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Good morning. The Premier League will adopt several new laws this season to combat time-wasting, Cristiano Ronaldo says he will probably retire at the end of the season, and everything else you need to know.
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KEY FIXTURES
EFL Championship (August 17): Cardiff City vs Wrexham, 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET. Wrexham have lost their last three meetings with Cardiff City in all competitions, including a 2-1 home loss in the fourth round of the EFL Cup last season. Cardiff also have a strong home record, winning 17 of their 23 home games in League One last season. Wrexham, meanwhile, had a mixed pre-season, beating Manchester United and Leeds United but losing to Sunderland and Liverpool. See the Championship table here.
Results…
English Community Shield: Arsenal 3-0 Manchester City (Match Report)
TOP TALKING POINTS
New Season, New Laws
The Premier League will adopt a series of new laws for the 2026–27 season aimed at reducing time-wasting and speeding up matches. These rules were first used at this summer’s World Cup and proved successful, with the ball in play for 60.43% of match time, up from 56.86% at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Referees can now use five-second countdowns for delayed throw-ins and goal-kicks, with teams risking losing possession if players take too long. Substituted players must leave the field within 10 seconds, or their replacement will have to wait at least a minute to come on, while players who receive on-field physio treatment will generally also remain off the pitch for a minute. Meanwhile, VAR will gain limited new powers, including reviewing a clearly incorrect second yellow that leads to a red card.
A lesser-known clarification will also standardise the treatment of short goal-kicks after inconsistent decisions in recent seasons. In April 2024, Arsenal defender Gabriel escaped punishment after picking up a short goal kick from David Raya against Bayern Munich, but seven months later Aston Villa's Tyrone Mings conceded a penalty for doing the same from an Emiliano Martinez goal kick at Club Brugge. From this season, any kick of the ball by the goalkeeper or a defender will be treated as the goal kick having been taken, so any subsequent handball by a defender can result in a penalty.
Liverpool’s Sale Clause
Liverpool’s new minority owners have an option to become the majority shareholder of the club at a valuation of $8bn in the next 12 months, CNBC reports. CNBC reporter Alex Sherman says he has been told the provision is not a mutual option, meaning that if the new consortium wants to become the controlling shareholder, it will.
It comes after Liverpool’s owners, Fenway Sports Group, agreed to sell roughly one-third of the 134-year-old club to a consortium that includes Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The largest contribution to the minority investment comes from K5 Global, whose K5 Sports fund counts Bezos as its lead investor. The consortium, though, is led by Amit Bhatia, the former co-owner of Queens Park Rangers. Bhatia, who is the son-in-law of a billionaire steel magnate, will serve as Liverpool’s new vice chairman and join the club’s expanded board, sources say.
If the consortium triggers the option at an $8bn valuation, that would comfortably eclipse recent market precedents. For context, Sir Jim Ratcliffe's 27.7% acquisition of Manchester United in early 2024 was struck at an enterprise valuation of $6.5bn, while Todd Boehly's full takeover of Chelsea in 2022 was $5.25bn. Even at the current $7.1bn entry point, the minority investment represents a significant premium over Forbes' most recent $6.2bn valuation of Liverpool, signalling an aggressive bet on the club's future commercial growth.
Ronaldo’s Last Season
Cristiano Ronaldo says he will “probably” retire from professional football at the end of the season. The 41-year-old, whose contract expires with Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr next summer, is just 24 goals away from reaching 1,000 in his senior career.
“This is probably my last year of football, and I want to leave a spectacular legacy,” Ronaldo said in an interview with Vogue. “I have my future all mapped out. I have so many things to keep me busy that to tell you just one thing is hard. Because football could leave a big hole, you have to fill your time in various ways, not just one.”
Ronaldo has won five Ballons d'Or, five Champions League titles, league titles in England, Spain and Italy, and the European Championship and Nations League with Portugal. Should Ronaldo retire at the end of the season, it will be 25 years after he made his professional debut with Portuguese club Sporting CP.
Ronaldo’s admission also came just days after Lionel Messi expressed doubts over continuing his own playing career “for much longer” following the death of his father, Jorge.
ON THE BALL
Europe
• Rodri is set to join Barcelon after a deal was agreed between Man City and the Catalan side, with an upfront fee of €60m and €11m in add-ons (More) | Newly promoted Racing squandered a two-goal lead against Villarreal in their opening La Liga match to draw 2-2; Real Madrid and Barcelona start their campaigns this coming weekend, whilst Atletico Madrid host Malaga on Wednesday; see every La Liga result so far (More)
• Chelsea co-owner Mark Walter is reported to be considering selling his 12.8% stake in the club after facing a personal financial investigation (More/Paywall)
• Scotland name Belgian national Sebastien Pocognoli as their new men’s national team head coach on a two-year deal (More)
• The EFL’s transfer record has been broken by West Ham after they signed 22-year-old Belgian international Arne Engels from Celtic for £22m (More); see every Championship result (More)
• Former Tottenham captain Cristian Romero completes his move to Atletico Madrid for £34.2m (More) | Serie A Champions Inter Milan sign Tottenham full-back Djed Spence for around €30m on a five-year deal (More) | Paris Saint-Germain have signed Spain World Cup-winning forward Ferran Torres for €50m (More); see all the deals in Europe’s top-five leagues (More)
• Mohamed Salah made his debut for Turkish side Trabzonspor, coming off the bench in their 1-1 draw with Kasimpasa (More)
Americas
• Messi missed his third penalty in a row, and Inter Miami lost their third game in a row as Nashville SC won 4-1 and stay on top in the Eastern Conference (More) | Houston Dynamo top the Western Conference with 35 points following a 1-0 win over LA Galaxy (More); see the Standings (More)
• NWSL leaders Gotham FC beat KC Current to extend a seven-point lead at the top of the table; two matches conclude shortly after publication (Live Results) and Standings (More)
• Tampa Bay Rowdies extend their USL Championship Eastern Conference lead after a 2-0 win over Rhode Island; New Mexico United close in on Orange County in the Western Conference, only just one point behind and three fewer games played; see every USL Championship result (More) and Standings (More)
• NSL leaders Ottawa Rapids lost 4-3 away at bottom-placed Calgary in a shock defeat (More); see Standings (More)
Rest of the World
• Saudi Pro League champions Al Nassr begin the season with a 3-0 win, while Ronaldo was left out of the squad following his extended pre-season (More); see table (More)
• Defending champions Vietnam defeated Malaysia 2-0 in the first leg of their ASEAN Championship semi-final (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Friday’s Poll: Will you be tuning into the Community Shield?
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 👍 Yes (55%)
🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ 🙅♂️ Nope (43%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (2%)
Your punditry takes:
👍 J.H: “Yes! Is there any doubt that both teams will go for it 100% from the first whistle? The first game of the club season where winning truly matters to both clubs is a can't-miss for me. Add that it is between the two clubs most likely to win the Prem, it's the start of the season, City have a new head coach, and it's the first time the teams have all players back from the World Cup makes for compelling viewing!”
👍 O.P: “It signifies the start of the new season, and it's always a good look at the new managers and players of the top teams. It’s a must-watch.”
🙅♂️ J.R: “It’s high summer. I have other things to do. The match is really the final pre-season workout.”
EXTRA TIME
Did the transition to three points (from two) change the game?
French club uses scarves as a season ticket.
The most valuable players who could become free agents next year.
How Premier League shirts will change with gambling sponsor ban.
Manchester United launch new third kit.
How important is the Community Shield to a team's season?
ICYMI: The plan to reshape Fifa (R1 deep dive)
This is probably my last year of football, and I want to leave a spectacular legacy.
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