⚽ Barcelona Shock Home Defeat. Le Tissier Sticks. AKB Twists.

April 22, 2024

THIS WEEKS ROUND-UP INCLUDES:

• Top Headlines: James targeted by haters, Bristol clings on

• Our Picks from the Pitch: Top strikes and saves

• Fave Finds: An unlikely tattoo artist, The rise of the watch party

• ACL Watch

• Kit Drop: Adidas doubles down on Samba

• Watchlist: This week's must-watch games

• Jobs: More women working in football

 🚨 NEWS | HOME & AWAY

TOP HEADLINES

⌨️ Lauren James has been at the centre of a social media storm after Millie Turner shared an image of their physical exchange during last week's Chelsea/Man Utd Women’s FA Cup semi-final. Predictably, racist comments on the photo followed. The Athletic reflected on the incident (paywall) and the racism that has already plagued James’s career.

What happened?

  • Chelsea was 2-0 behind before James scored in added time in the first half. She attempted to retrieve the ball from the net for a quick restart.

  • Millie Turner held on to the ball, resulting in a physical battle for it. James’s arm reached around the back of Turner’s neck, which, as a still image, looked like a headlock. Both players received yellow cards.

  • Turner subsequently shared a collection of images from the match, one of which pictured the exchange on social media. She turned off commenting after several accounts posted hate and racism-filled comments. Her post has since been removed and reposted without the image of James.

  • Fans noticed James’s Instagram account had unfollowed Man Utd and England players Toone, Earps and Turner, which has fuelled rumours of an England squad rift.

  • James received racist abuse after being sent off in the 2023 World Cup and after a stamp on Arsenal’s Lia Walti in December. Once again, a great deal of hate has been directed her way following the tussle with Turner.

🔻 Bristol City are on the brink of relegation from the WSL after a slim 1-0 loss to Liverpool. A West Ham win against Man City would have sealed Bristol’s fate, but since City beat the Hammers 5-0, Bristol can cling to WSL life for a little longer. 

🔺Crystal Palace are close to being promoted to the WSL after a 2-0 win away to Lewes. It’s been a close race in the Women’s Championship between Palace, Charlton and Sunderland. Charlton beat Sunderland over the weekend leaving them three points behind Palace, with one game to play. Although it’s possible Charlton and Palace could draw on the last day, Palace has a huge 22-goal difference, so the title is theirs in all but name. 

🏆 2027 Women’s World Cup: The next host of the Women’s World Cup will be announced in less than a month. Three bids are being considered: a joint bid from Belgium, The Netherlands, and Germany, a joint bid from Mexico and the USA, and an individual bid from Brazil.

💪 Chelsea’s Millie Bright was finally back on the team sheet for their semi-final against Barcelona after a long five-month recovery from a knee injury. Although she didn’t make an appearance, it's fair to say that both England and Chelsea have missed the defender and her leadership on the pitch. Both defences have looked decidedly shaky during Bright’s absence.

👋 Kleiton Lima, head coach of Brazilian side Santos, has resigned following player protests about his reinstatement as manager. The club had previously investigated 19 harassment allegations against Lima and found no proof, leading to his controversial re-hiring.

⚽ PICKS FROM THE PITCH

THE TOP STRIKES AND SAVES OF THE WEEK

Champions League

  • Lyon vs PSG (3-2): In a dramatic finish, Lyon scored three goals in six minutes to beat PSG in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final. Our stand-out moments: An impressive save from PSG’s Constance Picaud, Melchie Dumornay’s equaliser for Lyon and then the winner, after a cheeky little step-over from Amel Majri.

  • Barcelona vs Chelsea (0-1): Barca suffered their first defeat at home since, get this, February 2019 🤯. Erin Cuthbert got the historic goal that has set Chelsea up nicely for the second leg at Stamford Bridge. 

WSL

 👀 FAVE FINDS

Tats unexpected: Georgia Stanway is well-known for her growing collection of tattoos, but did you know she’s a blossoming tattoo artist? No? Well, here she is doing her thing.

Women’s football watch party, anyone? Baller FC drew crowds of up to 500 people to their Euro 2022 and Women's World Cup screenings, but they don't just come out for the big occasions. Follow them for regular WSL and International watch parties. You might even spot the odd comedy night or IRL match day to tag along to, too.

Gotham FC has unveiled its Championship ring, designed by Jostons. If that means nothing to you and you're not up to speed on North American sports traditions, Championship winners are typically presented with a celebratory, blingy... ring. Gotham won the last championship, so 'behold the brilliance'...(p.s. click on the image below to see the 360º rotating render. It's quite something).

