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Fifa rules women's teams must have female coaches

There have been some big changes announced this week for women's football.

On Thursday, world football's governing body introduced regulations that means every team in Fifa's women's tournaments must include one female head coach or assistant coach.

The requirements will come into effect during the under-17s and under-20s Women's World Cup and Women's Champions Cup competitions this year.

Under the new ruling, at least two staff members on the bench of every team at matches must be female, with one in an assistant coach or head coach role.

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How things stand at the bottom

West Ham and Liverpool have pulled away from the relegation play-off spot, courtesy of a few positive results in recent weeks. So it is Leicester City who find themselves at the foot of the ladder with a three-point gap to the Hammers above them. The Foxes will hope to reduce that deficit when they take on Aston Villa tomorrow.

Sun is shining in Manchester

Man City v Tottenham (12:00 GMT)

Emma Sanders

BBC Sport women’s football news reporter at Joie Stadium

The sun is shining in Manchester as City hope to take another step towards the WSL title.

They dropped points against Villa last weekend and need to avoid a similar scenario here today otherwise it could get nervy.

Tottenham are also on the hunt for a response after a disappointing performance against Everton.

Both teams have had strong campaings but who is going to overturn those blips?

Team news: Two changes for United, One change for Everton

Manchester United v Everton (12:00 GMT)

Head coach Marc Skinner has opted for two changes to the Manchester United side that were held to a goalless draw by West Ham in midweek.

Defender Dominique Janssen misses out with a hamstring injury, with Friolina Rolfo moving to full-back and Simi Awujo starting in midfield.

Melvine Malard has been chosen to lead the forward line as Lea Schuller drops to the bench.

Manchester United XI: Tullis-Joyce; Le Tissier (c), Lundkvist, Turner, Rolfo; Awujo, Naalsund, Zigiotti Olme; Park, Malard,Terland.

Subs: Middleton-Patel, Rendell, George, Anderson, Drury, Schuller

Everton interim boss Scott Phelan has been forced into one change to the side that beat Tottenham, with full-back Hannah Blundell ineligible to face her parent club. Issy Hobson comes in to the side in her place.

Kelly Gago remains an option off the bench in spite of her match winning goal in north London last week.

Everton XI: Brosnan (c), Hobson, Fernandez, Mace, Pacheco, Van Gool, Galli, Kramzar, Payne, Vignola, Momiki.

Subs: Ramsey, Gabarro, Gago, Lawley, Harbert, Stenevik, Jones.

Team news - Four changes for Arsenal, Wandeler starts for West Ham

Arsenal v West Ham (12:00 GMT)

There are four changes to the Arsenal side who beat London City Lionesses last Sunday.

Frida Maanum and Leah Williamson miss out on the squad through illness and injury respectively, and are replaced by Stina Blackstenius and Laia Codina.

The two other changes come at full-back with Smilla Holmberg coming in for Emily Fox and Taylor Hinds starting instead of Katie McCabe.

Arsenal XI: Borbe, Holmberg, Wubben-Moy, Codina, Hinds, Little, Mariona, Smith, Russo, Kelly, Blackstenius.

Subs: Votikova, van Domselaar, Fox, Mead, McCabe, Pelova, Harwood.

West Ham boss Rita Guarino makes two alterations to the side who drew with Manchester United on Wednesday.

Teenager Leila Wandeler and Yu Endo replace Viviane Asseyi and Ffion Morgan in attack.

West Ham XI: Szemik, Hansen, Nystrom, Cascarino, Tennebo, Zelem, Siren, Belloumou, Morgan, Martinez, Wandeler.

Subs: Walsh, Bose, Zadorsky, Brasero, Morgan, Hanshaw, Houssein, Cemal, Piubel.

Team news - Blues make four changes

London City v Chelsea (12:00 GMT)

Eder Maestre makes three changes to the London City Lionesses team that lost at home to Arsenal last weekend.

Nikita Parris, Kosovare Asllani and Elena Linari are restored to the starting XI, replacing Teyah Goldie, Lucia Corrales and Sanni Franssi.

