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All eyes will be on the league’s record goalscorer as she returns to the club where she spent seven successful years When the fixture list landed for the Women’s Super League season and the standout “Arsenal versus Manchester City” glared conspicuously on the opening weekend page, one player’s name was on almost everybody’s lips: Vivianne Miedema. The WSL’s all-time leading goalscorer spent the past seven years of her career at Arsenal, so where else would her new team be travelling to for their first league game of the season other than the Emirates, to face a club whose fans have adored her since she arrived from Bayern Munich in 2017? Continue reading...

Arsenal travel to Manchester City on Sunday and the key battle once again looks like the Gunners’ defensive duo against City’s prolific Norwegian The final whistle had been blown but that didn’t stop Erling Haaland and Gabriel Magalhães. Having battled it out for 90 minutes during March’s 0-0 draw at the Etihad between Manchester City and Arsenal, the Brazilian defender was in no mood to back down. As their teammates shook hands, Gabriel confronted Haaland, whose claim for a late penalty had been waved away by the referee, Anthony Taylor. Pep Guardiola was first on the scene to act as peacemaker as temperatures simmered, pushing the Norwegian striker away before the two players eventually embraced. “Good game,” said Haaland. Continue reading...

* Uruguayan yet to start under new manager * Coaches at club working on striker’s positioning Arne Slot has backed Darwin Núñez to be influential at Liverpool despite not starting him in the first five matches of his tenure. The Uruguayan, who has scored once in 17 club appearances since mid-March, has come off the bench in the past four games. Núñez will likely be a substitute again for the visit of Bournemouth on Saturday, with Slot preferring different combinations for his front three. Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota and Luis Díaz started the first four Premier League games but Cody Gakpo took his chance at San Siro after replacing the Colombian in the starting lineup. Victory in Italy helped Liverpool bounce back from defeat by Nottingham Forest last Saturday but Slot could be without Alisson, who has a tight hamstring. Continue reading...

Manchester City's manager, Pep Guardiola, and his Chelsea counterpart, Enzo Maresca, have backed players considering strike action over workload, with Guardiola saying 'only the players have the power to do it'. Maresca said the industry doesn't 'protect' players and that the amount of games they are made to play in a season is 'too much'. The comments come in the context of players considering taking strike action over their workload. On Tuesday, the City midfielder Rodri said players are close to striking over the increased number of games, with the Spaniard believing that 40-50 matches a season is the optimum amount. Players face at least an extra two matches in this season’s Champions League and the campaign is set to end for 12 European clubs with Fifa’s new 32-team Club World Cup in the United States. * La Liga chief Tebas hopes a players’ strike would kill Fifa’s Club World Cup * Manchester City’s Rodri warns players close to striking

New-look side still lack an identity in the post-Moyes era and need to be sharper and more fluent at both ends The style revolution is moving slowly. West Ham look no less dowdy after swapping David Moyes for Julen Lopetegui, who has much to prove after beginning his new job by producing football surprisingly lacking in inspiration, guile, cohesion, energy and defensive organisation. It has not been easy to work out what Lopetegui has been trying to do so far. There has been talk of laying on more entertainment and there have been flashes here and there. Mohammed Kudus had an exciting spell during the second half of West Ham’s defeat by Aston Villa on the opening weekend and there was also a burst of assertive play against Manchester City, who had to fight hard for a 3-1 win. Continue reading...

There’s a Scottish takeover in Vancouver, Christian Benteke continues to lead the way in DC and slapstick defending could cost LAFC a shot at a championship Welcome back to the Guardian’s MLS Power Rankings, where I have a beef with your specific team and your specific team alone. I’m convinced something similar goes for CF Montréal owner Joey Saputo, who clearly has beef with his own team given his near-total disregard for his roster. Now, as a reminder, these aren’t your standard, run-of-the-mill power rankings. We’re still ranking teams from worst to first. But along with the rankings, we’re diving deep into a handful of teams from around the league who are doing particularly interesting things. Continue reading...

* Penalty save earned Arsenal Champions League draw * ‘He’s been exceptional. You need that at this level’ Mikel Arteta admitted Arsenal were far from their best against Atalanta but praised David Raya for his brilliant double save from Mateo Retegui’s second-half penalty that rescued a point in their opening Champions League match. The Spaniard produced the game’s standout moment three minutes into the second half after first consulting with the Arsenal goalkeeping coach, Iñaki Caña, before facing the penalty. But while Arteta said he was pleased with the impact Raya has made since signing from Brentford last season, he was adamant that Arsenal must improve for Sunday’s meeting with Manchester City. Continue reading...

