Summary

Media caption,

BBC sports editor Dan Roan explains Manchester City charges

  1. 'These competitions should not exist' - LaLiga chief criticises UEFA and FIFApublished at 14:11 British Summer Time 16 September

    Nizaar Kinsella
    BBC Sport football news reporter

    Javier Tebas at Thinking Football SummitImage source, Thinking Football Summit

    In a wide-ranging interview with BBC Sport, outspoken LaLiga president Javier Tebas questions FIFA’s new expanded Club World Cup, UEFA’s expanded Champions League and calls on social media platform to stop stealing football’s intellectual property.

    Tebas was speaking at the Thinking Football Summit in Porto where he also waded into the debate around Manchester City as a Premier League hearing into the alleged breaches of the top flight's financial rules began on Monday and was quoted as saying: "I have spoken with many Premier League clubs and most of them understand that City should be sanctioned.”

    But when asked about the ongoing joint-legal action by FIFPro and the European Leagues for the addition of the 32-team, end of season summer Club World Cup to the calendar, Tebas said: “All these new competitions should not exist, then there will be no overload in the calendar.

    “We know the cause and the cause is the emergence of new competitions or more games in Europe, in the world club calendar, the reform of the Champions League or Nations League.

    “Secondly, we always think of 150 or 200 players who play all the games. But in Europe, there are more than 50,000 players who don't play all those games and don't have the problem of the match load.

    “Football cannot be governed by what happens to 250 players but by the rest because, in addition, all these new tournaments would economically empty the national leagues and impact the salaries of other players with fewer club revenues.”

    He also said because of piracy the football industry is losing a “significant amount of money” and called on big tech companies like Meta, Telegram, TikTok, X and Cloudflare to complaints about unlicensed clips being shared on their platforms more seriously.

  2. The list of long rangerspublished at 14:07 British Summer Time 16 September

    Harvey Barnes, Fabian Schar and Bruno Guimaraes celebrateImage source, Getty Images

    Here is a list of the six goals scored outside of the penalty box this weekend in the Premier League.

    • Marcus Rashford (Manchester United) v Southampton
    • Dwight McNeil (Everton) v Aston Villa
    • Jhon Duran (Aston Villa) v Everton
    • Callum Hudson-Odoi (Nottingham Forest) v Liverpool
    • Fabian Schar (Newcastle) v Wolves
    • Harvey Barnes (Newcastle) v Wolves
  3. The return of the screamerpublished at 14:04 British Summer Time 16 September

    Callum Hudson-OdoiImage source, Getty Images

    This weekend's Premier League action has been a great couple of days as far as long range goals are concerned.

    Of the 23 goals scored across the division, six were from outside of the penalty area, working out at 26.1%.

    In total, the Premier League season has had 18 goals outside of the box so far this season, working out at 17%.

    While it is a small sample size, should the rate stay at the same, it will be the highest in a campaign since the 2013-14 term (17.7%).

    Last season, just 11.5% of Premier League goals were outside of the penalty area, the lowest in the Premier League history.

  4. Bonmati extends Barca dealpublished at 14:00 British Summer Time 16 September

    BonmatiImage source, Getty Images

    There had been whispers World Cup winner Aitana Bonmatí was going to leave Barcelona this summer but the club have now confirmed the midfielder will stay at the Champions League holders.

    Bonmati, who won the Ballon d'Or in 2023, will stay at the Spanish giants until 2028.

    The 26-year-old has been at Barcelona since 2011.

  5. Shaw was a 'talented striker'published at 13:53 British Summer Time 16 September

    Gary Shaw, who has passed away at the age of 63, has been praised by his former club Aston Villa.

    They said: "Gary was one of our own, a talented striker who delighted supporters with his goalscoring exploits which helped fire Villa to success in the 1980s. Individual accolades would also follow for a player who was idolised by many on the terraces."

    After leaving Villa in 1988 Shaw went on to play for clubs like Kilmarnock, Walsall and Shrewsbury Town.

    In his career he was also capped for England's youth teams.

