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Manchester City have withdrawn from the European Super League (ESL) and Chelsea are also preparing to do so, according to reports in the British media. Efforts to leave come just two days after both were announced as two of six English clubs to sign up to the controversial new competition. The ESL has been widely criticised since being announced on Sunday, reports BBC. Around 1,000 fans gathered outside Chelsea's Stamford Bridge home ground before their game against Brighton on Tuesday to protest their involvement. Chelsea and City were part of English football's 'big six' clubs - alongside Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham - to have agreed to join the new league. In total, 12 European clubs announced their intentions to form the breakaway league, which they hoped to establish as a new midweek competition. It was condemned by football authorities and government ministers in the UK and across Europe by Uefa and leagues associations. Chelsea were the first club to indicate they will not press ahead by preparing documentation to withdrawn. City withdrew soon after. Chelsea and City were not drivers of this plan, they were the last to sign and feared being left behind. It is not clear how easy it is or how binding the contracts are. The decision to try and have Chelsea leave was taken by owner Roman Abramovich and the club's board after witnessing negative global reaction to the Super League. There was a fear that it could do reputational damage to the club. Questions were raised internally as to whether fans would respond to the club if it continued with a proposal which has gone down so badly. The decision was made earlier on Tuesday before protests started outside Stamford Bridge. Earlier in the day, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson met with the Football Association, Premier League officials and fans' representatives, after which the government said it will take "whatever action necessary", including legislative options, to ensure the proposals were stopped. Johnson's stance is supported by Labour and the Liberal Democrats. A statement released after a meeting between the Premier League and the 14 clubs not involved said they "unanimously and vigorously" rejected plans for the competition. It added that it is considering "all actions available" to stop the competition and asked the six teams to end their involvement immediately. Meanwhile late breaking reports suggest Ed Woodward, executive vice chairman of Manchester United, has handed in his resignation in the backlash of the ESL's announcement, putting in doubt whether the club will now go ahead with the breakaway league. In a parallel development TALKSport is reporting that Andrea Agnelli has resigned from his post as president of Juventus, one of 3 Italian clubs involved in the fiasco.

In a direct appeal to the owners of the English clubs in the Super League project, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin urged them Tuesday to change their minds out of respect for soccer fans. Ceferin both cajoled and criticized the six-club English group — made up of American billionaires, Middle East royalty and a Russian oligarch — less than 48 hours after the Super League was launched in alliance with three clubs from each of Italy and Spain. Also Read: Threats of expulsion as UEFA confronts Super League rebel 12 “Gentlemen, you made a huge mistake,” Ceferin said in a speech to European soccer leaders at the UEFA annual meeting. “Some will say it is greed, others (will say) disdain arrogance, flippancy or complete ignorance of England’s football culture. It does not matter. “What does matter is that there is still time to change your mind. Everyone makes mistakes.” Ceferin urged them to turn back out of respect for fans in England, aiming another barb at what he earlier called “a few selfish people.” “Come to your senses,” he said. “Not out of love for football because I imagine some of you don’t have much of that.” Ceferin also lavished praise on UEFA executive committee colleague Nasser al-Khelaifi, the president of French champion Paris Saint-Germain. PSG has so far resisted offers to be one of the 15 founding Super League members. Bayern Minich and Borussia Dortmund have also stayed out. “Nasser, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You showed that you are a great man,” Ceferin told the Qatari official before also citing Bayern chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. The UEFA president also spoke about an email he received from a fan of Tottenham, one of the six rebel clubs from the Premier League. Also Read: UEFA could ban Super League players from Euro 2020, WCup “If you read the email you would be close to crying,” Ceferin said of the fan he identified only as Trevor, whom he had given two tickets to the 2019 Champions League final, when Tottenham lost to Liverpool. Ceferin said fans and governments have supported UEFA in resisting the proposed 20-team Super League, which threatens to directly challenge the Champions League and damage the historic pyramid structure of European soccer. “We cannot lose this match,” said Ceferin, a Slovenian lawyer. The clubs have not said when their planned breakaway league, underwritten by American bank JP Morgan Chase, would kick off. On Monday, Ceferin said he wanted Super League clubs and their players banned from all UEFA competitions “as soon as possible.” It is unclear if UEFA’s legal statutes and Champions League rules will allow that before Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester City play in the semifinals next week. Manchester United and Arsenal also play next week in the Europa League semifinals. Earlier Tuesday in a speech that seemed to blame the club owners and absolve players, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said he can only “strongly disapprove” of the Super League. “If some elect to go their own way, then they must live with the consequences of their choice,” Infantino said. “They are responsible for their choice.”