London City XI: Lete, Pattinson, Sangare, Linani, Fernandez, Geyoro, Marcetto, Parris, Van de Donk, Godfrey, Asllani

Subs: Orman, Goldie, Perez, Corrales, Partido, Franssi, Roddar, Cascarino, Goodwin

Sonia Bompastor makes four alterations to the Chelsea side that started their victory over Brighton in midweek.

Kadeisha Buchanan, Erin Cuthbert, Johanna Kaneryd and Chloe Sarwie come in, with Lauren James, Lucy Bronze, Kiara Walsh and Sandy Baltimore all named on the bench.

Sarwie, 17, makes her first start in Chelsea colours.

Chelsea XI: Hampton, Cuthbert, Buurman, Buchanan, Nusken, Kaptein, Sarwie, Potter, Thompson, Rytting Kaneryd, Beever-Jones

Subs: Peng, Spencer, James, Girma, Baltimore, Bronze, Walsh, Storey, Shooter

Team news - Three changes for Spurs

Man City v Tottenham (12:00 GMT)

Emma Sanders

BBC Sport women’s football news reporter at Joie Stadium

Andree Jeglertz has named the same Manchester City team who were held to a goalless draw at Aston Villa.

Key players Lauren Hemp, Khadija Shaw and Vivianne Miedema all start, while Alex Greenwood captains the side.

Their Japanese trio of Aoba Fujino, Yui Hasegawa and Ayaka Yamashita are all absent having been crowned Asian Cup champions this morning.

Manchester City XI: Keating, Rose, Knaak, Greenwood, Casparij, Blindkilde Brown, Coffey, Hemp, Kerolin, Miedema, Shaw.

Subs: Cumings, Coombs, Ouahabi, Lohmann, Beney, Prior, Oyama, Murphy, Adedini.

There are three changes for Tottenham from last weekend's defeat by Everton.

Josefine Rybrink, Lenna Gunning-Williams and Evelina Summanen have all dropped to the bench.

Amanda Nilden returns from suspension, while Drew Spence and Bethany England also come into the starting XI.

Tottenham XI: Kop, Bartrip, Nilden, Gaupset, England, Holdt, Vinberg, Tandberg, Wijk, Spence, Blakstad.

Subs: Heeps, Jackson, Grant, Rybrink, Ahtinen, Summanen, Dennis, Nilden, Gunning-Williams.

Hello!

The sun is shining and Spring is well and truly here. That can only mean one thing - we're into the business end of the season.

We've got an action-packed weekend in the Women's Super League coming up and there's still plenty to play for.

Can Manchester City afford another slip up? Is European football out of reach for Arsenal and Spurs? And can Leicester give themselves a fighting chance to avoid the relegation play-off spot?

We'll find out very soon. Let's get into it...

How would West Ham or Spurs relegation hit London?

Chris SleggLondon

Relegation for West Ham United or Tottenham Hotspur would affect staff at every level of the club as well as impacting their local communities, a former Premier League chief executive has said.

In terms of crowd size – with both averaging attendances of around 60,000 – either club would be the biggest ever to be relegated from the Premier League.

Football finance experts have forecast West Ham could lose around £100m and Spurs as much as £261m, with the repercussions being felt far and wide.

"It's really the off-pitch side that gets hurt the most," former Aston Villa chief executive Keith Wyness told BBC London.

'Brutal cuts'

Wyness arrived at Villa just after their relegation in 2016 with one of his first tasks being to decide where cuts should be made.

He said: "In the Villa case, nearly 250 people in the end had to be reduced from the payroll.

"It was brutal. A lot of the cuts came in the sponsorship and commercial revenue side, where there was less need to service some very complex deals, but you have to look at streamlining every part of the club."

Another area of concern is the charitable foundations through which Tottenham and West Ham deliver valuable work in their neighbourhoods.

Those foundations provide mentoring, education and employment opportunities, as well as engaging young people and reaching some of the most vulnerable across London.

"We made sure the foundation itself stayed as strong as possible," said Wyness. "But it had to be scaled back, there's no doubt.

