Milan might record a historic first this evening if they defeat Inter in the Coppa Italia semi-finals. This is the fourth edition of the Derby della Madonnina this season, after the teams met twice in Serie A and in the Supercoppa Italiana final. Milan have the chance to secure a historic hat-trick. That gives the Rossoneri a unique potential to make history by defeating Inter in three different tournaments in a single season. Milan has never accomplished this feat, although Inter did so in the 2022-23 season. The Nerazzurri won once in Serie A, once in the Supercoppa Italiana, and both Champions League games. Milan began the season with a 2-1 Serie A victory in September 2024, then rallied from 2-0 down to win 3-2 and lift the Supercoppa Italiana in Riyadh on January 6. Sergio Conceicao was only in control for his second game after taking over for Paulo Fonseca. Meanwhile, Inter avoided a third straight defeat by scoring a stoppage-time equaliser in the return Serie A match...
FIFA has warned players that if nothing is done to alleviate the mounting strain on their workload, they will "take matters into their own hands," with players' union FIFPro indicating that strike action is not out of the question. In the midst of an increasingly congested fixture calendar, FIFPro Europe president David Terrier declared "an emergency" due to players' mounting mental and physical exhaustion. Terrier advocated for regulations to limit the number of games after the FIFPro player workload and recovery season review revealed some concerning figures. As part of the investigation, a player poll revealed that more than half of respondents had been forced to play while already injured, and 82% of managers had fielded a player they knew needed to rest. "We are dealing with one of our sport's most pressing issues, which has arisen as a result of a government failure," Terrier stated at the FIFPro event in London. "It has caused serio...