GM football fans. It’s Thursday, Feb. 19 - UEFA is investigating Vinicius Junior’s allegations of racist abuse, Arsenal fans complain over ticket price hikes, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
KEY FIXTURES
UEFA Europa League Knock-Out Round Play-Offs, Leg 1 (Feb 19): Fenerbahce vs. Nottingham Forest, 17:45 GMT / 12:45 ET. Fenerbahce will face Nottingham Forest for the first time in European action in this tie, while they’ve won just one of their last nine matches against English sides. Celtic vs. Stuttgart, 20:00 GMT / 15:00 ET. Celtic are undefeated since Martin O’Neill’s managerial return, winning eight and drawing two of their 10 matches. Stuttgart are enjoying a strong domestic campaign, sitting fourth in the Bundesliga table, but they only won once in their four away fixtures in the Europa League league phase. Lille vs. Red Star Belgrade, 20:00 GMT / 15:00 ET. The Serbian side won 1-0 in the league phase, but Red Star have never won an away European match in France, conceding at least two goals on all nine visits. See every Europa League play-off fixture here.
Results…
Premier League: Wolves 2-2 Arsenal (Table)
Champions League: Qarabag 1-6 Newcastle | Bodo/Glimt 3-1 Inter | Brugge 3-3 Atletico | Olympiakos 0-2 Leverkusen
Women’s Champions League: Real Madrid 2-0 Paris FC (Agg 5-2) | Arsenal 3-1 OH Leuven (Agg 7-1)
TOP TALKING POINTS
UEFA Launches Racism Investigation
UEFA has opened an investigation into Vinicius Jr’s allegations of racist abuse during Real Madrid’s 1-0 win at Benfica in their Champions League play-off match. European football’s governing body has appointed an ethics and disciplinary inspector to gather evidence from speaking to those involved. A decision is expected to take weeks rather than days.
Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe said after the match that he heard Gianluca Prestianni, the player accused, “say that Vinicius is a monkey, five times”. The televised images (watch here) show Prestianni covering his mouth before Vinicius runs over to the referee to inform him of alleged racist comments made by the Argentine midfielder. Madrid players said they considered leaving the field but eventually decided to continue playing.
Prestianni took to social media to deny racial abuse of Vinicius. "I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults to Vini Jr, who regrettably misunderstood what he thought he heard," said Prestianni. Additionally, Benfica say they “fully support and believe” their player’s version of events and shared a video saying Madrid players were too far away to hear anything.
Benfica’s manager, Jose Mourinho, also claimed Vinicius’ goal celebration incited the crowd and pointed to former Benfica striker Eusebio, who is black, as proof that the club is not racist. Former Real Madrid midfielder Clarence Seedorf, working as a pundit, said Mourinho "made a big mistake to justify racial abuse".
World Cup Cash Row
The Boston World Cup host city, Foxborough, doesn’t know who will cover the $8m public safety costs for hosting seven World Cup matches at Gillette Stadium. The Massachusetts town is holding firm that it will refuse to grant Fifa the required local license to play matches at the stadium unless the money is guaranteed up front. The town has set a mid-March deadline for clarity before issuing the license.
The U.S. has set aside $625m for host-city security, but Foxborough doesn’t know its share and won’t spend taxpayer money on a reimbursement promise. Foxborough officials want the same model used for NFL events, where organisers put money up front, and fear having no one to recover funds from after the tournament. Fifa has so far deferred financial responsibility to the host committee and the host city, while the Kraft Group, which owns Gillette Stadium, is in talks with the town over potentially fronting some of the money.
Gillette Stadium is due to host games from June 13, including two knock-outs and a quarter-final match on July 9. See the World Cup fixture schedule here.