Mikel Arteta had promised that this week would be the acid test of how much Arsenal have improved this season and, on the evidence of this scrappy performance, they still have plenty to work on. But after overcoming the first hurdle against Tottenham on Sunday, it needed a miraculous double save from David Raya to rescue them from defeat in the opening match of their Champions League campaign after a disjointed display that only underlined just how much they are missing the captain Martin Ødegaard. Continue reading...

MPs demand ‘forensic’ look at Labour’s plans to protect football pyramid in light of Premier League hospitality Keir Starmer is facing questions about whether his £35,000 of free tickets from football clubs risks a conflict of interest as his government prepares to bring in a new regulator opposed by the industry. The prime minister has been under scrutiny for days over his more than £100,000 of freebies and gifts over the last parliament, with another £8,000-plus due to be registered for the free use of a hospitality box at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium. Continue reading...

Italian side’s low block stifled Pep Guardiola’s men and offered reminders of March’s Premier League stalemate Pep Guardiola had made the decision. The Manchester City manager had known for five or 10 minutes and so when the half-time whistle sounded in Wednesday night’s Champions League tie against Inter at the Etihad Stadium, he sprinted off to the dressing room, eager to put the plan in place. It is a major part of Guardiola’s greatness. The ability to see when and where things are going awry; to make the needed changes. Here, there was not much going right. City were blocked up, unable to find fluency or incisiveness. There was an unusual kind of vulnerability about them. Continue reading...

Preparations for Champions League bow was marred with player departures and stadium issues but draw offers hope By Luke Entwistle for Get French Football News Seventy-four years into their existence, having been founded in 1950, the chance for Stade Brestois to finally make their European debut has been long-awaited. Not only will Wednesday’s match mark the Champions League debut but the clash with Sturm Graz is Les Ti’Zefs’ maiden match in European football. Only promoted back from France’s second division in 2019, Brest have operated on the fringes of Ligue 1 since then, with a mid-table finish (11th in 2021-22) their best placement before last season. However, under the incredible (and unlikely, given his record) stewardship of Éric Roy, the team finished third in the final standings, edging out Lille, Nice and Lyon, and also playing cohesive, modern attacking football. Continue reading...

The Silician striker arrived at the 1990 World Cup a virtual unknown and became the hosts’ unlikely hero By Richard Hall for The Gentleman Ultra Nervous, white as a sheet and with the eyes of a nation transfixed on him, he could probably have heard the simultaneous heartbeats of those in the Stadio Olimpico in his head. Salvatore Schillaci was about to announce himself not only into Italian consciousness but into history. He didn’t know it then, at the time he looked like a man fuelled by anxiety and impostor syndrome. Within moments he would be wheeling away in celebration with those wide Sicilian eyes. He didn’t believe it but neither did Italy. All of what came before was gone, in moments he had gone from unknown to saint. The outpouring of emotion all over the world on Thursday says a lot about “Totò”. “The man who made the nation dream” were the words of the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni. This was true. The hosts had so much hope invested in Italia 90 and the wave o

Manchester City know only too well how tough a nut Inter are to crack. The greatest night of City’s history, the Champions League final triumph against them in 2023, was not without its difficulties; the heart-stopping moments have gilded the legend. This was another reminder of the quality of Simone Inzaghi’s Italian champions, albeit without the same levels of drama. The City supporters had come to see Erling Haaland and the striker’s latest assault on the history books. If he had scored, he would have become the fastest player to reach 100 goals for a club, narrowly eclipsing ­Cristiano Ronaldo’s mark for Real Madrid. It was game No 104 for ­Haaland. Ronaldo took 105. Continue reading...

* Scotland midfielder says players’ mental health is at risk * McGinn concerned by plan for expanded Club World Cup The Aston Villa captain, John McGinn, has said players’ mental health is at risk because of the volume of matches and that next summer’s Club World Cup is a sign of things “getting a little out of hand”. This week, the Manchester City midfielder Rodri said players may go on strike over the schedule, after the Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson said it was poor that Uefa had not consulted players on the Champions League expansion. Next June, the month-long Club World Cup will feature 12 European clubs, including Champions League winners from 2021-24. Continue reading...

