Brazil – GAME OF THE PEOPLE

WALES meet Poland in the Euro 2024 eliminator in Cardiff hoping to reach their third successive European Championship finals. Wales beat Finland 4-1 in the semi-final, while Poland thrashed Estonia 5-1. Ukraine meet Iceland and Georgia play Greece in the other eliminators. If Wales reach their fourth major competition in five, it will be a remarkable achievement given they no longer have Gather Bale to call upon. Poland, by contrast, still have Robert Lewandowski in their line-up, even if the old war horse is no longer the force he once was. The 35 year-old Barcelona striker has a phenomenal record playing for his country, netting 82 goals in 147 games.

Wales have had some great players down the years, but it is doubtful anyone has a more poignant tale to tell than Dick Krzywicki, who played eight times for Wales between 1969 and 1971. Krzywicki was the son of Franciszek and Anna, who were caught up in the horrors of World War Two. Franciszek, who was in the Polish army, ended up in Auschwitz concentration camp and eventually the couple arrived in Wales. Dick, who is 77, was born in Penley, Flintshire in a Polish hospital in 1947. He played for West Bromwich Albion, Huddersfield and Lincoln.

Japan’s J-League may have just started but there is a surprise team at the top of the table after four games. Machida Zelvia from Greater Tokyo are the early leaders in their first season in the top flight. In 2023 they won the second division by a 12-point margin. This season they have won three of their four games, including victories against Nagoya and Kashima Antlers. Football is very popular in Machida, a town of around half a million people, and Machida Zelvia are nicknamed “the Brazil of Japan”. They were founded 34 years ago and play at the 15,000-capacity Machida GION stadium. Their last home game, against Kashima, attracted 12,000 people.

Flamengo star Gabriel Barbosa, who was a pivotal figure in the club’s recent success in the Copa Libertadores, has been suspended for two years for an attempted anti-doping fraud case. This strange incident involved Barbosa behaving erratically and eventually having his drug test several hours after his team-mates after ignoring the officers and delaying the test. Barbosa’s lawyers claims his blood test at the time proved he was clean, but it appears the authorities are focusing on the way he interacted with the officers. The 27 year-old is in the final year of his contract with Flamengo and has been linked with Manchester United and West Ham in recent weeks. The suspension will be effective from the time of the alleged violation, which took place in April 2023.

JIMMY Husband, a member of Everton’s 1970 league title winning side, has died aged 76. Husband, who played for England at school, youth and under-23 level, was a talented forward who scored 44 league goals in 165 games at Goodison Park. He played 30 games in the 1970 league campaign, scoring six goals. He also appeared in the 1968 FA Cup final. Husband left Everton in 1973 for Luton Town and went on to play in the USA with Memphis Rogues, Cleveland and Oklahama. The Newcastle-born striker is the eighth member of Everton’s regular 1970 team to have passed away.

Teams in Brazil’s top flight will be able to have nine foreign players in their matchday squad after the limit was raised for the second successive year. In 2023, the limit went from five to seven players and the decision was taken to further increase the number of overseas players permitted. Not everyone is happy with this decision as there are already 140 foreigners in the top two divisions in Brazil. The professional players federation, Fenapraf, were among the sceptics.

The last four of the FA Trophy is a strong field this season, with three of the promotion-chasing National League sides involved plus reborn Macclesfield of the Northern Premier League. Bromley, who won the competition in 2022, beat Barnet 2-0 in the quarter-finals in front of 2,600 people while Macclesfield won 3-0 against Coalville Town of the Southern League Central Premier. Solihull Moors edged past Wealdstone on penalties after a 1-1 draw and Gateshead won by the odd goal in five against Peterborough Sports before just 750.

Chelsea are still on target for a fourth consecutive “double” this season after reaching the semi-finals of the Women’s FA Cup. Emma Hayes’ side won 1-0 against Everton with the deciding goal coming from USA international Macário. In the other quarter-final ties, Leicester City won 2-0 away to Liverpool with both goals scored by Finnish striker Jutta Rantala, while Manchester United thrashed Brighton 4-0 and Tottenham knocked Manchester City out on penalties following a 1-1 draw.

Aston Villa made a pre-tax loss of £ 120 million in 2022-23, one of European football’s biggest club deficits last season. Villa’s revenues hit a record £ 217.7 million, a 22% increase on 2021-22. But despite this impressive performance, Villa are still way behind the “big six” clubs in the Premier League. Nevertheless, the team had a good campaign and qualified for Europe and are still involved in the UEFA Conference League. All major revenue streams increased for Villa in 2022-23, with matchday turnover rising by 17% to £ 18.8 million, broadcasting up by 24% to £ 152.6 million and commercial income growing by 36% to £ 40.6 million. Villa’s wage bill went up by 52% to £ 194.2 million, representing a slightly concerning 89% of income. This was a drain on the overall financial result, as was the 77% fall in profits from player sales, Villa earning just £ 22.5 million compared to almost £ 100 million a year earlier. Among the players sold were Carney Chukwuemeka to Chelsea for £ 20 million and Matt Targett to Newcastle United for £ 15 million.