And this is where I leave you.
It turned out to be a busy day, as Everton were deducted 10 points by the Premier League, a decision which the club call an “unjust sporting sanction”. Will Unwin has the full story.
Make sure you stick around as a little later on, Scott Murray will be bringing you minute-by-minute updates to England v Malta right here on the Guardian’s website.
Plus, we’ll also have live coverage Armenia v Wales and the biggest WSL action throughout the weekend.
Thank you for joining me!
Have a go at our quizzes and see how many you get.
First, test your knowledge of the stadiums of yesteryear with this picture quiz covering English football and beyond.
And then see if you have been following the biggest stories in cricket, football, skiing, F1, athletics, basketball, boxing, tennis and ice hockey with our sports quiz of the week.
Jamie Carragher shares his feelings on the Everton ruling.
"It feels very excessive and I do feel for Everton."
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 17, 2023
Jamie Carragher believes the 10 point deduction to the Toffees is a harsh punishment. pic.twitter.com/b7HkoUeRAH
Your final thoughts on Everton’s point deduction.
Nick writes:
They’ve been stinking out the division for years and deserve to go down, plus they’ve breached FFP.
Wolfgang questions if honesty is indeed the best policy:
Why is it taking more than a decade for the EPL and FA to do something about Man City. Who refuse to properly open its books of account and is a serial repeat offender in doing so? Man City claimed that they were found “innocent” which is completely untrue as by refusing to open their books Man City hid behind a time bar. Exploiting a loophole. Whereas an honest club like Everton, completely open and transparent, is hit with a massive penalty almost immediately in comparison.
And Neil disagrees with the timing:
The points have been removed immediately, this is unfair on other Clubs in the bottom half of the table. In my opinion, any reduction should take place after the Everton Appeal has been heard and decided upon. Clubs surrounding Everton would then know exactly what their position is. It’s after the appeal that points matter.
Thank you again for all your emails; I thoroughly enjoyed reading all your musings.
Updated
Steve Rotheram, mayor of Liverpool city region, has tweeted that Everton’s point deduction is “an excessive and grossly unfair punishment”.
He says that he will support the club in their appeal.
This is an excessive and grossly unfair punishment for a single charge - and makes a rod for the PL's back in future.
— Steve Rotheram (@MetroMayorSteve) November 17, 2023
I'll be supporting the club in their appeal and writing to the Premier League to ask them to rescind it.
This is about fairness, not partisan rivalry. https://t.co/k4lmDEqr6H
Portsmouth were given a 10 point deduction for twice entering administration.
— Steve Rotheram (@MetroMayorSteve) November 17, 2023
Given that the club were cooperating with the Premier League, this feels wholly disproportionate. https://t.co/eteUX3Je2P
Rotheram also clarified that he supports Liverpool, not Everton, and that his tweets don’t come from a place of bias.
And a Liverpool fan... https://t.co/1TfZ4ZFEkS
— Steve Rotheram (@MetroMayorSteve) November 17, 2023
An update on one of the earlier Euro qualifiers. San Marino, who are notoriously everyone’s favourite opponent to play, have just scored against Kazakhstan to make it 2-1.
It’s their second goal of 2023 and it clearly means quite a lot, if the X admin reaction is anything to go by.
GOL DE SAN MARINO, NO LO PUEDO CREER, ME ESTOY VOLVIENDO LOCO COMPLETAMENTE
— San Marino Fútbol 🇸🇲 (@SanMarinoTeam) November 17, 2023
LO HIZO FRANCIOSI DE CABEZA, LO GRITÓ EL PLANETA ENTERO. HICIMOS DOS GOLES EN DOS PARTIDOS SEGUIDOS. MIRÁ LA ALEGRÍA QUE ME DAS SANMA, ESTOY LLORANDO.
