FA & Nike hot under the collar

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We added a couple of sections to today's edition to get you through this weekend’s international break.

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Head Start

FA & Nike hot under the collar

England’s kit for the Euros is the best it has been for a long time. I mean, anything could beat the World Cup kit with the blue shoulders, right?

But, people still aren’t happy. Nike’s multicoloured St George’s Cross on the back collar has sparked a polarising debate.

• One politician called the kit “virtue signalling, namby-pamby, pearl-clutching woke nonsense”.

• Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Nike should “reconsider”.

• Joey Barton - and 12,000 others (at the time of writing) - have signed a petition to force Nike to alter the flag.

Yet, the American apparel brand hasn’t flinched. They’ve, alongside the FA, ruled out altering the kit.

And, at the same time, Nike have announced they will supply the German national team’s kit from 2027 onwards - ending the long-standing relationship with rivals Adidas. Talk about rubbing salt in the wounds.

Whatever side of the fence you sit on, I think we can all agree that the biggest mockery is the £125 price tag. Ste-eep.

Fenerbahce goes cold-Turkey

Fenerbahce is threatening to withdraw from the Turkish Super League. But first, let’s quickly recap on what happened:

• On Sunday, the Fenerbahce vs Trabzonspor game was stopped in the second half as missiles (yes, missiles) rained from the stands.

• Fans stormed the pitch to confront Fenerbahce players.

• There were a few round-house kicks thrown in for good measure too.

Since then, Fenerbahce are upset that no significant action has been taken by the league, per The Athletic. But it’s not just because of the events that took place on Sunday. They are putting together a case that they’re being treated unfairly. 

Why? Well, because…

• … in 2006, the final game of the season was disrupted and stood in the way of them winning the league title.

• … in 2011, the club’s former president was jailed but the charges were quashed in 2020.

• … in 2015, bullets were fired at the team coach, almost causing it to veer off a cliff without much intervention from the league.

So, while a quick-witted post-match comment might make the headlines in the English press, Turkish ones are usually life or death - literally.

As it stands, the Turkish side sits two points behind their rivals Galatasaray. But, on April 2, the general assembly of the club’s members will decide whether to forfeit themselves to Division Two. We’ll keep you posted. 

Leicester City have been charged by the Premier League with allegedly breaking spending rules during their last three seasons in the top flight (More)

Bukayo Saka withdraws from England squad for Brazil and Belgium friendlies due to injury and “continued rehabilitation” (More)

Newcastle forward Anthony Gordon insists that a switch of international allegiance to Scotland was “never a thought” (More)

Harry Kane to miss England vs Brazil due to an ankle injury (More)

International Friendlies Preview

🇳🇱 Netherlands vs Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 - Friday 20:30 GMT - Viaplay

• This is the first of two intense friendlies for Steve Clarke’s side who will face Northern Ireland on Tuesday. Clarke is said to have intentionally pushed for tougher friendlies ahead of Euro 2024, so we expect him to field as full-strength team as possible.

• The Netherlands will be the favourites as they are unbeaten in their last five matches against Scotland. Plus, the Scots are on a five-game winless streak in all competitions. 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England vs Brazil 🇧🇷 - Saturday 19:00 GMT - Channel 4

• The pick of the bunch from this weekend’s internationals: the home of football takes on the spiritual home of football at Wembley Stadium. 

• England has a poor record against Brazil overall. In 27 matches, England have only beaten the South Americans four times. 

• Brazil will be unpredictable as this will be Dorival Junior’s first game in charge of The Selecao. But he faced a quintuple fitness blow this month with Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Magalhaes, Ederson, Marquinhos and Casemiro all withdrawing from the squad due to injury.

• England have their own fitness doubts: Harry Kane, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Reece James, Jack Grealish and Keiran Trippier but remain favourites going into this game given their current form.

