Thursday cannon fodder: Anything but that

Premier League/England

Chelsea transfer ban: Fifa rejects Premier League club’s appeal - BBC Sport
Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri says it will be “not be easy” to challenge Liverpool and Manchester City next season, after an unsuccessful appeal against Fifa’s transfer ban.

Macclesfield Town players considered match boycott over unpaid wages - BBC Sport
Macclesfield Town considered boycotting the club’s final game of the season after not being paid their April wages on time.

Wenger: Anfield is ‘the most heated stadium in Europe’ - Football365
Arsene Wenger has called Liverpool’s home “the most heated stadium in Europe in a return game”.

Europe

Tottenham comeback stuns Ajax, sets up final against Liverpool | Football | The Guardian
Tottenham came from 2-0 down to win 3-2 in their semi-final second leg at Ajax.

Ajax’s Matthijs de Ligt calls shock loss to Spurs ‘a nightmare’
Ajax Amsterdam’s teenaged captain Matthijs de Ligt described their semifinal exit from the Champions League as a “nightmare.”

Messi broke down in tears in Barcelona’s Anfield dressing room | Football | The Guardian
The poor dear. I hope his scrappy underdog of a career doesn’t suffer a huge blow because of this.

MLS/Americas

Does MLS have a double-standard problem with Zlatan and other stars?
We finally found the exception to Betteridge’s Law Of Headlines!

US Soccer shamelessly ‘looking forward’ to equal pay trial
The federation’s persistence with this self-inflicted public relations nightmare is baffling.

Liga MX playoffs preview: America-Cruz Azul headline quarterfinals
The Liga MX ‘19 Clausura playoffs start on Wednesday, headlined by a first-round repeat of last season’s final between Cruz Azul and Club America.

MLS teams mostly fly commercial to away games, but that could change soon – The Athletic ($)
The way players travel to and from games needs to be considered a matter of performance, not luxury.