowski has become the first footballer in history to score against 41 different teams in the Champions League (More) | Harry Kane scored his 50th Champions League goal, the first Englishman to do so (More)
> Max Dowman’s father and brother obtain Fifa agent licenses with the goal of managing their son’s career (More) | The British government will take “further steps” to pursue the £2.5bn former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovic promised to donate from the sale of the club in 2022 (More)
> Crystal Palace travel to Larnaca for their second-leg (Agg 0-0) in the Uefa Conference League Round of 16 on Thursday (Mar 19); see all the fixtures (More)
> Kasper Schmeichel fears his career could be over due to a serious shoulder injury (More)
> Manchester United Women's title chances have been dealt a blow following a goalless draw away at West Ham (Match Report); see the WSL table (More)
Americas
> Zlatan Ibrahimovic will work as a pundit for Fox Sports during the 2026 World Cup (More) | Will Ferrell, Mia Hamm, Snoop Dogg, and Luka Doncic have been named as the Los Angeles’ World Cup host ambassadors (More)
> Argentina have released their squad for the international friendly against Guatemala (More)
> Gotham FC and Washington Spirit will play in New York City at Citi Field on July 15 in the NWSL match dubbed The Queens Classic (More)
> USL Championship’s Louisville City FC have departed with head coach Danny Cruz, and have appointed Simon Bird as interim (More)
Rest of the World
> Japan beat South Korea 4-1 to set up a Women’s Asian Cup final against hosts Australia (More)
> The Nigerian Football Federation will appeal Fifa’s rejection that DR Congo fielded ineligible players in the World Cup play-off between the two nations (More/paywall)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Does the Champions League show the gap between the Premier League and other leagues isn’t that big?
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 👍 Yes (67%)
🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🙅♂️ Nope (30%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (3%)
Your punditry takes:
👍 D.J: “Is the Premier League the best league in the world? Yes. Is it by as wide a margin as people believe? No.”
👍 Y.R: “The Premier League is too intense with no easy games. Other leagues have their games moved to allow their teams the best chance to compete, plus a winter break. When you try to squeeze too much out of the product, the quality diminishes.”
🙅♂️ S.D: “The other leagues have two to three teams that might compete in the Premier League. Beyond that, the bottom half of Premier League teams would do very well in any other league. There's parity at the top, but very little beyond that.”
✍️ B.M: “It’s hard to tell from a talent perspective. Currently, all it’s showing is how the crowded, hyper-physical set piece meta of the Prem doesn’t translate to European football.”
EXTRA TIME
How the Premier League is using the US to bankroll big signings.
What is the earliest an uninjured goalkeeper has been substituted?
Neymar watches the Brazil squad announced live.
Inside Wrexham’s 10-year plan to sustainable success.
A full breakdown of Pochettino’s USMNT roster.
Why Premier League competitiveness is affecting their Champions League.
GAME FACE ON
Question: Sevilla holds the record for the most Europa League titles with seven. Five clubs are tied in second place, each with three Europa League/Uefa Cup victories. How many can you name?
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.
This trophy is won on the pitch, not by email.
Answer
Liverpool. Juventus. Inter Milan. Atletico Madrid. Tottenham.
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