The deceptions, distrust and divisions in European soccer erupted in public on Monday between teams and even within the clubs breaking away to form a Super League that could leave them and their players outcasts in the global game. Condemnation of the 12 rebels clubs from England, Spain and Italy even came from Prince William, who followed the British government in railing against moves to split from longstanding structures to play in a largely closed competition rather than Europe’s existing UEFA-run Champions League. UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin turned on club leaders he called “snakes” and “liars,” singling out Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli and Manchester United vice chairman Ed Woodward for betraying him by reneging on a pledge to stick within existing structures. Ceferin threatened players from the Super League clubs with being banned from the European Championship and next year’s World Cup. Also read:UEFA could ban Super League players from Euro 2020, WCup “They will not be able to represent their national teams at any matches,” Ceferin warned earlier. “UEFA and the footballing world stand united against the disgraceful self-serving proposal we have seen in the last 24 hours from a select few clubs in Europe that are fueled purely by greed above all else.” Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez, the founding chairman of the Super League, downplayed UEFA’s threat to ban players. The players “can be assured that this won’t happen,” Pérez said in a late-night Spanish television interview. “It’s not going to happen. We won’t get into the legal aspects of it, but it won’t happen. It’s impossible.” The strident rhetoric from Ceferin was followed on Monday by criticism of the Super League even by Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp, despite Liverpool’s owner John Henry securing the six-time European champion’s participation in the new competition. “I don’t think it’s a great idea,” he said after Liverpool was held by Leeds to 1-1. It’s a result that puts Liverpool two points from the four Champions League qualification places, showing just why Henry would want the team in a Super League where the spot is locked in. Three of the 12 rebel clubs — Chelsea, Manchester City and Real Madrid — are scheduled to play in the Champions League semifinals next week. Two more, Manchester United and Arsenal, are in the Europa League semifinals. Ceferin said he wants to boot them out as “as soon as possible” from UEFA competitions, but that will require “legal assessments” that will begin Tuesday. Also read: UEFA makes formal proposal to delay Euro 2020 by one year Pérez said the new competition is being created to “save soccer” and complained of a campaign to make the Super League look bad by those who would “lose their privileges.” “We have to explain to everyone that this is not a league for the rich clubs,” Pérez said in an interview broadcast early Tuesday on the Spanish television program El Chiringuito de Jugones. “It’s a league to save all the clubs. Otherwise, soccer will die.” He also said the new league likely won’t start next season if no deal is reached with European soccer’s governing body. Ceferin led a meeting of UEFA’s executive committee Monday only hours after the 12 clubs announced the Super League project that threatens to split the historic structure of European soccer. He received backing from the English Football Association President Prince William, the second-in-line to the British throne. “Now, more than ever, we must protect the entire football community – from the top level to the grassroots – and the values of competition and fairness at its core,” he tweeted on the Kensington Palace account. “I share the concerns of fans about the proposed Super League and the damage it risks causing to the game we love.” The 12 clubs planning to start the breakaway Super League have informed the leaders of FIFA and UEFA that they have begun legal action aimed at fending off threats to block their competition. The letter was sent by the group to Ceferin and FIFA President Gianni Infantino saying the Super League has already been underwritten by funding of 4 billion euros ($5.5 billion) from American bank JPMorgan Chase. Currently, teams have to qualify each year for the Champions League through their domestic leagues, but the Super League would lock in 15 places every season for the founding members. The seismic move to shake up the sport is partly engineered by the American owners of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United, who also run franchises in closed U.S. leagues — a model they are trying to replicate in Europe. UEFA warned the Super League clubs, including Barcelona and Juventus, that legal action would be taken against them and said they also would be barred from existing domestic competitions such as the Spanish league and the Premier League.  “We are concerned that FIFA and UEFA may respond to this invitation letter by seeking to take punitive measures to exclude any participating club or player from their respective competitions,” the Super League clubs wrote to Infantino and Ceferin in a letter obtained by The Associated Press. “Your formal statement does, however, compel us to take protective steps to secure ourselves against such an adverse reaction, which would not only jeopardize the funding commitment under the grant but, significantly, would be unlawful. For this reason, SLCo (Super League Company) has filed a motion before the relevant courts in order to ensure the seamless establishment and operation of the competition in accordance with applicable laws.” The courts were not named by the Super League, which intends to launch a 20-team competition with 15 founding members. Tottenham from England, Atletico Madrid from Spain, and AC Milan and Inter Milan from Italy are also among the 12 that have already signed. The breakaway was launched just as UEFA thought it had agreement on an expansion of the Champions League from 2024. Now, the same officials who backed the plans have decided to go it alone while claiming the existing competitions could remain. UEFA approved the new Champions League format proposal on Monday amid the turmoil. The agreement was negotiated with the 246-member European Club Association. The ECA leader, Agnelli of Juventus, quit the UEFA executive committee overnight. “He is probably the biggest disappointment of all,” Ceferin said of Agnelli. “I have never seen a person that would lie so many times and so persistently as he did. “Now I know who is who. Who is honest. Who loves football.” In their letter to the FIFA and UEFA presidents, the Super League clubs said their competition could also play alongside domestic leagues and cups. “We do not seek to replace the UEFA’s Champions League or the Europa League,” they said, “but to compete with and exist alongside those tournaments.”

Players at the 12 clubs setting up their own Super League could be banned from this year’s European Championship and next year’s World Cup, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said Monday. Ceferin spoke following a UEFA executive committee meeting held only hours after the English, Italian and Spanish clubs announced the project that threatens to split European soccer. “They will not be able to represent their national teams at any matches,” Ceferin said. “UEFA and the footballing world stand united against the disgraceful self-serving proposal we have seen in last 24 hours from a select few clubs in Europe that are fueled purely by greed above all else.” UEFA’s 55 member federations are gathering for an annual meeting on Tuesday, including 24 nations that are playing in Euro 2020. “My opinion is that as soon as possible they (the clubs) have to be banned from all our competitions, and the players from all our competitions,” Ceferin said. Three of the 12 rebels — Chelsea, Manchester City and Real Madrid — are scheduled to play in the Champions League semifinals this month. Also read: Super League clubs tell FIFA legal action already started Earlier, the 12 clubs planning to start the breakaway Super League told the leaders of FIFA and UEFA that they have begun legal action aimed at fending off threats to block the competition. The letter was sent by the group to Ceferin and FIFA President Gianni Infantino saying the Super League has already been underwritten by funding of 4 billion euros ($5.5 billion) from American bank JPMorgan Chase. Currently, teams have to qualify each year for the Champions League through their domestic leagues, but the Super League would lock in 15 places every season for the founding members. The seismic move to shake up the sport is partly engineered by the American owners of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United, who also run franchises in closed U.S. leagues — a model they are trying to replicate in Europe. UEFA warned the Super League clubs, including Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus, that legal action would be taken against them and said they also would be barred from existing domestic competitions like the Spanish league and the Premier League. “We are concerned that FIFA and UEFA may respond to this invitation letter by seeking to take punitive measures to exclude any participating club or player from their respective competitions,” the Super League clubs wrote to Infantino and Ceferin in a letter obtained by The Associated Press. “Your formal statement does, however, compel us to take protective steps to secure ourselves against such an adverse reaction, which would not only jeopardize the funding commitment under the Grant but, significantly, would be unlawful. For this reason, SLCo (Super League Company) has filed a motion before the relevant courts in order to ensure the seamless establishment and operation of the Competition in accordance with applicable laws.” The courts were not named. “It is our duty, as SLCo’s board members, to ensure that all reasonable actions available to protect the interests of the Competition and our stakeholders are duly taken, given the irreparable damage that would be suffered if, for any reason, we were deprived of the opportunity to form promptly the Competition and distribute the proceeds of the Grant,” the Super League letter continued. The Super League intends to launch a 20-team competition with 15 founding members but only 12 have currently signed up. The others are Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham from England, Atletico Madrid from Spain, and AC Milan and Inter Milan from Italy. The breakaway was launched just as UEFA thought it had agreement on an expansion of the Champions League from 2024. Now, the same officials who backed the plans have decided to go it alone while claiming the existing competitions could remain — despite losing their most successful teams, including record 13-time European champion Real Madrid and six-time winner Liverpool. Also read: Tension growing around Haaland “The Competition is to be played alongside existing domestic league and cup competitions, which are a key part of European football’s competitive fabric,” reads the Super League letter to Infantino and Ceferin. “We do not seek to replace the UEFA’s Champions League or the Europa League but to compete with and exist alongside those tournaments.”

