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Good morning football fans. It’s Tuesday, April. 28 - FIFA is expected to raise the prize money for the upcoming World Cup, the Champions League semi-finals begin this week, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
KEY FIXTURE
UEFA Champions League semi-final leg 1 (April 28): Paris Saint-Germain vs. Bayern Munich, 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET. Bayern have already beaten PSG away this season, with a 2-1 win in the league phase in November, with two goals from Colombian winger Luis Diaz. The German giants have also won each of their last five Champions League games against PSG, the longest winning streak of any team against the French league leaders in major European competition. However, a victory for PSG would make Luis Enrique the fastest to 50 wins of any manager in Champions League history.
Results…
Premier League: Manchester United 2-1 Brentford (Table)
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TOP TALKING POINTS
World Cup Prize Money Rise
FIFA has agreed in principle to increase the prize money for all 48 teams participating in the 2026 World Cup, with details of the enhanced funding to be approved at a meeting of the Fifa Council in Vancouver this week. The move comes after national associations aired concerns about the costs of travel, operations, and taxes in the United States.
In December, Fifa announced a record World Cup prize fund of $727m — a 50% increase from the previous edition — with the winning team taking home $50m and each team receiving at least $10.5m. Fifa will pay nations an additional $2m for reaching the last 32, $4m more for getting to the last 16, and an extra $8m for qualifying for the quarter-finals. Despite this, many associations, including the English FA, reportedly told Fifa they would lose money, even if their side were successful in the tournament.
Financial concerns of nations have been heightened by the tax burden facing national associations, which isn’t usually the case at World Cup tournaments. Fifa has tax-free status, but The Guardian reports that it was unable to negotiate exemptions for the participating nations. It means that national associations will have to pay federal, state, and city taxes on their earnings.
Champions League Projections
The Champions League returns with the semi-finals on Tuesday (April 28) and Wednesday (April 29). Paris Saint-Germain will host Bayern Munich in the first leg on Tuesday, and Atletico Madrid will welcome Arsenal on Wednesday.
Despite Bayern Munich’s recent success against PSG in the Champions League, including a 2-1 win in this season’s league phase in November, Opta’s prediction model gives the French side a 41% chance of winning the first leg. Bayern are projected to have a 34.6% chance, while a draw has a 24.3% chance. While PSG’s loss percentage against Bayern is their highest compared to any other side they have faced more than three times in the Champions League, they have scored 2+ goals in each of their last eight knockout stage games in the competition, the joint-longest run in Champions League history. Ultimately, however, Bayern are 59% favourites to advance to the final.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are heavily favoured to progress to the final, with a projected 71% chance of overcoming Atletico Madrid over the two legs. Earlier this season, Arsenal beat Diego Simeone’s side 4-0 at the Emirates in the league phase, and Atletico have also won just two of their last 12 matches against English teams in Uefa competition (D2 L8), while they have a mixed record in Champions League semi-finals (W3 L3). Arsenal remain favourites to win the competition, with a 35.7% chance, while Bayern are narrowly behind at 34.8%.
Referee Fraud Saga
The head of referees for Serie A and Serie B has voluntarily suspended himself after being placed under investigation for “sporting fraud”. The referee in question, Gianluca Rocchi, is accused of interfering with VAR protocols and of selecting referees who favour Inter Milan. Rocchi will appear in court in Milan on Thursday, alongside VAR supervisor Andrea Gervasoni. “This choice, painful, difficult but shared with my family, is intended to allow the legal proceedings to run their course properly, from which I am sure I will come out unscathed and stronger than before," Rocchi's statement to Italy's referees' association (AIA) read.
In one incident, Rocchi allegedly interfered with VAR protocols during a Serie A match between Udinese and Parma in March last year by knocking on the window of the VAR booth and recommending that the officials call for an on-field review of a penalty. The incident was investigated by the Italian football federation at the time, and no disciplinary proceedings were initiated, although criminal prosecutors are conducting a broader probe. Sporting fraud is a criminal offence in Italy and carries a maximum sentence of six years in prison.
