|
GM football fans. It’s Wednesday, Mar. 11 - UEFA has expressed concerns over the Premier League’s dominance, Fifa has cut $100m in funding for the World Cup, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
KEY FIXTURES
Champions League Round of 16, leg 1, (Mar 11): Bayer Leverkusen vs. Arsenal, 17:45 GMT / 13:45 ET. Arsenal have won eight consecutive matches in this season's Champions League — their longest winning run in European competition. However, Leverkusen have progressed from four of their five major European knock-out ties against English clubs. Paris Saint-Germain vs. Chelsea, 20:00 GMT / 16:00 ET. PSG and Chelsea have faced each other eight times in Uefa competition, all in the Champions League, with the French side recording three wins, Chelsea two, and three matches ending level. Real Madrid vs. Manchester City, 20:00 GMT / 16:00 ET. These sides have met 15 times in Uefa competition, with the head-to-head perfectly balanced at five wins each and five draws. While City won 2-1 in the league phase earlier this campaign, they have been eliminated by Real Madrid on four occasions in this competition, the only side to knock them out more than twice.
Results…
Champions League: Galatasaray 1-0 Liverpool | Atalanta 1-6 Bayern | Atletico 5-2 Spurs | Newcastle 1-1 Barcelona
Championship (Results)
FROM OUR PARTNERS
Every Great Player Knows This One Thing
What happens in your head is just as important as what happens on the pitch. Focus, resilience, and staying composed under pressure — those aren't just athletic skills. They're life skills.
BetterHelp makes therapy simple and flexible. Complete a short questionnaire and get matched with a licensed therapist who fits your needs — often within 24 hours. Sessions are available by phone, video, or live chat, and you can message your therapist anytime, so support fits easily into your routine.
Whether you're managing stress, navigating personal challenges, or simply looking to feel more focused and grounded, BetterHelp offers a private, professional space to work through what's on your mind. Get 25% off your first month of therapy and strengthen the most important part of your game.
TOP TALKING POINTS
UEFA’s Premier League Concern
UEFA is concerned about the impact of the Premier League’s new financial rules on the rest of Europe. England's top-flight clubs voted to introduce a system called squad cost ratio (SCR), which allows teams to spend up to 85% of their income on player costs — potentially rising to 115% with allowances. This is notably more permissive than Uefa's own SCR limit of 70%, which all clubs competing in European competition must adhere to.
Uefa says that Premier League clubs not in Europe would have much higher spending power, making it more difficult for their continental counterparts to retain players. Around 40% of the world’s most valuable players are at English clubs, which Uefa says is a “worrying concentration of talent.” Despite this, virtually every major European league is tightening its financial rules, whereby mid-table Premier League clubs such as Brentford and Fulham rival Italy’s biggest clubs, like AC Milan and Juventus, in the transfer market.
As well as impacting the continent’s competitive balance, the European governing body also argues that clubs spending more than 85% of their revenue on wages would sustain significant year-on-year losses, diluting the effectiveness of financial rules. But the Premier League argues that the rule will "allow a club to plan and invest over multiple seasons".
World Cup Budget Cuts
FIFA has cut more than $100m from the operating budget for the 2026 World Cup in North America, according to insiders with knowledge (paywall) of the subject. Budget cuts have affected departments such as safety, logistics, security, transport, and accessibility. Despite claims that the tournament will bring in over a record $11bn in revenue, Fifa says the cuts are routine efficiency measures to ensure more money can be invested in global football development.
Fifa aims to reinvest at least 90% of its revenue into football worldwide, though critics suggest that the target may be arbitrary and put pressure on staff, fans, and host cities. Other critics see the move as politically driven by Fifa president Gianni Infantino to win favour among the federations for his re-election. A Fifa spokesperson told The Athletic: “Claims that budget efficiencies are cynically linked to a Fifa presidential election are pure fiction.”
The preparations are also affecting host cities across North America. Some host committees have scaled back fan festivals and other events as they manage the costs of staging the tournament. Read our previous write-up on this topic here.
Real Madrid’s Manager Hunt
United States manager Mauricio Pochettino is on Real Madrid’s shortlist to replace Alvaro Arbeloa next season, multiple credible sources suggest. Pochettino, whose contract runs through this summer’s World Cup, had been previously linked with the Real job after leading Tottenham to the Champions League final in 2019.
Arbeloa replaced Xabi Alonso on January 12, but it was never clarified how long he had signed for. With Real’s struggles largely continuing, some sources claim that the current coach would need "a miracle" or to win the Champions League to have any chance of remaining at the club.
Jurgen Klopp, Unai Emery, and Massimiliano Allegri have also been linked with the club by Spanish media outlets, though these are unverified reports. Other reports suggest that Real’s president Florentino Perez is determined to bring back Zinedine Zidane, though some sources claim the Frenchman has already agreed to take charge of the French national team after the World Cup.
POLL
Should mid-table Premier League teams prioritise Cup runs or pushing for European qualification?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> Spurs keeper Antonin Kinsky was substituted after only 17 minutes, after two slips gifted goals to Atletico Madrid in their 5-2 loss (More)
> England defender Kyle Walker has announced his retirement from international football after earning 96 caps for England (More) | Sheffield Wednesday could start next season with a 15-point deduction because none of the bidders currently trying to buy the club are prepared to pay £15m to the outgoing owner, Dejphon Chansiri (More)
> The Spanish FA president Rafael Louzan expects the Finalissima between Spain and Argentina to be moved away from Doha (More)
> Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is currently stuck in Qatar amid the war in the Middle East (More)
> Women’s multi-club ownership group Mercury13 have completed a majority investment in Spanish club FC Badalona (More)
Americas
> FIFA’s World Cup chief operating officer says the tournament is “too big” to be postponed because of global turmoil caused by the US and Israeli war against Iran (More)
> Mexico has begun granting visas to players from Iraq’s national team ahead of the World Cup intercontinental qualifier scheduled March 31 (More)
> Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16 fixtures will conclude shortly after publication; see live results and upcoming fixtures (More)
> The billionaire owner of the Chicago Fire is privately funding a $750m stadium for the MLS team, with construction getting started just south of downtown Chicago (More)
Rest of the World
> Africa’s top club competitions will see prize money rise by up to 100% this season, with Champions League and Confederation Cup payouts increasing by a combined $4m (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Are you excited about the Champions League Round of 16 fixtures?
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🤩 Absolutely (82%)
🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🙅♂️ Nope (15%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (3%)
Your punditry takes:
🤩 J.L: “Always look forward to the knockout rounds as it is the best football on the planet. The biggest clubs battling for the most coveted title. Always exciting and the stakes are so high for the players and the clubs.”
🙅♂️ T.P: “The new Champions League format has ruined it for me. We’ve already seen many of these teams play against eachother in the drawn-out league phase. It makes the knock-outs feel less significant.”
✍️ V.O: “It’s difficult not to get excited about the knock-outs, but it’s a shame the broadcasters aren’t up to scratch with the quality we see on the pitch.”
EXTRA TIME
World’s oldest football club comes under new ownership.
Is time-wasting in the Premier League getting worse?
The creation of the European Cup explained.
The Champions League’s best-ever tifos.
Adidas revive the USA’s 1994 away shirt.
Spurs fans serenade Pochettino on his flight to Spain.
GAME FACE ON
Question: Which five players have featured for Atletico Madrid and Tottenham? Including loan players.
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've already said that I don't chase records, records chase me.
Answer
Toby Alderweireld, Kieran Trippier, Matt Doherty, Clement Lenglet, and Conor Gallagher.