* Philip Dooley died after collision with vehicle in Bergamo * Arne Slot and players wore black armbands for match A Liverpool fan in Italy to watch his team play in the Champions League has died after a collision with a vehicle as he crossed a road. Philip Joseph Dooley, 51, from Liverpool, died after the accident near Bergamo airport in the early hours of Tuesday, Merseyside police said. Continue reading...

As the English top-flight grapples with spending regulations, the US league offers a blueprint for improved parity and financial transparency The pre-Profit and Sustainably Rules age was a simpler time. Premier League clubs were broadly allowed to spend freely. So freely that occasionally a club would spend their way into oblivion (looking at you, Leeds United and Portsmouth), but at no point was it expected that a club would have to sell a hotel to balance the books. Many supporters – and club executives, for that matter – are still getting their heads around the Premier League’s PSR. Major League Soccer fans know how they feel. Spending limits and complex roster rules have been part of the league’s DNA since its inception nearly 30 years ago. In MLS, it’s not just about what you can spend, it’s about what you’re allowed to spend, often to the frustration of those who believe the league is holding itself back from reaching its full potential. Continue reading...

Plus: top-of-the-table clashes, first-half substitutions and when did Wengerball first enter the footballing lexicon? * Mail us your questions or tweet @TheKnowledge_GU “I’ve just stumbled across a photo of Newcastle United doing an open-top bus parade emblazoned with the words ‘FA Cup finalists 99’. Are there any other examples of bus parades after defeat?” enquires Mark Cookney. How about after two defeats and a draw that led to relegation? “Rather sadly, my lot Middlesbrough had an open-top bus ride through the town after the 1996-97 season,” writes Garry Brogden. “That was the season we lost the League Cup and FA Cup finals, and were relegated from the Premier League following a three-point deduction. Our star player Juninho didn’t turn up for it. At the final stop at the stadium, Fabrizio Ravanelli announced that he loved us all, and would be back next season. He lasted two games in the Championship before arguing his way out of the club.” Continue reading...

An hour before kick-off the few ­hundred Aston Villa supporters admiring the view from their seats cheered the first rendition of the Champions League anthem over the speakers and their mood was similarly jubilant after watching their team ruthlessly dispatch the Swiss champions on their first ­foreign assignment at this level for 41 years. It was fitting that Jacob Ramsey, who joined Villa’s academy at six years old, got on the scoresheet as the ­travelling supporters sang the name of the late 1982 European Cup ­winner Gary Shaw, another homegrown hero and the youngest member of that revered team, from start to finish. Ramsey’s strike, scored in comical circumstances, was bookended by fine strikes from the Belgium pair Youri Tielemans and Amadou Onana, the latter registering his third goal since a £50m summer move from Everton. Continue reading...

* Referee issued record 14 yellow cards at Bournemouth * Premier League investigating abuse directed at official Anthony Taylor will not referee a Premier League match this weekend after being subjected to abuse on social media after Chelsea’s 1-0 win at Bournemouth, with the English top flight now investigating. The 45-year-old issued a Premier League record of 14 yellow cards during Saturday’s game, eight of them to Chelsea players. The referees’ body, Professional Game Match Officials Limited, said on Tuesday that Taylor would act as the fourth official on two occasions this weekend. He will officiate when Southampton host Ipswich on Saturday and Brighton welcome Nottingham Forest on Sunday. Continue reading...

CBS’s Champions League coverage has become the gold standard for the sport in the US. And the former England keeper has carved out his own lane as an insightful co-commentator Even towards the end of his soccer career, Rob Green hadn’t considered what would come next. “You’re so ingrained in the game. It’s drilled into your brain that you have to play. To have any thought of quitting is an admission of losing. It’s very difficult to manage that in your brain,” Green tells the Guardian. Continue reading...

Barnsley’s trailblazer is determined to show what he can do, starting against Manchester United in the Carabao Cup Vimal Yoganathan was eight years from being born when Barnsley last visited Old Trafford, in 1998. In the intervening quarter of a century the teenage midfielder has achieved something no one else has, becoming the first person of Sri Lankan Tamil descent to play professionally in England, but there is far more to his story. The 18-year-old is a trailblazer and stepping out at Manchester United in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night would be a great inspiration for the next generation of south-east Asian players and recognition of the commitment he and his family have shown to get him to this stage. Continue reading...

