GM football fans. It’s Friday, August. 15 - VAR could intervene in Premier League yellow cards and corners, the last remaining international team plays their first competitive match, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
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KEY FIXTURE
Premier League MD1: Liverpool vs. Bournemouth, 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET. Liverpool haven’t lost their opening league game in any of the last 12 seasons, winning nine of them. Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah is the Premier League’s top goal scorer and leading player for goal contributions on Matchday 1. Adding to this, Bournemouth have just one point from their eight Premier League visits to Anfield, and this exact fixture produced one of the biggest wins in Premier League history three years ago, when Liverpool won 9-0. See the full list of Premier League fixtures here.
TV Channels: Sky Sports (UK) | fuboTV (USA) | DAZN / fuboTV (Canada)
Results…
Europa League 3rd Qualifying Round (See Results)
TOP TALKING POINTS
VAR’s Scope Potentially Widening
Premier League referees’ chief Howard Webb has suggested that VAR could be expanded to include reviews for yellow cards and corners. The technology is currently only used to review potentially match-changing decisions such as goals, straight red cards, penalties, and mistaken identity. The case in favour argues that second yellow cards, which result in red cards, can significantly influence a match.
Webb revealed that the game’s law-making body, the International Football Association Board (Ifab), is considering changes to VAR’s scope, including discussions around possible extensions for the technology. This comes after Uefa recently opposed measures to widen VAR’s powers to intervene in corner kicks and yellow cards, arguing it would increase delays.
In related news, Webb said it would be “tough” for David Coote to return to top-level refereeing after being sacked for making derogatory remarks about Liverpool and then manager Jurgen Klopp. "Under the circumstances, it's difficult [for him to return]," said Webb. "We stay in contact and care about him, but it would be tough."
Rooney’s Brady Response
Wayne Rooney has responded to Birmingham City minority owner and former NFL quarterback Tom Brady after Brady questioned his “work ethic”. Rooney managed the club for 15 matches and took just 10 points from a possible 45, losing nine games and winning just two, before he was sacked in January 2024.
In a documentary titled Built In Birmingham: Brady and the Blues, the seven-time Super Bowl winner told colleagues he was "a little worried about our head coach's work ethic." In his response, Rooney said that Brady “didn’t really understand football that well” when they met, arguing that the NFL works differently from football as it’s played for “three months a year.”
Under new manager Chris Davies, Birmingham invested £30m in transfers in 2024 and went on to break the Football League points record, finishing top of League One in 2024-25 with 111 points. This season, they drew their opening fixture in the Championship, and beat Sheffield United 2-1 in the EFL Cup on Wednesday.
Last International Team Debuts
The Marshall Islands, which claim to be the last nation on earth without a football team have played their first competitive match on Thursday against the US Virgin Islands in Arkansas. The remote Pacific nation was not part of a football federation until 2021, when the Marshall Islands Soccer Federation formed to end the country’s status as the only country not to play an international football match.
The nation has a population of less than 40,000 and no full-sized football pitch across its 29 coral atolls. Several of their 20-man squad have never played eleven-a-side football before. Funding for their international debut has come from sponsorship, a £21,573 crowdfunding campaign, and about 2000 shirts sold over the last couple of years.
The Marshall Islands, which have more radioactivity than Chernobyl and rapidly rising sea levels, drew attention to their environmental dangers with a unique football kit design. The campaign included a “vanishing” shirt (see here) and bears the number 1.5, the global temperature rise seen by Pacific nations.
POLL
Where will you be watching the football this weekend?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> Three of Europe’s top five leagues return on Friday, with the Premier League, La Liga, and Ligue 1 kicking off for Matchday 1; the German Bundesliga and Italian Serie A will start a week later on 22 and 23 August, respectively; see La Liga fixtures (More) and Ligue 1 fixtures (More)
> Newcastle have reached an agreement to sign Jacob Ramsey from Aston Villa for £39m plus £4m add-ons (More) | Morecambe's owners and prospective buyers Panjab Warriors have reached an agreement in principle over a takeover which could save the crisis club (More)
> The Uefa Super Cup could become a four-team tournament in the United States or the Middle East (More)
> Chelsea players will give an equal portion of their $15.5M Club World Cup bonus to the family of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva, equating to around $500,000 (More)
Americas
> The Philadelphia Union booked their spot in the US Open Cup semifinals, defeating the New York Red Bulls 3-2; they will meet Nashville SC on September 16 (More); see upcoming MLS regular season fixtures (More)
> Pachuca have not dropped a point in four matches in Liga MX Apertura this season; they face 10th-place Tijuana this weekend (See Schedule); see Liga MX standings (More)
> NWSL’s Chicago Stars have named former Norway women’s national team coach Martin Sjorgren as the club’s new head coach (More); see upcoming NWSL fixtures (More)
> USL Championship resumes with North Carolina FC vs. Detroit City FC on Friday (Aug 15); see upcoming USL Championship fixtures (More)
Rest of the World
> The Indian Super League is on the brink of collapse as a dispute between the governing body and commercial partner has forced clubs to suspend player salaries (More)
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ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Who’s your pick to win the Premier League this season?
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🔴 Liverpool (41%)
🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🔫 Arsenal (23%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 👕 Man City (12%)
🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🔵 Chelsea (19%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (5%)
Your punditry takes:
🔴 J.K: “With their offseason purchases, the dumping of failed experiments such as Nunez and Diaz (neither could finish), and the return of a strong core, they can’t lose.”
🔫 D.W: “Arsenal have fallen short the last couple of seasons, but they have spent wisely to address the weaknesses in the team, and I believe they will have enough to win the Premier League.”
👕 R.J: “With the Man City rebuild, including on the field and the coaching staff, Pep’s team looks dangerous in ways you wouldn’t have expected from last season’s performance.”
🔵 M.T: “Chelsea has solved their #9 problem in a BIG way! The addition of Liam Delap and Joao Pedro makes them an instant threat to win the title. If some of the young talent develops as expected, look for the Blues to come out on top this season!”
✍️ E.H: “It’s too tough to call this year because of how many strong squads there are: Man City have made exciting signings, Liverpool did excellent business, Chelsea are stacked, Utd’s front three will be a good watch, Arsenal now have a striker—I can’t wait to see how they all perform.”
EXTRA TIME
Every transfer in Europe’s top five leagues. (live tracker)
A complete Premier League 2025-26 preview.
How a tiny Spanish team are beating the transfer market.
… and the least money spent by top five league clubs this window.
The best FPL squad for the opening Gameweeks.
Stunning volley in last night’s Europa Conference play-off.
City embrace Manchester weather with third kit.
The first Stick to Football podcast of the season.
GAME FACE ON
Question: Two players were sent off on Matchday 1 in the Premier League last season. Can you name either of them?
Scroll below for the answer.
ON TODAY
Premier League
Liverpool vs. AFC Bournemouth (20:00)
Spanish La Liga
Girona vs. Rayo Vallecano (18:00)
Villarreal vs. Real Oviedo (20:30)
Ligue 1
Rennes vs. Olympique Marseille (19:45)
Primeira Liga
AVS vs. Casa Pia (15:30)
*All times in UK. ET -5. CDT -6. PDT -8. MDT -7. CET +1.
Answer
Ashley Young and Fabian Schar.
Daily Wordle: Guess the football-related word, from player names to classic phrases, in six tries or fewer. Play it here.
I don’t think he really understood football that well.
