Tag: UEFA

Spain’s blatant handball allowed it to escape Germany in extra time at Euro 2024 and fans lost it

There are questionable calls on the biggest stages in every sport. This one, however, seemed quite obvious.

Spain is onto the semifinals of Euro 2024 after knocking out host country Germany and the 2-1 victory couldn’t have been more dramatic.

After Dani Olmo’s 51st minute goal opened the scoring, Spain was holding on for dear life near the end of regulation when Germany’s Florian Wirtz came up with an incredible equalizer in the 89th minute, just sneaking the ball off the post and in.

That sent the game to extra time where chaos awaited.

In the 106th minute, Germany’s Jamal Musiala had a perfect look on target from the top of the goal box only for Spain’s Marc Cucurella hand to completely change the trajectory of Musiala’s shot.

It sure looked like an obvious hand ball. The referees disagreed and the two sides played on.

The non-call itself is questionable enough on its own. Yet it looked much worse not long after as Mikel Merino scored the go-ahead goal in the 119th minute to stun the tournament hosts.

Germany, considered one of the favorites to win the Euros, will now have to watch another country lift the trophy on their home soil. And they may have a legitimate case against the referees for their exit.

In any case, it’s an absolute shame that such a thrilling match may ultimately be remembered for what didn’t occur than what did.

Fans certainly won’t be forgetting the officiating any time soon as Spain awaits the winner between Portugal and France in the semis.

 

The soccer Super League is back with a new format but all of its problems are still the same

Not again with this Super League. Please go away.

This is For The Win’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Have feedback? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey! Now, here’s Mike Sykes.

Good morning, Winners! Welcome back to the Morning Win. Thanks so much for rocking with us this morning. We appreciate you.

Remember that proposed European Super League from back in 2021? That thing is back and more expansive than ever.

The Super League was a proposed idea that invited 20 of Europe’s most prestigious football clubs to join its ranks, including bigwigs like Manchester United, Barcelona, Liverpool, Arsenal and more. Some squads were here for it. Most were against it.

READ MORE: The previous Super League proposal, explained

UEFA pushed back against the proposed league seeing it as a threat to the current Champions League. It created regulations barring teams from joining. Today, the European Union’s highest-ranking court ruled those regulations were unlawful, per Reuters. Super League backer A22 Sports Group pounced immediately unveiling this new proposal.

This new, bizarre format is expansive. The pool jumped from 20 teams to 64 on the men’s side and 32 on the women’s. Teams would compete with each other midweek and games would be broadcast on a free streaming service supported by the Super League’s unnamed “investors.”

It all sounds good in theory. But it’s almost literally the same thing that was proposed before — just way bigger. But the problem with the Super League before wasn’t its size. Instead, rather, it’s that it tossed merit aside and removed incentives for teams to spend by imposing a salary cap on clubs.

UEFA’s Champions League is far from perfect. But it’s a tournament where the best teams earn their spots. A club can become the champion of a smaller European league or nearly win a championship in one of the bigger leagues to earn a place in the Champions League. With the Super League, you’re just invited.

Merit has always been a key part of the European football system. Without it, we’re looking at a bunch of rich dudes just hoarding money and putting out a product that’s not quite as compelling. Nobody wants to watch that.

Good try, Super League. But please. Go away. Again.

The College Football Playoff destroyed the ACC

It sure does seem like Florida State is about to bail on the ACC and it certainly feels like the College Football Playoff is to blame.

FSU has a scheduled emergency meeting with its board of trustees, The Athletic’s Nicole Auerbach reports, which is the first concrete step it needs to take to take legal action challenging the ACC for its grant of rights.

The grant of rights is a legally binding document for a school that essentially controls its image. It gives the ACC control of FSU’s publicity rights through 2036. Challenging that and breaking it would free up FSU to leave the conference.

The school hasn’t made a move yet, Auerbach writes, but has been examining the document for “more than a year” just in case a move needed to be made. 247 Sports’ Bud Elliot says he expects a legal filing to come soon.

Maybe this is just convenient timing, but the connection between this and FSU’s College Football Playoff snub is too easy to make.

