VAR Upgrade Delayed

GM football fans. It’s Wednesday, Mar. 19 - Semi-automated offside delayed again, Ligue 1’s last ditch attempt, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.

Enjoy reading Route One? Share with a friend using this link.

KEY FIXTURES

UEFA Women's Champions League, Quarter-Finals, First Leg: Wolfsburg Women vs Barcelona Women, 17:45 / 13:45. Barcelona have won their last 15 away games in all competitions, scoring 3+ in 10 and keeping 10 clean sheets, while Wolfsburg have netted 3+ in six straight home wins and have beaten Barca in both previous two-legged ties on German soil. Manchester City Women vs Chelsea Women, 20:00 / 16:00. Chelsea have progressed from all five of their previous Women's UCL quarter-finals and are unbeaten in 28 games under Sonia Bompastor. Meanwhile, City have won all four home games in Europe this season without conceding a goal.

Results…

Women’s Champions League: Real Madrid 2-0 Arsenal (Report) | Bayern Munich 0-2 Lyon (Report)

TOP TALKING POINTS

VAR Upgrade Delayed

The Premier League has further delayed the introduction of semi-automated offside technology (SAOT). The technology was supposed to be introduced after the international break, after being initially delayed at the end of 2024.

SAOT was trialled for the first time in English football in seven of the eight FA Cup fifth-round ties. The Premier League is reluctant to introduce the technology soon after SAOT caused an eight-minute VAR check during Bournemouth versus Wolves due to what sources described as a “congested penalty area.” The FA has confirmed it will hold another trial in three FA Cup quarter-finals and continue to use it in the semi-final and final.

The earliest it could be introduced is the weekend of 5-6 April. However, some clubs reportedly question whether a significant change should be brought in with eight games remaining.

Dive deeper into how SAOT technology works here.

Women’s €2bn Milestone

A new report finds that global revenues in women's sports will surpass $2.35bn in 2025, up from $1.88bn last year. Football is projected to generate €820m in 2025–or 35% of the total revenue.

In Europe, Barcelona Femeni receieve the most income among the clubs analysed, generating €17.9m in revenue, followed closely behind by Arsenal Women. However, the National Women's Soccer League's (NWSL) top revenue-earning team reportedly earn almost doubles that.

However, despite the growth, a Fifa report into women's football published on Monday underlined the financial disparity in wages and sponsorship between genders. The average annual salary for a female player at a ‘Tier 1’ club is around $24,030.

Ligue 1 Happy Meal

Streaming platform DAZN–which has the rights to broadcast Ligue 1–is offering McDonald’s customers three months of streaming for free when purchasing from the ‘Golden Ligue 1’ or the ‘Duo Golden Ligue 1’ menus in France. The promotion is part of DAZN's strategy to increase its current subscriber count, which hovers around 500,000—a figure significantly below what the company had hoped to achieve.

In effect, customers will pay between €10 and €15 to purchase a McDonald’s meal and then receive a DAZN access code. This marks a stark contrast to DAZN’s original Ligue 1 launch, when access was priced at €39.99 per month.

In a four-year deal that started this season, DAZN agreed to pay €400m a year for the rights to eight of the nine Ligue 1 fixtures each weekend. Last month, the British streaming platform withheld half the payment after being dissatisfied with the uptake in subscribers. As a result, the French football governing body took legal action against DAZN, leading to a settlement.

POLL

Do you think SAOT should be introduced late in the season? And why?

Leave your initials if you'd like to be featured in tomorrow's edition.

ON THE BALL

Europe

> British broadcaster Sky has reportedly asked pundits not to “make snap judgements” and to “stick to their facts” before commenting on Manchester City’s alleged charges (More) | Arsenal have opened contract talks with Bukayo Saka as the forward enters the final two years of his current deal (More)

> Eddie Howe will be awarded the freedom of the city following Newcastle United's Carabao Cup win (More) | Former Liverpool defender Alan Hansen receives MBE for services to football and broadcasting (More)

> LFP accept PSG’s request to move their league fixture with Nantes to focus on their Champions League fixture against Aston Villa (More) | Marseille midfielder Adrien Rabiot took aim at PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, writing on social media that "you can't buy class” (More)

> Thibaut Courtois said he is “relieved” to be able to “talk everything out” with his Belgium team-mates, after returning to the national team for the first time since June 2023 (More)

Americas

> The Denver City Council is expected to approve a 14,500-seat stadium for Denver’s NWSL expansion team, which begins play in 2026 (More); see concept images (More)

> The Copa Libertadores 2025 group stage draw has taken place; current champions Botafogo will face Estudiantes de La Plata, Universidad de Chile, and Carabobo (Full Draw)

> Flamengo have won the Campeonato Carioca title after beating Fluminense 2-1 across two legs; Filipe Luis has won his third title as Flamengo coach in only six months in charge, and they’re on a 24-game unbeaten streak (More)

Rest of the World

> Australia's first openly gay player Josh Cavallo said he receives multiple death threats every day and would find it difficult to encourage other footballers to come out (More)

> The CAF 2026 World Cup qualifiers start today with Eswatini hosting Cameroon, Liberia hosting Tunisia and CAR hosting Madagascar (Standings)

ROUTERS’ VOICE

Yesterday’s Poll: Is a lifetime ban too harsh for breaking betting rules?

🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 😬 Yes... (38%)

🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🙅‍♂️ Nope... (59%)

🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other... (3%)

Your punditry takes:

😬 S.D: “You cannot be a player who is used to promote gambling companies (via sponsorship) and then have it be illegal to participate in the very companies you are advertising.”
😬 L: “Yes, and it doesn’t seem fair when comparing it to other violations members of the footballing community have committed in recent years. If it’s a lifetime ban for betting, why would incidents of racial or homophobic abuse or doping not also be a lifetime ban?”
🙅‍♂️ W.G.P: “If a player, coach or referee undermines the integrity of play in this way, it destroys public trust in them in ways that cannot be redeemed. For the good of the sport and the people who dedicate themselves to it, either on or off the pitch, a lifetime ban is appropriate. Ultimately, to play is a privilege, not a right. And abuse of that privilege deserves the harshest penalty.”
🙅‍♂️ B.R: “The integrity of the game is critically important. No leniency should be extended for players if and when it’s clear they’ve broken betting rules.”