Prem loophole approved

GM football fans. Route One here, and we’re covering Chelsea’s hotel sale pardon, Ligue 1’s confusing times and much more. Enjoy Route One? Share us with a friend on WhatsApp with this link.

NATIONS LEAGUE STATS

Portugal vs Croatia. Expect lots of goals as the pair shared 10 goals across two games when they last met in the competition four years ago. Serbia vs Spain. Luis de la Fuente has won 17 in 21 as Spain’s manager, leading the nation to two major titles: Euro 2024 and the 2022-23 Nations League. San Marino vs Liechtenstein. San Marino hasn’t won a competitive game since 2004, when they beat Liechtenstein 1-0.

Plus…

• Ballon d’Or nominees announced; Ronaldo and Messi out of the list for the first time since 2003 (More)

• Norwegian drug testers ask for Haaland and a striker who died in 1962 (More)

• The EFL says it shares the Premier League’s ‘frustration’ with Leicester City’s appeal decision (More)

• Rodri is Real Madrid’s prime transfer target (More) / in Spanish

• Hansi Flick scraps ‘tunnel fits’ at Barcelona (More)

PREMIER LEAGUE

Chelsea hotel sale cleared by Premier League

Chelsea have been cleared by the Premier League for the sale of two hotels to a sister company, per ESPN.

The £76.5mn deal meant Chelsea made a loss of £89.9mn instead of £166.4mn in their 2022-23 accounts. In effect, without the sale of the two hotels, Chelsea would have exceeded the Premier League’s allowed £105mn losses in one season - let alone three. 

While UEFA and the English Football League (EFL) ban such sales, the Premier League allows them to take place subject to an assessment of their “fair market value”. Chelsea claims that they had appointed independent valuers to asses their valuation of the hotels and that no issues were raised.

The Premier League remains open to closing the loophole through a future vote. But when the league’s members voted in June, only a reported 11 clubs supported the idea, with a minimum of 14 required to vote through a change to the regulations.

POLL

HEAD START

🌍 Villa criticised for UCL ticket prices. Aston Villa refused a request from their fan advisory board to cap the price of Champions League tickets with the cheapest adult entry now starting at £70. With Villa having already earned around €18.6mn for qualifying for the competition, the club’s confirmation of the ticket prices has been met with criticism from supporters. 

🎟️ Valencia fans ‘radically against’ dynamic pricing. Valencia supporters’ group Libertad VCF say they oppose their club’s decision to introduce dynamic pricing to matchday tickets. They blame the decision on “greedy owners” who are “exploiting supporter loyalty”. The La Liga club acknowledge the concern but argues that they’re upholding fairness for fans “who planned ahead and bought a ticket early”.

🏟️ Inter Miami return to home. Inter Miami CF announce they will play home matches at Miami Freedom Park in 2026, and released updated renderings of its new home in Miami. The new development should be ready in time to host games for the 2026 World Cup.

LIGUE 1

French top-flight in mixed feelings post-Mbappe

In the post-Mbappe era, Paris Saint Germain had their strongest start in years. They have secured three wins out of three and scored 13 goals—a stark contrast to last season when they managed just five points and four goals in their first three games.

It’s not just PSG that are seeing an improvement; the whole league is too. On Matchday 3, across its nine games, Ligue 1 saw 37 goals scored, and only one team failed to find the net. Lyon’s immense comeback against Strasbourg was the cherry on top.

And while PSG top the table with the division’s only perfect record, four other teams have taken seven points from their first three matches. It sets up a bumper battle for the European spots.

But lack of stardom rocks the boat

The French top flight scrambled to find a broadcaster before the start of the new season. A month before the first whistle, Ligue 1 secured a deal with DAZN for €400mn a year to show the majority of games - a long way away from the €1bn target. 

According to French outlet RMC, DAZN has attracted around 100,000 subscribers to its platform as a result of Ligue 1 coverage. The target was 1.5 million. The lack of interest might have something to do with 65% of fans believing that DAZN’s €29.99 a month subscription encourages about 2.5mn people to watch through illegitimate means.

Or, more simply, reluctance to spend in the market and Kylian Mbappe’s absence has starved the league of fan’s guilty pleasure: stardom.

MORE NEWS

Around the football world

• Argentina national team asks fans to avoid discriminatory chants (More)

• France national team’s debutants take turns singing their way into the squad (Watch)

• Mats Hummels has signed for AS Roma on a free transfer (More)

• Landon Donovan says he prefers coaching women to men because they “learn faster and they are smarter” (More)

• Galatasaray are considering a move for Manchester United’s Casemiro (More)

• Football Manager 25 is delayed and won’t display player weight in the game (More)

ROUTER’S VOICE

Yesterday, we asked you: Do you think Leicester City rightfully avoided a PSR breach?

🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ 👏 Yes, they don’t make the rules… (42.3%)

🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 👎 Nope, it’s unfair on other clubs… (58.7%)

Your punditry takes:

• 👏 G.W: “I'm a Leicester fan. And we probably did find a loophole. But the whole PSR thing is smoke and mirrors. Clubs selling players to their sister clubs, selling property to holding companies. All make a mockery of the rules way more than us. We're not the clubs who should be targeted anyway. We're just easier targets than you know who...”

• 👏 A.M: “Admittedly I am a Leicester fan so of course this ruling is favourable. It’s clear they were able to avoid this on technicalities so by the letter of the law rightly avoided it, but is it fair? Unfair to which clubs? The ones also fighting against relegation? Fair is super relative in the Prem. We all can safely assume the big clubs have been in financial breaches often but do their fancy accounting and legal manoeuvring to stay out of trouble (Man City cough cough).”

• 👎 J.A.M: “They are guilty, again, of financial cheating (remember administration and promotion in 2002, FFP fine in 2018 for 2013-14 season when they were promoted). They have got off on a technicality.”

• 👎 B: “The Premier League have screwed up here, they need to amend their rules to cover accounting periods - Leicester are getting away with one!”

EXTRA TIME

Barcelona launch unique all-black away kit.

The 100 most expensive teams in the world.

Bournemouth owner speaks out against games abroad.

Ranking football’s best wind-up merchants.

Ollie Watkins explains a typical week for a footballer.

Sterling looking sharp in Arsenal’s training.

A look inside the club producing world-class talent.

The final touches to Everton’s new stadium.

Premier League’s most foul-mouthed fans, according to new study.

New FIFA Club World Cup trailer released.

GAME FACE ON

Question: Eberechi Eze’s goal at Chelsea was his fifth from outside in the box in the Premier League in 2024, the joint-most of any player in the competition in that time along with which Man City player?

Scroll below for the answer.

ON TODAY

Nations League

• Group 1

  • Azerbaijan vs Sweden (17:00 BST)

  • Estonia vs Slovakia (19:45 BST)

  • Portugal vs Croatia (19:45 BST)

  • San Marino vs Liechtenstein (19:45 BST)

  • Scotland vs Poland (19:45 BST)

• Group 3

  • Belarus vs Bulgaria (19:45 BST)

  • Northern Ireland vs Luxembourg (19:45 BST)

• Group 4

  • Denmark vs Switerzland (19:45 BST)

  • Serbia vs Spain (19:45 BST)

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

Answer

Phil Foden