Obviously, the Jordan Travis injury meant a lot there. But conference play mattered, too. FSU’s undefeated ACC schedule meant less to the committee than a one-loss SEC or Big 12 schedule. That mattered.

Leaving the conference is the only way for FSU to change that. It seems like FSU is doing it. And, with that, yet another conference shakeup will shift college football as we know it.

Thanks a lot, CFP.

Put your bets on Chet

Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

Coming into this NBA season it was obvious the Rookie of the Year race had two horses in it: Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren.

Most people expected Wembanyama to be at the top with Holmgren trailing close behind him. But, as our Prince Grimes writes in Layup Lines, it’s actually in reverse right now. Chet is the favorite by a slim margin.

“Just two months into the season, and Chet Holmgren’s odds to win Rookie of the Year have already closed the gap on Wembanyama’s, even passing his odds at some sportsbooks. BetMGM still has Wembanyama as a slight favorite at -120 to -110, but FanDuel (-130) and DraftKings (-125) each give Holmgren the edge. FTW’s Bryan Kalbrosky elevated Holmgren over Wembanyama in his rookie rankings three weeks ago.”

These things are subject to change — it’s only December. But Holmgren’s case is getting stronger and stronger by the day.

Quick hits: New James Harden memes dropped…Angel Reese, the Baltimore Barbie…and more

— WAKE UP, BABE. NEW JAMES HARDEN MEMES ARE HERE. Charles Curtis has more.

— It’s nice to see Angel Reese showing love to her city and HBCUs. Here’s Meghan Hall on the Baltimore Barbie.

— Prince Grimes has college football’s top 25 classes after the early signing period.

— Ryan Gosling dropped an “I’m just Ken” video and it’s perfect. Caroline Darney has more.

— The Patriots stink so bad these days that cheating doesn’t even matter. Robert Zeglinski has more.

— The Jets should never trust Aaron Rodgers again. This is embarrassing. Cory Woodruff has more.

That’s all, folks! Thanks so much for reading today. We appreciate you. Have an amazing Thursday! Let’s chat again tomorrow. Until then, peace!

-Sykes

UEFA president Ceferin explains partial lifting of Russia ban

Russian U-17 teams will be allowed back in official UEFA competitions

After allowing Russian U-17 teams back in its competitions, UEFA has explained that the organization does not want to continue punishing children.

The European governing body announced Tuesday that for the first time since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, teams from Russia would be allowed to participate in its competitions.

Days after the invasion, UEFA suspended all Russian international teams and clubs from competition, and also revoked the country’s hosting rights for the 2022 men’s Champions League final and 2023 Super Cup.

FIFA would also join the ban, with Russia barred from participating in the 2022 men’s World Cup and 2023 women’s World Cup, among other competitions.

But UEFA’s ban has now partially been lifted, with the organization saying boys and girls U-17 teams from Russia could return to its competitions.

In a statement, UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin reiterated that the lifting of the ban would go no further than youth teams.

“UEFA’s continuing suspension against Russian adult teams reflects its commitment to take a stand against violence and aggression. UEFA is determined that this position will continue until the war is over and peace restored,” Čeferin said.

“But by banning children from our competitions, we not only fail to recognize and uphold a fundamental right for their holistic development but we directly discriminate against them.

“By providing opportunities to play and compete with their peers from all over Europe, we are investing in what we hope will be a brighter and more capable future generation and a better tomorrow.”

UEFA added that it “reiterated its condemnation of Russia’s illegal war.”

Russian U-17 teams who participate in UEFA competitions will not be allowed wear the national kit, display their flag or play their anthem. A ban on games played in Russia will also continue.

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Wiegman dedicates UEFA Coach of the Year award to Spain women’s national team

Wiegman: Spain ‘deserves to be celebrated, and deserves to be listened to’

Sarina Wiegman won the 2023 UEFA Coach of the Year award, but chose to use the big stage to acknowledge a team that defeated her.

In a speech at a UEFA gala that doubled as both an awards ceremony and the Champions League draw, Wiegman dedicated her award to the players of Spain’s World Cup champions.

England fell 1-0 to Spain in the World Cup final, but for Wiegman, the broader issues that came immediately after that game were top of mind.

