u/Sparky-moon

> Now Bayern sources say there is no evidence that the playmaker cannot continue his career at the highest level. The sources said Musiala’s involvement in the two matches had been completely unproblematic and had been discussed extensively with doctors.

> That controversy, the conflict with Benfica, was a difficult one for you. He was your player, Vinicius, and it involved racism...

> “Exactly, but the answer is very simple: Prestianni was my player. That’s it. There’s no debate. If Prestianni is my player... 20 players can come at me and I’m still with Prestianni. End of story.”

> “I think Vini knows now. He knows whose side I’m on and he knows he can look at me and count on me to stand alongside him. The other day, when they didn’t give him a penalty as big as the Bernabéu, I was already out there in the middle of the field fighting for him. He knows I’m going to be there for him.”

> The team's wage bill has risen to nearly €170 million annually. In Turkey, Galatasaray comes in second at €116 million. Last season, UEFA looked into Fenerbahçe's situation, intrigued in particular by Kerem Akturkoglu's dual contract designed to circumvent Financial Fair Play (FFP). At the end of June, the governing body imposed a €7 million fine on the club for non-compliance with its rules. A club's wage bill must not exceed 70% of its revenue, but at Fenerbahçe, it stands at 84%.

> "They already have 430 million euros in debt, so this fine is nothing to them," points out Alperen Koçsoy, a sports economist in Turkey.

> Sebahattin Devecioglu, an informed observer of local football finances, also downplays the impact of the penalty, which serves more as a warning. "The club's real challenge is primarily to restructure the balance between its expenses and its revenue”. In short, Fenerbahçe does not generate enough money to offset the high salaries it pays to foreign players.

> Telegraph Sport reported in March that two Brentford footballers had intervened after seeing the incident in Richmond while travelling home from a match against Leeds United.

> A court heard that David Wheeler, 63, was left with a black eye when Schade and Janelt defended Israel Ilesanmi, a Nigerian security guard, in the early hours of the morning.

> Wheeler, a pharmaceutical van driver who had drunk “about seven” cans of beer, had targeted Ilesanmi because he thought he was a lookout for burglars. He had filmed Ilesanmi, called him a “c---” and said: “You’re not English. Why are you here? What are you looking for?”

> As Schade and Janelt intervened, Wheeler also turned on them. Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court heard that he told the players “f--- off, German f------ pricks”.

> He also claimed he had only used the language “under duress”. As reported by Central News, deputy district judge Luis Williamson told Wheeler that duress requires a “very high bar” like “having a gun to your head”.

> When police arrived on the night, Wheeler claimed to be the victim of an assault and phone theft. He also told police that he did not know Ilesanmi was a security guard and that his memory was “blurry”.

> Wheeler was fined a month’s wages at £1,699, including £150 compensation to Ilesanmi.

> FC Barcelona and Manchester City have reached an agreement for the transfer of Rodrigo Hernández Cascante, known in the football world as Rodri, who is committing to the Catalan club until 30 June 2030.

> In the weeks before a huge Manchester derby victory – on the back of consecutive defeats against Tottenham and Brighton – Guardiola became obsessed with his players hugging. He had admonished the team down at the Amex Stadium for not celebrating Erling Haaland’s opening goal wildly enough, showing clips of training ground goals greeted with more gusto, and feared for the team’s bond.

> ‘Look, look at you in training,’ he shouted. ‘Did you do that in Brighton? Look at you celebrating. We are here in this f****** business for that. Do you feel the pressure? F****** hell, that’s what it is about. It’s nice to feel it otherwise we’re in the Maldives, all of us.’

> Before they went out to face Manchester United, Guardiola demanded that everyone ‘hug each other for five seconds, so tight’. The instructions were met by bemused faces in the dressing room before being eventually followed.

> Haaland’s double and Phil Foden’s opener downed United 3-0 but Guardiola wanted more emotion.

> ‘The win today comes from the hugs before,’ he said. ‘The hugs were not tight. I tried and you didn’t hug me back. I want tighter. Tight and more seconds. I want you to feel my vows to you. I am so proud of you guys and that is the start of what I’m telling you will be great season.’

> He showed players the celebrations from the United match on a big screen before they met Napoli a few days later, to continue promoting togetherness and spirit. ‘F*** that is so nice,’ he told them while watching the footage, played to a Bee Gees backing track. Players grinned.

> “At a time when continental solidarity is paramount, your current stance and actions in questioning the legitimate authority of the AFC president serve only to disrupt the unity of Asian football, undermining our collective ability to protect the interests of the Asian football family on the global stage.”

> “I do not recall the QFA previously raising any procedural objection when the established protocol served its immediate interests,” Al Khalifa added. “I therefore find it difficult to reconcile the sudden and selective criticism contained in the QFA letter with the QFA’s historical acceptance of this general practice in other circumstances and its benefit from the same.”

> “Thibaut sat down on the ground. He called for the doctor and the physio. He told them,”I can’t play long balls anymore.” You’re wondering whether to play with an injured goalkeeper who can no longer execute your effective strategy to bypass the Spanish press. Romelu and Charles were winning 90% of the direct passes into the opponent’s half. Should we have played with an injured goalkeeper? If Thibaut had conceded that same second goal, what would people have said about keeping him in the game? During the hydration break, he confirmed his injury to me. Given his personality, if he’d really wanted to stay in, he would have said so clearly. I still brought in the Manchester United goalkeeper (Senne Lammens)... Not some 16-year-old kid who’s never played professionally. One of my goals was to unite 12 million Belgians behind their national team, whether it was 2 a.m. or 5 a.m. We put Belgium back on the world football map.”

> The issue: a demand for a higher fee made by the player’s representatives over the past 48 hours. According to the Parisian club, they reportedly demanded a significantly higher commission, in the range of €3 million, which is illegal.

> At the Parc des Princes, there is a strong suspicion that a third-party club has entered the picture to make a secret, higher bid. The prime suspect is Aston Villa, where Suzuki is now strongly expected to sign.

> He says he first started thinking about becoming a manager when he was 26 and recovering from a torn ACL while playing for Everton. “I was out for almost a year and didn’t know if I could come back. I said I can’t live without football.” He did play again, but with more of a coach’s eye. “I started to study the game. I started to talk with a lot of people and then I decided at some point I wanted to be a coach or a manager to try to help the players.”

> His management style is an amalgamation of the minds he played under — Wenger at Arsenal, David Moyes at Everton, Luis Fernández at PSG — plus Guardiola, whom he coached under. There is also the lingering ethos of Johan Cruyff from his youth days at Barcelona. But the most vital influence, he says, came from his boyhood coaches in the Basque city of San Sebastian.

> “They gave me belief,” he says. “They knew I was going to be a professional football player — and because they kept telling me, ‘Mikel, you are going to do it,’ I took it for granted that it would happen.”