TE AMO SAN MARINO DE MI VIDA 🇸🇲🇸🇲🇸🇲🇸🇲🇸🇲🇸🇲
A rough translation from Google Translate reads: “GOAL FROM SAN MARINO, I CAN’T BELIEVE IT, I’M GOING COMPLETELY CRAZY. FRANCIOSI DID IT WITH HEAD, THE ENTIRE PLANET SCREAMED IT. WE SCORE TWO GOALS IN TWO GAMES IN A ROW. LOOK AT THE JOY YOU GIVE ME SANMA, I’M CRYING. I LOVE YOU SAN MARINO, MY LIFE.”
That is one of many gems, including one where the admin compares goalscorer Simone Franciosi to Kylian Mbappé.
This is why we love the beautiful game.
Earlier, Dominic shared that Kevin De Bruyne may be recovering from injury by spending time in the studio writing hit songs for Canadian rapper Drake.
The Man City midfielder has took to X to deny such claims, much to my dismay.
. @Drake needed an assist. pic.twitter.com/xc8B3sewyS
— Kevin De Bruyne (@KevinDeBruyne) November 17, 2023
all jokes aside, it's not me! Huge fan though!
— Kevin De Bruyne (@KevinDeBruyne) November 17, 2023
I wonder what Drake song best epitomises the situation at Everton.
Let’s get back to Everton. Some more emails have come in.
Paul keeps it short and simple:
Those quick to point the finger at Manchester City, stating they had better be punished commensurately, relative to Everton, are forgetting a key fact. City deny the charges, Everton did not.
MG leaves no mercy:
Quite frankly Everton need to suck this up and get on with it and stop whinging and moaning. This season is the one to get the deduction with three teams all absolutely terrible and if they can beat that lot by ten points then they don’t deserve to be in the EPL. Oh and how £300M+ losses got whittled down to £124M is enough of a let off.
Ian from Vancouver says:
As Rafa once said, Everton are small club. They just got smaller. As with players, big clubs, like City or maybe Chelsea, can buy better lawyers. There lies the lesson of the Premier League.
Shaun questions why the ruling isn’t applied to everyone else:
I just wanted to reiterate something that Jamie Carragher mentioned in his tweet. Whatever you think of Everton – six teams literally tried to leave the league and set up a rival competition, and received ZERO punishment. Zip. Nada. Everton may deserve some sort of punishment but you can see why many people’s first reaction is “one rule for the glamour clubs, another for everyone else”.
And Tim is ready to carve some amendments on some trophies:
Perhaps one positive thing about this FFP debacle is that the Premier League trophy is quite big. Plenty of room to add lots of asterisks (should it come to that).
Thank you for all the emails; I am trying to get through them all! If you have anything you want to share, send me your thoughts.
Tonight, England continue their Euro qualifiers against Malta. Four decades ago, Malta were involved in one of the mos bizarre qualifiers you will ever have heard of. Spain needed 11 goals to win. And then they beat Malta 12-1.
It’s unlikely that we’ll see 13 goals scored at Wembley in a few hours, so here are the highlights of this infamous game from 1983.
And here is Steven Pye on the suspicions surrounding the match. Were the Malta players bribed? Did any shady meetings between national officials take place? Was the referee fair and unbiased? Read on to find out.
Updated
And in Asia, South Korea began their World Cup qualifying campaign with a 5-0 win over Singapore. Son Heung-min scored this beauty to mark his 39th goal for the national team.
[GOAL] 대한민국🇰🇷 3-0 🇸🇬싱가포르
— theKFA (@theKFA) November 16, 2023
손흥민존에서 나온 환상적인 감아차기골!⚽
이 공간은 손흥민이 지배합니다!🔥#대한민국 #축구국가대표팀 #월드컵 #2차예선 #다시카타르 #아시아_정상을_향해 pic.twitter.com/kXVe010gxi
The Spurs captain later received treatment after going down and was forced to limp back on the pitch as there were no substitutions left for South Korea.
After the game, he said:
We are making a team for the World Cup, I can’t give up a game just because I feel pain. If I can’t run any more, then I can’t do anything about it but when I can run, I have to give 100% for the team. I am fine now, I don’t like to lie down [on the pitch] in the winter. I’m fine, no injury.
