90th MINUTE
MORE SUBS?
WORLD - FIFA has proposed a temporary change to the laws for the end of the season which would allow clubs to make five substitutions in a game. Given the amount of games remaining and the short amount of time to finish the season, there will be a compact schedule. Teams will have to play twice a week for several weeks to ensure all games are completed. A high number of matches in a short time frame means there is an increased risk of injury for the players and so FIFA have proposed this new law. In order for this to go into effect it needs to be approved by the International Football Association Board. If approved, it will then be up to the individual leagues to decide on whether or not to implement the changes.
JESE AWARDED MEDAL
FRANCE - Jese Rodriguez has been awarded a Ligue 1 winners medal despite being out on loan at Sporting CP. French league regulations require a player to play at least one minute of football in order to be awarded a medal, and prior to his loan move at the end of August, Jese came on for Choupo-Moting in the 90th minute in a game against Metz. PSG have been awarded the title after the league’s governing body decided to end the season following a ban on all sporting events in the country until September. This is now Jese Rodriguez’s second league title win after playing just one game, having previously done so in 2011/12 with Real Madrid.
INTER'S MONEY PROBLEMS
ITALY - Inter may run into some financial problems in the near future with the possibility of Mauro Icardi returning from his loan at Paris Saint-Germain. With the Ligue 1 season now cancelled, PSG will be affected financially by the decision, and may therefore be unable to sign Icardi permanently. This would see Inter lose out on the €80 million agreement made between the two clubs as well as burden them with an additional €14 million a season in wages. A significant dent would be made to their budget, one that would have to be filled by selling one of their soughtafter star players: Lautaro Martinez or Milan Skriniar, if they are unable to find another suitor for Icardi.
ILLITERATE FRANK
ITALY - Fiorentina’s Franck Ribery has had an interesting quarantine. The French winger was mocked online by a television star, portraying him as stupid and illiterate and is now thinking of suing. It’s not all bad though as the Frenchman also received some praise. A French rapper named Kofs has labelled Ribery a hero after stepping in to rescue the musician’s mother who showed symptoms of coronavirus. He flew her from Algiers to her home in Marseille, and paid for her medical treatment. On top of that, he has also donated €50,000 to hospitals in Florence, where he now lives.
USWNT ROADBLOCK
The US women’s national team have hit a roadblock in their case on equal pay after a federal judge in California ruled against the players on a number of claims. The players plan to appeal the decision. The lawsuit was launched against US Soccer Federation back in March 2019, with the players seeking over $66 million in damages under the Equal
