Prem lose PSR appeal

GM football fans. Route One here, and we’re covering Leicester’s PSR appeal success, Ten Hag’s future and much more. Enjoy Route One? Share us with a friend on WhatsApp with this link.

INTERNATIONAL STATS

Luis Suarez, 37, announces he will retire from international football after Uruguay’s World Cup qualifier against Paraguay. He is Uruguay’s all-time leading scorer with 69 goals in 142 games across 17 years. Joshua Kimmich, 29, becomes Germany’s captain. This is seven years after he became the youngest-ever player to captain the national side in a competitive match at 22 years, 137 days.

Plus…

• Fixture amendments for October’s Premier League matches (More)

• Carabao Cup Round Three fixture schedule confirmed (More)

• Cole Palmer, Ollie Watkins and Phil Foden have all withdrawn from Lee Carsley’s England Squad (More)

• La Liga managers threaten strike over delayed severance pay (More) / in Spanish

• Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman says there’s no space for Steven Bergwijn after he joined a Saudi Arabian club (More)

• Steph Catley and Beth Mead out of Arsenal Women's Champions League qualifier today (More)

PREMIER LEAGUE

Leicester City win appeal against Premier League’s PSR

Leicester City has won its appeal against the Premier League’s claim that the club had breached Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

An independent Commission has assessed the period ending 30 June 2023 and found that Leicester City did not breach the League’s PSRs. The full decision has been published here.

It means that the possibility of the Midlands club receiving a points decision for an alleged breach of PSR has been muted.

Saved by the bell accounting period

The Premier League issued a statement to say it was “surprised and disappointed” by the Appeal Board’s decision.

It claims that Leicester did exceed the League’s permitted £105mn loss threshold over a three-year period. But because Leicester’s accounting period ended on 30th June - just over a month after the club was relegated - the Appeal board says the League cannot take action against the club.

The Foxes were, effectively, not part of the Premier League when their accounting period ended; that’s despite being part of the English top flight between 2019-20 to 2022-23.

Big picture: The Premier League will most likely change the rules so that clubs can’t avoid sanctions based on accounting periods not matching the League’s calendar - because, in the Premier League’s words, it must “maintain the principle of fairness”.

POLL

HEAD START

📈 Women’s transfer window spending up. A record £5.8mn has been spent on transfers in the women’s game so far this summer - more than double the amount spent in 2023. Women's Super League (WSL) clubs spent more than any other league in the world, with £1.78mn going on incomings. Follow all the women’s transfers from Europe’s top five leagues here.

🇩🇪 Euro 2024 positive impact on host nation. The economic impact of Euro 2024 for Germany amounts to €7.44bn, according to a study by Nielsen Sports. More than 90% of this sum was the direct result of expenditure by the 2.7mn ticket holders (44% from abroad). What’s more, 97% of international ticket holders said they wanted to visit Germany again.

💰 Toney on £1mn a week salary. Ivan Toney’s move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli will see him earn the UK equivalent of £1mn a week after bonuses, per The Telegraph. In reality, the former Brentford striker is actually earning £400,000 per week, including around £100,000 in performance-related bonuses. But for Toney to earn the same take-home pay in the UK after tax he would need wages close to £1mn per week.

PREMIER LEAGUE

Erik ten Hag has Man Utd’s backing, but is this his kiss of death?

Senior figures at Manchester United still believe Erik ten Hag has a future at the club, per The Times.

Speaking before their 3-0 home defeat to Liverpool, new chief executive Omar Berradi and sporting director Dan Ashworth publicly said that the Dutchman has their “full backing”. Both figures were not involved in the decision to retain the manager in the summer.

A kiss of death

Publicly backing a manager doesn’t mean much. Oftentimes, it can be the pretence to a sacking:

• In 2015, Roberto Mancini and Brendan Rodgers were both backed publicly by Manchester City and Liverpool, respectively, and then sacked two months later.

• After Leicester released a statement stating its “unwavering support” for Claudio Ranieri in February 2017, he was sacked in the same month.

• At Man United, both Ole Gunnar Soljkar and Jose Mourinho were given new contracts - a form of public backing - before shortly being sacked by the club.

Whether or not the INEOS-led era will have more patience during dips in form is hard to call. 

But pundit Jamie Carragher believes it’s unlikely ten Hag will be managing till the end of the season, while co-host Gary Neville thinks the Dutchman will be at the club till “at least Christmas”.

MORE NEWS

Around the football world

• Hansi Flick scolded a heavyweight at Barca in front of the squad (More) / in Spanish

• Valencia striker Rafa Mir arrested on suspicion of sexual assault (More)

• Blackpool appoint Steve Bruce as Head Coach (More)

• Orlando Pride extend their NWSL-record unbeaten streak to 19 games (More)

• Fluminense have renamed their academy ground to Marcelo Vieira Stadium in honour of former Real Madrid defender Marcelo, who started his football journey there at the age of 13 (More) / in Spanish

• Nemanja Matic says Manchester United made a mistake by selling Scott McTominay to Napoli (More)

ROUTER’S VOICE

Yesterday, we asked you: Do you think clubs should introduce ‘Dynamic Pricing’?

⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 👍 Yep. It encourages high attendance… (8.1%)

🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 💸 Nope. The fans will pay the price… (91.89%)

Your punditry takes:

• 💸 C.M: “Dynamic pricing is outrageous in the primary ticket-selling market. In the secondary (resell) market there is some small justification, but even then it should be limited to not more than 100% of the face value. Greed knows no bounds it seems these days.”

• 💸 S.N: “Having watched West Ham v Man City on Saturday, the price was £100 for tourists and casual fans. The ground was packed (except holidaying season ticket fans) but the crowd was soulless. Bring back the 80s and 90s football.”

• 💸 Q.T: “Football at most levels in this country is an expensive hobby. At the top level it is all but inaccessible to the ordinary working class. This will double down on that, and then clubs will bemoan a lack of atmosphere. 🤷🏻”

EXTRA TIME

Why free agents could be ‘gold dust’ to clubs...

… and the free agents with the highest market value.

Ivan Toney already has himself a new chant at Al-Ahli.

Paul Scholes reveals Man United’s worst signings.

Galatasaray welcome Victor Osimhen in style at 3 AM…

… and the Nigerian striker embraced every second of it.

The Man City ‘B team’ creating a conveyor belt of talent.

18 sides in the Premier League and EFL are yet to lose a league game this season.

Cristiano Ronaldo reveals his ambitions for his YouTube channel.

GAME FACE ON

Question: Who am I… 

• I have been named in UEFA’s Team of the Year on six occasions.

• I have scored a World Cup-winning goal and I’ve won 4 Champions Leagues.

• I scored my first UAE Pro League goal at age 39.

Scroll below for the answer.

ON TODAY

UEFA Women’s Champions League - 1st Round

• Full fixture list here.

• Highlight fixture: Arsenal vs Rangers (19:30 BST)

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

Answer

Andreas Iniesta.