Earlier, Dominic brought you updates on last night’s Euro 2024 qualifiers and CONEMBOL’s World Cup qualifiers. We also had some Africa World Cup qualifiers.
Like his Liverpool counterparts Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez, Mohamed Salah got on the scoresheet, scoring the first four goals in Egypt’s 6-0 win against Djibouti. Egypt are looking to qualify for the 2026 World Cup after missing out on Qatar.
Nigeria, without injured Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, were held to a 1-1 draw by Lesotho, who are 113 places below them in the FIFA rankings.
Algeria managed a 3-1 home win over Somalia, but both Riyad Mahrez and Amine Gouiri both struggled and were hooked at half-time by head coach Djamel Belmadi.
Man City manager Gareth Taylor said in his press conference today that he is “looking forward” to his side playing at Old Trafford on Sunday in the upcoming Manchester derby. More than 40,000 tickets have been sold for the Women’s Super League match.
On playing in men’s stadiums, Taylor said:
I’m really looking forward to it, I think it’s great. It would be nice if that became more normal – that type of occasion. I’m sure the way things are going it will be. I’m excited. It’s my first time at Old Trafford as a coach and I’m looking forward to the experience. I’m expecting a lively derby.
On bouncing back after two straight defeats in the league:
In general, though, the play has been good. The top end of the pitch is where we need to be more ruthless and finish off the opportunities we create – or create better opportunities in some cases. Each game is so, so important. There’s none you can neglect. A draw or a defeat can really hit you hard because it’s so tight in the margins with the minimal number of games we play.
A quick break from Everton and the intricate world of football business to celebrate 365 days of Luton Town manager Rob Edwards.
The club have posted an X thread with 12 of their favourite moments to celebrate 12 months in charge, and here are the standouts.
Leading us out at Wembley. 🫡 pic.twitter.com/YbUqwPHlqm
— Luton Town FC (@LutonTown) November 17, 2023
Lifting the trophy! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/C4YSwjyUJf
— Luton Town FC (@LutonTown) November 17, 2023
Beer. pic.twitter.com/UF7Xf99hh2
— Luton Town FC (@LutonTown) November 17, 2023
Thanks again, Dominic; great coverage as always.
So much of today’s news has been dominated by what punishments other clubs will receive, including Chelsea.
This story that has just dropped from Rob Davies investigates how two of the most powerful men in football, Pinhas ‘Pini’ Zahavi and Roman Abramovich, controlled the careers of 21 young players.
The investigation details how young men who entered contracts were in effect bought and sold like chattels, listed as assets on company balance sheets in service to a machine in which their own interests were all but irrelevant.
All too often, players told the Guardian and its partners, they were sucked in by grand promises that vanished into thin air, leaving their dreams – and their careers – in tatters.
Right, it’s back to Yara to guide you through the final few hours of your week.
That Friday feeling is calling … although probably not if you support Everton.
Sheffield United, Luton and Burnley are not getting many positive reviews from today’s readers, I must say …
Ryan Grimward emails in to react to the Everton news.
Everton will be absolutely fine. Instead of being firmly mid-table they’ll end up lower mid-table. The three promoted sides are so poor that it could’ve been -20 and Everton would probably still be comfortably safe.
Jude Bellingham will not be in action for England tonight after pulling out of the squad with a shoulder injury, but there’s better news for Real Madrid fans with the midfielder back in training today.
Jude Bellingham is back in training, finally some light in the darknesspic.twitter.com/1Rqil9i1Dw
— Dr Yash (@YashRMFC) November 17, 2023
Some more correspondence has come in.
James Bennett says: “Everton should suck it up, cough up compensation for Leeds/ Leicester/ Burnley et al, take the points deduction and thank their lucky stars. There is no better season for this to happen to them. Even with the points deduction they should be aiming for mid table mediocrity and a positive future in a new stadium. Any other season it would be relegation followed by financial Armageddon.”
