Prem legal setback

GM football fans. Route One here, and we’re covering the Premier League’s huge legal bill, Barcelona’s dominance and much more. Enjoy Route One? Share us with a friend on WhatsApp with this link.

PREMIER LEAGUE MW6 STATS

Newcastle vs Man City (Sat, 12:30 UK). City have won more games (31) and scored more goals (101) against Newcastle than they have versus any other Premier League opponent. If Erling Haaland scores, he’ll join Sergio Aguero among the only players to score in all six opening Premier League games. Chelsea vs Brighton (Sat, 15:00 UK). Chelsea did the double over Brighton last season, but the visitors are one of four sides still unbeaten this campaign. Man United vs Spurs (Sun, 16:30 UK). United have lost seven of their recent 19 league games at home after previously embarking on a 20-game unbeaten streak. Full Premier League MW6 fixtures can be found here.

Plus…

• Europa League results (More)

• Premier League fixture difficulty per team (More)

• Man United aim to win the Premier League by 2028, CEO tells staff (More)

• Half of Premier League clubs breaking code on gambling ads for children (More)

• FA charge Preston’s Milutin Osmajic for biting opponent (More)

• Andy Carroll pays out of his own pocket to play in the French fourth tier (More)

• Luton unveil plans for new 25,000 stadium (More) / w images

PREM LEGAL BATTLES

Premier League legal fees six times higher than expected, as City secure ‘significant victory’ in APT case

The Premier League spent nearly £50mn on legal costs last season – six times the amount it had budgeted for. The cost of investigations and hearings involving Manchester City, Chelsea, Everton, Nottingham Forest and Leicester City meant the league’s legal bill soared.

Costs will continue to rise as Man City potentially secured a ‘significant victory’ in their case against the league. This is separate from the alleged 115 charges case and relates to the league’s Associated Party Transaction (APT) rules, which limit how much associated parties can pay clubs in sponsorship. Man City argued they were unlawful. Premier League clubs were supposed to vote on changes to the rules in yesterday’s shareholders meeting, but it was removed from the agenda. It’s thought that the league is delaying the vote because City’s legal team enjoyed some success in the case. But one source disputes this claim and says the league is just taking a precautionary measure.

The problem is that the Premier League pays for legal costs out of the central funds. As a result, clubs have expressed concerns that spiralling legal costs will eventually reduce clubs’ share of broadcast and commercial deals.

POLL

HEAD START

🎥 Prem delay semi-automated VAR. The Premier League have delayed the introduction of semi-automated offside technology (SOAT) until the winter. It was meant to be introduced in October or November, but it’s now expected to make its way into the top flight after Decemeber. The league says it wants to introduce the technology once they’re totally happy with it.

❌ Spurs will avoid post-season tour next summer. Tottenham Hotspur will not embark on another post-season tour as chairman Daniel Levy declares that he and the club would like to see less games. This comes after captain Son Heung-min agreed with Rodri’s statement that there are too many games. Plus, Spurs are triggering an extension to Son’s contract.

😬 Getafe president criticises his own player. Angel Torres has openly critcised Christantus Uche following the Nigerian midfielder’s complaints about racism and treatment by referees in La Liga. Torres dismissed Uche’s comments, suggesting the player should hold off on speaking out until he’s been in the Spanish league for longer. He continued: “From now on, what he’ll (Uche) have to do is not speak”.

BARCA BRILLIANCE

Barcelona continue to dominate in La Liga, while Luis Enrique criticises Xavi’s former play style

Barcelona have started the La Liga season with seven straight wins after their 1-0 win over Getafe. When Hansi Flick was asked if he was satisfied with a slim victory, he replied, “How many points do you get from winning 1-0, you tell me?”. Flick’s side now have 21 points at the top of the league standings, four ahead of rivals Real Madrid.

The German coach has become only the third Barcelona manager to win his first seven league games, after Gerardo Martino in 2013, who won his first eight, and Ernesto Valverde in 2017, who won his first seven. Additionally, Robert Lewandowski has gone from being unwanted by the club’s staff last season to registering seven league goals in as many games.