Tottenham fired Jose Mourinho on Monday after only 17 months in charge, and just as he was preparing to coach the club in the League Cup final. Mourinho was hired in November 2019 to replace Mauricio Pochettino, who unexpectedly led the London club to the Champions League final before the team collapsed the following season. Mourinho failed to get Tottenham back into the Champions League and has overseen another collapse this season. The team was in first place in December but a run of poor results has seen it fall to seventh place. “Jose and his coaching staff have been with us through some of our most challenging times as a club,” Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy said. “Jose is a true professional who showed enormous resilience during the pandemic. On a personal level I have enjoyed working with him and regret that things have not worked out as we both had envisaged. He will always be welcome here and we should like to thank him and his coaching staff for their contribution.” Mourinho’s exits comes two days before a Premier League game against Southampton and with the League Cup final on Sunday against Manchester City. Tottenham, which hasn’t won a trophy since the 2008 League Cup, said youth coach Ryan Mason had been put in charge of training. It is Mourinho’s shortest spell at a club since breaking into the big time with Porto in 2004. Disgruntlement over his tactics and methods have resurfaced in recent months, with Tottenham slipping out of the Champions League places and getting eliminated from the Europa League in the round of 16 after a surprising 3-0 loss at Dinamo Zagreb. Tottenham is five points behind fourth-place West Ham, which occupies the final Champions League qualification place. The club has won only one of its last five games. The two teams above Tottenham — Chelsea and Liverpool — have games in hand. Tottenham now heads into the League Cup final against City at Wembley Stadium without a manager and probably without its best player, with Harry Kane having hobbled off late in the 2-2 draw at Everton in the Premier League on Friday. That was Mourinho’s last game in charge.

The 12 European clubs pursuing a Super League have told the leaders of FIFA and UEFA that legal action is already being pursued to stop them from action intended to thwart the launch of the breakaway competition, according to a letter obtained Monday by The Associated Press. The letter was sent by the group of English, Spanish and Italian clubs to FIFA President Gianni Infantino and UEFA counterpart Aleksander Ceferin saying the Super League has already been underwritten by funding of 4 billion euros ($5.5 billion) from a financial institution. UEFA warned the Super League clubs, including Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus and Manchester United, after leaks of their plans on Sunday that legal action would be taken against rebel clubs and saying they would barred from existing domestic competitions like La Liga in Spain and the Premier League in England and international competitions. “We are concerned that FIFA and UEFA may respond to this invitation letter by seeking to take punitive measures to exclude any participating club or player from their respective competitions,” the Super League clubs wrote to Infantino and Ceferin “Your formal statement does, however, compel us to take protective steps to secure ourselves against such an adverse reaction, which would not only jeopardize the funding commitment under the Grant but, significantly, would be unlawful. For this reason, SLCo (Super League Company) has filed a motion before the relevant courts in order to ensure the seamless establishment and operation of the Competition in accordance with applicable laws.” The courts were not named. “It is our duty, as SLCo’s board members, to ensure that all reasonable actions available to protect the interests of the Competition and our stakeholders are duly taken, given the irreparable damage that would be suffered if, for any reason, we were deprived of the opportunity to form promptly the Competition and distribute the proceeds of the Grant,” the Super League letter continued. The Super League intends to launch a 20-team competition with 15 founding members but only 12 have currently signed up. They are also Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham from England. Atletico Madrid and Milan rivals AC and AC are also part of the plan. The breakaway was launched just as UEFA, which runs European football, thought it had agreement on an expansion of the Champions League from 2024. Now, the same officials who backed the plans have decided to go it alone while claiming the existing competitions could remain — despite losing their most successful teams, including record 13-time European champion Real Madrid and six-time winner Liverpool. “The Competition is to be played alongside existing domestic league and cup competitions, which are a key part of European football’s competitive fabric,” reads the Super League letter to Infanatino and Ceferin. “We do not seek to replace the UEFA’s Champions League or the Europa League but to compete with and exist alongside those tournaments.