🖋️ INSIDE TRACK

TRANSFERS: WHO'S MAKING MOVES

Maya le Tissier turned 22 this week and had lots to celebrate as she signed a four-year contract extension for Manchester United. To round things off, le Tissier scored a late equaliser against Tottenham in the WSL on Sunday to narrowly avoid United's first defeat by Spurs. (It ended 2-2).

  • Le Tissier signed in July 2022 and debuted on 17 September 2022. In that time, the defender played 60 games and scored four goals. She’s also made several appearances for England.

  • “We want to make Maya a key feature of our team for many years to come. Maya’s a leader and everybody at the club should be proud that she’s decided to sign for us long-term. She has the right mentality and the right attitude – and is a perfect role model for the next generation.” - Marc Skinner, Manchester Utd. Manager

Ewa Pajor is set to sign for Barcelona despite interest from Man Utd and PSG. The Polish international will reportedly leave Wolfsburg at the end of the season for a €500,000 (club-record) fee.

Ada Hegerberg has renewed her contract with Lyon, which will see her stay with the eight-times French Champions until 2027. The Ballon d’Or winner is a club legend with 264 goals in 244 games since joining nine seasons ago in 2014.

Brian Sorensen, along with his assistant coach Stephen Neligan, has signed a new contract to remain Everton Manager until 2026.

María Sánchez has completed a move to NWSL side San Diego Wave. She signed a deal worth $1.5m with Houston Dash just four months ago, which should have kept her in Texas until 2026, but in March, she made public her request to be traded. It’s unclear why she requested the move.

Ann Katrin-Berger (AKB) has signed a one-year deal with NWSL team Gotham FC. The move seems geared towards getting more game time ahead of Germany’s Olympic squad selection. With 60 clean sheets over 114 appearances for Chelsea, the keeper has been described as having achieved ‘Legend Status’ by Emma Hayes. 

 🦵ACL WATCH

🔴 Stoke City’s Kayleigh Macdonald has had a bit of a week. After suffering a complex knee injury during a league match over a month ago, Macdonald resorted to social media to crowd-fund the cost of private surgery, claiming the club left her to join a long NHS waitlist.

  • The appeal blew up, and the resulting pressure on Stoke City and their billionaire owners led to a full 360º by the club, which has now offered to pay for the treatment.

  • The club had previously outlined its plans to fund more infrastructure and support for their semi-professional, third-tier women’s side, but this episode has left them looking a little red-faced.

🔴 Fiona Brown, the Scotland and Glasgow City forward, has suffered an ACL injury for the fourth time in her career. She went off in City’s game against Rangers last week.

🟢 Laura Wienroither is back in action for Arsenal after 11 months out with an ACL injury picked up in their Champions League semi-final against Wolfsburg in May 2023.

 🤤 KIT DROP

ADIDAS DOUBLES DOWN ON SAMBA

Adidas and Brazilian brand FARM Rio have launched a new Flamengo (a Rio-based football club) collection inspired by women. It features vibrant designs with tropical flowers, vultures, and elements of Rio's samba and scenery, celebrating the diverse fanbase's passion. Shop the collection 

📺 WATCHLIST

THE WEEK AHEAD

Saturday 27 April

Champion’s League Semi-Final (2nd Leg)17:30 - Chelsea vs Barcelona (Agg. 1 - 0) [TNT Sports 3, DAZN]

Sunday 28 April 

WSL
12:30 - Everton vs Arsenal [BBC iPlayer]
14:00 - Aston Villa vs West Ham United [The FA Player]
14:00 - Tottenham Hotspur vs Brighton and Hove Albion [The FA Player]
15:00 - Leicester City vs Manchester United [The FA Player]
18:45 - Bristol City vs Manchester City [Sky Sports]

Champion’s League Semi-Final (2nd Leg)
15:00 - Paris Saint-Germain vs Lyon (Agg. 2 - 3) [TNT Sports 3, DAZN]

All times in BST

 📂 JOBS

'MORE WOMEN WORKING IN FOOTBALL'

  • Executive Producer, EFL | Sky Sports | Closing Date 30 April 2024 | Apply Here

  • Senior Commercial Brand Marketing Manager | Newcastle United | Closing Date 01 May 2024 | Apply Here

  • Education Programmes Executive | Premier League Charitable Fund | Closing Date 01 May 2024 | Apply Here

  • Women’s Senior Team Lead Physiotherapist / Sports Therapist | Wolves | Closing Date 3 May | Apply Here

  • Junior Designer- Sponsorships | Chelsea Football Club | No closing date specified | Apply Here

  • Data Analytics Lead | Derby Country FC | Closing Date: 30 April 2024 | Apply Here

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