Bayern Munich have escaped a supporter lockout but were hit with a sizeable fine from UEFA after photographers were injured when fans spilled over barriers during their Champions League quarter-final win over Real Madrid.

The incident happened earlier this month at the Allianz Arena as Bayern scored twice in the closing moments of the second leg to book a place in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League.

In the aftermath of the dramatic finish, supporters from the club’s ultras section climbed over pitch-side barriers while celebrating and ran across the perimeter area, trampling several photographers.

One photographer suffered concussion while another sustained a head laceration. Several others required medical attention following the chaos.

UEFA confirmed Bayern would pay a total fine of 89,625 euros. The sanction includes 40,000 euros for spectator disturbances, 30,000 euros for a fan banner critical of UEFA, 14,000 euros for blocked aisles and 5,625 euros for the throwing of objects.

The German champions had faced the prospect of a partial stadium closure for the second leg of their semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain, but the punishment stopped short of a supporter ban.

Sporting director Christoph Freund had expressed confidence the match would still be played in front of a full crowd before the ruling.

“We expect to be able to celebrate a football festival with a full stadium against Paris,” Freund said.

The owner of Coventry City has said he is not worried about speculation linking head coach Frank Lampard with a possible return to Chelsea, insisting the club remains focused on its long-term plans following promotion to the Premier League.

Coventry chairman Doug King said supporters should not be distracted by “what may or may not happen” amid growing reports that Chelsea could consider Lampard for a third spell in charge at Stamford Bridge following the departure of Liam Rosenior.

Lampard has enjoyed a highly successful spell at Coventry, guiding the club to the Championship title and securing promotion back to the top flight for the first time in more than two decades. The achievement capped an impressive first full season in charge after he was appointed in November 2024.

As reported by BBC Sport on Thursday, speaking about the speculation, King praised Lampard’s impact at the club but acknowledged that success inevitably attracts outside interest.

He’s done a fantastic job,” King said, highlighting the scale of Coventry’s achievement in winning the Championship without the financial advantages of parachute payments. “It’s a huge achievement nobody can take away from him.”

He added that managerial movement in football is now constant and often unpredictable, describing it as a “merry-go-round” where speculation follows success.

Despite the rumours, King said Lampard appeared settled at Coventry and emotionally invested in the club’s progress.

You can see how emotionally connected he is with the city,” he said. “I think he’s found a happy place at the moment.”

However, he also accepted that strong performance naturally brings attention from bigger clubs. “It doesn’t mean there’s not going to be interest in the summer,. “He’s shown his credentials as a high-quality head coach,” he said.

Coventry are now preparing for life in the Premier League and have begun planning their recruitment strategy. King stressed that the club would not simply rely on heavy spending to compete at the top level, insisting that smart recruitment and value for money would be central to their approach.

“People spend money very badly at times,” he said. “We will look for value. Don’t associate success just with how much money you spend.”

Coventry’s return to the Premier League marks the start of a new challenge for the club, which last played in the top flight in the 2000-01 season. King said the squad and staff are embracing the opportunity, while acknowledging the difficulty of the task ahead.

Asked about the prospects of avoiding relegation in their first top-flight season since 2000-01, King said: “It’s taken a long time to get there. Obviously, we have beaten two teams who will join us so we have only got to beat one more, if we can beat them again next year, right? If you put it like that.

I’m embracing it, the team’s embracing it, it’s exciting, it’s a challenge. We had a challenge to get out of the Championship and we’ve spectacularly achieved that and now the next one is to challenge ourselves to see what we can do in the top league.

King said simply throwing “zillions” at signing new players was not the way to approach the Premier League, adding: “People spend money very badly at times, I would say what we do is we look for value.

“A very expensive footballer might still be valuable, there are a lot of footballers who are very expensive but who are not valuable.

“We will do what we’ve got to do, but don’t associate staying in the league and being very successful just with how much money you throw out of the door, I think that would be a mistake.”

FIFA has confirmed Iran will not be replaced at the 2026 World Cup despite political pressure asking for their replacement.

Italy and Nigeria have been rumoured as possible replacements of Iran decides against participating at the World Cup.

FIFA insists football decisions must stay sporting despite strong calls to swap teams before the tournament starts in June.

The debate gained traction after US envoy Paolo Zampolli suggested that Italy should be drafted into the tournament in place of Iran due to ongoing geopolitical tensions.

However, FIFA has made it clear that such a move is not under consideration, BBC Sport reports.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino reinforced the governing body’s stance, stating unequivocally that Iran will participate as planned.

Infantino’s comments underline FIFA’s long-standing principle that qualification must be earned on the pitch, not influenced by political circumstances.

Both Italy and Nigeria were drawn into the conversation due to their football pedigree, but neither nation secured qualification for the 2026 tournament.

Italy, a four-time World Cup winner, suffered another major setback after failing to qualify for a third consecutive edition following a playoff defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s hopes were dashed after losing to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the African playoffs. Despite the

Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) lodging a petition over alleged ineligible players, the result stood, and DR Congo progressed to claim the World Cup ticket.

According to Sky News, the idea of replacing Iran with either nation has been widely criticised, even within Italy.

Senior officials, including government and sports authorities, have dismissed the proposal, insisting that World Cup participation must be based on merit rather than external influence.

The controversy stems from uncertainty surrounding Iran’s participation due to geopolitical tensions involving the United States and Israel. However, FIFA has consistently maintained that sport should remain separate from politics. Iran has already qualified for the World Cup and is scheduled to play matches in the United States during the tournament, which will be co-hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico.

Despite earlier concerns, Iranian officials have confirmed their readiness to participate. FIFA regulations do allow for replacement in exceptional circumstances, but the governing body retains full discretion over such decisions. In this case, there is no indication that

Iran will withdraw or be excluded, making any replacement scenario highly unlikely. Infantino emphasised that Iran has earned its place and deserves to compete, reinforcing FIFA’s commitment to fairness and sporting integrity.

In a related development, Legit.ng reported that Nigeria may have to come to terms with missing out on the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to UK-based Nigerian journalist Samuel Omaenikun.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is currently awaiting a ruling from FIFA after submitting a petition alleging that the DR Congo national football team fielded ineligible players in the decisive African playoff match.