Paul Burns adds: “Three points from safety with 26 to play? This Everton fan is not even a little bit worried. The boys will take care of business. My thoughts re Leicester and Leeds whingeing are not remotely printable.”
Former Everton goalkeeper Neville Southall has spoken to the BBC about today’s news.
“It has been coming so it is no surprise. But at the end of the day they knew it was coming and if they are doing Everton they are doing other clubs as well. Otherwise it is discrimination against one club.
“All it will do is galvanise the players, the manager and the fans into one, which is a good thing, but they must appeal as that is what everyone does.
“However, if I was them I would just take it and get it out of the way. They are playing well and the Premier League is not a great league from the bottom half down, so we have a chance of winning that little bit of a league.
“It sounds harsh and horrendous but if you broke the rules, you broke the rules - just suck it up.”
Away from Everton for a moment and various reports suggest Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s deal to purchase a stake of 25% of Manchester United will be completed and announced today.
Ratcliffe’s INEOS Sports group are taking sporting control of United, with Richard Arnold leaving his role as CEO earlier in the week, and with a hunt for his permanent successor and reportedly a new sporting director in the works.
Another email. And Patrick Brennan has a prediction for us.
It really is going to be an extraordinary moment when Man City are deducted 10 x 115 points, isn’t it…
My breath is baited.
Thanks Yara. This has caused an almighty stir, hasn’t it? And so it should.
The chief executive of non-profit organisation Fair Game, Niall Couper, has commented:
The tragic case of Everton proves not just why football needs a regulator, but why it needs a regulator with real teeth and real power.
Everton should never have been allowed to get into this mess in the first place. Football needs a culture change.
The long term solution is remarkably simple. Football needs a fairer financial flow. Incentivise good behaviour. Redirect the game’s billions to reward well run clubs.
Fair Game is a fast-growing band of clubs that is campaigning to improve football governance across the country.
Dominic is back (insert applause) and will tide you over with some more reaction. I will be back soon.
Updated
Some emails have come in.
Antony writes:
Hi Yara, in reply to Nick, the Leicester fan (entry at 12.55pm GMT). No idea why he’s worrying. They are at the top and would probably have to employ Frank Lampard at this point to not get automatically promoted. Secondly the FA is already helping them anyway with the ma-hoo-sive parachute payments.
Jeremy also has thoughts regarding Leicester:
Given the fact that the points deduction could and should have been made LAST season, not this, I am wondering if Leicester City’s lawyers have got the Premiership’s lawyers on speed-dial this afternoon. The ifs and buts are potentially massive and you’d think there was a case to answer there. I’m not anti-Everton, my one and only visit to Goodison was also the one and only occasion I saw Gordon Banks playing, a privilege.
Yes, this decision seems to have massive implications for other clubs. Will be really interesting to see how it all unfolds. And very cool re: Banks.
I’ve also gotten some emails from those with little sympathy for Everton.
Oliver says:
A lot of the defence of Everton seems to be predicated on a foundation of ‘What about these other clubs that have probably also done it’? Surely it doesn’t really matter if other clubs have, or haven’t, broken the rules, but just that all are treated appropriately and proportionate when a final decision on the potential rule breaking is made if they’re found guilty?
Gary chimes in with:
Whilst I appreciate the hysteria from others with definitely no self-interest and only football’s future at heart to get out the flaming torches for City and Chelsea immediately – there’s a very real difference. Everton’s offences were never challenged, it’s all there in the accounts, there was no investigation, it was all about what the appropriate reaction.
And Daniel adds:
My only comment really is break the rules, suffer the consequences. Everton freely admit they broke the rules so I’m not sure why they’re surprised at the consequences. Footballs clubs and fans always think they’re hard done by, in almost any given situation. And until Man City’s case is resolved, it’s no good pointing the finger at them either.
I do wonder how this news would be received if Everton were … better at football.