  6. Aston Villa legend Shaw dies age 63published at 13:49 British Summer Time 16 September

    Aston Villa legend Gary Shaw has died at the age of 63, says the Premier League club.

    Shaw was one of the club's European heroes and played for the club from 1978-1988.

    His family asked Villa to release a statement after Shaw passed away peacefully surrounded by them earlier today.

    The club added: "The thoughts of everyone at the club are with Gary’s family and loved ones at this extremely difficult time."

  7. Team of the Week: Forwardspublished at 13:45 British Summer Time 16 September

    Erling HaalandImage source, Getty Images

    Ollie Watkins, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Erling Haaland make the list for forwards in Troy Deeney's team of the week.

    Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa): He's had a poor start to the season in terms of chance conversion but not travelling with England probably helped him get a rest in after a long summer. Hopefully those two goals get him up and running. It's a big week with the Champions League so good for him to get off to a flyer.

    Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace): He was a beast and an absolute joy to watch. Big, powerful and obviously scored the decisive goal to get them back on track. He just led the line really well with Eddie Nketiah behind him. A real threat.

    Erling Haaland (Manchester City): You can't not mention the record man. He's probably going to get 110 goals and 47 hat-tricks this season! He had a tough week with personal issues but came, scored two and even looked frustrated he didn't get a hat-trick.

  8. Team of the Week: Midfielderspublished at 13:42 British Summer Time 16 September

    Moises CaicedoImage source, Getty Images

    Moises Caicedo, Carlos Baleba and Emile Smith Rowe all make Troy Deeney's team of the week in midfield

    Moises Caicedo (Chelsea): I think the £100m price tag is starting to wear off now. He's started to deliver and become the player that we saw at Brighton. Defensively he was excellent and everyone that needed to be tackled, he tackled.

    Carlos Baleba (Brighton): I was at this game and very rarely do you go to a Premier League match and someone looks a level above both teams. He was running over £50m Kalvin Phillips like he wasn't there. If he can keep that up, he will not be at Brighton much longer.

    Emile Smith Rowe (Fulham): He's decided to turn into an absolute monster and is just doing his thing. He probably had to leave Arsenal to go to a smaller pond and be that big fish. Anything good that comes out of Fulham is through him. He was excellent.

  9. Team of the Week: Defenderspublished at 13:37 British Summer Time 16 September

    GabrielImage source, Getty Images

    Defenders Axel Tuanzebe, Gabriel, Matthijs de Ligt and Jan Paul van Hecke all make Troy Deeney's team of the week

    Axel Tuanzebe (Ipswich): "He absolutely dealt with Kaoru Mitoma. He is obviously really good - excellent defending and he did well going forward. He contributed to another clean sheet for Ipswich on the road."

    Matthijs de Ligt (Manchester United): "He struggled at the start, got found out in one-on-one situations with Kyle Walker-Peters and got sent to the shops. But his goal sent United on their way, plus another clean sheet. After he scored, he got more confident and we saw the class and quality he has."

    Gabriel (Arsenal): "What a monster. Great header for the goal. It was just a monstrous display from Arsenal defensively. The two centre-halves stepped up but Gabriel gets it because of that wonderful goal."

    Jan Paul van Hecke (Brighton): "He's wonderful on the ball, looks so calm and composed. I think he'll be the one they end up selling next year to someone like Liverpool. He's naturally left-footed and never looks flustered. A clean sheet for a Brighton team who keep on rolling."

  10. Team of the Week: Goalkeeperpublished at 13:32 British Summer Time 16 September

    Robert SanchezImage source, Getty Images

    Robert Sanchez from Chelsea makes Troy Deeney's team of the week:

    "He made a great save from Evanilson's penalty, although I think he got stitched up with the backpass that led to it. All in all, a good night's work for him. He's come under a lot of pressure - it was between him and Andre Onana but I decided to go with Sanchez because he's had stick."

  11. Troy Deeney's Team of the Weekpublished at 13:28 British Summer Time 16 September

    Troy Deeney
    Former Watford striker

    After every round of Premier League matches this season, BBC football pundit Troy Deeney will give you his team and manager of the Week.

    Here are this week's choices. Do you agree? Give us your thoughts.

