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Good morning football fans. It’s Monday, August 10 - FIFA defend accusations made against its president, Paolo Maldini’s candid interview on Italy’s national team, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
TOP TALKING POINTS
Infantino Accusations Denied
FIFA has condemned “concerted and ongoing” efforts to undermine the governing body and its president, Gianni Infantino. The statement followed reports, first published in The Daily Telegraph, which claimed Infantino’s alleged lover was given a severance payment by Uefa after he had an alleged affair while he was the European football governing body’s general secretary. Fifa strongly deny these claims, saying they were “categorically untrue”.
A Uefa spokesperson, speaking to The Athletic (paywall), said that they can confirm a departure payment was made to the unnamed individual in question. However, the statement was vague and failed to confirm any wrongdoing by Infantino. Uefa is one of the strongest voices against Infantino’s leadership, having announced that its nations would boycott Fifa competitions, despite the governing body’s apology for its recent controversial proposal.
While some football federations have withdrawn support for Infantino in the past week, the Fifa president has received support from several others. Both the Argentine FA and the Mexican FA have publicly supported Infantino, while the Confederation of African Football (CAF) released a statement to say that it “unanimously reconfirmed its support” for Fifa and Infantino.
EPL’s Managerial Trends
One small part of Spain now supplies more Premier League managers than England does, data analysed by The Guardian shows. The Basque province of Gipuzkoa has produced Mikel Arteta, Xabi Alonso, Andoni Iraola, and Unai Emery, with the first three in charge of three of the leading four clubs in the title race, per a popular predictions market. Meanwhile, only three English managers are now in charge of Premier League clubs, two of whom are at newly promoted sides, Coventry City and Ipswich. Read more about Gipuzkoa here.
The research also shows that the term “manager” is becoming less important, with 14 of the 20 clubs opting to employ a “head coach” instead. It supports a broader structural change in which sporting directors play a greater role in recruitment, blurring the traditional distinction between the head coach and the manager.
Further, the Premier League’s managers collectively have just one English top-flight title between them, the lowest total at the start of a season in the Premier League era (since 1992-93).
Inside Italy’s Rebuild
Pep Guardiola came “very close” to accepting the Italy head coach role before turning down the opportunity, Paolo Maldini has revealed in a candid interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. Maldini, the former Italy captain, recently stepped away from his role as technical director of the Italian Football Federation after just 16 days, following the decision not to appoint Andrea Pirlo as head coach.
Maldini visited Guardiola in Barcelona, and they had “serious discussions” about the Spaniard taking over the Italian national team. Guardiola “even started writing down lineups on paper” and Maldini said they “studied the squads, from the Under-17s onwards.” However, Maldini claims Guardiola ultimately rejected the role due to fatigue from his 10 years in the Premier League and back surgery. It was noted, however, that Guardiola’s decision was not financially driven, with Maldini stating: “Money was never an issue. Pep told us clearly: give me one euro less than what the last coach was earning, and I'm all set.”
For Maldini, Guardiola’s appointment was more about rebuilding the Italian national team’s identity and structure after the men’s team had failed to qualify for three consecutive World Cup tournaments. Guardiola spoke to Maldini about the impact of Johan Cruyff on Spanish football (dive deeper here), something that Maldini felt “was the path” to follow, which “could have changed the identity of Italian football”.
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POLL
Seven of the 10 most expensive transfers in Premier League history are midfielders. Has midfield become the most important position on the pitch?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> Millwall’s goalkeeper Lukas Jensen saved all four QPR penalties to take them through to the second round of the Carabao Cup (More); see all Carabao Cup results (More) | The second-round draw for the Carabao Cup will take place on Monday (August 10) at around 19:20 BST (14:20 ET) (More)
> The English FA has banned solid brick and concrete perimeter walls following the death of former Arsenal academy player Billy Vigar, 21, who collided with a wall by accident (More)
> Paris Saint-Germain have signed French international left-back Lucas Digne (More) | Como have signed defender Trevoh Chalobah from Chelsea in a deal worth more than £30m (More)
> Celtic remain top of the Scottish Premiership after a 5-1 win over Kilmarnock (More); see every Scottish Premiership result (More) and table (More)
Americas
> Lionel Messi missed Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup defeat by Monterrey (1-2) after the death of his father, Jorge, following a long illness (More); see all Leagues Cup results (More)
> LA Galaxy have signed former Barcelona and Como midfielder Sergi Roberto on a two-year contract through 2028 (More)
> Gotham FC’s gap at the top of the NWSL has been extended to four points following second-place Washington Spirit’s 3-4 loss to North Carolina Courage (More); see every NWSL result (More) and Conference Standings (More) | Debinha became the NWSL’s all-time leading goalscorer across all competitions with 83 goals (More)
> Tampa Bay Rowdies extended their lead in the race for the USL Championship Players’ Shield to seven points with 11 games remaining in the regular season (More); a loss for Orange County SC means their lead in the Western Conference sits at two points; see USL Championship results (More) and Conference Standings (More)
> Ottawa will host the 2026 Northern Super League final on November 14, where Canada’s top two women’s clubs will play for the Diana B. Matheson Cup (More)
Rest of the World
> Algeria secured a first-ever qualification for the 2027 Women’s World Cup after winning their quarter-final tie against Ivory Coast (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Friday’s Poll: Do you consider the Carabao Cup (English League Cup) a major trophy?
🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ 👍 Yes (45%)
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🙅♂️ Nope (52%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (3%)
Your punditry takes:
👍 N.T: “It is the only piece of silverware some clubs can compete for, and it's a pathway into European competitions.”
👍 P.P: “Let's face it, those English League clubs are better than 75% of the rest of the clubs in the world. This by default makes the Carabao Cup a major trophy.”
🙅♂️ C.J: “To me, a major trophy would be one that encompasses winning the club’s league or one with an international flavour such as the Champions League or the Europa League. Enter teams from Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland would give the Cup more meaning in winning. Now you’re the champions of Great Britain!”
🙅♂️ L.J: “Not any more, no. Too many clubs field weakened teams and, in the main, clubs would take Champions League qualification over lifting the League Cup. I personally think it's time to abandon it, as most other European leagues have.”
✍️ T.W: “Only if my team wins it!”
EXTRA TIME
Every transfer in Europe’s top five leagues. (live tracker)
Uruguayan football ball clearance causes road accident.
Opta’s Primeira Liga 2026-27 projections.
Why Real Madrid signed Yan Diomande, and how he'll fit into the team.
A look into Erling Haaland’s summer. (video)
Best 2026-27 kits, curated by the BBC.
GAME FACE ON
Who Am I…
I've scored 10 or more Premier League goals in the past two seasons.
I've scored in a final for my country.
My current club paid more than £40m to sign me from another Premier League club.
Scroll below for the answer.
Daily Wordle: Guess the football-related word, from player names to classic phrases, in six tries or fewer. Play it here.
The Infantino era is over.
Answer
Cole Palmer.