UEFA Champions League – GAME OF THE PEOPLE

TERRY Medwin, a member of the Tottenham Hotspur side that won the double in 1961, FA Cup in 1962 and European Cup-Winners’ Cup a year later, has died aged 91. Medwin, a Welsh international won was capped 30 times, played in the 1958 World Cup in Sweden and scored a vital goal for his country that secured a place in the quarter-finals. Medwin was a fast winger who was signed from Swansea in 1956 for £ 25,000 and played 345 Football League game for his two clubs. His career was ended in 1963 with a broken leg.

Real Madrid displayed their Champions League expertise with a 2-2 draw at Bayern Munich in the first leg of the semi-final. Real’s two goals came from Vínicius Juníor in the 24^th and 81^st minutes, the latter a penalty that equalised after Bayern had turned around the game after half-time. Bayern levelled the scores after 53 minutes through Leroy Sane, who cut inside a shot inside Lunin’s near post. Harry Kane added a second from the penalty spot shortly afterwards. Real’s spot-kick came after Kim brought down Rodrygo.

Wrexham’s owners, Rob Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are hoping to transform the club’s Racecourse Ground to a 55,000 capacity arena fit for the top flight. The ground currently holds 12,600 but they are confident the club could attract more than 45,000 to home games. The Hollywood duo have been frustrated by the prolonged planning process in the UK including the amount of red tape that accompanies any building project. They claim it is a lot harder to build in Britain than anywhere else in the world. However, they are confident that a bigger stadium will mean bigger crowds: “The whole town could come to a game,” said Reynolds hopefully.

Chelsea manager Emma Hayes believes here team have little chance of retaining their Women’s Super League title. The Blues are six points behind Manchester City but have two games in hand. City have a better goal difference. Hayes has won 15 titles in 12 years since becoming coach but this season, her team have repeatedly fallen short by their own lofty standards, losing in the League Cup final, FA Cup semi-finals and last four of the Champions League.

A Brazilian Parliamentary Commission is calling for Sèrie A to be halted due to match-fixing allegations. Botafogo owner John Textor has revealed he has evidence of suspicious activity related to a number of games. The Brazilian National Association of Soccer Referees has come out in support of the league season being put on pause while an inquiry is established. This scandal could prove damaging for the betting industry in Brazil which is moving towards a regulated launch after President Lula da Silva signed a decree to legalise sports betting in December 2023.

THE news of the banning of a Liverpool fan who threw a bottle at the Manchester United team coach should be welcomed by those concerned about increasing violence in the game. The fan was given a three-year ban for an incident that took place in December 2023. He also received a fine and a 150-hour community order. Such incidents have been on the rise in recent years and underline the venomous relationship between certain clubs. In 2018, Manchester City’s team coach was attacked before a Champions League game at Anfield, bit five years on, the Liverpool coach came under siege on its journey back from the Etihad Stadium. It needs to stop – it should not be that difficult to pinpoint the culprits in CCTV Britain should it?

Emma Hayes has apologised for speaking out about player-coach relationships in the women’s game after her initial comments were criticised. However, Hayes was quite right in the first place. Relationships between coaches and players are certainly unacceptable in any football team, just as intimate relationships between bosses and their staff are in the corporate world. In fact, in some companies, they are strictly forbidden. Likewise, relationships between players can also disrupt the stability of a team. This subject is sure to become a major talking point in the game, but essentially, football should be no different from any other business sector. At the same time, however, there is an argument that making intra-team relationships unacceptable is also a restriction of personal freedom. Expect some very intense discussions on the horizon.

The UEFA Champions League draw has raised the possibility of the final the governing body has always wanted – Real Madrid versus Barcelona. The Spanish giants have been kept apart in the draw, with Real facing Manchester City in the quarter-final and if they get past Pep Guardiola, Arsenal or Bayern Munich. Arsenal don’t always enjoy playing Bayern, and will recall some soul-destroying defeats at the hands of the German club. Barcelona play Paris Saint-Germain in the last eight and if they are successful, the semi-final will pair them with Atlético Madrid or Borussia Dortmund.

The Europa League last eight looks very interesting this season, with four former European champions and in-form teams like Roma, Leverkusen, Marseille and West Ham included. Liverpool, surely the favourites, will play Atalanta and Premier stablemates West Ham have a very tough task in facing Bundesliga champions-elect Bayer Leverkusen. There is an all-Italian tie in AC Milan versus AS Roma, while Benfica-Olympique Marseille is a meeting of former European Cup winners. Aston Villa are one of the more fancied sides in the Conference League. Villa play Lille in the quarter-final, one of the better sides left in the competition. Fiorentina, another favourite, meet Viktoria Plzn of the Czech Republic. There are two Greek teams remaining – PAOK meet Bruges and Olympiacos have to get past Turkish side Fenerbahce.