It’s a long way from the inconsistencies of the Barcelona side under Xavi. Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enqiue, who led the Catalan side to their 2015 Champions League win, criticised the former manager in his documentary. He said that Xavi’s Barcelona side played “long ball football like Eibar” and continued to say that they don’t dominate games as “they haven’t in two years with Xavi”.

AROUND THE FOOTBALL WORLD

🇹🇷 Turkish Super League: Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho didn’t attend the post-match conference after loss to Galatasaray because he “felt disrespected” (More)

🇪🇸 La Liga: A Mallorca fan who racially abused Vinicius Jr has been handed a suspended sentence (More)

🇺🇸 Open Cup: LAFC defeat Sporting KC in extra time to win US Open Cup (More)

🌎 Gold Cup: CONCACAF has officially confirmed the venues for the 2025 Gold Cup – 14 stadiums in the US and Canada will host the tournament (More)

HIGHLIGHT FIXTURES THIS WEEKEND

Bayern Munich vs Bayer Leverkusen (Saturday, 17:30 UK). Saturday sees Bayern Munich host Bayer Leverkusen at the Allianz Arena, already with a three-point lead over the defending champions and with a chance to double that on home soil. Bayern are on fire this season – scoring 29 goals in all competitions, a new club record for the first six competitive matches for a new Bayern boss. But, despite a hiccup against RB Leipzig, Xavi Alonso’s men still look strong.

Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid (Sunday, 20:00 UK). Although Real Madrid are grinding out narrow victories — like their 3-2 win over Alaves on Tuesday — they can make it six straight wins in all competitions. Kylian Mbappe will not be fit for the match, but Carlo Ancelotti has a boost with Dani Carvajal and Eduardo Camavinga both available. Conor Gallagher has been in fine form for Atletico since joining from Chelsea, having scored two goals in four appearances from midfield.

Manchester United vs Tottenham (Sunday, 16:30 UK). The two sides find themselves in similar circumstances: Both are in mid-table after five games, and both have identical records with two wins from five. With the shaky start to the season, the jury is out for both managers. A good result in this fixture will go some way in reinforcing their credentials.

ROUTER’S VOICE

Yesterday, we asked you: Is Rodri’s absence a game-changer in the Premier League title race?

🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ 📉 Yes, losing a star player always make it difficult... (46%)

🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 💪 No, they have enough depth to cope... (54%)

Your punditry takes:

• 💪 J.C: “Rodri is great but City have so many quality players to fill the gap. I don’t see it having much of an impact, especially if they use the January window wisely.”

• 📉 M.L.T: “Anytime you lose a player of his calibre it will have a negative impact on the side. City certainly has some quality replacements but losing a star always impacts the team.”

• 📉 S: “You can’t replace somebody like Rodri with just one player. Other adjustments will have to be made.”

EXTRA TIME

The 80-year-old assistant manager who played against Pele.

Manchester United’s financial health post-Ferguson.

Valencia’s hilarious dig at Real Madrid.

Miralem Pjanic’s CSKA Moscow unveiling is the weirdest one yet.

Do clubs still need 40 points to survive in the Premier League?

Watford highlights inconsistencies in disallowed goals.

Mourinho rants at reporters for being 75 minutes late.

The Premier League’s biggest underachievers this year.

Cole Palmer uncut.

GAME FACE ON

Question: Who Am I…

• I helped Argentina win the Copa America in 2021 and the FIFA World Cup in 2022.

• I’ve played in La Liga, Ligue 1, Premier League, Seria A and Primera Liga.

• I’ve played with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Scroll below for the answer.

ON TODAY

Women’s Super League

• Crystal Palace vs Chelsea (19:30)

Championship

• Plymouth vs Luton (20:00)

La Liga

• Valladolid vs Mallorca (20:00)

Bundesliga

• Dortmund vs Bochum (19:30)

Ligue 1

• Auxerre vs Brest (18:00)

• PSG vs Rennes (20:00)

*All times in UK. EST -5. PST -8. CET +1. CST +8. JST +9.

Answer

Angel Di Maria.