"It's certain that a lot of the plans we had to grow or develop those areas had to be put on hold."

On the Tottenham High Road there are fears among some bar and café owners about a possible drop in footfall on match days.

"It is a bit of a nervous time," said Asllan Islami, general manager of the Blue Coats pub.

"We won't have those key London derbies against Arsenal and Chelsea, or those regular big matches against Manchester United, Manchester City or Liverpool."

Islami – who himself supports Spurs – is remaining optimistic, nevertheless.

"On the flip side there would be four extra home games in the Championship and if Tottenham were having a good season, I'm confident the crowds would still come."

Indeed, when Newcastle United last suffered the drop in 2015-16, their attendances rose slightly during a successful year in the Championship as they secured an immediate return to the Premier League as title-winners.

For Villa too the average crowd across their three years in the Championship fell by only around 5% on the previous three years in the Premier League.

However, neither Villa nor Newcastle were trying to fill stadiums as big as Tottenham's or West Ham's during a cost-of-living crisis.

Nor were they operating against a backdrop quite as competitive as London in terms of other sport and entertainment offerings.

"Crowds stayed pretty strong," said Wyness. "Though of course, there was absolutely no room for increasing ticket prices.

"And when it came to the top end hospitality we had to be really creative. It's much harder to try and sell those areas when you don't have the attractive Premier League fixtures every week."

He believes this is "where West Ham and Spurs have got to be careful - they can't focus on revenue streams they had built on the Premier League model.

"They've got to be realistic about it – no rose-tinted glasses. They've got to realise who they are right now. Some of those fixtures will not be so attractive."

Tottenham v Lincoln or West Ham v Stockport are potential Championship fixtures next season and would clearly be a much harder sell than Spurs v Arsenal or West Ham v Chelsea.

Currently Spurs charge fans an average of £76 for each home match, with only five clubs in Europe costing more. It's forecast that their matchday revenue of £131m across the season would plummet to around £79m in the Championship.

In an economic impact report published by Tottenham in December 2023 they claimed to generate £344m for the local economy and stated an aim to increase that to £585m by 2026-27.

They also said they supported 3,700 full-time jobs in the local area, with a target to raise that to 4,300 across the same period. Relegation would almost certainly hinder their chances of achieving those targets.

'Very worrying time'

Over in Stratford, a West Ham relegation would hit every London council taxpayer in the pocket. The Hammers are tenants at London Stadium.

Under the terms of the agreement they signed with then Mayor Boris Johnson ahead of their move to the former Olympic Stadium in 2016, their annual rent will be cut in half should they go down. That would leave them paying just £2.2m a year.

Furthermore, the running costs of the additional four home games would also have to be met by the Greater London Authority, leaving the cost to Londoners at around £2.5m a year.

Asked how off-field staff at each club will be feeling right now, Wyness said: "It's just a very worrying time.

"There will be people, especially in the present financial climate, who will be very concerned, and that will translate into their job performance.

"You've got to be getting all your consultations ready in terms of layoffs and all that sort of thing, and I'm afraid it's just not pretty but this is the time to focus and be professional."

With so much at stake beyond the confines of the pitch, the stars of Tottenham and West Ham will be playing for far more than professional pride over the next few weeks as they bid to keep their clubs in the Premier League.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk

Antonin Kinsky is set to start in goal for Tottenham's home Premier League game against Nottingham Forest on Sunday as first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is to have surgery on a hernia problem.

Spurs interim boss Igor Tudor controversially replaced Kinsky with Vicario in the 17th minute of their Champions League last-16 tie at Atletico Madrid on 10 March - which they lost 5-2 - after he conceded three goals.

The 23-year-old was consoled by several team-mates, including Vicario, as he made his way off the field.

The other option for Tudor is third-choice goalkeeper Brandon Austin, 27, who came through the club's youth system and has made three senior appearances.

Tottenham said Italy international Vicario will undergo "a minor procedure" next week and hope to have him fit again by April.

The club said the operation had been "timed" for the international break in order to "have as minimal impact as possible".

"Guglielmo will commence his rehabilitation with our medical staff immediately, and it is hoped that he could return to action within the next month," added a statement from Spurs.