Everton’s first match following the point deduction will be against Manchester United on 26 November at Goodison Park.
Because of the international break, we won’t be getting any immediate reaction from Sean Dyche, but questions on his feeling towards the deduction will surely be asked in the buildup to the game.
Everton, Man City, 115 FFP, the ev, Meanwhile City, Sean Dyche, and Financial Fair Play are just some of the many terms trending on X right now in reaction to the news of the club’s point deduction.
Here is some more social media reaction from fans, and former players including Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville.
The 10 point deduction for Everton is excessive & not right, considering they have been working with the PL about this for the last couple of years.
— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) November 17, 2023
Would it have been better to be evasive & try & drag it out like other clubs?
No doubt relegated clubs will have put big…
With @Everton being docked 10 points it will be very interesting to see if other clubs are sanctioned.
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) November 17, 2023
when i think of financial crimes in the Premier League, it’s definitely EVERTON that stands out as the most egregious to me. absolutely. for sure.
— Aaron West (@oeste) November 17, 2023
We had about 3 weeks where everything didn’t seem filled with doom and despair for Everton, was nice while it lasted x
— Marva (@MarvaMSK) November 17, 2023
If Everton's ownership was stronger, helped the PL globalise the product, had won trophies with the help of global sponsors that may or may not exist and had been symbolic of a non-European nation, this points deduction won't have been imposed. If you know, you know.
— Kaustubh Pandey (@Kaus_Pandey17) November 17, 2023
Have any thoughts that you want to share? Send me an email!
Updated
What is financial fair play? FFP has become a shorthand used to describe more than one set of regulations but its origins are in a 2009 review by European football’s governing body. Uefa was concerned at the number of clubs spending more than they were earning and racking up unsustainable debts that threatened their survival.
Rob Davies’s explainer, which was in reaction to the news that Chelsea is facing an FA and Premier League investigation for possible FFP breaches, further explains the rules, and why Chelsea, Manchester City, and Everton are involved.
Commenting on the decision, Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, said:
Today’s announcement will be deeply disappointing for Everton fans, and for everyone who wants to see the English game thrive in a fair and sustainable way.
It is clear that the status quo cannot continue, and so I repeat my call for the Government to urgently introduce the Football Governance Bill, as announced in the King’s Speech, to enable a statutory independent regulator to be in place as soon as possible.
The MP is referring to the government’s plan to put a football governance bill before parliament in the coming year, confirming the legislation that will create an independent regulator for the game.
More on that below.
Updated
Premier League statement on Everton’s points penalty
An independent Commission has imposed an immediate deduction of 10 points on Everton FC for a breach of the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSRs).
The Premier League issued a complaint against the Club and referred the case to an independent Commission earlier this year. During the proceedings, the Club admitted it was in breach of the PSRs for the period ending Season 2021/22 but the extent of the breach remained in dispute.
Following a five-day hearing last month, the Commission determined that Everton FC’s PSR Calculation for the relevant period resulted in a loss of £124.5million, as contended by the Premier League, which exceeded the threshold of £105million permitted under the PSRs. The Commission concluded that a sporting sanction in the form of a 10-point deduction should be imposed. That sanction has immediate effect.
Alongside their statement, the Premier League have included the Commission’s full written reasons for the ruling and a further decision by the Chair of the Commission regarding applications from Leicester, Burnley, Southampton, Leeds and Nottingham Forest.
They have also added their Profitability and Sustainability Rules from the Premier League handbook and how it deals with investigations and independent Commissions.
