Wednesday’s briefing: Snoop Dogg in the house and Newcastle into last 16

Snoop Dogg said hi in Swansea as Newcastle rubber-stamped their Champions League progression.

England captain Leah Williamson would not rule out a women’s football strike, while West Brom are looking for yet another manager.

Snoop Dogg in the house

Swansea co-owner Snoop Dogg was greeted with twirling towels and a guard of honour on his first visit to the Welsh club.

And the American rapper saw a late Liam Cullen goal extend the club’s unbeaten home run to nine games with a 1-1 draw against Preston.

Snoop was making his first visit to the Swansea.com Stadium since becoming a minority investor at the Welsh club in July.

The 54-year-old was welcomed before kick-off by Swansea fans on a seven-minute lap of honour when he was greeted with twirling towels – a staple action for supporters in American sports.

Swansea boss Vitor Matos said: “After the game he came to the dressing room and spoke with the players. He loves sports, loves sports people. He loves the club, loves the city, and wants to be here.”

Newcastle eye European giants

Eddie Howe is expecting Newcastle to make a splash in the knockout stage of the Champions League after reaching the last 16.

The Magpies completed a 9-3 aggregate play-off victory over Azerbaijan champions Qarabag with a 3-2 second leg win at St James’ Park.

And ahead of next month’s showdown with either Barcelona or Chelsea – the draw will be made on Friday – Howe is confident his side has what it takes to go even further.

He said: “We want to go as far as we can and why not? I think we’re good enough to do it.

“I believe that we can raise our game and compete with anybody. That’s what we’re going to have to do whoever we get, but I just think it’s a massive thing for us to give our season an extra boost to get through this knockout phase and then into the next one.”

Williamson won’t rule out strike

England captain Leah Williamson says she would consider strike action in protest over player welfare concerns.

The Arsenal defender is back in the Lionesses squad for the first time since undergoing knee surgery after leading her country to Euro 2025 glory, while a significant number of Sarina Wiegman’s side have struggled with fitness and injuries following last summer’s tournament in Switzerland.

“Ultimately, we all want to play football; nobody wants any games, years, seasons to be taken away from them – tournaments especially,” she said about fixture congestion concerns.

“There has to be a balance and I would never rule out further action from the players because if it needed to happen for people to protect themselves, I wouldn’t blame anybody.”

Asked if that could include going on strike, Williamson replied: “I’ve not had any conversations about this right now. But if a group of people doesn’t feel like they’re getting listened to then history suggests that that’s the only way they can get heard, so I’d never take it off the table.”

Baggies sack another boss

West Brom sacked head coach Eric Ramsay after their 1-1 draw against Charlton left them just a point above the Championship relegation zone.

Ramsay failed to win any of his eight league games in charge after replacing the sacked Ryan Mason, taking just four points out of 24 available in a reign that lasted just 44 days.

Albion are fourth from bottom with 12 games remaining and first-team coach James Morrison will take interim charge for the second time this season, starting with Saturday’s trip to relegation rivals Oxford.

What’s on today?

The Champions League last-16 qualifiers will be completed, with the final four play-off ties taking place.

Real Madrid have a 1-0 lead over Benfica in a tie that is sure to make headlines once again, while holders Paris St Germain also hold a one-goal advantage against Ligue 1 rivals Monaco.

Juventus have it all to do as they trail Galatasaray 5-2 from the first leg, while fellow Italians Atalanta must turn around a two-goal deficit at home to Borussia Dortmund.

Domestically, leaders Coventry travel to Sheffield United in one of four Championship games while Manchester United announce their financial results for the second quarter of 2026.