Snorting Coke on The Pitch

Chelsea’s former owner was secretly bankrolling another team, a couple Premier League legends enter the HOF, FIFA talking to WWC teams about rainbow armband ban, more shit hits the fan at Tottenham, Harland in trouble with the cops, another American businessman buying and English team, and some players snorting coke on the pitch.

Author

Joe Mecca
March 30, 2023

Good Morning,

Chelsea’s former owner was secretly bankrolling a Dutch team, a couple Premier League legends enter the HOF, FIFA talking to WWC teams about rainbow armband ban, more shit hits the fan at Tottenham, Harland in trouble with the cops, another American businessman buying and English team, and some players snorting coke on the pitch.

Let’s get on with it.

Table Tops

Fixtures We’re Watching

  • VfL Wolfsburg (W) v PSG (W)

  • Chelsea Women (W) v Lyon (W)

Starting Lineup

  • Premier League braced for battle with Chelsea over potential breach of financial rules (DM)

  • Lazio’s Sarri wins Serie A Coach of the Month for March (FI)

  • Roman Abramovich secretly bankrolled Dutch football club, leaked documents suggest (TG)

  • Ferguson and Wenger become first managers in Premier League Hall of Fame (BEIN)

  • FIFA in discussions with WWC teams about rainbow armband ban (SKY)

  • Tottenham chief Paratici faces uncertain future after ban extended worldwide by FIFA (FM)

  • USMNT to face Mexico in Concacaf Nations League semifinals (SBI)

  • West Ham ground sharing London Stadium has been lambasted as unworkable (CO)

  • Mourinho makes decision on his Roma future amid Newcastle and PSG interest (FI)

Transfer Rumors

  • Man City & PSG make opening offers for Hajduk Split's Luka Vuskovic (FM)

  • Newcastle interested in Nice’s Khéphren Thuram (GFFN)

  • Giroud agrees to new Milan contract (FI)

  • Fulham interested in signing USA international this summer, Joe Scally (SW)

  • De Vrij ready to extend deal to stay at Inter until 2025 (FI)

  • Arsenal and Newcastle keen on Strasbourg teenager Ismael Doukoure (FM)

  • Dortmund to offer Bellingham huge new deal, says report (WST)

  • Final detail preventing Ilkay Gundogan signature for Barcelona (FE)

  • Leipzig adamant about keeping Gvardiol until 2024 (SN)

  • Real Madrid interested in Chelsea pair Reece James and Kai Havertz (MN)

  • Leeds United favourites to sign 27-year-old Spaniard, Alex Grimaldi, on a great free deal (CO)

  • Villarreal to boost forward options after wrapping up free agent signing, Ben Bremerton Diaz, from Blackburn Rovers (FE)

Data Based

  • Brighton and Brentford: Two Smart Clubs Who Play the Game in Opposite Ways (TA)

  • Europe’s Finest: Power rankings for football’s top players (BFW)

  • The 10 managers with the highest total transfer spend in history (365)

Offsides

  • Man City’s Erling Haaland under investigation by police for using smartphone while driving (CO)

  • Arsenal and Aston Villa staff members charged by FA with improper conduct (BBC)

  • Rangers fan jailed for a year over bottle thrown at Celtic physio (SKY)

On The Ball

  • Sacramento Republic owner set to buy Huddersfield Town (ESPN)

  • Fiorentina could lose up to €30m whilst their stadium undergoes renovations (FI)

  • FIFA set to pay clubs a record £290m at 2026 World Cup (DM)

  • Thomas Tuchel’s ‘galactic’ Bayern Munich salary revealed (SUN)

Fantasyland

Throw Ins

  • Odegaard's 'helicopter vision' for Arsenal explained (SKY)

  • The 20 best footballers out of contract in July 2023 and available as free transfers (365)

  • China’s Soccer Experiment Flopped. Now It May Be Over. (NYT)

Injury Time

  • Goretzka limped off for Germany as Bayern dealt injury blow ahead of Dortmund clash (FM)

  • Atletico Madrid fearing injury to Depay ahead of Real Betis clash (FE)

  • Inter fear losing Calhanoglu for Champions League tie with Benfica (FI)

  • Monaco’s Breel Embolo out for several weeks with knee sprain (GFFN)

  • Adrien Truffert will miss the rest of the season for Rennes (GFFN)

Meme Brace