Good morning. UEFA says it’s on course to find a challenger to Fifa president Gianni Infantino, a new report highlights the unsustainable spending in the Championship, and everything else you need to know.
Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
Editor’s Note: Our team will be off for a week and will return on September 28. We will have exciting announcements once we are back. As a reminder, there will be an international break starting September 21, which will span two weekends.
We’re also aware that the last two editions were affected by a sending error. This was due to an issue with our email service provider and will be resolved when we return.
KEY FIXTURE
English League Cup (Sept 17): Manchester City vs Norwich City, 19:30 BST / 13:30 ET. Man City have faced Norwich 72 times, with a record of 39 wins, 23 draws and 10 defeats against the Canaries, including victories in each of their last three games. They’ve also started strong under Enzo Maresca, winning their opening four Premier League matches. Norwich have conceded 14 times and scored zero in their last three matches against Man City, and they’ve been in mixed form this season, winning three and losing four of their seven Championship games.
Results…
TOP TALKING POINTS
UEFA’s ‘Credible’ Challenger
UEFA says it is on course to find a credible challenger to Gianni Infantino ahead of Fifa’s presidential election in March 2027, although there is no indication a candidate has yet been chosen. Uefa vice-president Laura McAllister said the search is not limited to Europe and that any challenger would need to unite multiple confederations, be capable of winning the election and stand on a programme of governance reform. Infantino is seeking a fourth term.
The search follows the fallout from Infantino’s proposal to sell up to a 20% stake in Fifa competitions, including the World Cup, to private investors. The plan was withdrawn after opposition from Uefa, the AFC and Concacaf, while several European national associations have since withdrawn their support for Infantino’s re-election.
McAllister said Uefa’s proposed reforms would include greater accountability and transparency, stronger whistleblower protections and better recognition of conflicts of interest. Uefa would also support a candidate from outside Europe if they backed that agenda, suggesting its campaign is focused on building a cross-confederation push for changes to how Fifa is governed rather than simply installing a European president.
Championship Spending Warning
Championship clubs are “spending unsustainably” to keep pace with teams receiving Premier League parachute payments, according to a new report on the division’s finances. The Football Finance Report found that parachute clubs generated average annual revenues of £59.7m between 2015-16 and 2024-25, almost three times the £21.3m recorded by non-parachute clubs. They were also promoted 31.4% of the time, compared with just 7% for teams without parachute payments.
Despite total Championship revenues rising from £547m to £920m across the decade, the league’s wage-to-turnover ratio never fell below 91%. In 2024-25, 13 of the 23 clubs to file accounts spent more on wages than they generated in revenue. Researchers also found that 18 clubs would have breached the new 85% Squad Cost Rules threshold that season, with Preston North End at 160% and Oxford United at 152%.
The findings come as the Premier League and EFL continue talks over a new financial distribution agreement. Premier League clubs approved an offer in July that would increase solidarity payments by around £150m per season, but parachute payments would remain. Championship clubs are split over the proposal, with some arguing it would fail to close the financial gap and could create further inequality within the division.
NWSL Medical Lawsuit
Racing Louisville midfielder Savannah DeMelo has filed a lawsuit against UofL Health and two doctors, alleging they failed to properly diagnose a heart condition before she suffered cardiac arrest during an NWSL game last year. DeMelo collapsed during Louisville’s game against Seattle in September 2025.
Six months earlier, she had left another match after experiencing dizziness and chest tightness, with doctors attributing her symptoms to hyperthyroidism. The 28-year-old has now said she was suffering from an undiagnosed cardiac arrhythmia which caused her cardiac arrest. According to a screenshot of the complaint, the lawsuit claims UofL Health failed to act as a reasonably competent medical practice and that its alleged negligence substantially contributed to DeMelo’s injuries. Louisville will also reportedly end its partnership with UofL Health after this season and find a new medical provider for 2027.