Thanks Dominic, sterling shift on what has been a busy afternoon. Here’s an update on how the Premier League stands with the point deduction.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man City | 12 | 20 | 28 |
| 2 | Liverpool | 12 | 17 | 27 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 12 | 16 | 27 |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 12 | 9 | 26 |
| 5 | Aston Villa | 12 | 12 | 25 |
| 6 | Man Utd | 12 | -3 | 21 |
| 7 | Newcastle | 12 | 14 | 20 |
| 8 | Brighton | 12 | 4 | 19 |
| 9 | West Ham | 12 | -1 | 17 |
| 10 | Chelsea | 12 | 5 | 16 |
| 11 | Brentford | 12 | 2 | 16 |
| 12 | Wolverhampton | 12 | -4 | 15 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace | 12 | -4 | 15 |
| 14 | Nottm Forest | 12 | -4 | 13 |
| 15 | Fulham | 12 | -10 | 12 |
| 16 | AFC Bournemouth | 12 | -16 | 9 |
| 17 | Luton | 12 | -12 | 6 |
| 18 | Sheff Utd | 12 | -21 | 5 |
| 19 | Everton | 12 | -3 | 4 |
| 20 | Burnley | 12 | -21 | 4 |
Everton are second bottom, only ahead of Burnley on goal difference. They are only two points from safety.
As for other clubs that are being investigated by the Premier League, Chelsea are firmly in mid-table, while Manchester City lead the table.
I’m going to hand the reins to Yara El-Shaboury for an hour or so while I grab a quick break. You’re in very capable hands.
Nick Marchini emails in…
I’m a Leicester fan and surely the other action the FA should take now is to give LCFC automatic promotion from the Championship.
It doesn’t look like that’s on the table for you guys, Nick.
— Everton (@Everton) November 17, 2023
There’s understandable anger from Everton fans all over social media following that breaking news. The FFP probes into Chelsea and Manchester City are obvious comparison points for many supporters. The City verdict has, of course, not been returned yet.
Everton’s deduction should be a reminder to everyone that Manchester City have 115 charges against their names and the Premier League should push to punish them immediately. #LFC
— The Anfield Talk (@TheAnfieldTalk) November 17, 2023
This manager, This team will need us more than ever.
— 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗲 𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗲𝘀 (@EvertonNewsFeed) November 17, 2023
They took on the wrong club. pic.twitter.com/dYfsLdfuwT
How the Premier League table now looks after Everton’s points deduction. Eesh. We’ll hear plenty more about this throughout the day, for sure.
15 Fulham 12pts
16 Bournemouth 9pts
17 Luton 6pts
18 Sheff Utd 5pts
19 Everton 4pts
20 Burnley 4pts
Everton statement on points penalty
Everton Football Club is both shocked and disappointed by the ruling of the Premier League’s Commission.
The club believes that the commission has imposed a wholly disproportionate and unjust sporting sanction. The club has already communicated its intention to appeal the decision to the Premier League. The appeal process will now commence.
Everton maintains that it has been open and transparent in the information it has provided to the Premier League and that it has always respected the integrity of the process. The club does not recognise the finding that it failed to act with the utmost good faith and it does not understand this to have been an allegation made by the Premier League during the course of proceedings. Both the harshness and severity of the sanction imposed by the commission are neither a fair nor a reasonable reflection of the evidence submitted.
The club will also monitor with great interest the decisions made in any other cases concerning the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules.
Everton deducted 10 points after FFP probe
Everton have been docked 10 points after being found guilty of breaching Premier League financial fair play rules in the biggest points deduction in the league’s history.
The club could now be sued by Leeds, Leicester and Burnley with the investigation regarding finances from the 2021/22 season. Everton narrowly survived relegation in both 21/22 and 22/23 at the expense of the three aforementioned clubs. They indend to appeal.
Huge breaking news in the Premier League. Here’s the full story:
England’s Under-17s are currently taking on Brazil, in a huge test, the kind that just might mould a few stars of the future. It’s goalless after 17 minutes. This is the lineup.
#YoungLions team to face Brazil! 🏴🇧🇷
— England (@England) November 17, 2023
Watch today's final #U17WC Group C game on https://t.co/64fFJxfpt8 (KO 12pm GMT). pic.twitter.com/Ouhoa4kYXY
Goals win games. And winning by 11 goals gets you qualified for tournaments, sometimes.
Impressive.