After thanking her coaching colleagues, players, and support staff with England, Wiegman turned the attention towards Spain’s players. The squad has been on strike since Spanish federation president Luis Rubiales, who among other things kissed attacker Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the World Cup’s medal ceremony, refused to step down. Hermoso has maintained that the kiss was not consensual.

“We all know the issues around the Spanish team, and it really hurts me as a coach as a mother of two daughters as a wife and as a human being,” said Wiegman at Thursday’s event. “The game has grown so much, but there’s also still a long way to go [in] women’s football and in society.

“I would like to dedicate this award to the Spanish team, the team that played in the World Cup, such great football that everyone enjoyed. This team deserves to be celebrated, and deserves to be listened to,” added Wiegman before starting a round of applause.

Spain midfielder and World Cup Golden Ball winner Aitana BonmatĂ­, who received the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year award at the same event, called out “abuses of power” throughout the women’s game and in society in general.

“These are not very good times for Spanish football,” said BonmatĂ­. “We come from winning the World Cup, but not much is being said about it, because there are things happening and I would not like to let these things go by unnoticed.

“I would like to comment something on what has happened. I think as a society, we must not allow abuses of power in the workplace nor displays of disrespect. To all the women who have been subject to what has happened to Jenni, we stand with you. And I hope we continue working so that this society gets better.”

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KI makes history as first Faroese club to ever qualify for European competition

European soccer is coming to the Faroe Islands, pop. 54,000

Weeks before big-time European soccer is back underway, tiny KÍ is out here making history.

The Faroe Islands will have a club in the group stage of a European competition for the first time ever after KÍ (that’s KlaksvĂ­kar ÍtrĂłttarfelag, as everyone surely knows) overcame Swedish champions BK HĂ€cken in the second qualifying round for the 2023-24 Champions League.

Now within four games of qualifying for the Champions League proper, KÍ will face a third-round clash with Molde. They will host the Norwegian champions at their 2,500-capacity home ViĂ° DjĂșpumĂœrar on August 8 or 9, with the second leg coming on August 15.

KÍ is not supposed to be here. The Faroe Islands, with a population of 54,000, is not expected to see any clubs move beyond the first hurdle in any UEFA competition. Generally, that means Faroese clubs are done with their continental obligations in July, when most Champions League clubs aren’t even done with their summer break.

The closest any Faroese club has ever gone to qualifying for a European competition proper came in 2020-21, when on the brink of a spot in the Europa League group stage, KÍ fell 3-1 in a one-game playoff against Irish side Dundalk.

On Wednesday, though, KÍ was ready to take the next step. After a 0-0 first leg draw at home in Klaksvik, the pluckiest of underdogs came back twice at the Bravida Arena, scoring this incredibly awkward goal to equalize in extra time and force a penalty kick tiebreaker that they won 4-3.

KÍ is still a long way from the Champions League, but thanks to the extremely convoluted vagaries of UEFA’s myriad qualifying paths, the club from Klaksvik is already sure of a place in true European competition.

Teams that make it to the third qualifying round for the Champions League face two outcomes. Winners go through to the play-off round, which is the last step before being in the Champions League. Losers are sent to the Europa League’s play-off round, where bigger names like Ajax, Union Saint-Gilloise, and Aberdeen await. Victory there means a spot in the Europa League’s group stage, while defeat ends with a spot in the Conference League’s group stage.

KÍ even getting this far is massively unlikely. The first qualifying round draw set the Faroese champions up against Ferencváros of Hungary, by far the most difficult draw possible based on current UEFA club coefficients.

However, after a scoreless draw at home in the first leg, KÍ produced a massive upset, winning 3-0 in front of 18,187 fans (that is, a hair over one-third of the entire population of the Faroe Islands) in Budapest.

Now, Molde — a club that KÍ manager Magne Hoseth and assistant Daniel Berg Hestad combined to suit up for over 900 times — awaits. Needless to say, back in Klaksvik, they’re hyped.

