GM football fans. It’s Wednesday, August. 6 - Crystal Palace’s new evidence against Uefa’s decision to remove them from the Europa League, tensions between Barcelona and Marc-Andre ter Stegen reach new heights, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
TOP TALKING POINTS
Palace’s New Evidence
Crystal Palace, who were excluded from the Europa League for breaching Uefa’s multi-club ownership rules, have obtained evidence to help their appeal against the decision. Palace will argue in an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on August 8 that Nottingham Forest, who replaced them in the Europa League, were given until April 29 to amend their ownership structure, whereas Palace were held to a March 1 deadline.
Palace also discovered a letter from the European Club Association (ECA) suggesting that the March 1 deadline was a “soft” deadline, indicating that clubs could still compete if they became compliant before their official qualification was confirmed. The evidence includes a letter moving the deadline from June 3 to March 1, followed by a second email two hours later implying that the deadline was flexible.
Meanwhile, Palace have been drawn to face either Norway’s Fredrikstad or Denmark’s Midtylland in the Conference League play-off round, with the first leg to take place on August 14. CAS is expected to deliver a decision by August 11.
Ter Stegen Blocks Barca
FC Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen has refused (in Spanish) to sign the consent form allowing the club to send his medical report to La Liga’s Medical Commission, effectively preventing Barcelona from registering new players. Under La Liga’s rules, if a player’s recovery is expected to exceed five months, the club can use 80% of that player's salary to create room under their salary cap—Barcelona had hoped to use this mechanism to register goalkeeper Joan Garcia.
Barcelona have turned the matter over to their legal department. Club lawyers are currently assessing whether disciplinary measures can be taken against Ter Stegen for what they view as non-cooperation that could be detrimental to the team. If cleared by legal counsel, formal disciplinary proceedings will be initiated.
Tensions between Barcelona and Ter Stegen grew after he was told that he was the third-choice goalkeeper following Garcia’s arrival. While the club is seeking a new captain for the team, reports in Spain claim that the Barcelona dressing room backs Ter Stegen in that role. The German international, who has been at the club for 11 years, has three years remaining on his contract.
Championship Projections
The Championship kicks off on Friday night with Birmingham City hosting Ipswich Town–see the full list of fixtures here. According to fixture difficulty ratings, Middlesbrough face the toughest opponents across their first four matches, while Coventry City have the easiest start–see the rest here.
Sheffield United are favourites to finish top of the table, according to Opta’s prediction model, which successfully projected the promotions of Leeds United and Burnley last season. After narrowly missing out on promotion last year despite reaching 90 points, Sheffield United are given a 41.1% chance of automatic promotion. Leicester City follow with a 16% chance, ahead of Ipswich Town (15.2%), Coventry City (14.4%), Southampton (11.2%), and West Bromwich Albion (9.4%).
Wrexham, returning to the second tier for the first time since 1981-82, are projected to finish one place above the relegation zone. Meanwhile, their U.S.-backed rivals, Birmingham City, are forecasted to finish 13th, eight places higher. Charlton Athletic, Watford, and Oxford United are projected to face relegation to League One.
POLL
Do teams with famous owners, like Wrexham and Birmingham City, make the Championship more appealing to watch?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> Champions League third round qualification continues on Wednesday as the winners of each tie advance to the play-off round of their respective path (Fixture List); see the play-off round draw (More)
> Newcastle and Manchester United are battling to sign RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko; Newcastle submitted a second bid of £69.7m (£75m with add-ons), while United submitted a £65.2m bid (£75m with add-ons) (More)
> Jorge Costa, who captained Jose Mourinho’s Champions League-winning Porto side, dies aged 53 after a heart attack (More)
> Disney is in advanced talks to show top-flight Spanish football matches in the UK and Ireland as the company pushes to screen more live sport on its streaming platform (More)
> Thomas Partey has been granted bail after appearing in court on sexual assault charges as the former Arsenal midfielder is expected to join Villarreal (More)
Americas
> Neymar scored twice as Santos overcame Juventude 3-1 in the Brazilian Serie A; the forward was watched by three of Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti’s staff (More)
> Son Heung-min is expected to be unveiled as LAFC’s latest signing on Wednesday for an MLS record-breaking fee of around $26m, surpassing the $22m record Atlanta United spent on Emmauel Latte Lath (More)
> The NWSL has said that it has “no duty of care” for women suing San Diego Wave over assault claims (More)
Rest of the World
> Holders Al Hilal will be banned from the 2026-27 Saudi Super Cup if they qualify after withdrawing from this season's four-team competition (More)
> Indian Super League side Bengaluru FC have stopped paying the salaries of its first team's players and staff amid growing uncertainty over the future of the top-flight league (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Do you think the upcoming Premier League season will be one to remember?
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 👏 Absolutely (63%)
🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🙅♂️ Nope (34%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (3%)
Your punditry takes:
👏 M.P: “With Liverpool’s new look, Arsenal’s new striker, Man City’s acquisition of Pep Ljinders, Chelsea’s formidable Club World Cup performance, next season should be a real treat!”
🙅♂️ E.A: “The gap between the haves and have-nots continues to grow. It will be boring to watch the big six battle it out at the top.”
✍️ G.R: “I think it will be the usual season, with the same four teams aiming for the top, and a race for the others to try to catch up. Some teams are hoping their new acquisitions will pay for themselves, while others may think that they've flopped. But overall, I think it will be the usual suspects that will make the headlines.”
EXTRA TIME
De Zerbi’s training ground bust-up with Ismael Kone.
Eight players to watch in the Premier League this season.
When Chelsea and United were fighting over John Obi-Mikel.
NWSL’s team of the week for Matchday 14.
Money spent by each Premier League team this window.
Celta Vigo players reminisce Leicester’s famous title win.
Arsenal release third kit inspired by Highbury.
GAME FACE ON
Which Premier League clubs have featured these sponsors on the front of their shirts?
Sega
Pizza Hut
Sharp
Dr. Martens
Carlsberg
Scroll below for the answer.
ON TODAY
UEFA Champions League, 3rd Qualifying Round
Kairat vs. Slovan Bratislava (16:00)
RB Salzburg vs. Club Brugge (18:00)
Ludogorets Razgrad vs. Ferencvaros (18:30)
Lech Poznan vs. Red Star Belgrade (19:30)
Feyenoord vs. Fenerbahce (20:00)
Nice vs. Benfica (20:00)
*All times in UK. ET -5. CDT -6. PDT -8. MDT -7. CET +1.
Answer
Arsenal. Fulham. Manchester United. West Ham. Liverpool.
Daily Wordle: Guess the football-related word, from player names to classic phrases, in six tries or fewer. Play it here.
I could have become like Messi or Ronaldo. I simply didn't feel like it.
