City's hearing update

GM football fans. Route One here, and we’re covering Manchester City’s upcoming hearing, how Drake saved a Serie A side and much more.

STATS

UEFA Super Cup Final: Real Madrid vs Atalanta (Today at 20:00 BST)

→ The two teams were housed in the same Champions League group during the 2021-22 season. Real Madrid ran out 3-1 winners in the Spanish capital before grinding out a 1-0 win in Bergamo.

→ Real Madrid’s form was a mixed bag in preseason, having won two games and lost two games.

→ Atalanta’s preseason was worse than Madrid’s, losing twice and drawing once.

Results

→ Champions League - 3rd Qualifying Round results (More)

→ Carabao Cup results (More)

Plus…

• The PFA Players’ Player of the Year top six announced (More)

• Manchester United sign De Ligt and Mazraoui from Bayern Munich in a move that could cost nearly £60mn (More)

• West Ham sign Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Manchester United (More)

• Cole Palmer signs a two-year contract extension valid until June 2033 (More)

• The BBC will show Champions League highlights this season (More)

PREMIER LEAGUE

Manchester City hearing to start next month

The hearing against Manchester City on 115 alleged breaches starts next month, per The Times.

It was expected that the hearing would take place in November, but it has now been pushed forward to mid-to-late September. While the actual date is unknown, here’s what we know for sure:

• The hearing will last 10 weeks, with a verdict expected to be decided at the start of 2025.

• City’s legal case against the Premier League’s associated party transaction rules (APT) is set to be revealed in the next two weeks, which would then allow the 115 charges hearing to take place earlier.

The charges against City include: 54 failures to provide accurate financial information, 14 failures to provide accurate details for player and manager payments, five failures to comply with UEFA’s rules including financial fair play (FFP), seven breaches of the Premier League’s PSR rules and 35 failures to co-operate with Premier League investigations.

City deny wrongdoing and say they have “irrefutable evidence” that will clear them.

What are the consequences?

This is the great unknown. 

The latest bookmakers’ odds are a good illustration of this: Manchester City are the 6-4 favourites to win the Premier League title but they are also as low as 8-1 to be relegated as a result of the hearing into the 115 alleged rule breaches.

The commission hearing the case has limitless power. If found guilty, City could be kicked out of the Premier League or have a massive fine imposed – or both.

But even if City are found guilty of the alleged breaches, depending on the context of the case, they may be able to appeal.

POLL

HEAD START

📹 Premier League launches dedicated VAR X (Twitter) account. The Premier League has launched a new X account (@PLMatchCentre) to provide near-live explainers and updates on officiating matters for every Premier League match, including the involvement of VAR in the decision-making process. Without VAR audio being broadcast, the Premier League Match Centre account will attempt to provide an alternative.

⛔ Gallagher to return to the UK after Madrid deal in limbo. Conor Gallagher is expected to return to the UK as negotiations continue between Chelsea and Atlético Madrid over a deal for João Félix. Gallagher’s £36mn transfer to the Spanish club, on a five-year contract, has been thrown into doubt after Samu Omorodion’s proposed £34.5mn move in the other direction collapsed.

🏅 Great Britain’s men’s football at the Olympics on the cards. The British Olympic Association (BOA) wants a Great Britain men’s football team competing at the Los Angeles Games in 2028. Great Britain entered a men's team from every Games between 1948 to 1972 but were then met with resistance by Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, who felt their independence in FIFA and UEFA competitions could be jeopardised if they competed as a single team at the Olympics.

SERIE A

Musician raises €40mn to save Serie A side

Musician Drake has proved an unlikely source in saving fashion-forward Italian side, Venezia FC, from the brink of bankruptcy, per GQ Italia.

In 2021, the Venice-based side had been promoted from Serie B to Serie A for the first time in two decades. With the success, the owners began to invest in strengthening their squad, building a new training facility, and renovating their stadium.

An unfortunate turn of events: After just one year, Venezia were relegated to the Italian second tier, and by winter, they were at the bottom of the Serie B table.

Drake raised €40mn to save the club

Despite a new sporting director helping to avoid relegation to Serie C, Venezia’s heavy spending a year earlier had left the club in significant debt. 

Drake’s chief brand officer, Matte Babel, received a call from the co-owner of Venezia who laid out the problems the club was facing:

• Venezia had to raise €10mn in a couple of weeks or risk being relegated to Serie D.