Ticket Hike Angers Fans
The price of Arsenal season tickets will rise for the fifth season in a row, leaving the club's supporters "disappointed". A 23-game season ticket for the Arsenal men’s team in the upper tier of the Emirates Stadium will cost a minimum of £1,291 next season and a maximum of £2,196 in seats closest to the centre circle. Compare ticket prices across Premier League clubs here.
Specifically, the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust has strongly criticised the Gunners’ decision to introduce a new top-tier ‘Category A+' ticket band for selected high-profile fixtures. Under this new structure, some matches – including potential Champions League knockout ties – could see general admission prices rise as high as £168, which would be the most expensive in English football.
Alongside this, season ticket prices will also increase by 3.9%, a move that is set to generate Arsenal around £6m in revenue alone. The club argue they’ve made the decision as part of a continued push toward “financial stability”.
At the same time, their North London rivals Tottenham have said they will freeze season-ticket prices for next season.
POLL
Are the Champions League play-off rounds a good addition to the new format?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> Real Madrid Femenino set up a Clasico with Barcelona in the Women’s Champions League quarter-final after their 2-0 win over Paris FC in the play-offs (More) | Arsenal Women will play Chelsea after their 3-1 win over OHL in the play-offs (More)
> Manchester United have no plans to re-negotiate the terms of Marcus Rashford's potential permanent move to Barcelona and expect the Spanish club to pay between €30m - €35m (More)
> Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen has alleged that Napoli treated him 'like a dog,' subjected him to racist insults, and blocked his path to Juventus (More)
> La Liga has successfully obtained legal orders against VPN providers in a crackdown against illegal streaming of matches (More)
Americas
> The Mexican national team will finish its preparations for the World Cup with warm-up matches against Ghana, Australia, and Serbia (More)
> Nashville SC secured a 2-0 victory over Atletico Ottawa during the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup opening-round series (More); see all results (More)
Rest of the World
> Sam Kerr will lead Australia’s bid for a second Women’s Asian Cup title, which will be played between March 1 - 21 (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Arsenal are introducing safe standing at their stadium. Should more clubs do the same?
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 👍 Yes (76%)
🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🙅♂️ Nope (16%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (8%)
Your punditry takes:
👍 J.E.D: “Having been to the Johan Cruyff Arena, I can categorically say that safe standing works. There were substantial barriers between each row, and you had a little half-seat to lean back against. The number of people allowed in each area is controlled, as you have a ‘spot’ in the same way you would have a seat. It wouldn’t stop overenthusiastic fans from jumping sideways, but that happens in seated areas anyway. Bring it back to more grounds, please.”
👍 G.R: “Having been a season ticket holder at the Arsenal since we moved to the Emirates Stadium, I can say that the only time I have sat in my seat is during the half-time interval. I think it is a way forward by the club to get more fans into the ground, and also to give away more tickets to fans to watch their club.”
🙅♂️ M.K: “Safe standing is only safe in theory. It works until it doesn’t. It only takes a small group of fans or another crowd-control error to cause an emergency situation. I would happily pay more for a seated ticket if it ensures my fellow fans' and my safety.”
EXTRA TIME
CBS’s Kate Scott on racism in football.
Has a footballer ever been sent off but still named player of the match?
The Premier League’s best dribblers—based on stats.
Adidas release Premier League Originals collections.
11 players to watch in the MLS this season.
How does VAR compare across Europe’s top leagues?
Real Betis debut a new shirt made of oranges.
GAME FACE ON
Question: Who Am I…
I was born in the Caribbean but moved to London as a child, where my football journey began.
I made my professional debut for one of England’s most historic clubs as a teenager and was once the second-youngest player to start a league match for them.
A transfer early in my career made me, at the time, the most expensive English player ever.
At Euro 2020, I scored three of my country’s four goals in the group stage.
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 learned all about life with a ball at my feet.
Answer
Raheem Sterling.
Correction from yesterday’s trivia: The question was intended to be limited to the 20th century. As some readers pointed out, Didier Deschamps has also won the World Cup as both a player and a manager.
