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Good morning football fans. It’s Friday, August 7 - The Carabao Cup is underway, Fifa’s leaked ‘Super League’ plans, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
TOP TALKING POINTS
English League Cup Begins
The Carabao Cup is underway, as 70 EFL sides face off in the first round. On Thursday, the first match of the round saw League Two’s Walsall knock out Championship side Bristol City with a 1-0 away win. See the full list of fixtures here.
Thirty-five ties will take place in the first round, highlighted by West Ham hosting Portsmouth and Leicester City taking on Northampton Town on Saturday (August 8). Other notable fixtures include a Friday night clash between Middlesbrough and Wrexham, an all-London matchup between Queens Park Rangers and Millwall, and the Devon Derby between Plymouth Argyle and Exeter City, which concludes the opening round on Monday.
Eleven Premier League clubs — Brentford, Chelsea, Coventry, Fulham, Hull, Ipswich, Newcastle, Everton, Leeds, Nott'm Forest, and Tottenham — will be added in the second round, with the draw expected to take place on Monday (August 10). Clubs that have qualified for European competition then join in the third round.
Read more on the history of the English League Cup here.
FIFA Super League
A leaked document reportedly reveals that Fifa president Gianni Infantino held talks in 2020 about rebranding the proposed European Super League as the “Fifa Super League”. The document, whose full contents were first revealed by The Guardian, shows that a term sheet dated October 2020 proposed a joint venture that would run the league’s commercial operations. Although non-binding, a term sheet suggests that discussions were at an advanced stage.
Specifically, the term sheet outlined a partnership of at least 12 years between Fifa and the Super League’s creators, with the global governing body to be granted special governance and political rights through a “golden share”. The document also reportedly outlined a version of the expanded Club World Cup, referred to as the “global club competition”, which would have been held annually and tied directly to the Super League.
The revelations stand in stark contrast to Fifa’s public stance at the time. When the plans were launched without Fifa in April 2021, Infantino told Uefa’s congress: “We can only and strongly disapprove of a Super League which is a closed shop, breakaway from current institutions.”
Remembering Messi’s Exit
Barcelona announced Lionel Messi’s departure five years ago this week, citing “financial and structural obstacles” that prevented the Catalan side from renewing his contract.
Weeks before the announcement, Messi, who scored 672 goals in 778 games for Barcelona, agreed to a 50% pay cut, reducing his salary from around €45m a year in basic pay, after tax, to about €20m. However, at the time, the club’s total debt was around €1.2bn, which had contributed to its reduced spending cap of €100m, down from almost €600m two years before Messi’s exit. While the Argentine wanted to leave the club in 2020 (read more on why here), he was “shocked” and “surprised” that his boyhood club couldn’t re-sign him the following year.
La Liga would have freed up salary space had Barcelona accepted its €2.7bn deal with CVC Capital, which would have given the private equity firm a 10% stake in the league's commercial business for 50 years. It would have given Barcelona around €40m more to spend on wages. But Barcelona's then-new president Joan Laporta refused, as did Real Madrid and Athletic Club, with Laporta calling it "mortgaging the club's rights over the next half-century."
Messi’s last game for Barcelona came in a 2-1 loss to Celta Vigo at an empty Camp Nou in May 2021 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Re-watch his leaving press conference here.
