GM football fans. It’s Monday, Jan. 19 - Football’s lawmakers are discussing new rules to reduce time-wasting, Senegal have won the Afcon for the second time, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
KEY FIXTURE
Premier League MD22 (Jan 19): Brighton vs. Bournemouth. Brighton have lost just two of their last 18 Premier League home games, with both defeats coming against Aston Villa. Bournemouth have been in a rough patch, only ending an 11-game winless run in the top flight with their 3-2 win against Tottenham in Matchday 21. However, Andoni Iraola’s side are on a four-game Premier League losing streak at Brighton’s Amex Stadium. See the Premier League table here.
Results…
Premier League: Man Utd 2-0 Man City | Nott’m Forest 0-0 Arsenal | Chelsea 2-0 Brentford | Leeds 1-0 Fulham | Liverpool 1-1 Burnley | Sunderland 2-1 Palace | Spurs 1-2 West Ham | Wolves 0-0 Newcastle | Villa 0-1 Everton
AFCON final: Senegal 1-0 Morocco
Serie A: AC Milan 1-0 Lecce | Udinese 0-1 Inter (Table)
La Liga: Real Sociedad 2-1 Barcelona | Real Madrid 2-0 Levante (Table)
Women’s FA Cup fourth round (Results)
Scottish Cup fourth round (Results)
TOP TALKING POINTS
Time-Wasting Rules Considered
Football’s lawmakers, Ifab, will meet on Tuesday to discuss combatting deliberate time-wasting, with a countdown system for throw-ins, goal-kicks, and substitutions being considered. The discussions follow last year’s law change, which awards a corner kick to the attacking team if a goalkeeper holds the ball for more than eight seconds.
It is suggested that the punishments would include awarding a corner if the delay relates to a goal-kick, or handing the throw-in to the opposition, similar to the sanction for a foul throw. It is also reported that delays linked to injury stoppages will be reviewed at the meeting. Any proposed amendments would require trials before being formally introduced, meaning they would come too late for this summer’s World Cup finals.
Due to the increase in long throws this season, the average period of time when the ball has been in play in the Premier League during a game has dropped by a minute-and-a-half, from 55min 28secs to 57mins.
An update will also be given on the proposal on ‘Wenger’s Law’ to change the offside rule–read our previous write-up here.
European Round-Up
In Italy, Inter Milan have consolidated their lead at the top of the Serie A following a 1-0 win at Udinese. They sit three points clear of AC Milan, who won 1-0 against Lecce, while Napoli and Roma now trail the leaders by six and seven points, respectively. Meanwhile, fourth-placed Juventus surprisingly lost 1-0 to relegation-threatened Cagliari.
In Spain, Real Madrid now only sit one point behind La Liga leaders Barcelona, following the Catalan side’s 2-1 away loss to Real Sociedad on Sunday. Despite their recent form, Real beat Levante 2-0, with Kylian Mbappe scoring his 50th La Liga goal, becoming the second-fastest player this century to reach the milestone, after Cristiano Ronaldo. Third-place Villarreal lost 2-0 to Real Betis, yet they sit seven points behind Real, with a game spare.
In France, Lens secured their 10th consecutive win across all competitions and remains top of the Ligue 1. After 18 matches played, Lens are ahead of Paris Saint-Germain by one point and eight points clear of third-place Marseille.
In Germany, following their 1-5 win over Leipzig, Bayern Munich now have a goal difference of +57, which is the equivalent of the sum of goal differences of every team in the Bundesliga with a positive goal difference—see the table here. Vincent Kompany’s side have made the club’s best-ever start to a Bundesliga season. Dive deeper into Bayern’s record-breaking season here.
Senegal Win AFCON
Senegal are champions of Africa for the second time after beating hosts Morocco 1-0 in extra time of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final. The end of regular time was controversial when Senegal’s players briefly left the pitch after a penalty was awarded to Morocco deep into stoppage time. Senegalese fans also tried to storm the field in protest. Morocco forward Brahim Diaz attempted a Panenka-style penalty in the 24th minute of injury time, but it was saved by Edouard Mendy—watch here.
Before the final, the Senegalese FA expressed “serious concerns” about the security arrangements for the national team upon their arrival in Rabat. The statement questioned the level of protection for players and also raised issues around accommodation standards and ticket allocations for Senegal supporters.
Nigeria claimed the third-place spot after beating Egypt in a penalty shoot-out following a goalless draw, extending their record ninth third-place finish at the Afcon. Both Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush missed Egypt's opening spot kicks, while Akor Adams, Moses Simon, and Alex Iwobi all converted for the Super Eagles, before Lookman stepped up to secure the bronze medal.
POLL
Do you think time-wasting is the biggest problem in football right now?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi has completed the first part of his medical at Manchester City as he is set to be signed for £20m (More); see every transfer this January in Europe’s top five leagues (More) | Palace have decided against sacking Oliver Glasner despite him accusing the club’s board of abandoning him by selling captain Marc Guehi (More)
> The UK government has pulled an amendment to its proposed Hillsborough law amid concerns from campaigners and MPs that the legislation was being watered down (More)
> Ajax have appointed Jordi Cruyff, son of Johan, as their new technical director (More)
Americas
> The 2025 NWSL Championship runner-up Washington Spirit will host the Portland Thorns FC at Audi Field to open the 2026 season on Friday, March 13 (More); see the full NWSL schedule (More)
> The Illig family, which has owned MLS’s Sporting Kansas City since 2006, has agreed to sell a majority stake in the team at an enterprise value of $700m (More)
> Guadalajara go top of the Liga MX Clausura table as Toluca drop points in a goalless draw away at Tigres (More)
> The preliminary round for the 2026 Canadian Championship is now set; see the draw (More)
Rest of the World
> Spain legend Andres Iniesta is being lined up for a job with the Moroccan FA, with the exact position unclear (More/paywall)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Friday’s Poll: Is the Premier League title race already over?
🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 👍 Yes (21%)
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🙅♂️ Nope (76%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (3%)
Your punditry takes:
👍 T.H: “As a City fan, it's been intriguing watching Arsenal grow and mature as a group over the past few years. Scoring is spread over the group, their defence is solid, and, most importantly, they're winning games when they're not playing at their best. Adversity doesn't seem to overwhelm them like in previous years. They wear a look of more mature confidence that was missing before. And, let's be honest, annual races are good for the game.”
🙅♂️ J.L: “My table says 21 played out of 38. The season is barely halfway over. Lotta football to be played. Anyone who follows football knows that, come springtime, injuries and playing more games take a toll on clubs going deep into domestic cups and playing in Europe. Yes, Arsenal have a commanding lead, but things can change very quickly. Like the wise man once said ‘it ain't over till it's over.”
🙅♂️ Jen.L: “It is only January… and Arsenal can easily lose focus and form. I’d love the Gunners to win the title. I really would! But it is far too early in the year, and Pep can still get City on a run. This title race is far from over.”
EXTRA TIME
Real Madrid fans boo every touch of their own players.
Adidas release Messi-inspired Argentina boots.
Van Persie’s son scores a bicycle kick.
Hundreds queue for 1p football shirts.
How a tyre company's name on a shirt changed football.
The best free-kick you’ll see in a long time.
GAME FACE ON
Question: What specific Premier League achievement do the following three players have in common?
Alan Shearer. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. Robin van Persie.
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.
Success is something you don't own. Success is something you rent, and you have to pay the rent every day.
Answer
They are the only players to win the Premier League Golden Boot with two different clubs.