    Troy Deeney's Team of the Week
  12. 'As a centre forward, you're almost in awe of Haaland'published at 13:24 British Summer Time 16 September

    Manchester City 2-1 Brentford

    Charlie Austin
    Former Southampton striker on BBC Radio 5 Live Monday Night Club

    Erling HaalandImage source, Getty Images

    My hero this weekend is Erling Haaland. He turns up week in and week out and there’s almost expectation with him now. He delivers every time he steps on that pitch. For him to back it up with another two goals, he’s my hero for the week. From a centre forward’s point of view, you’re almost in awe of him.

    The second ball, Ederson plays a long ball, but he also rises to the challenge, he expects the body check, he’s so strong. The mentality of when he’s going in on goal and he sees the white posts, the ball is going in there and that’s him. Week in, week out, he’s that good for Manchester City.

  13. 'I think Arsenal have actually become a more rounded team'published at 13:19 British Summer Time 16 September

    #bbcfootball, via WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply)

    Peter: Hi Phil, do you detect a whiff of hubris in the air? Do you think that Arteta has decided his team can’t go toe to toe with Man City? Do you suspect he has adopted a strategy to grind out results?

    I don’t agree Peter. I think Arsenal have actually become a more rounded team and to go to Aston Villa and Spurs, especially the latter where they were without Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice, are the sort of results and performances that prospective champions deliver.

    Arsenal can still play that fluent style of football but sometimes you need to dig in and they have done that in two very difficult away games.

    Very interested to see how Mikel Arteta approaches the game at Manchester City this weekend because I felt he went there very happy to come away with a 0-0 draw last season. Will he do the game next weekend in their biggest test of the season?

  14. get involved

    Get Involvedpublished at 13:12 British Summer Time 16 September

    #bbcfootball, via WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (standard network charges apply)

    Arsenal can't win the league as Haaland will break his own record for goals scored, unless Man City are docked points early next year. For the sake of all Manchester City have won over the last decade or so, I pray they're innocent of any financial wrongdoing as the Premier League's recent history will be worthless which will devalue everything and everyone's efforts.

    Darren, Nottingham

  15. 'The Premier League will want to show their teeth'published at 13:08 British Summer Time 16 September

    BBC Radio 5 Live

    Sports lawyer Chris Farnell has been speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live ahead of the start of the Premier League investigation into 115 charges against Manchester City.

    Farnell expects the Premier League to use this case to stamp down their authority when it comes to financial issues in football.

    It is alleged City breached its financial rules between 2009 and 2018. City strongly deny all charges and have said their case is supported by a "comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence".

    "All clubs are aware of the rules and regulations for the PSR and the Financial Fair Play," said Farnell.

    "Recently, over the last few years, these sorts of charges clubs have been looked at in terms of the Financial Fair Play, I think the Premier League are attempting to show their teeth with this one and mark their territory."

    On whether City could lose their titles, if found guilty: "I suppose technically they could. I think it’s more likely that, if you look at Glasgow Rangers, that wouldn’t happen potentially, they could put a mark against it, but it’s unlikely that you are going to get your titles stripped away.

    "In my opinion, it’s unlikely they would do that but I think what’s important that there’s litigation that could come out of this, for example, for those teams that did not win the title and did go into Europe, all of these different types of situations could unfold, depending on what is said as a result of this hearing."

    You can listen back to Farnell's interview with BBC Radio 5 Live in full here.

  16. Arsenal expose Spurs weaknessespublished at 13:03 British Summer Time 16 September

    Tottenham 0-1 Arsenal

    Ange Postecoglou looking downImage source, Getty Images

    Arsenal's attention to detail – and small detail can settle matches balanced on fine margins – demonstrated why they inflicted more north London derby pain on Tottenham.

    The screams of delight from the Arsenal analysts at the back of the press box when Gabriel thumped a towering header past Guglielmo Vicario in the 64th minute to give Mikel Arteta's side a crucial 1-0 victory - their third in succession at Spurs - underlined a decisive difference between the two sides.