DeMelo has since returned to full training and could make her comeback against San Diego Wave on September 25. She has also reportedly reached a verbal agreement to remain with Louisville beyond this season.
ON THE BALL
Europe
Breaking: Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly will leave his role after agreeing to sell his stake in the football club to co-owners Clearlake Capital (More)
• Europa League matches continue on Thursday (Sept 17), including Celtic vs Ferencvaros, Crystal Palace vs Lech Poznan, and Juventus vs NEC Nijmegen; see all the fixtures (More)
• Brighton beat Man United 3-2 in the English League Cup, the first time in 50 years that Man United have lost a game after going 2-0 up at home in any competition (Match Report); see all English League Cup results (More)
• The family of billionaire Joe Lewis is injecting an additional £120m ($162m) into Tottenham (More) | Man City manager Enzo Maresca said the club is still waiting for an apology for a goal Man United scored in 2023 after the apology given to United following Sunday’s derby (More) | Man United’s new stadium may not open until 2035, according to official planning documentation (More)
• Real Madrid are among the clubs looking to sign the highly regarded 15-year-old JJ Gabriel from Manchester United (More)
• Broadcaster Telefonica will pay DAZN €1.65bn to continue showing all La Liga matches in Spain between 2027-28 and 2031-32 (More)
• Raheem Sterling could face prison after pleading guilty to dangerous driving, possession of nitrous oxide for wrongful inhalation and failing to provide a specimen (More)
Americas
• Lionel Messi will play his final match for Argentina in a friendly against Benin in Buenos Aires on October 6 (More) | Inter Miami vs Cruz Azul in the Campeones Cup will conclude shortly after publication (Live Result)
• James Rodriguez has retired from international duty at 35, ending a distinguished 15-year career with the Colombian national team (More)
• Brazil's Fluminense secured a spot in the Copa Libertadores semifinals with a 3-2 aggregate victory (Match Report)
• The United States was eliminated in the round of 16 at the 2026 U20 Women's World Cup after falling to Brazil, 5-4 in a shootout (More)
Rest of the World
• Cristiano Ronaldo and Al Nassr kicked off their Asian Champions League Elite campaign with a 4-0 loss to Al Ain of the UAE (More); reports in Saudi Arabia say that Ronaldo will leave Al Nassr during the January transfer window (More/unverified) | Al Taawoun must play two home matches behind closed doors after fans taunted Ruben Neves over Diogo Jota’s death (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Do you like the idea of awarding a bonus point for winning a penalty shootout after a draw?
🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ 👍 Yes (40%)
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🙅♂️ Nope (53%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (7%)
Your punditry takes:
👍 P.T: “The Aussies are doing what the National Hockey League does during the regular season, and it has worked out well.”
🙅♂️ A.R: “A horrible idea. Penalty shootouts are already a poor solution to the conundrum of how to resolve a game that nobody can actually win. There is absolutely no reason to reward a team that couldn’t win in regular time with extra points. Penalty shootouts are a last-ditch effort to enable advancement because somebody has to win. Extra points are just rewarding a team for failing in that endeavour, and we shouldn’t incentivise teams to actually play for penalties.”
✍️ J.T: “It will be interesting to see how the league table is affected by this at the season’s conclusion and if all the teams like it or not.”
EXTRA TIME
When did football fans first start wearing replica kits?
How Leeds unlocked the EPL’s hardest-working striker.
Inside the Manchester derby VAR mistake…
… and why are Man Utd better without the ball?
Carragher vs McGinn in player vs pundit. (video)
Joao Cancelo scores a screamer…
… and another in the same game.
GAME FACE ON
Who Am I…
I currently wear the number 17 shirt.
I started my youth career at Arsenal and my senior career at Reading.
I speak both French and English.
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.
My little boy has been asking me, 'Who am I going to sign for?' He had two clubs he wanted me to sign for. He said Real Madrid or Rotherham.
Answer
Michael Olise.