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Champions League final 2023: Kickoff time, teams, TV, streaming and more

Manchester City and Inter will face off in Istanbul for the European title

The UEFA Champions League final is on the horizon, with the biggest game in European men’s club soccer taking place in Istanbul this year.

Manchester City and Inter will square off in the showpiece, with City heavily favored to take home its first Champions League crown.

Inter has not been at its best domestically in 2022-23 but Simone Inzaghi’s side has been strong in the Champions League, advancing out of a group that also contained Bayern Munich and Barcelona before keeping clean sheets in five of its six knockout games so far.

City, meanwhile, has been typically dominant, with a +12 goal differential in six group-stage matches followed by a +14 mark in six knockout-round matches.

Here is everything you need to know ahead of the Champions League final.

When is the Champions League final?

The 2022-23 Champions League final will kick off on Saturday, June 10 at 3 p.m. ET.

Champions League final on TV and streaming

In the United States, the Champions League final will be available to stream in English on Paramount+. Television information will be forthcoming.

Where is the Champions League final?

The 2022-23 Champions League final will take place at the AtatĂŒrk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey.

Istanbul last hosted the Champions League final in 2005, when Liverpool famously defeated AC Milan on penalties after overcoming a three-goal halftime deficit to tie the match 3-3.

Who will play in the Champions League final?

For the first time since its treble-winning 2009-10 campaign, Inter has reached the Champions League final. The Milan side defeated Portuguese opposition in consecutive knockout rounds, getting past Porto and Benfica, before beating arch-rivals AC Milan in the semifinal.

The Nerazzurri will be major underdogs against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side, which is looking to finally win Europe’s biggest club competition for the first time.

City got past Bundesliga opposition in back-to-back knockout rounds, eliminating RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich before knocking out defending champion Real Madrid in the semifinal.

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UEFA denies political unrest could move Champions League final from Istanbul

Reports this week suggested UEFA was considering moving the match to Lisbon

UEFA has denied reports that it could move the 2023 Champions League final away from Istanbul over fears of political instability.

Turkey will hold its presidential election on Sunday, with a runoff to follow on May 28 if no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote.

There are fears of unrest in the country should incumbent president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan lose to challenger Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, which led to reports this week that UEFA had reached out to officials in Lisbon over the possibility of hosting the final.

UEFA denied those reports in a statement, saying it had not undergone any discussions with other potential hosts.

“Following some inaccurate and unfounded media reports, UEFA would like to clarify the position on the 2023 Champions League final,” the statement said. “The 2023 UEFA Champions League final will take place in Istanbul as scheduled, on 10 June 2023. UEFA has no discussions to the contrary with any political institutions, governments or national football associations.”

The winner between Real Madrid and Manchester City is set to face the winner of the tie between AC Milan and Inter at the AtatĂŒrk Olympic Stadium on June 10.

UEFA will be under greater pressure than usual to ensure fan safety at this year’s final after a disastrous event last year in Paris, which an independent report said “almost turned into a mass fatality catastrophe.”

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The Champions League final could be held in the USA — and we’re not talking CCL

UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin said the showpiece could be heading stateside as soon as 2026

UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin has suggested that the UEFA Champions League final could be held in the United States in the future.

Čeferin said that holding the event in the U.S. would be a huge opportunity to cash in on the game’s growing popularity stateside.

In an appearance on the Men in Blazers podcast, Čeferin said: “It is possible [that the Champions League final could be in the U.S.]. We started to discuss about that, but then one year it is the World Cup, 2024 is Euro, this year is Istanbul, ’24 in London, ’25 in Munich. And after that let’s see. It’s possible, it’s possible. Football is extremely popular in United States these days. Americans are willing to pay this amount (gestures high with hand) for the best and nothing for the less. So they will follow European football as basketball lovers in Europe follow NBA.”

The president pointed to American TV ratings for UEFA events as part of a possible justification for bringing the Champions League final to the U.S.

“What shocked me actually is that our Euro (2020) finals, Europe national team finals, was watched by more people in United States than NBA Finals,” Čeferin said. “What shocked me is that 30 matches of the Euros, every match viewership was a Super Bowl viewership. So I think we are doing well.

“The problem is the time difference, because if you play [Champions League games on] Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 12 noon in LA, it’s a problem.”