As the club return to Europe’s top table for the first time in 41 years we talk to players who made history back then Nigel Spink, goalkeeper: The first thing I must say is we are all devastated to learn of Gary Shaw’s death. Gary was such a big part of Aston Villa and the club’s European Cup success. My role in the win over Bayern Munich in the 1982 final was a much more unexpected one. Continue reading...

Uefa’s new Champions League is less about greater jeopardy, than its growing desire to supplant sporting integrity with the confected thrills of the TV game show Once more, with seeding. Uefa’s new Champions League group-stage format is known as the “Swiss system”, and frankly you can write your own jokes there. It’s full of holes. It’s totally unaccountable and its inner workings largely impenetrable to outsiders. It’s a handy conduit for sequestering and laundering the money of some of the world’s worst people. It’s a complex and morally contested way of putting people to sleep for long periods of time. Take your pick. Perhaps fittingly, it is in Switzerland that the first strides into this bold new era take place, with Young Boys v Aston Villa selected as the early Tuesday kick-off, alongside Juventus v PSV. And of course this is an emblematic choice for other reasons, too. The Berne-based club may be competition outsiders, having secured their spot in a playoff against Galatasa

Manager’s red card reminiscent of predecessor and after winless start to season some are asking if he is an upgrade Was this what Francesco Totti meant when he suggested Daniele De Rossi was at risk of becoming the new José Mourinho? Roma’s match at Genoa had just tipped into second-half injury time when the manager was sent off for clamouring against the referee’s decisions. It was the first red card of De Rossi’s managerial career. Mourinho received seven during his two-and-a-half seasons in charge of the Giallorossi. The Italian has a way to catch up yet, but eight months into his tenure he is starting to face questions about whether he is truly improving on his predecessor’s work elsewhere. Continue reading...

From Manchester City’s move for Vivianne Miedema to Brighton’s comings and goings, it has been a busy time before the new season Jonas Eidevall has certainly added quality in the World Cup winner and Ballon d’Or nominee Mariona Caldentey, the Netherlands goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar and the highly regarded midfielder Rosa Kafaji but that would all have been overshadowed if the world record bid for Keira Walsh had been accepted at the end of the window. However, Barcelona turned down what is believed to have been an offer worth more than £900,000. There have been several outgoings but the first team largely remains intact. Only the departure of Vivianne Miedema leaving for Manchester City raised eyebrows on a free. Overall, a good window. SW Continue reading...

Gabriel the derby hero, Nketiah embraces new surroundings and Sancho introduces himself to Chelsea A lot of the focus was on how Nottingham Forest clogged the midfield to frustrate Liverpool before bringing on two wingers to change the game for their first victory at Anfield in 55 years. What might have gone unnoticed were the performances of their full-backs Ola Aina and Àlex Moreno. Neither are household names, the former a free transfer from Torino and the latter on loan after underwhelming at Aston Villa. They were both excellent at Anfield against some of the Premier League’s finest wide players; Aina kept Luis Díaz quiet on the left and Cody Gakpo had no impact after replacing the Colombian, while Mohamed Salah up against Moreno put in one of his most underwhelming performances in a Liverpool shirt. The Forest duo showed the club might be finally losing their reputation for being chaotic when it comes to doing transfer business. Will Unwin Match report: Liverpool 0-1 Nottingh

Matt Beard’s team broke into the top four last season and smashed the club transfer record for Canada’s Olivia Smith to keep up momentum Guardian writers’ predicted position: 4th (NB: this is not necessarily Tom Garry’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips) Last season’s position: 4th Continue reading...

Arsenal beat Tottenham 1-0 in the north London derby after a tight and heated game that saw seven yellow cards awarded in the first half. Arsenal's Gabriel Magalhães scored the winner with a header in the 64th minute to grab the Gunners their third win in a row at their arch-rivals' stadium. Arsenal had a number of players missing and their manager, Mikel Arteta, said: 'We had to adapt the plan a little bit because of the players that we had available. And I love it because since the day that we have started to get bad news, the team got hungrier and hungrier to play the game. And that's a big compliment to everybody at the club.' Tottenham's manager, Ange Postecoglou, lamented his side's loss, saying they 'wasted some of our good play … we just haven't really had that sort of conviction in the front third to take advantage.' * Gabriel’s towering header secures derby win for depleted Arsenal at Tottenham * Set-piece goal part of mania

* Live updates from the 4.30pm BST kick-off * Drop Will a line with musings on the match This is the tenth time these two teams have met at Molineux in the Premier League. Seven of those matches have ended in draws. It’s finished in north London where Arsenal have beaten Tottenham 1-0 thanks to a Gabriel header. Continue reading...