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POLL
Do you consider the Carabao Cup (English League Cup) a major trophy?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> UEFA warn that a European nation boycott of the World Cup still stands despite Fifa president Gianni Infantino’s apology (More)
> Real Madrid have completed a club-record transfer of RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande for a deal worth €135m on a seven-year deal (More); learn more about Diomande with a stats-based analysis (More) | Madrid have also reached an agreement over a new contract for Brazil winger Vinicius Jr until 2032 (More) | Mohamed Salah has signed a two-year deal with Turkish club Trabzonspor, and will receive €17m a season (More); see every transfer in Europe’s top five leagues (More/live tracker)
> The Scottish FA has scrapped its independent panel that reviewed major refereeing decisions in the Premiership (More); see upcoming Scottish Premiership fixtures (More)
> The Dutch top-flight Eredivisie kicks off its domestic league with Cambuur vs Excelsior on Friday (August 7) at 19:00 BST; see Opta’s Eredivisie projections (More)
> Arsenal have extended their sponsorship with Emirates until 2033, keeping the airline on front-of-shirt, training kits and stadium naming rights (More) | A consortium led by Alexandre Pato, a former Chelsea striker, is close to reaching an agreement to buy a majority stake in League Two side Northampton Town (More)
Americas
> Lionel Messi scored a brace on his first start back from the World Cup as Inter Miami beat Atletico de San Luis 4-2 in the Leagues Cup (More); watch Messi’s brace (Watch); see every Leagues Cup result and upcoming fixtures (More)
> Argentina’s FA has approved July 15 to be “National Football Teams Day” to commemorate the team’s 2026 World Cup semi-final win over England (More)
> NWSL leader Gotham FC will play fourth-placed San Diego Wave on Friday (August 7); see every NWSL fixture (More) and Standings (More)
> USL Championship’s Birmingham Legion FC have rescheduled two home matches in September (More); see every upcoming USL Championship fixture (More) and Conference Standings (More)
Rest of the World
> The Confederation of African Football has released a statement backing Fifa president Gianni Infantino (More)
> Police in Seoul, South Korea, have raided the country’s football association as part of an investigation into the appointment of former head coach Hong Myung-bo (More)
> Two players in the Iranian women’s football team who claimed asylum in Australia have been granted citizenship (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Should youth development be the core focus for MLS?
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 👍 Yes (76%)
🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🙅♂️ Nope (19%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (5%)
Your punditry takes:
👍 W.W: “As much as I want pro/rel, the youth system needs nearly all of MLS’s extra energy. Finding ways to unify the myriad youth leagues, exploring means to subsidise costs for families, and campaigning like crazy to get soccer on kids’ minds are the avenues toward legitimacy in world football’s eyes.”
👍 W.T: “Lack of youth development is one of the two major factors keeping MLS from reaching the level of other top leagues in the world. The other is promotion/relegation, and well... the new commish isn't on board.”
🙅♂️ M.B: “MLS does not have the money factor to have a great youth development program. Our MLS teams can't fill the small stadiums to generate the income necessary to fund youth teams.”
🙅♂️ K.W: “Youth development is important, but if MLS continues the same commercialising behaviours, it won't succeed because the reason we watch EPL, La Liga, etc. is that the game itself is the focus, not the sensationalising, and/or buying/selling of our attention.”
✍️ M.A: “Relying on ageing global superstars provides a temporary financial boost but leaves the foundation of American soccer hollow. The current model relies heavily on marketing gimmicks to attract crowds, which leads to stagnant match quality and low attendance once those stars leave. Furthermore, the expensive pay-to-play system deeply fractures the sport by shutting out talented players from lower-income backgrounds. To achieve long-term international respect, MLS must pivot away from short-term entertainment and invest heavily in a free youth development ecosystem.”
EXTRA TIME
How to fix Fifa: what can be done to salvage football’s governing body?
Remembering the players who had big moves after the World Cup.
Roma unveil stunning new away kit.
One potential breakout star for each Premier League side.
Rival couple arguing in the stands during Fluminense vs Vasco derby.
Which footballer made the biggest leap in competitive levels between games?
GAME FACE ON
Fill in the missing names in the sequence…
––––––– , Ilkay Gundogan, Kyle Walker, Virgil van Dijk, –––––––.
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.
FIFA Forward Enterprise is gone. The abuse of power that produced it is not. Governance reforms, not a cover-up, are urgently needed.
Answer
Fernandinho & Martin Odegaard. The sequence was the last five Premier League-winning captains.