    Spurs were presented with a huge opportunity to make a statement against their fiercest rivals as the Arsenal teamsheet arrived without captain Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice, absent through injury and suspension, respectively.

    Instead, Ange Postecoglou's side delivered a performance that deteriorated into a morass of poor decisions all over the pitch, shooting and crossing opportunities either passed up or wasted as a degree of panic set in after Gabriel's goal.

    Read the full piece.

  17. 'Each individual charge will be answered'published at 13:00 British Summer Time 16 September

    BBC Radio 5 Live

    Sports lawyer Chris Farnell has been speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live ahead of the start of the Premier League investigation into 115 charges against Manchester City.

    Farnell said that all charges will be individually discussed in the hearing, as opposed to being grouped together.

    "There’s 115 charges. There are breach of Uefa Financial Fair Play charges contained within that. Failure to provide accurate financial information is also part of the charges and failing to cooperate with the enquiries, so there’s three main areas that contain the 115 charges," said Farnell.

    "It’s also fair to say that Manchester City have issued a legal challenge on something that is called the associated party transaction, which means that if you are the owner of a football club and you own a company and that company enters an arrangement with a football club, that has to be independently looked at by the league. Manchester City have challenged that, which is important because if they are successful in that, it may well see that some of the 115 charges are reduced.

    "The penalties that can be imposed are very wide and deliberately so. They could be a fine, they could be a fine and points deductions, they could be also be relegations, so there’s a very wide ambit for the panel to have a look at that.

    "It also may well be the case that Manchester City do not get cleared of these charges that they could be able to appeal those charges, so it might rumble on a little bit further, depending on what the outcome is.

    "Each individual charge will have to be answered by the club."

    You can listen back to Farnell's interview with BBC Radio 5 Live in full here.

  18. Ederson closes in on Premier League recordpublished at 12:56 British Summer Time 16 September

    Manchester City 2-1 Brentford

    EdersonImage source, Getty Images

    Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson became the first goalkeeper in the 2024-25 Premier League season to provide an assist when setting up Erling Haaland's second goal during the 2-1 win over Brentford at the Etihad Stadium.

    That was the Brazilian's fourth assist in the Premier League, which sees him close in on a Premier League record.

    Ederson is joint-second now in history for Premier League assists as a goalkeeper. Only Paul Robinson (five) has more.

    Interestingly, Robinson is among the six goalkeepers with a Premier League goal to their name.

  19. 'Man City's hearing will probably take over two months, but not much more'published at 12:52 British Summer Time 16 September

    BBC Radio 5 Live

    Sports lawyer Chris Farnell has been speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live ahead of the start of the Premier League investigation into 115 charges against Manchester City.

    Farnell expects the process to take more than two months, due to the number of charges, but not much longer than that.

    "The process is also very similar to the way it would be if it was taken to court," Farnell said.

    "It’s a little bit more informal and there will be a chairman. All of the evidence that has been collated by the Premier League will be presented over a period of time and the club will get the chance to defend those claims and ask questions and raise comments as they also see fit. It’s probably going to take over two months or perhaps a little bit longer than that, but not much more.

    "You’ve got to bear in mind that the charges go back to 2009 and over a period of nine seasons, it’s a very long period of time. There will be a lot of information that has had to be collated and obviously, Manchester City have the right to look into that and go through the procedure and prepare their defence, it is a lot of work. I’m really not surprised it’s taken this long."

    You can listen back to Farnell's interview with BBC Radio 5 Live in full here.

  20. What about legal costs?published at 12:47 British Summer Time 16 September

    This specific case is six years in the making, so legal fees on both sides are already estimated at tens of millions of pounds before the hearing even starts.

    Expect whichever side 'wins' to make a claim for costs.

    For context, the Premier League wanted Everton to pay the full £4.9m legal costs of their first PSR six-point deduction case from last season. Everton's lawyer Celia Rooney told the appeal that those figures were “frankly eye-watering”.

    However, an appeal board ruled Everton should pay £1.7m and the Premier League cover the remaining £3.2m legal fees.

    Any costs being paid by the Premier League at the end of the City case would have to be spread across the 20 clubs which make up the league.