As an independent commission prepares to assess the charges levelled at the club, here’s what it all means The Premier League has charged the champions with more than 100 breaches of competition rules between the seasons 2009-10 and 2022-23. The charges cover four areas: a failure to give “a true and fair view of the club’s financial position”; a failure to “include full details” of player and manager remuneration; breaches of national and continental financial fair play regulations; and a failure to “cooperate with, and assist, the Premier League in its investigations”. The counts will be heard by a three-person independent commission, starting on Monday, in what is thought to be a London location. Continue reading...

* Michael Olise nets first league goal in 6-1 thrashing * Vinícius and Mbappé on target in Real Madrid win Harry Kane scored a hat-trick as Bayern Munich won 6-1 at promoted Holstein Kiel to lead the Bundesliga after three matches with a maximum nine points. It was a fourth straight win in all competitions this season under their new coach Vincent Kompany and with Bayern eager to reclaim top spot after losing the title to Bayer Leverkusen last term. Continue reading...

* United coach says criticism of striker has been overblown * Russell Martin bemoans Southampton’s missed penalty Erik ten Hag borrowed Cristiano Ronaldo’s ketchup analogy as he predicted Marcus Rashford will go on a goalscoring run after ending his Manchester United drought in a 3-0 victory at Southampton. “Once a striker was talking about a ketchup bottle, once it’s going, it’s coming more,” said the Manchester United manager after Rashford registered his first goal since March. Continue reading...

Erling Haaland now has a record nine goals in Manchester City’s opening four Premier League matches, eclipsing Wayne Rooney’s previous mark of eight in 2011-12. In an invigorating contest the Norwegian’s double claimed the three points to secure a maximum 12 from 12 for the champions. The goals were met by what seemed a muted celebration after the recent loss of a close family friend, Ivar Eggja, Haaland informing Pep Guardiola only on Friday that he could play. Continue reading...

* Premier League latest, 12.30pm BST kick-off at St Mary’s * Live scoreboard | Subscribe to Football Daily | Mail Barry Referee: Stuart Attwell. Assistants: Constantine Hatzidakis and Nick Hopton. Fourth official: Gavin Ward. VAR: Chris Kavanagh. Assistant VAR: Lee Bet Manchester United: While a familiar tale of gloom is playing out at Old Trafford, Erik Ten Hag’s future is a distraction from the fact that United face more profound challenges, writes Barney Ronay. Continue reading...

Martin Ødegaard injury and Declan Rice’s suspension mean Arsenal will need fans’ support more than ever At his unveiling as Arsenal manager a few days before Christmas in 2019, Mikel Arteta outlined the full extent of the challenges he faced to revive the club’s fortunes. Struggling in mid-table after a winless run of five league matches that included three successive home draws against Crystal Palace, Wolves and Southampton, Freddie Ljungberg had been placed in temporary charge after Unai Emery’s Arsenal tenure had ended the previous month. “It wasn’t only the performance. It was the atmosphere and energy that I perceived when I was working around the place,” Arteta said of the mood inside the Emirates during Arsenal’s 3-0 defeat to Manchester City a few days earlier, on 15 December, when he was in the opposition dugout as Pep Guardiola’s assistant. “That worried me a little bit. I understand that they are used to success and fighting for things and at the moment it’s difficult fo

Trailblazing referee on her decision to retire, handling the emotions of the job and what the future holds for officiating There were 15 minutes left before kick-off at the university fixture at the Maiden Castle sports centre in Durham when Rebecca Welch, trying her hand at refereeing for the first time, was perplexed to see there was no sign of nets, corner flags or even any players. Eventually the teams turned up and – having never wanted to become a referee – she decided to persevere with it “just for a few more games” and see what happened. Fast forward 14 years and Welch found herself in floods of tears in a van in Marseille, heading towards the Stade Vélodrome for an Olympic semi-final between Brazil and Spain last month, because she knew that it was going to be the last match she took charge of after a trailblazing career at the elite end of the profession. “I couldn’t speak to anybody because I was crying,” Welch says. “It was just the emotion. I thought: ‘This is me finis

