Good morning. The latest report from the Premier League’s Key Match Incidents panel, Lionel Messi buys a second-division Spanish club, and everything else you need to know.
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KEY FIXTURES
Champions League league phase (Sept 10): Fenerbahce vs Roma, 17:45 BST / 12:45 ET. This will be the first competitive meeting between the sides. Fenerbahce have won their last three home games against Italian teams without conceding, while Roma have won five straight against Turkish opposition and are unbeaten in five European away games. Bayern Munich vs Bodo/Glimt, 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET. Bayern have won their opening game in each of their last 23 Champions League campaigns and are unbeaten in 38 home league phase/group stage matches. But Bodo/Glimt won eight of their last 10 European games and ended last season’s league phase with victories over Manchester City and Atletico Madrid. Manchester United vs Sabah, 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET. United return to the Champions League for the first time since 2023-24. Sabah are making their debut in the competition proper, though, having won six of their eight qualifying matches to reach the league phase. See every Champions League fixture here.
Results…
TOP TALKING POINTS
Referee Panel Findings
The Premier League’s Key Match Incident panel judged 76% of on-field decisions to be correct across 21 major incidents in the second round of matches, rising to 90% after VAR interventions. The independent panel’s findings are being published publicly this season for the first time.
Among the biggest calls, it backed the decision to allow Manchester United’s goal against Ipswich despite the ball striking Harry Maguire’s hand. The panel ruled 4-1 that the contact was accidental and, because Maguire’s shot was deflected in for an own goal, the handball was not automatically punishable.
However, the panel unanimously believed Arsenal should have been awarded a penalty against Aston Villa after Ian Maatsen challenged Bruno Guimaraes without winning the ball. It also said VAR should have intervened and that Maatsen’s challenge was worthy of a second yellow card.
Elsewhere, the panel judged 3-2 that Nottingham Forest’s penalty against Liverpool for Alisson’s challenge on Neco Williams was incorrect, and judged 4-1 that Brentford should have been awarded a penalty against Leeds. In both cases, however, it felt the decisions did not meet the threshold for VAR intervention.
Fifa Caribbean Split
Gianni Infantino has separated Fifa’s management of the Caribbean from the rest of Concacaf, with former Switzerland midfielder Gelson Fernandes appointed to oversee the region. Fernandes, an Infantino loyalist who already manages Fifa’s African member associations, will now work with the 21 Caribbean-based federations. Fifa says the change is designed to support its goal of making football “truly global”, but critics view it as an attempt to weaken opposition to Infantino ahead of next March’s presidential election.
Concacaf, Uefa and the Asian Football Confederation have been working together to potentially oust Infantino, with Concacaf president Victor Montagliani regarded as his most credible potential challenger. Infantino has recently stepped up his campaign for Caribbean support, attending a Caribbean Football Union meeting last month despite Montagliani asking him not to and announcing millions of dollars of Fifa-funded development projects for the region. Mexico has already broken with Concacaf by backing Infantino, while Jamaica federation president Michael Ricketts this week defended him and accused Uefa of behaving like “spoilt kids”.
Losing Caribbean support would significantly weaken the anti-Infantino coalition, although Uefa’s 55 members are believed to remain united. The strength of the AFC bloc is less certain, with Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE already backing the Fifa president.
Messi Buys Club
Lionel Messi has reached a preliminary agreement to purchase Spanish second-division club Deportivo Eldense. The 39-year-old is set to acquire 100% of the shares currently held by the majority owner, subject to due diligence and approval from Spain's National Sports Council (CSD), but the purchase price remains undisclosed.
Eldense, which plays in the same colours as Barcelona, returned to the second division this summer, having first won promotion in 2023 after nearly 60 years outside Spain’s top two tiers. This season, they have only two points from four games, are sitting 20th in La Liga 2, and have already parted ways with their head coach, Claudio Barragan.
Eldense would add to Messi’s portfolio of football clubs, including Spanish fifth-tier club UE Cornella, his family’s Leones de Rosario in Argentina and his involvement in the Uruguayan club Deportivo LSM alongside his Inter Miami teammate Luis Suarez.
ON THE BALL
Europe
• Jose Mourinho said that Trent Alexander-Arnold “is not a midfielder” after having played him in that position in Real Madrid’s 2-1 Champions League win over Inter Milan (More) | Barcelona’s Rodri has apologised after cameras caught him calling opponents Valencia “very weak” and “terrible” on the bench (More)
• The original “This is Anfield” sign from Liverpool’s stadium tunnel has been sold at an auction for £115,000 (More)
• Thibaut Courtois has been given permission to sit out of Belgium’s Nations League campaign, but he has not retired from international football (More) | Marc Overmars will step down from his job as sporting director at Royal Antwerp for health reasons (More)
• Napoli and Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay has undergone a successful heart procedure (More)
Americas
• MLS matches to conclude shortly after publication; see all live results (More) and Standings (More)
• The Conmebol Libertadores quarter-final between Estudiantes and Corinthians will conclude shortly after publication (Live Result)
• Curacao manager Dick Advocaat has signed a contract extension keeping him in charge through July 2027 (More)
Rest of the World
• Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 979th goal in Al Nassr’s 2-1 win over Abha in the Saudi Pro League; watch the goal (More) and track Ronaldo’s road to 1,000 goals (More)
• Yaya Toure has become the first African in history to be a head coach in the Uefa Champions League (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Do you prefer the Champions League’s new league phase format to the old group stage?
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 👍 Yes (54%)
🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ 🙅♂️ Nope (42%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (4%)
Your punditry takes:
👍 D.F: “While I'd rather have a non-seeded two-legged straight knockout format, the current system improves on the old substantially. There are good games in every game week, and very few of the dead rubbers that plagued the competition before.”
👍 A.A: “As much as I didn’t want to like the new format, it has really grown on me. The fact I get to watch at least one great match-up per game day for eight weeks is brilliant!"
🙅♂️ D.Z: “There is a sense that not every league stage game matters—which is never how I felt about the Champions League.”
🙅♂️ S.F: “They seem to group all the good games in each game week to kick off at exactly the same time on the same day. This week is a good example. If you like football, you don't just want to see a highlight show; you want to watch the whole match. You can't do that when every game is kicking off at the same time.”
EXTRA TIME
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Where do PSG rank among Europe's greatest dynasties?
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How NWSL fans in Boston built culture from the ground up.
Why don't international shirts have sponsors?
Player’s third flip throw-in assist this season.
A look at football’s most damaging red cards.
What is professional football in Thailand like?
GAME FACE ON
Who Am I…
I was Eredivisie Player of the Year in 2021-22
I have a twin brother who plays for the same national team as me
I have scored four Premier League goals in three years
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.
For me, Harry Kane is the favourite to win the Ballon d'Or. Why? German champion, Pokal winner, Champions League semi-finalist, third place at the World Cup. He performed in every single competition, scored goals, and was a leader for his teams. He's a difference maker.
Answer
Jurrien Timber.