🇫🇷 France vs Germany 🇩🇪 - Saturday 20:00 GMT - Viaplay

• Another blockbuster friendly. Germany are still finding their feet under interim manager Julian Nagelsmann, so France will fancy their chances under World Cup-winning coach Didier Deschamps.

• France will be without Antoine Griezmann for the first time in seven years after he pulled out of the squad with an ankle sprain. 

• Toni Kross is set to make his return to the international stage after coming out of retirement.

For the full international fixture list click here.

Off The Pitch

🍿 ‘The Sims’ movie is in the works with Margot Robbie’s production company LuckyChap (More)

😆 Dana White moved the date of his son’s birth because it clashed with a UFC event (More)

🤔 Elon Musk’s Neuralink has shared a video of its brain-computer interface inside a human patient. (More)

📉 Bank of England held rates at 5.25% yesterday with many expecting a cut but a reduction in rates is on its way (More)

🏎️ Formula 1 chief is appalled to find a team using Microsoft Excel to manage 20,000 car parts (More)

😂 Major brands are denying “shrinkflation” as Heinz says reducing the number of baked beans in a tin doesn’t count (More)

😬 Kim Jong Un was animated as he oversaw North Korea's latest rocket launcher drills (More)

Extra Time

Nike altered England’s flag on the national kit which sparked controversy (story above). Simon Jordan, as ever, wasn’t happy about the change.

It’s no secret that footballers are paid a lot. Here are the top 9 monthly salaries in Europe... and here’s Mbappe’s salary broken down to the second.

Who remembers the time Ronaldinho went past Gattuso like he wasn’t there? So satisfying.  

Sebastian Coates isn’t a household name. But he had everyone talking about his bicycle kick in 2012. 

Leon Bailey never fails to make us laugh. He’s openly admitted that the standards of the Jamaica national team are poor.

John O’Shea didn’t score very often for United. But then he decided to produce the best weak-foot chip of all time.

Game Face On

Question: Who started at left back for Real Madrid when they won the 2014 Champions League?

Scroll below for the answer.

On Today

FOOTBALL 

Friendly: England U18 vs Germany U18 (12:00 GMT, Youtube)

Euro U21 Qualification: Azerbaijan U21’s vs England U21’s (12:00 GMT, Youtube)

EURO 2024 and Friendlies: Multiple Matches (14:30 and 18:00 GMT, ViaPlay)

TENNIS

ATP: Miami Open (15:00 GMT, Sky Sports) 

GOLF

DP World Tour: Singapore Classic (05:00 and 02:30 GMT, Sky Sports Golf) 

PGA Tour: Valspar Championship (11:30 and 18:00 GMT, Sky Sports Golf) 

RACING

F1: Rolex Australian Grand Prix, Practice 2 (05:00 GMT, Sky Sports F1)

SNOOKER AND POOL

World Open Snooker: Quarter Finals (05:30, 10:30 and 11:30 GMT, Discovery +)

RUGBY

NRL: Sydney Roosters vs South Sydney Rabbitohs (09:00 GMT, Sky Sports Arena)

Rugby Championship: Ospreys vs Munster (19:35 GMT, BBC Two)

Gallagher Premiership: Multiple Matches (19:45 GMT, TNT Sports)

BASKETBALL

BBL: British Basketball League (19:30 GMT, Sky Sports Arena)

NBA: Minnesota Timberwolves v Cleveland Cavaliers (00:00 GMT, TNT Sports 2)

COMBAT

WWE: Smackdown (00:00 GMT, TNT Sports 1)

HOCKEY

NHL: Multiple Matches (23:00 GMT, Viaplay)

*EST -5. PST -8. CET +1. CST +8. JST +9.

Answer: Fábio Coentrão. Both teams’ lineups can be found here. Even more surprising was that former Spurs defender Toby Alderweireld featured in that game.

"Djimi Traore had to adapt to the English game, and he did that by going out on loan to Lens last season."

-Ian Rush