This case is a symptom of a wider issue for the AIA, which has been mired in instability for several years, with senior figures resigning and bans imposed on leadership. Internal divisions and power struggles have further weakened governance, The Athletic reports, leaving the system without clear leadership.
POLL
Which side will advance to the final over the two legs in the Champions League?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> Ipswich Town can significantly boost their chances of automatic promotion to the Premier League if they beat Southampton on Tuesday (April 28) (More); see the Championship table (More)
> Real Zaragoza goalkeeper Esteban Andrada has apologised after punching an opponent in a Spanish second-tier match against Huesca; watch the incident (More/viewer discretion advised) | Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe has suffered a hamstring injury and could miss the rest of the La Liga season (More)
> Tottenham’s Xavi Simons will miss the World Cup after rupturing the ACL in his right knee (More)
> Chelsea Women manager Sonia Bompastor calls for goal-line technology to be introduced in the Women’s Super League after replays showed striker Sam Kerr should have been awarded a third goal in Sunday’s 4-1 win over Everton (More)
> Bayern Munich have confirmed they will hold talks with Harry Kane over a new contract at the end of the season (More)
> Turkish league leader Galatasaray posted on social media about referees and “the evil inside” after a win against Fenerbahce that all but sealed another title (More) | Fenerbahce have sacked manager Domenico Tedesco after their 3-0 loss to Galatasaray (More)
Americas
> New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani announces that there will be five free World Cup viewing events, one in each of the city’s boroughs, the largest set of free fan events in the country (More) | Mamdani has also announced $5 tickets for NWSL champions Gotham FC vs Boston Legacy FC (More)
> Nashville will host Tigres in the Concacaf semi-final first leg on Tuesday (April 28) at 19:30 ET (More)
> The US Open Cup Round of 16 will be played on Tuesday and Wednesday (April 28 and 29), with Charlotte vs Atlanta and San Jose vs Minnesota kicking off proceedings; see every US Open Cup fixture (More)
Rest of the World
> Adelaide United beat Melbourne City 2-1 to secure an A-League berth in the semi-finals of the championship playoffs alongside premiership winners Newcastle Jets (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Do you support FIFA’s proposal to allow domestic leagues to play one official match per season abroad?
🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ 👍 Yes (40%)
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🙅♂️ Nope (56%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (4%)
Your punditry takes:
👍 B.B: “It’s a great way to enable supporters to see a team they support in the country they reside in and do not have the funds to travel and see matches outside of their own country.”
🙅♂️ O.S: “One team would have to lose the privilege of a home game to play an official match abroad. Would that not be unfair to the team? Super cup matches and friendlies can be played abroad”
🙅♂️ J.F: “The domestic fans support the teams all year long and deserve to be able to see them play in the usual home stadiums. If Fifa keeps chipping away at things the fans have enjoyed over the years in their never-ending quest for more profit, they will eventually lose the fans that have built the leagues up over the years.”
✍️ L.J: “As a baseball fan who rejoiced when MLB announced the London Series games, it would be somewhat hypocritical for me to deny overseas EPL fans the chance to see their teams. However, there are only 38 games a season compared to 162 in baseball, and there's a good standard of football across the globe - MLB's objective was to increase baseball's popularity, football doesn't need to do this.”
EXTRA TIME
Making the best World Cup player based on stats.
How 10 Premier League teams can qualify for Europe.
Bayern Munich’s 2026-27 away kit announced.
ESPN ranks the ‘watchability’ of each team this season.
Canada’s great selection football kits.
Why stadiums need to change their name for the World Cup.
GAME FACE ON
Question: Who is the only footballer to score in seven different competitions in one season?
Clue: Former Liverpool and Chelsea player.
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.
In 2009, we had a world record transfer offer for Franck Ribery. That day, we decided that, we will never sell a player we would miss on the pitch. This unwritten rule still applies for [Michael] Olise, there’s no price tag that would make us flinch.
Answer
Fernando Torres (Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, Community Shield, Fifa Club World Cup, Uefa Super Cup and Uefa Europa League).