The numbers behind our impressive Old Trafford record 👀💪
— Manchester United Women (@ManUtdWomen) November 17, 2023
Time is running out to secure your seat for Sunday 🎟️⤵️#MUWomen || #WSL
It’s derby day in Manchester on Sunday, as United host City in a huge WSL clash. The Reds are two points better off than the Blues after six games of the season and with 40,000 tickets sold for the game at Old Trafford, Manchester United head coach Marc Skinner is justifiably excited.
It’s huge. What’s great is that we’re entering the realm where we’re spoken about because football in our city, at Old Trafford, at the Etihad, in the men’s game, consistently brings crowds in.
But actually the women’s teams doing the same I think is really important because what it does is show the love for football in this wonderful city. We have to keep growing that.
I want to sell out Old Trafford on a consistent basis. I want to be able to do that because our fans love the product that we put on the field. That is going to be an aspiration of mine, as well as winning things for the club.
Lionel Messi lamented Argentina’s first defeat since their opening game of the 2022 World Cup, as Bielsa’s Uruguay triumphed 2-0 in Buenos Aires last night.
It’s also the first time Messi has failed to score for his nation since their victory over Poland in the same tournament. Goals from Ronald Araújo and Darwin Núñez were enough for a shock Uruguay win.
“We never felt comfortable,” said Messi. “The loss is a good test for us. They are an intense team and it was difficult for us to play our game.
“They have physical and fast players in the midfield. We didn’t find a way to possess the ball for a long period of time.”
As the kids say, I’m just gonna leave this here …
👀🎶 According to Spotify, Kevin De Bruyne is one of the writers for Drake’s new track ‘Wick Man’…
— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) November 17, 2023
Even when he’s not playing he still finds a way to assist someone 😅 pic.twitter.com/cmPC9nhjI1
McTominay has 10 goals in his past 21 appearances for Scotland and Manchester United, by the way. Not bad for a player so often criticised, especially by supporters of his club. Here’s that interview in video form for you.
Scott McTominay was less than impressed with the antics from some Georgia players in Scotland’s 2-2 draw last night, accusing them of play-acting and trying to provoke the officials. Six yellow cards and 32 fouls were awarded in a frustrating stop-start contest.
Every game at this level is big, and obviously they have got some really, really good footballers but tonight I thought the way they were acting was a disgrace in terms of provoking the referee as well.
Anyway, that’s football and that’s sometimes the way it goes. We have to keep our heads but it’s difficult. There’s some disappointed people in the dressing room but I feel like it’s something we can build on after coming back twice. They should do something about people pretending that they’re injured when they’re not.
It’s a difficult one to call but rolling around, crying like babies all afternoon is not football. For us, we just wanted to get on with the game and play. Whereas the other side was provoking the referee a lot.
Manchester City handed Erling Haaland injury scare
It turns out Erling Haaland isn’t a bionic man after all. It seems the striker twisted his ankle after coming on for Norway in a 2-0 friendly win over the Faroe Islands yesterday.
Haaland has had some ankle trouble this season, but this is a major scare for Manchester City who face Liverpool in a huge Premier League game on Saturday 25 November when the Premier League returns. He did finish the game but requires treatment on the injury.
Norway team doctor Ola Sand spoke to Norwegian media outlet TV2 about the injury. Sand said: “It was much of the same that happened against Bournemouth a week-and-a-half ago. He has had it before too. He gets a slight twist in his ankle, where he is a bit vulnerable. It hurts a lot right away, and then it goes away pretty quickly. Then we’ll see tomorrow how he is then. Now he will receive some treatment, then there will be peace and rest and then we will see how he is tomorrow morning.”
Updated
Trent Alexander-Arnold is sick of being at the centre of a tedious simmering England selection debate, by the sounds of it. He wants to start for Southgate’s Three Lions and help them win a tournament.
Genuine question: does he merit a start in midfield, given England’s scarcity of options in there? Right-back is a far tougher nut to crack.