Eight of the games in a slightly truncated Matchday 31 of La Liga will be played on Sunday due to the final of the Copa del Rey between FC Barcelona and Athletic Club Bilbao on Saturday night. Barca will play their league game corresponding to Matchday 31 at home to Granada on April 28 while Athletic Club takes on Valladolid in a very relevant match to the visitors' struggle against relegation on the same day. The round of matches kicks off on Sunday lunchtime with Real Sociedad at home to Sevilla in a game with a lot to say in the race for the title and the battle to qualify for Europe. Sevilla's thrilling 4-3 win away to Celta Vigo on Monday means they are just six points behind league leaders Atletico Madrid. A run of 13 points from a possible 15 means they have to be seen as outsiders in the race for this season's La Liga title. Real Sociedad, meanwhile, are fifth and locked in a battle with Villarreal and Betis for a place in next season's Europa League (a battle that will become harder if Athletic Club qualifies by winning the Cup on Saturday). Atletico Madrid has been dropping points at a worrying rate and now holds just a one-point lead over Real Madrid, with Barca another point behind, but they have to favor their home game against the bottom of the table Eibar. Eibar visits the Wanda Metropolitano bottom of the table with just 23 points and after 13 league games without a win after their home defeat to Levante last weekend. Even though Luis Suarez and Joao Felix are out for Atletico, Diego Simeone's men are still clear favorites. Real Madrid makes the short visit to play Getafe, who are not safe from relegation yet after a home defeat to Cadiz last weekend. Madrid goes to the south of the capital after assuring their place in the Champions League's semi-finals on Wednesday. Although they will still be without Lucas Vazquez, Sergio Ramos and probably Raphael Varane, they have every reason to be confident. The last time Getafe beat Real Madrid was in 2012, and the last time Pepe Bordalas' side scored against them was in March 2018, and it looks as if tiredness with being the main rival for Zinedine Zidane's men. Elsewhere the battle against relegation takes center stage, with Javier Calleja making his home debut as coach at second from bottom Alaves when they face Huesca. Calleja's side held on for a 0-0 draw in Bilbao last weekend, and with Lucas Perez back after the ostracism he suffered under Abelardo Fernandez, they have more threat in attack. Rafa Mir will be the main threat for Huesca, who have improved hugely with Pacheta in the dugout, and their 3-1 win at home to Elche last weekend saw them leapfrog Elche to escape the bottom three for the first time in 22 weeks. That defeat ended Elche's positive trajectory under Fran Escriba. They need to recover from that defeat when they visit Osasuna, who are probably one win from assuring their survival for another year. Elsewhere Betis takes on Valencia, looking to keep their efforts to qualify for Europe on track after a 1-1 draw at home to Atletico Madrid last week. Valencia striker Maxi Gomez is suspended after his sending off against Real Sociedad a week ago. An always entertaining Celta Vigo will test Cadiz's solid defense. There is also an east-coast derby as Levante entertains Villarreal, three days after Villarreal qualified for the Europa League's semi-finals.