Panic on the streets of Islington, panic on the streets of Tottenham. Yes, with apologies to the Manchester band that won’t be surge-pricing any time soon, it’s time for the chippiest derby of all. OK, there’s Celtic v Rangers, who have 17th-century geopolitics and Scottish company law to rage at each other about, and Boca v River seems like it can get pwopah nawty. From experience, Swindon v Oxford is one to swerve if you don’t like foul language and United v City can often resemble a seething mass of anoraks and buzzcuts, a right swagger-off. Liverpool v Everton? Often not a fair fight in recent years, despite Sean Dyche pulling off a heist last season. We have received explanations about the representation of the names and surnames of the players of the Latvian U-21 national team in the official game programme of Tuesday’s match, as well as an apology from the creators of the programme” – the Latvian FA accept the FIA’s admission that a translation error led to some of their playe

* Manager is happy Premier League FFP case is starting * La Liga chief says rivals believe City should be punished Pep Guardiola has stated he knows what “people are expecting” as Manchester City prepare for the hearing into their Premier League charges to start on Monday. The manager’s comments came as Javier Tebas, the president of La Liga, claimed several Premier League clubs had told him City should be punished. City have denied wrongdoing and Guardiola was asked about the case, which will be heard by an independent commission. He said, not in reference to Tebas or his remarks: “I’m happy it starts on Monday and I know there will be more rumours about the sentences that come up and we’re going to see. I know what people are looking for, I know what they are expecting – I know it because I have read it for many years – but I’ve said everyone is innocent until guilt is proven. So we will see. It starts soon and hopefully finishes soon. An independent panel will decide. I’m l

Erik ten Hag has hit back at Cristiano Ronaldo by pointing out that the Portuguese admitted Manchester United are not well placed to win the biggest trophies this season despite criticising the manager for stating the same. In a pre-season interview Ten Hag discussed United’s chances of winning the Premier League and Champions League. 'We are really a long way away from that,' he told the Dutch outlet AD Sportwereld. Ronaldo criticised this apparent lack of ambition on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, saying: 'You cannot say that you’re not going to fight to win the league or Champions League'. But Ronaldo then effectively contradicted himself. 'They can win the Carabao [Cup] – Champions League or Europa League or Premier League, difficult.' Ten Hag was asked about Ronaldo’s claim that the manager should not say the club cannot win the league. 'No, he said this, if you read the article very well. He is far away in Saudi. Everyone is entitled to have a

With the return of the group stage imminent, we cast an eye over eight of the competition’s emerging talents In 2021 Norwich had high hopes of the Greek striker, signed from Paok Salonika for £8.8m. Tzolis started his Carrow Road career with two goals and a couple of assists in the 6-0 demolition of Bournemouth in the League Cup but rarely started after that. Dismissed as a flop, he was loaned to Fortuna Düsseldorf last summer. The tricky and speedy left-winger flourished, finishing as the 2.Bundesliga’s top scorer with 22 goals and nearly leading his club to promotion. Fortuna didn’t have the funds to keep Tzolis with the £3m buy option but it made sense to activate it in order to resell at a cool profit. Club Brugge were delighted to get him, and Tzolis has started brightly in Belgium . Continue reading...

* Manager dealing with ‘volatile situation on and off pitch’ * Club say Textor remarks ‘merely represent personal view’ Sean Dyche says he cannot focus on his Everton future while dealing with a “volatile situation on and off the pitch” after the club distanced themselves from comments from the prospective new owner, John Textor. Everton travel to Aston Villa on Saturday bottom after losing their opening three Premier League matches. Over the international break the focus has been on Textor’s potential takeover, which he is confident of completing before the 30 November deadline. Continue reading...

Uefa report reveals some eye-catching attendance figures and a thriving sport, but Ligue 1’s poor TV deal suggests nobody should get complacent The European football pyramid is in rude health. That is, at least, the broad conclusion of a report from Uefa that charts the club game’s structural and demographic progress over the past 12 months. It shows that more supporters of men’s and women’s football are passing through the continent’s turnstiles than ever, and that lower-tier crowds are underpinning a 7% surge in uptake. There is plenty to admire about the findings of Uefa’s club talent and competition landscape report. It makes clear, from its analysis of the 2023-24 season, that the bounceback from Covid-19 lockdowns is complete. Nobody would suggest, after a look at the data, that football’s appeal is waning and that modern attention spans cannot survive 90 minutes, or in most cases a significant degree longer, inside a stadium. The sport has a captive audience that far exceeds

* Uruguay midfielder said South Koreans ‘all look the same’ * Bentancur has apologised to teammate Son Heung-min The Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has been charged by the Football Association for an alleged misconduct breach for a remark made about his teammate Son Heung-min. In June the Uruguay international was asked by the host of the Canal 10 show for a Spurs player’s shirt, to which he replied: “Sonny’s? It could be Sonny’s cousin too as they all look the same.” Continue reading...