• Then, the club would have to raise another €30mn in a few months to avoid declaring bankruptcy.

By the end of the season, Venezia secured promotion with a playoff win over Cremonese and raised over €40mn in capital from Drake and a group of North American investors.

The big picture: While the Serie A follows UEFA’s financial fair play rules, the Italian league doesn’t have specific caps on club losses like in the Premier League. Without clearly defined boundaries, clubs like Venezia risk financial struggles based on performance in the league and European competitions.

With salaries and general costs rising dramatically in Serie A, as well as relatively low broadcast revenue, perhaps more stringent spending rules may need to be put in place.

AROUND THE FOOTBALL WORLD

🇪🇸 La Liga: The Spanish top flight begins tomorrow and Getafe have only registered 11 players: 1 goalkeeper, 5 defenders, 4 midfielders and 1 striker (More)

🇹🇷 Turkish Süper Lig: Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahcę are out of the Champions League after Lille’s Jonathan David’s penalty in extra-time gave the French side a 1-1 draw on the night and a 3-2 victory on aggregate (More)

🇮🇹 Serie A: Lautaro Martínez has committed his future to Inter Milan by signing a new long-term contract that keeps him at the club until June 2029 (More)

🇺🇸 National Women’s Soccer League: Former Manchester United captain Katie Zelam, 28, has signed with Angel City FC through 2026 via a free transfer (More)

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 National League: Southend United won their appeal against a National League decision to impose a £1mn bond on the club (More)

OFF THE PITCH

🕺 Breakdancing won’t feature in the Olympics 2028 in Los Angeles (More)

💸 King Charles banknotes sell at auction for more than 11 times face value (More)

📩 TikTok adds Group Chat messaging to latest app update (More)

🍽️ UK favourite Greggs is planning to offer evening meals (More)

🏎️ Porsche’s aspirations to return to Formula 1 are now “a closed chapter” (More)

PHOTO OF THE DAY

The new Galacticos. Carlot Ancelotti’s team won the UEFA Champions League and the La Liga title last season, finishing 10 points ahead of Barcelona and losing just once in 38 league games.

With Kylian Mbappé and Endrick now part of their squad, Real Madrid can aim to win most or all of the (record-breaking) seven trophies available to them during what looks like a 334-day season that begins in Warsaw against Atalanta tonight in the UEFA Super Cup final.

ROUTER’S VOICE

Yesterday, we asked you: Do you think Manchester City will win their fifth consecutive Premier League title?

Routers don’t think that Manchester City will the league this season.

🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ 🏆 Absolutely... (44%)

🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 ❌ Nope, the winner will be... (56%)

Your punditry takes:

• ❌ AP voted ‘Liverpool’ will win: “A solid squad that know their way around each other. Nunez opens up goalscoring, Jota stays off injuries and the back four will once again act solid all season. Together with the energy boost from Slot the energiser bunny!”

• ❌ Leslie S voted ‘Arsenal’: “I’m tired of us finishing second or bottling the League so I’m trying to manifest it.”

• 🏆 John E voted ‘Man City’: “Definitely! They are the best team in the Premiership!”

EXTRA TIME

Throwback to two of Garth Cook’s most iconic Team of the Week selections…

… and a thread of even more of them.

Serie A predictions for the 2024-25 season.

FC25’s beta seem to have designed big Ange’s avatar perfectly… kinda.

Is this the worst fan tattoo of all time?

Michael Olise greeted by his new Bayern Munich teammates.

A breakdown of Vini Jr’s salary if he accepted Saudi Arabia’s offer.

Which club has paid the most wages since the Premier League’s inception?

Interesting read: The rise and fall of North Korea - the sleeping giant of women’s football.

Long listen: What attributes does the ex-head of England Talent look for in a player?

GAME FACE ON

Question: Who am I…

• I am a Champions League runner-up.

• I have played with Gareth Bale, Eddie Howe, Xherdan Shaqiri, and Jamie Redknapp.

• I have won an FA Cup with Liverpool.

Scroll below for the answer.

ON TODAY

FOOTBALL

UEFA Super Cup Final

• Real Madrid vs Atalanta (20:00 BST)

English League Cup 1st Round

• Hull vs Sheffield Wednesday (19:45 BST)

• Plymouth vs Cheltenham (19:45 BST)

• Leeds vs Middlesbrough (20:00 BST)

*EST -5. PST -8. CET +1. CST +8. JST +9.

Answer

Peter Crouch.