The future of Dortmund's goal-machine Erling Haaland remains uncertain. While the Black and Yellows are hoping to move up the league table and bag a Champions League spot, the Norwegian's entourage is working on a transfer this summer. The club's aim to keep Haaland until at least 2022 seems to be on collision course with the plans of the 20-year-old and his advisors as they are increasing efforts to join a new club after Borussia's quarterfinal exit from the Champions League against Manchester City. Reports speak of agent Mino Raiola and father Alf-Inge having lost confidence in Dortmund, saying it is no longer the right choice for the highly-valued striker. Dortmund officials such as CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke and sporting director Michael Zorc claim to be in charge of any developments as the striker's exit clause in his contract until 2024 is only valid for 2022. "Without our approval, nothing will change. We intend to keep him no matter whether we qualify for the Champions League or not," Zorc and Watzke commented. Watzke and Zorc have indicated that they have delivered their message to Haaland's management. But things don't appear to be working that smoothly. "The team around Haaland is always looking for the best club for him in which to develop. If a Champions League place and a realistic chance of winning the league title are vital, then Dortmund isn't the best choice at present," Norwegian football legend Jan Aage Fjortoft said. Several top European giants like as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Man United and City are said to be interested in signing the forward. Due to the financial losses caused by the COVID-pandemic, a suitable transfer fee seems one of the crucial points. Reports speak of up to 150 million in summer 2021 while the 2022 exit-clause is worth 80 million. Considering the long list of interested clubs, it seems an option to take a financial risk to outpace competitors and sign Haaland one year in advance. Dortmund officials spoke about a financial shortage of up to 100 million due to games behind closed doors. Next to Paris attacker Kylian Mbappe, the Norwegian has developed into football's hottest property having scored 33 goals in 34 games this season. Recently Raiola and father Haaland went on a promotion tour in Spain, visiting Real and Barca officials for brief talks. "We accept the club's announcement telling us they want to keep him, but that doesn't mean we have the same opinion," Raiola said. In Dortmund, they hope their spearhead can quickly get over the Champions League's disappointment and continue to deliver goals to enable the club to qualify for Europe's top club competition. It won't be easy as they need to make up a 7-point deficit in the remaining six games of the season. His uncertain future seems to be affecting Haaland's performance. The striker hasn't managed to score for the last 7 games, including 3 internationals for Norway. Tensions seem to be growing as Watzke said he is annoyed by false reports and rumors. "Last summer, everybody was speaking about Jadon Sancho leaving and joining United. He is still around. Now they speak of Haaland as a done deal. I know where he will be playing next season," the 61-year-old said.

Thomas Tuchel has long admired Pep Guardiola, from his early coaching days watching the great Barcelona team from afar to the night in 2014 when the pair — then rival Bundesliga managers — talked tactics for hours in a Munich restaurant using salt-and-pepper mills as props. With Tuchel now a world-class manager in his own right, Guardiola might no longer be on that same pedestal. The admiration hasn’t disappeared, though, ahead of their first meeting in English soccer. It’s a big game, too: Guardiola’s Manchester City vs. Tuchel’s Chelsea in the FA Cup semifinals at Wembley Stadium on Saturday. “The benchmark,” Tuchel said in reference to Guardiola and the City team he has rebuilt this season and that is still on course for an unprecedented quadruple of major trophies. The two teams reached the Champions League semifinals this week — Chelsea after getting past Porto and City by outlasting Borussia Dortmund — but Tuchel said there remains a gap between them. After all, City, the Premier League leader, is 20 points ahead of fifth-place Chelsea and Tuchel still sees his team as a work in progress after joining in January as the replacement for Frank Lampard. That does not mean, he said, that Chelsea should have an inferiority complex going into the cup semifinal. The teams will also meet in the league before the end of the season, and maybe in the Champions League final, too. “It’s important that we accept this without making ourselves too small,” Tuchel said. “From next year on, from day one of next season, we will hunt them, we will try to close the gap between us. “We have to admit there is a gap but, for 90 minutes, we are very self-aware and very self-confident that we believe we can close the gap tomorrow for one game. And this is the target for tomorrow. I arrive happy to compete against the benchmark in England and Europe.” In that well-documented meeting of minds in Munich seven years ago — when Guardiola was with Bayern Munich and Tuchel was between jobs at Mainz and Dortmund — waiters reportedly were too afraid to interrupt the two animated coaches, who were using objects from neighboring tables to demonstrate their tactical ideas. Tuchel has established a reputation as something of a thinker, just like Guardiola, but he doesn’t see their meeting on Saturday turning into a chess match. More a physical battle. “We need to be on them every minute,” Tuchel said, “not allow easy chances and exploitation of spaces between our lines. We need to be very brave, play with courage, be adventurous and do what’s needed. “It’s a big challenge and it’s the right moment for us to face a challenge like this.” Indeed, Chelsea has lost only two of 18 games in all competitions under Tuchel, the latest — 1-0 at Porto, courtesy of a last-minute goal — not being enough to stop the London club advancing to the Champions League semifinals for the first time since 2014. Tuchel has rotated his squad heavily amid the fixture pile-up but appears to have landed on a preferred forward line in recent weeks — of Christian Pulisic, Kai Havertz and Mason Mount — that leaves high-profile and expensively purchased attackers like Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner looking on from the bench. “We have no promises to make, no gifts to give,” Tuchel said. “Everybody has to fight hard for their place. “Once you get any minutes, you fight hard to make the coach make a change. This is the life for a player at Chelsea. It’s big fun and you have to embrace the situation even if it’s a bit harder for some players.” Pulisic, the U.S. international, is finally getting a run of games near the end of another injury-affected season and has three goals in his last two league matches. “He made huge progress, he was fantastic in the last games,” Tuchel said. “He has a huge impact physically and in terms of quality, dribbling runs, arriving in the box in crucial moments. He stepped up and this is what I know from him.” Leicester plays Southampton in the second semifinal match on Sunday, when there will be 4,000 spectators inside Wembley, drawn from local residents as opposed to fans from each club. There will be no spectators for Chelsea-Man City.