Tudor said he thinks Dominic Solanke will be fit to face Forest: "Dom didn't train [today] but probably tomorrow he will train with the team and I think he will be available. He had a hip problem but I think he will be OK."

He added that James Maddison, who has been out since pre-season with an ACL injury, could play this season: "Yeah, Maddison is already doing some interesting things with the ball and sprinting, he is positive."

Mohammed Kudus is progressing "very well" and could be back with the squad in "10 days", while Rodrigo Bentancur is "edging closer" to a comeback, and Joao Palhinha is back in training following concussion protocols for his clash of heads with Cristian Romero in the first leg against Atletico Madrid.

On fan mood after a draw at Liverpool and win on the night against Atletico: "Beautiful sense of the togetherness with the fans. I enjoyed the sensation of us doing well on the pitch and sharing it with the fans. We need to continue all together."

He was pleased with Xavi Simons' performance against Atletico: "He himself was motivated, was good, was with the right mentality. When he's like that, his qualities come out. So his qualities connect a lot with these things I said now. It was a really beautiful surprise for me. He was inside from the first second of the game. It was nice to find in him this resource we will need in these last games we still have to play."

Tudor was asked about being charged by the FA with misconduct over his claim that referee Thomas Bramall favoured the "home team" in Spurs' 2-1 Premier League loss at Fulham, and said: "I have spoken to the club but I'm focused on the game."

On fan feeling going into such a huge game: "There's a positivity but also an understanding the game will not be easy. It is an important game but will probably not decide anything. We need just to keep going with what we did last week."

When asked what he has learned about his players that he didn't know before, Tudor said: "Nothing new."

On the challenge posed by Forest: "It's a long game to play, a few games in the game. You need to be inside from the first to last second of the game, including five subs. So a big respect to them because they have players who can hurt us, but as well, going on our sides, going on with our things, with confidence, with courage, with humbleness, with all the stuff necessary to take the points."

Seismic changes are coming at Tottenham Hotspur this summer, whether they stay up or not.

Plenty of players will move on, lots of new faces will come in, and another coach will almost certainly be in the dugout. A few members of the squad may even emerge from this adversity hardened and improved.

Archie Gray is the prime candidate for the latter. In recent weeks, when Tottenham have sunk to calamitous lows, the 20-year-old has raged against the dying of the light in north London.

Gray made his 16th European start for Spurs against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night, with only Steve Perryman making more in the club's history before the age of 21, and it was among his best performances since his £30m transfer from Leeds in 2024.

It was an all-round effort Spurs fans have grown used to. The youngster created two chances - including an assist - and won possession back a team-high nine times for Tottenham.

Despite his tender years, Gray has clearly earned Tudor's trust. He is the only player to have started every game for the Croatian, and so far that faith in the youngster is being repaid.

Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is a target for Inter Milan and the 29-year-old Italy international is believed to be open to a move to the Serie A club. (Calciomercato - in Italian), external

Tottenham Hotspur defender Cristian Romero has dismissed speculation linking him with a summer transfer, with the Argentine, 27, stating his commitment is to helping the club avoid relegation. (Independent), external

Striker Randal Kolo Muani, who is on loan at Tottenham from Paris St-Germain, is being lined up for a permanent move to Juventus where the 27-year-old spent time last season. (Gazzetta dello Sport - in Italian), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

Manchester City vs Tottenham Hotspur: Women's Super League stats & head-to-head  BBC

There wasn't much hope, a fool's hope as some would call it, but for long stretches of the game it genuinely felt possible.

For the first time in what feels like a lifetime, Tottenham played with real purpose. The ball moved quickly, passes had intent, and chances came from good football rather than set-pieces. We were getting into decent positions and hitting the target.

In the end, it was just too much to overturn. Those slippy opening 17 minutes in Madrid left us with a mountain that was always going to be difficult to climb. Still, this is one of those mornings where you look for the positives, and there were plenty to take from last night.

