Good morning. UEFA is preparing criminal proceedings against Fifa and Gianni Infantino, the Champions League league phase draw, and everything else you need to know.
KEY FIXTURES
Premier League MD2: Crystal Palace vs Manchester City, Fri 28, 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET. Man City are unbeaten in their last 11 Premier League away games against Crystal Palace, but have only won four of their 10 away league games this year. Meanwhile, Palace are without a win in their last eight league games. Tottenham vs Newcastle, Sat 29, 17:30 BST / 12:30 ET. Despite their loss in Matchday 1, Spurs will gain confidence from winning their opening home league game in each of the last five seasons by an aggregate of 14-1. However, Newcastle have won more league away games against Spurs than at any other opponent (13). Manchester United vs Ipswich Town, Sun 30, 16:30 BST / 11:30 ET. Man United are unbeaten in their last eight home league games against Ipswich, but Michael Carrick remains winless in all three of his Premier League meetings with promoted clubs. See every Premier League fixture here.
Results…
TOP TALKING POINTS
FIFA’s Criminal Proceedings
UEFA is preparing to bring criminal proceedings against Fifa President Gianni Infantino in Switzerland over the attempt to sell shares in the World Cup to private investors. The court documents, which were filed in the United States, say the plan to sell a 20% stake in Fifa’s tournaments for $4.2bn (£3.1bn) was an “absurdly low” figure “that was neither the product of an open, competitive auction, nor tested by any independent valuer”.
The 56-page filing also said that Uefa and other interested parties are “preparing to bring criminal claims in Switzerland against Infantino and possibly other Fifa officials and advisors for criminal mismanagement under Article 158 of the Swiss Criminal Code”. Under Article 158, the basic offence carries a prison sentence of up to three years.
In the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, the application was also lodged against JP Morgan Bank, as well as planned lead investor Thrive Capital and its CEO, Joshua Kushner. Separately, Uefa is targeting Fifa through courts in Miami, where the world governing body’s legal team is based.
Fifa has subsequently called on (paywall) law firm Linklaters to act for it. Linklaters recently represented the FA in its case against Chelsea, and the Premier League in cases against Leicester City, Everton and Nottingham Forest.
Note: Dive deeper into the history of Gianni Infantino’s reign and our editor’s take on Fifa’s evolving structure in our members-only edition here.
Champions League Draw
The men’s Champions League league-phase draw has concluded for the 2026-27 season. Teams that finish in the top eight automatically qualify for the round of 16, while those that finish ninth to 24th enter the knockout play-offs. See each team’s opponents here.
Reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain begin their bid for a third straight title and will face Barcelona, as well as Premier League duo Manchester City and Aston Villa. Notably, PSG have failed to achieve automatic promotion in the last two seasons that they’ve won the competition. Elsewhere, last season’s runners-up Arsenal, meanwhile, will face Real Madrid at home and Bayern Munich away.
Of Premier League clubs, Liverpool arguably have the easiest draw, with their pot-one opponents being Atletico Madrid (h) and Inter Milan (a). Manchester United, who return to the competition after two seasons, also face Atletico, but away, and Bayern Munich at Old Trafford. Elsewhere, Manchester City and Aston Villa were handed tough pot-one fixtures, with both clubs set to face PSG and Barcelona.
Carragher’s Bankruptcy Petition
The UK tax authority, HMRC, has filed a petition seeking to have pundit and former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher declared bankrupt over an unpaid tax bill. A bankruptcy petition is an application asking a court to make someone bankrupt over an unpaid debt and is, in HMRC’s words, the “last resort”.
HMRC doesn’t comment on individual cases due to taxpayer confidentiality laws. But, in a statement to City AM, which first reported the news, it said: “We take a supportive approach to dealing with customers who have tax debts and do everything we can to help those who engage with us to get out of debt, such as offering instalment plans.” A spokesperson for Carragher has since said steps are being taken to settle the matter.
Carragher is now a Sky Sports pundit and appears on CBS Sports’ Champions League broadcast in the United States. As a player, he made 737 appearances for Liverpool between 1996 and 2013, during which he won two FA Cups, three League Cups, a Uefa Cup, and a Champions League.
ON THE BALL
Europe
• Liverpool are close to signing Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola for a fee that could rise to £120m (More) | Tottenham have signed Egypt forward Omar Marmoush on loan from Manchester City, with a £60m obligation to buy (More); see every transfer in Europe’s top five leagues (More/live tracker)
• Danny Welbeck scored on his Chelsea debut in their 2-0 win over Luton Town in the second round of the English League Cup (More)
• The Championship will see the first Hollywood Derby this season with Wrexham vs Birmingham City on Friday (Aug 28); see every Championship fixture (More)
• Atletico Madrid’s Board of Directors have backed the club’s stance on Julian Alvarez, ruling out talks with Barcelona (More); Alvarez reportedly didn’t show up for training for the second day in a row (More) | Barcelona won their second La Liga game of the season with a 2-0 home victory over Athletic Club (More)
• The 2026-27 Bundesliga season starts on Friday (Aug 28) with defending champions Bayern Munich at home against Stuttgart (More)
Americas
• The Leagues Cup semi-finals have been confirmed with an all-Liga MX final for the first time under the current format (More)
• MLS NEXT Pro announced plans to shift the league's competition calendar in 2027 (More); see upcoming MLS regular season fixtures (More) and Standings (More)
• NWSL leaders Gotham FC will face third-place Portland Thorns on Friday (Aug 28); see all upcoming NWSL fixtures (More) and Standings (More)
• An Argentine referee has been suspended for asking team captains if they wanted to settle the coin toss with an “aura farming” competition (More)
• USL Championship Eastern Conference leaders Tampa Bay Rowdies open up the regular season weekend with an away fixture against Pittsburgh Riverhounds on Saturday (Aug 29); see every upcoming USL Championship fixture (More) and Standings (More)
Rest of the World
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Should the transfer window end before the season begins?
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 👍 Yes (84%)
🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🙅♂️ Nope (15%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (1%)
Your punditry takes:
👍 S.F: “It's quite destabilising for clubs to not know who they have to work with until effectively the third game of the new season. Also, some players will be eyeing up a move while they should be concentrating on their current club.”
👍 M: “Teams have many weeks to be orderly - and in stopping the madness after the season begins, it stops the big clubs from abusing the smaller minnows with insane fees for their continued benefit and wealth.”
🙅♂️ O.N: “The short amount of time between the start of the season and the end of the window forces some teams to panic buy for positions left unfilled after seeing their team play. You wouldn’t get this last-minute excitement before the season starts.”
EXTRA TIME
Man City unveil the world’s first AI football kit.
… and Liverpool unveil new third kit.
Why Herrera is playing for free in the Spanish third division.
Meet the club founded in 2017 that’s made the Champions League.
The best ball designs for the new season.
Premier League’s most expensive season tickets.
Fiorentina celebrated their 100-year anniversary in style.
How does getting into Europe impact Premier League form?
Here’s why Liverpool can’t host Real Madrid this season.
GAME FACE ON
Who Am I...
I’ve won an Olympic gold medal
I’ve played for two Premier League clubs
I wear the number 39 at my current club
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.
[Alonso] said I'd have more freedom to drift about the pitch. Just like you saw with the goal I scored. Last season, I wouldn't have even made that run because it's not a 'safe zone'. But he's saying move across that zone, drop into play, come get on the ball, create and just do what you do.
Answer
Bruno Guimaraes.