Watching football matches in European stadiums is always a joyful experience. But the coronavirus outbreak has resulted in significant changes in people's daily lives for the last year. All football leagues in Europe are being held behind closed doors after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus an epidemic in March 2020. According to a study, the combined loss of Europe's major football clubs due to covid-19 is more than 1 billion euros. This shows the extent of the pandemic's impact on European football! This article discusses how European football is badly affected by the pandemic covid-19. The brunt of covid-19 on European football  On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the novel Coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic. Since then the major football leagues in Europe are being played in empty stadiums. Initially, any limitations on sporting events were ruled out by the British government. But after large outbreaks at Arsenal and Chelsea, the Premier League ultimately agreed to take a 100-day break. Read: Football Transfers 2021: The hot favorites to replace Sergio Aguero at Man City The domestic leagues in Spain, France, Italy, and Germany were postponed following government directives and the rest of Europe's top leagues took long breaks as well. Euro 2020 was suspended for one year, while Europe's most prestigious club football competition champions league 2020 completed in the month of August. Fans were allowed to return to the stadium at the beginning of the year but the plan halted after the second wave of the covid-19 virus and the spread of new variants caused new lockdowns across Europe. There was a concern that teams will go bankrupt due to the stop of ticket sales, but thankfully clubs have managed to recover some initial losses. We can expect fans will return to the field soon following the start of mass vaccination programs across Europe. Read: Summer Window 2021: Five Potential Big Football Transfers The financial effects on European football due to covid-19 The loss of matchday and commercial revenue as a result of the scheduling delays has had a substantial effect on European football. The finances of 43 European clubs were investigated by KPMG, an accounting firm, and it was discovered that net profits dropped 1.2 billion euros last season. Barcelona, Juventus, and Arsenal are among the top clubs trying to convince their star-studded players to take salary cuts as a result of the covid-19. Among Europe's elite clubs, Barcelona are in a real crisis. Their current debt is in excess of $1 billion. While, according to the reports, the Premier League clubs are losing nearly $150 million every month because of the ongoing pandemic situation. Read: Lionel Messi: The Argentine Football Star’s Most Unbreakable Records Because of the epidemic, clubs are unable to spend as much as they used to at transfer windows.In the January transfer window, just $327 million was traded, less than half of what was invested in the previous transfer window. Besides that, the European Football Association suffered a significant financial loss after the cancellation of Euro 2020. To compensate for the deficit, they want at least half of the stadium's overall capacity to be filled during the forthcoming tournament. Only time will tell if this is even possible especially in the midst of the second wave covid-19 across Europe. The epidemic has resulted in significant financial losses in sponsor and broadcasting deals.However, it is anticipated that the damage predicted at the beginning of the lockdown did not happen. Read: Memorable Match Winning Knocks in Tests Bottom Line European football leagues are among the most popular sporting events in the world.Billions of euros are spent on the clubs every season.But European football is badly affected by the covid-19. Football leagues in Europe were suspended due to lockdown between March and May 2020.The spectator is a major source of revenue for the clubs. However, since the games are played behind closed doors, the clubs have missed out on millions of dollars in ticket revenue. Furthermore, due to the economic downturn affected by the pandemic, players are not being traded significantly during the transfer window.Clubs are now more relying on their own academies to form first-team squads. The recession is expected to last much longer unless the coronavirus outbreak is contained. Read: The Best ODI Batsmen of the 21st Century