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[Antifa_Ultras @ultras_antifaa]

🧵The politics of the UEFA Conference League Final: Crystal Palace vs Rayo Vallecano

The UEFA Conference League final between Crystal Palace and Rayo Vallecano was a match that will be remembered for years to come. The fact that both clubs reached the final was already a football story in itself. However, the final also became the centre of political debates that went far beyond the pitch.

Read below how these debates began and what unfolded on the night of the final.👇

[La Liga & Beyond @laligaandbeyond]

With 5 teams in the mix I am going to try and explain in a thread what each side needs to stay up next weekend.

My head has been in a maths whirlwind the last 12 hours working it out so if I get it wrong or miss something feel free to correct me.

🧵⬇️

[Calcio England @CalcioEngland]

🔥 This tifo from Salernitana’s Curva Siberiano is immense!

[Bold Politics @_BoldPolitics]

Actual backstory 🧵

The elderly man whose home this was hadn't renovated - or even redecorated - for decades because he had been a long-term carer for his chronically ill wife (1/7)

[Football Heritage @footyheritage]

Rayo Vallecano are the story of the season.

From fighting against their owners to endlessly queuing for tickets, their supporters have been there through it all.

No fanbase deserves this more.

The best neighbourhood club in the world! ⚡️🔴⚪️

[Sid Lowe @sidlowe]

Genuinely, Rayo Vallecano reaching a European final is one of the best things that has ever happened

[Kris Wigfield @kr62209]

There seems to be a lot of confusion on the SWFC zero point ruling when comparing to the zero points Derby also received.

Both Clubs paid/are paying 25p in the £ to unsecured creditors.

Derby’s owner completely wrote his debt off. The Wednesday owner was made a sizeable offer.

Derby paid 25p in the £ and left the tax man owed £10’s of millions (EFL Insolvency Policy directs 100p - discretion shown). Wednesday are paying off all owed (100p in the £) to HMRC.

I’m struggling to square why some feel Wednesday should get more than Derby got for exiting Administration when the shortfall to creditors is so much less in the case of SWFC?

Furthermore, the shortfall against EFL Insolvency Policy is also much less in the case of SWFC.

[Tej Parikh @tejparikh90]

THREAD (1/4) Britain acts richer than it is

My article for @FT: By most standards, Britain is a rich country. But it behaves as if it is wealthier, faster-growing and more influential than it actually is...

FREE LINK: https://t.co/UCSiZjFBku

[Dave @DRH_7]

@champmegasave Thanks pal, not a chance of sleeping tonight now! 😱🤣

[Dave @DRH_7]

@laligaandbeyond Managed to do Leganés, Fuenlabrada, Atléti, Getafe, Rayo & Alcorcón in one long weekend a few years ago...always plenty of options in Madrid if fixtures & timings fall nicely! Enjoy!

[𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐔𝐥𝐭𝐫𝐚 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 @thecasualultra]

🇵🇱🏟️ More than 50,000 fans attended a Polish second division match between Ruch Chorzów and Wisła Kraków today, truly impressive. 👏

[Stadionowi Oprawcy @Stadionowi]

Ruch Chorzów - Wisła Kraków 19.04.2026
"Tu znikasz w dymie lub blasku racy się mienisz" - dzisiejsza oprawa Ruchu Chorzów. #RCHWIS

[Ultras Clips @ultras_clips]

🇵🇱🏟️ More than 50,000 fans attended a Polish second division match between Ruch Chorzów and Wisła Kraków, truly impressive. 👏

[Ultras Clips @ultras_clips]

🇪🇸🥺 Real Sociedad fans during the Copa del Rey draw unveiled a tifo dedicated to Aitor Zabaleta, who was tragically killed in Madrid in 1998 by Atlético Madrid ultras. After winning the cup, the players also dedicated the trophy to him.

Football is more than a game. ❤️

[Anthony @AnthonyKyaw]

In 1998, Real Sociedad fan Aitor Zabaleta was killed by Atlético Madrid ultras at a bar in Madrid while trying to protect his girlfriend

Today, Real Sociedad beat Atlético Madrid to win Copa del Rey

Mikel Oyarzabal honored him by putting a kit with Zabaleta’s name on trophy 🙌🏾

[Gavin Cooney @gcooney93]

A week to remind us that Bayern and the best in La Liga are - mercifully- playing a different sport to what's inflicted on us Premier League watchers

[Henry Winter @henrywinter]

The man who wants to rescue Sheffield Wednesday, American businessman David Storch, says he has been “informed that a 15-point penalty is set to be imposed at the start of next season” in League One. The outgoing owner Dejphon Chansiri should hang his head in shame at the damage he has inflicted on Sheffield Wednesday. He can’t have a conscience. Otherwise he’d accept a compromise on bid price. 

The EFL should have been tougher with Chansiri quicker. The FA should remember it is supposed to be custodians of the game and protect clubs. The importance of an Independent Football Regulator, much delayed by vested interests, is highlighted again by events at Wednesday. 

At the moment, the people being punished at Wednesday are fans, players, staff and the man who wants to save them. Shameful situation engulfing a historic club which could have been avoided with stronger leadership by the authorities. And Chansiri locating some principles. #SWFC

[Grant Roberts @GrantR_1867]

The EFL has sanctioned Sheffield Wednesday consistently since 2018.

Over that period, the club has been hit with multiple transfer embargoes spanning nearly a decade. By October 2025, Wednesday were under six simultaneous embargoes — the most any club has ever faced.

On top of that, the club has suffered repeated points deductions. A -12 deduction in 2020/21 severely damaged recruitment and momentum going into that season. Although it was later reduced to -6 on appeal, the damage had already been done — those points ultimately proved the difference between survival and relegation to League One.

In 2025, the situation worsened further. The club received:
•-12 points for entering administration, after the former owner failed to meet basic financial obligations such as paying wages and bills on time
•A further -6 point deduction, again due to the owner’s failure to uphold his responsibilities

This is not a case of a club gaining an unfair advantage — quite the opposite. The club has been placed at a significant competitive disadvantage for years due to sustained mismanagement.

Sheffield Wednesday has endured one of the most damaging ownership periods a club of its size is likely to experience. The former owner’s approach has not only harmed the club financially but also created a toxic environment for staff and supporters alike.

And yet, despite this, there is now an expectation that the same owner should be repaid — while the club continues to face further punishment.

How can that be justified?

The new ownership group should not be penalised for the failures of the previous regime. They should be given the opportunity to restore stability to a club that has lacked it for nearly 26 years.

Imposing further sanctions — such as another -15 point deduction, spending caps, business plan restrictions, and transfer limitations — would only deepen the damage. It risks condemning the club to yet another relegation and prolonging the cycle of instability.

At some point, there has to be recognition that continued punishment is no longer corrective — it is excessive.

The club, its staff, and its supporters deserve the chance to move forward.

#FairDealForWednesday

@storchyowl

[Phil Kitromilides @PhilKitro]

If you enjoyed Atletico-Barca...The Copa del Rey final is live and FREE in the UK this Saturday night on ITV4. Atletico Madrid vs Real Sociedad 7.55pm. Come join me on commentary will be another terrific game!

[David Storch @storchyowl]

Please see my statement attached #FairDealForWednesday