Uefa threatens UK government

GM football fans. Route One here, and we’re covering Uefa’s letter to the UK government, Barcelona’s spotless start and much more. Enjoy Route One? Share us with a friend on WhatsApp with this link.

PREMIER LEAGUE STATS

Spurs 0 - 1 Arsenal. Mikel Arteta has won three away games against Spurs in six, just one victory away from matching Arsene Wenger in 16 fewer games. Bournemouth 0 - 1 Chelsea. There were 14 yellow cards shown in this match (six for Bournemouth, eight for Chelsea), the most ever issued in a single Premier League game. Aston Villa 3 - 2 Everton. Seven of Jhon Duran’s eight Premier League goals for Aston Villa have come as a substitute, with all three this season being winning goals from the bench. See full Premier League MW4 results here.

Plus…

• Man City’s 115 case starts today, everything you need to know (More)

• Robin van Persie said his team’s 9-1 defeat evokes Man United 8-2 Arsenal (More)

• Lionel Messi marks his return from injury with two goals and an assist in Inter Miami’s 3-1 win against Philadelphia Union (Highlights)

• John Textor’s Everton bid backed by US investment firm (More)

• Newcastle go third after Harvey Barnes wonder strike (Watch)

UEFA’S LETTER

England could be banned from own Euros by Uefa

Uefa has written to the UK government to say that interference from a proposed regulator could bring severe sanctions, multiple sources confirm. In an attack against the government’s proposal to introduce an independent football regulator, the letter states that the English federation could be excluded from Uefa and domestic teams from European competitions. Theodore Theodoridis, Uefa’s general secretary, sent the letter to Lisa Nandy, the UK’s culture secretary.

The previous government announced plans to appoint a regulator following a fan-led review. It’s thought that the regulator will be necessary for long-term financial stability and thwart plans for a breakaway European Super League. But Uefa believes there should be no government interference in the running of football. The letter also referred to a Fifa statute, or Article 15, which states that national associations must be independent and operate without political interference.

In theory, Uefa’s threat has serious implications. England could be banned from Euro 2028, where cities in the UK have been selected to co-host with the Republic of Ireland, and Premier League clubs could be removed from European competitions. Uefa has said they don’t expect it to reach this stage, and former MP Tracey Crouch said that the government liaised with the FA and Uefa during the creation of the original bill. In summary, Uefa’s letter comes as a bit of surprise given it has had oversight of the draft bill.

POLL

HEAD START

🌍 Dublin could host extra Euro 2028 game. Dublin could get at least one more game in the 2028 Euros after Northern Ireland failed to become one of the five host nations in the UK and Ireland. This comes after the collapse of the proposals to redevelop Casement Park, a derelict stadium in west Belfast. The planned reconstruction rocketed to at least £400mn, more than quadruple the figure when the project was proposed around a decade ago.

🔵 Dyche job is safe. Sources have told BBC Sport that Sean Dyche’s role at Everton is safe despite a winless start to the season. The Toffees are in the process of a takeover bid so it’s unlikely they’ll make changes to management. Plus Dyche bought a lot of goodwill last season, after keeping his side up comfortably even after an eight-point deduction.

🎸 Real Madrid pause concerts at Bernabeu. The 85,000-capacity stadium frequently plays host to some of the biggest events in the world, but the club need more soundproofing. Los Blancos say it’s trying to comply with the capital city’s noise regulations.

LA LIGA

Yamal brace as Barca continue spotless run

Hansi Flick’s start to life at Barcelona couldn’t be better after securing his fifth straight victory at the start of the Spanish league season. Lamine Yamal’s double, plus second-half goals by Dani Olmo and Pedri, gave Barcelona a 4-1 win over Girona. Last season, under Xavi, Barcelona lost in both fixtures against their Catalan rival.

Barcelona now sit top of La Liga with 15 points, four ahead of Real Madrid and Villareal. Most impressively, Flick’s side have scored 17 goals in the league already, their best start after their first five games of a season since 2017-18. Before the Messi era, the last season to find a similar scoring start was the 1959-60 campaign.

