European Super League: Who is in it? How will it work? Why is it happening? And can it be stopped? April 19, 2021 Twelve clubs, including Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus and six English teams, have confirmed they are planning to launch a breakaway European Super League. If it goes ahead, the move would represent the most significant change to club football in living memory. But what will the new competition look like? Which teams will be involved? And [...]
Laura McAllister interview: Former Wales captain and Fifa Council candidate on women’s football, greedy clubs and moderniser Infantino April 16, 2021 Wales have come to be a force to be reckoned with in international football. Their men’s team, led by galactico Gareth Bale, have qualified for successive European Championships for the first time, while their women have also continued their steady rise up Fifa’s world rankings. Now Welshwoman Laura McAllister is aiming to make a similar [...]
Week in Sportbiz: Amazon sign Serena Williams and Paul Pogba; Javier Tebas takes up league fight; Japan still cool on Tokyo 2020 with 100 days to go April 15, 2021 Amazon has continued its push into glossy sports documentaries by signing up Serena Williams and Paul Pogba. Both Williams and Pogba have committed to appearing in behind-the-scenes series about their personal and professional lives as part of wider deals with Amazon. Gary Lineker’s Goalhanger Films is among the producers of the currently untitled Serena doc. [...]
Liverpool v Real Madrid: History may be on Jurgen Klopp’s side, but more recent form does not bode well for another famous Anfield comeback April 14, 2021 It’s Liverpool v Real Madrid in the Champions League this evening, so get ready for lots of talk about famous European nights at Anfield. Not for the first time, the Reds need something approaching a miracle to overturn a first-leg defeat and progress to the next round. On this occasion, Liverpool must win by at [...]
What is the ‘Swiss model’ set to be used in the Champions League, and why have big clubs chosen a system common to chess but unheard of in football? March 30, 2021 The biggest changes to the Champions League for 20 years – including the introduction of the controversial “Swiss model” – are set to be rubber-stamped in April. From 2024, it will mean more teams, more matches and a new format common to chess and croquet that, until now, was unheard of in elite European football. [...]
Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish says Champions League expansion plans will have ‘devastating effect’ on English football March 10, 2021 Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish has called plans to expand the Champions League and change the qualifying criteria “very concerning”. Europe’s top football clubs and governing body Uefa have proposed an overhaul that would create 100 more fixtures and allocate extra places on the basis of historical success from 2024. “With the assault on the [...]
Goals galore: Why the return of the Champions League and Europa League is good news for fans (and bad news for goalkeepers) March 9, 2021 The Champions League and Europa League resume this week and – *checks calculator* – that is good news for the armchair football fan. After a lively, goal-strewn start, excitement in the Premier League has plateaued as the season has rumbled on, leading to fears that fatigue had taken hold owing to a short pre-season and [...]
Why are English clubs playing Champions League and Europa League matches at neutral venues? February 16, 2021 Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea are all playing Champions League fixtures at neutral venues this month. The same is true for Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal in the Europa League. So why is it happening? Why have both legs of Arsenal’s tie been moved? Why is Leicester’s trip to Prague unaffected? And what does [...]
Champions League draw: Liverpool get RB Leipzig and Chelsea face Atletico Madrid in last 16 December 14, 2020 Liverpool have been paired with Manchester United’s conquerors RB Leipzig in the Champions League draw for the last 16. Chelsea face Atletico Madrid, while Manchester City will play Borussia Moenchengladbach. Barcelona face Paris Saint-Germain in perhaps the tie of the round, which begins in February. Holders Bayern Munich were drawn against Lazio, while Real Madrid [...]
Champions League trends in six charts: Goals, possession, set-pieces and most effective goalkeepers and forwards October 27, 2020 How many goals per game do you get in the Champions League? How are those goals being scored? And is it all changing? Uefa’s technical report on last season’s Champions League answers all those questions and more. It’s a goldmine of insights that reveals how football is subtly shifting at the very highest level. The [...]