New series continues in which writers choose their nostalgic Serie A teams of calcio, with an impossible choice By Richard Hall for The Gentleman Ultra Picking five players to personify Internazionale as a club is perhaps the way I looked at this, albeit with a late 1980s, early 1990s bias. Presenting the Official Inter Podcast in English means I have to have my head in the archives and therefore indulge in the stories of the early days. The Grande Inter team as well as their recent history fascinate me. The earliest games I saw were in the late 1980s and that means some more recent contenders fell by the wayside. These are the players who embody what it is to be Inter as well as being the best in their positions in that generation. Continue reading...

Can Sonia Bompastor take over from where Emma Hayes left off? It is a daunting task but the squad is good enough to win the league again Guardian writers’ predicted position: 1st (NB: this is not necessarily Suzanne Wrack’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips) Last season’s position: 1st Continue reading...

* Club records revenues of £661.8m in year to 30 June * ‘Our clear objective is to return to the top,’ says Berrada Manchester United are confident they comply with Premier League and Uefa financial rules despite posting a £113.2m net loss in their latest accounts. It is the fifth consecutive year United have made an annual loss, with the club £115.5m in the red in 2021-22 and £42.1m in 2022-23. Profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) permit a £105m loss over a three-year period, but within the regulations certain deductions are allowed in relation to investment in infrastructure, the academy and women’s teams, among other things, which United believe means they will not fall foul of spending regulations. Everton and Nottingham Forest received points deductions last season after exceeding permitted losses in regards to PSR. Continue reading...

Striker grew the game with skills and warmth, while raucous fans watched her like the Beatles were in town One hundred and twenty-three goals in 224 appearances for the US Women’s National Team. Two World Cup wins. A gold medal, a bronze medal, a three-time Olympian. NWSL Champion. Relentless advocate for the growth of the game. Alex Morgan retired from professional football this weekend in San Diego, California as one of the most successful and well-known players to ever lace up her boots. She leaves a multifaceted legacy behind her. One of its greatest aspects is the excitement she uniquely inspired, and her ability to leverage it for broader growth. In a decade that saw the popularity of women’s football skyrocket globally, Morgan was often its key marquee name. Stateside, every stadium Morgan played in drew enormous crowds. Upon her arrival, those elated crowds were decked out in Morgan gear, carrying AM13 signs and shrieking with joy at her every movement. It was like watching

* Players criticised after missed chances in 0-0 draw with Indonesia * ‘It’s been a common theme for over a year,’ says coach Under pressure amid months of middling form, Socceroos coach Graham Arnold did something unusual following the scoreless draw against Indonesia in Jakarta on Tuesday night that leaves Australia languishing in World Cup qualifying Group C. The famed man-manager – who has built a reputation on maintaining strong rapport with his dressing room – was critical of his players. AAP contributed to this report Continue reading...

* Australia winless in qualifying third round after 0-0 draw * Pressure mounts on Arnold with tougher tests to come Graham Arnold insists the Socceroos’ hopes of qualifying directly for the 2026 World Cup aren’t dead yet but was once again left to lament a plethora of spurned chances in a costly 0-0 draw with Indonesia. Five days after slipping to a horror upset 1-0 loss to Bahrain on the Gold Coast, Australia couldn’t manufacture a winner against the world’s No 133-ranked team at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta. The Socceroos are goalless and have just one point from two games they were widely expected to win in the third round of qualifying, piling pressure on Arnold and his charges. Continue reading...

Fans in Madrid went wild at the final whistle of the Euro 2024 final as Spain secured their fourth Euros title. England supporters were left disheartened after their national team fell short in their second successive European Championships final * England left nursing regrets after falling agonisingly short once more * Southgate oversees familiar failure – a tale of hope but lacking a clear plan * Mikel Oyarzabal’s late winner for Spain crushes England’s Euro 2024 dream Continue reading...