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Dutch federation to abandon matches over fan trouble after Klaassen struck by lighter

It’s been an ugly year in the stands for Dutch soccer

The KNVB has had it with unruly supporters.

The Dutch soccer federation had to face down yet another example of terrible fan behavior after Davy Klaassen was left bleeding after being hit by a lighter thrown by a Feyenoord supporter in Ajax’s 2-1 KNVB Cup semifinal win on Wednesday. Klaassen initially tried to play on after the incident, but eventually asked for a substitution.

The BBC reported that Dutch police had arrested a man in connection to the incident, along with 21 other fans who attended a match that had already been marred by anti-Semitic chants and smoke bombs that delayed kickoff at De Kuip.

For the federation, this latest incident was apparently a red line. The KNVB issued a statement on Thursday announcing new guidelines for referees to deal with crowd trouble at Dutch matches. In essence, the guidelines will make it much more likely that referees abandon matches should conditions become unsafe.

“With these steps, potential perpetrators will hopefully no longer dream of attacking the main players on the field,” read the KNVB statement. “We’re done with that.”

The new regulations specifically address objects being thrown on the field, and supporters entering the field. For objects, whether they’re as dangerous as the lighter that hit Klaassen or not, the KNVB says referees must stop play and direct the teams off the pitch for a spell.

If play resumes and more objects are thrown onto the field, referees are to abandon the game immediately. That’s also what they’re to do if an object strikes a player, even if it’s the first object thrown from the stands.

With supporters entering the field, the rules are the same. One fan coming onto the pitch means stopping the game temporarily, while a second means abandoning the match. If, as happened when a PSV fan tried to punch Sevilla’s Marko Dmitrović in the Europa League, a supporter attempts to attack a player, the match will be abandoned on the spot.

KNVB not alone in taking action

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte decried the Klaassen incident as “intolerable,” with a government investigation apparently being considered. For their part, Feyenoord said they will close the section of De Kuip that the lighter was thrown from for their Europa League quarterfinal against Roma on April 13.

The situation over that match was already tense. Per Reuters, Italian authorities had banned Dutch fans from attending the second leg at the Stadio Olimpico over damage done to the historic Fontana della Barcaccia when Feyenoord last faced Roma back in 2015. UEFA issued a corresponding edict to ban Italian fans from attending the first leg at De Kuip.

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UEFA issues refunds to Liverpool fans after Champions League final chaos

Liverpool fans were initially blamed for the chaos before a report exonerated them

UEFA has announced it will issue refunds to all Liverpool fans who attended last May’s Champions League final in Paris.

The match against Real Madrid was delayed by 36 minutes amid chaotic scenes of fan congestion outside Stade de France.

Police teargassed sections of Liverpool fans, many of whom ended up in dangerously overcrowded areas as they attempted to reach the stadium. Several fans had to be hospitalized.

Those scenes were followed by Liverpool fans themselves taking the blame from UEFA and French officials, who said that fans with fake tickets were responsible for the overcrowding.

But last month an independent report commissioned by UEFA exonerated Liverpool fans, saying that UEFA and the French authorities must take “primary responsibility” for a situation that could have turned out much worse.

“It is remarkable that no one lost their life,” the report said. “All the stakeholders interviewed by the panel have agreed that this situation was a near-miss: a term used when an event almost turns into a mass fatality catastrophe.”

The report even said Liverpool fans should have been thanked rather than blamed, calling them: “instrumental in protecting vulnerable people and averting what might well have been more serious injuries and deaths.”

In a statement, UEFA General Secretary Theodore Theodoridis said the refunds came after input from Liverpool fans.

“We have taken into account a huge number of views expressed both publicly and privately and we believe we have devised a scheme that is comprehensive and fair,” Theodoridis said.

“We value the input from the Liverpool FC supporter organizations Spirit of Shankly (SoS) and Liverpool Disabled Supporters Association (LDSA) as well as the open and transparent dialogue throughout this period. We recognize the negative experiences of those supporters on the day and with this scheme we will refund fans who had bought tickets and who were the most affected by the difficulties in accessing the stadium.”

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