What stands out most is how quickly the mood around the club has shifted. It feels different now. There is a togetherness on the pitch and in the stands that has been missing for a long time. Relegation, which not long ago felt almost inevitable, now feels like something we can fight together rather than simply accept.

There is nothing complicated behind this improvement. Igor Tudor has not come in with a magic solution. We are just working harder, running more, and winning our duels across the pitch. When chances come, there is a bit more composure instead of panic.

Against Atletico Madrid and Liverpool, we created real opportunities. We didn't take all of them, but it is a relief to see Spurs producing chances through open play rather than relying on set-pieces or long throws.

In midfield, Archie Gray and Pape Matar Sarr are beginning to look like a proper partnership, full of energy and intent. Mathys Tel brings unpredictability and a threat in behind, while Richarlison, Randal Kolo Muani and Dominic Solanke mean we have a number nine for all occasions.

For the first time in months, there is real hope.

Now the focus turns to Sunday against Nottingham Forest. That is the real test. A point away at Anfield and a battling win against a team with a three-goal cushion will only mean something if our relegation rivals are swatted aside.

The European run is over and how soon we return will be decided over the next eight games. Today, though, it feels like hope. Not just a fool's hope.

Interim Tottenham manager Igor Tudor has been charged with misconduct over his claim that referee Thomas Bramall favoured the "home team" in Spurs' 2-1 Premier League loss at Fulham.

Tudor hit out after his relegation-threatened side were beaten on 1 March, saying Bramall "doesn't understand football".

The Croat had been angered by the Cottagers' first goal, which he believed happened because of a push by Raul Jimenez on Radu Dragusin before Harry Wilson put the ball into the net.

Speaking to the BBC after the match, Tudor said: "I didn't like the referee today, too much of a home team referee. I didn't feel well with him.

"All the decisions were on their side. He doesn't understand football, the feeling of what is wrong and what is right.

"He [Jimenez] was not thinking about the ball, he was thinking how to cheat, he cheated the player, was pushing, it was cheating and it's a foul. Ninety-nine of 100 people will say it's a foul, it's so obvious."

The Football Association said Tudor "allegedly acted in an improper manner during a post-match interview by making comments that imply bias and/or question integrity and/or are personally offensive in relation to a match official".

Spurs and the 47-year-old have until Monday to reply to the charge.

Seismic changes are coming at Tottenham Hotspur this summer, whether they stay up or not.

Plenty of players will move on, lots of new faces will come in, and another coach will almost certainly be in the dugout. A few members of the squad may even emerge from this adversity hardened and improved.

Archie Gray is the prime candidate for the latter. In recent weeks, when Tottenham have sunk to calamitous lows, the 20-year-old has raged against the dying of the light in north London.

That theme continued on Wednesday night in the Champions League, when Gray was superb in Tottenham's 3–2 win over Atletico Madrid. The victory was Spurs' first since January, although it wasn't enough to overturn their 5–2 deficit from the first leg.

Gray was the big positive to cling to ahead of Sunday's gigantic showdown with relegation rivals Nottingham Forest.

"He's playing continually in the right way, in a good way," said Spurs boss Igor Tudor after the game.

"It's a mix of quality, physically and mentally, to always make the right choices, be humble, and have the legs to do so."

Gray made his 16th European start for Spurs on Wednesday night, with only Steve Perryman making more in the club's history before the age of 21, and it was among his best performances since his £30m transfer from Leeds in 2024.

It was an all-round effort Spurs fans have grown used to. The youngster created two chances - including an assist - and won possession back a team-high nine times for Tottenham.

Despite his tender years, Gray has clearly earned Tudor's trust. He is the only player to have started every game for the Croatian, and so far that faith in the youngster is being repaid.

Gray's versatility has been valuable to Spurs over the last couple of seasons, with injury crises and managerial changes - and subsequently different tactics and formations - creating a chaotic environment.

In his first season, Gray played 53% of his minutes as a centre-back and 21% as a right-back in all competitions. This year, he has had a little more stability in his preferred midfield role, albeit he's still been plugged into gaps when required.

There's no doubt his future lies in the heart of midfield, according to his current head coach. "In this position, he can be the best," Tudor said.