New signing Dani Olmo has become the third Barcelona player this century - including Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Cesc Fabregas - to score in his first three La Liga games. But the 26-year-old limped off in the second half with an apparent hamstring injury, yet the full extent of the issue is currently unknown. Barcelona will travel to third-place Villareal on Sunday.

AROUND THE FOOTBALL WORLD

🇪🇸 La Liga: Vini Jr and Kylian Mbappe score penalties in a 2-0 win away at Real Sociedad; Mbappe has 3 goals in 5 in the league (More); Conor Gallagher scores his first La Liga goal (Watch)

🇩🇪 Bundesliga: Harry Kane scored a hat-trick in Bayern Munich’s 6-1 over Holstein Kiel; Michael Olise was also on the scoresheet (Highlights)

🇮🇹 Serie A: AS Roma manager Daniele De Rossi remains confident that his team can secure a top spot despite being winless in the opening four games (More)

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia: Saudi footballer Fahad Al-Muwallad is in intensive care after falling from his second-floor balcony in Dubai (More)

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scottish Premiership: Rangers chairman stands down with “immediate effect” (More)

LOWER LEAGUE LOUNGE

Championship

West Brom go to the top of the table. Alex Mowatt's brace, after Josh Maja became the Championship's leading goalscorer, sent West Brom top of the table with a 3-0 victory over winless Portsmouth. Ebou Adam’s put himself forward for miss of the season contender. It didn’t matter in the end as Derby County won 1-0 over Cardiff City, who are yet to secure a single point from the first five opening games. Wayne Rooney’s Plymouth Argyle secure first win. A stoppage-time winner from skipper Joe Edwards ended Sunderland's unbeaten Championship start in a 3-2 thriller.

League One

Wrexham still top of the league. Wrexham, on 13 points, face Birmingham City tonight, who have 10 points with one less game played. Late goal sees Steve Bruce get victory in his firm game in charge of Blackpool. James Husband’s 90+4 minute meant Blackpool triumphed 2-0 over Exeter. Only two sides are yet to win this season. Burton Albion are 20th in the league with four draws, while Cambridge United sit 24th with only one draw.

League Two

Notts County lead the table. Despite going two goals down to Bromley in six minutes, Nott County came from behind to win 4-2. Harrogate stopped Doncaster Rovers taking top spot. Ellis Taylor and Josh March's goals secured a 2-0 home win, preventing Doncaster from extending their one-point lead. Morecambe and Accrington Stanley continue to struggle. Morecambe secured their first draw, but remain bottom with Accrington Stanley just one point ahead of them.

ROUTER’S VOICE

Yesterday, we asked you: Do you think Rodrigo Bentancur's charge by the FA is fair? 

🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ 👏 Yes, what he said was out of order... (45%)

🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🤝 Nope, other players have had less punishment for the same thing... (55%)

Your punditry takes:

• 👏 P.D: “(Spurs fan) You can't say something so clearly racist, even if (as I believe in this case) you're not racist yourself. The apology to Son, which was accepted, should be a mitigation, but some sanction to Bentancur is clearly required.”

• 👏 M.J.W: “Hopefully it will help others to think about such casual/flippant racism and stamp it out.”

• 🤝 C.J.N: “Totally unfair, he has apologised to the player concerned, face to face, let’s all move on.”

EXTRA TIME

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Jhon Duran’s long shot might settle the goal of the season debate.

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GAME FACE ON

Question: Jurgen Klopp has managed two clubs in Germany, Borussia Dortmund and - can you name the other?

Scroll below for the answer.

ON TODAY

League One

• Birmingham vs Wrexham (20:00)

La Liga

• Vallecano vs Osasuna (20:00)

Serie A

• Parma vs Udinese (17:30)

• Lazio vs Verona (19:45)

MLS

• Sounders vs Sporting KC (00:15)

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

Answer

Mainz. Upon his retirement from playing for Mainz 05, Klopp was appointed as the club's manager in 2001 following the dismissal of Eckhard Krautzun.