Quiz time! Can you beat my score of 10/15 on this? Probably.
It’s not every day that Argentina and Brazil both lose competitive games at the same time. Marcelo Bielsa and Darwin Núñez is a match made in heaven, isn’t it?
🇺🇾💥 Darwin Núñez (24) made no mistake in the 87th minute…
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) November 17, 2023
Bielsa's Uruguay with a big 2-0 win vs Argentina. They also beat Brazil the game before. pic.twitter.com/TEl13k6LqR
Who has qualified for Euro 2024?
In Group A of European Championship qualifying, Spain and Scotland are both through to the finals; it’s merely a case of who finishes top and gets the higher seeding for the draw.
France have a perfect record in Group B and are qualified. The Netherlands can take a big step to joining them if they beat Ireland tomorrow (Saturday), but Greece are still in the hunt.
England are through from Group C and will be assured of top spot with a win over Malta tonight. If Italy beat North Macedonia they’ll be locked on 13 points with second placed Ukraine.
Both Wales and Croatia face vital games tomorrow in their battle to join Türkiye in qualifying from Group D.
Group E is a major tussle, with nobody yet assured of qualification, but Albania, Czechia, Poland and even Moldova still in the mix. Some big games tonight in that group.
Meanwhile, Austria and Belgium have both sailed through Group F; Hungary’s dramatic 2-2 draw with Bulgaria last night was enough for them to seal their spot in the finals, with Montenegro in the hunt for second with Serbia.
Slovenia and Denmark are joint top of Group H but neither are over the line yet, while the same goes for Switzerland and Romania at the Group I summit.
Portugal’s 2-0 win against Liechtenstein last night maintained their perfect record through qualification – they’ll be at Euro 2024, joined by Slovakia who took second in Group J with a 4-2 triumph over Iceland.
With Germany qualified automatically as hosts, and three teams to qualify via the Nations League, there are 10 more places to be claimed in this international break.
This is a cracking read on the 30th anniversary of a historic night of international football. Look away if your name is Paul Bodin.
Euro 2024 qualifiers – let’s have a run through tonight’s fixtures and shortly (when my brain has fully woken up) we’ll go through what some of the major nations need to qualify.
Tonight:
England v Malta (the big one!!)
Italy v North Macedonia
Moldova v Albania
Poland v Czechia
Kazakhstan v San Marino
Finland v Northern Ireland
Denmark v Slovenia
In other international football news last night, Scotland left it late to salvage a point against Georgia. The Tartan Army have already booked their tickets for Euro 2024 but are gunning to finish top of the group. Lawrence Shankland clinched a point in stoppage time in Tbilisi.
Luis Díaz scores against Brazil while father weeps in stands
An emotional Luis Díaz scored a brace in Colombia’s stunning 2-1 victory over Brazil in Barranquilla last night, as his father watched on in the stands and wept next to his wife.
Luis Manuel Díaz had been held captive for 12 days in a mountainous region by a guerrilla group, before being released and reunited with his family. When Liverpool star Díaz scored against Luton a fortnight ago, he’d revealed a t-shirt that said ‘Libertad Para Papa’ – freedom for dad.
Díaz’s two headers helped Colombia down Brazil in World Cup qualifying for the first time in 15 matches, after Gabriel Martinelli’s early strike for the Seleção. This is what the Liverpool winger said afterwards:
I thank God. He makes it all possible. We have always lived tough moments, but life makes you strong and brave. So is soccer and so is life. We deserved this victory.
Brazil goalkeeper and Liverpool teammate Alisson said:
He is a friend, he suffered a lot these days. This is beyond soccer, he deserves it.
Updated
Preamble
Good morning and welcome to our regular Friday offering of live football news. It’s often a little quieter than usual in the international break, but football being football there’ll be more than enough to tide us over through the day: from reaction to last night’s Euro 2024 qualifiers and other internationals around the world, to previewing this weekend’s Women’s Super League. So make a coffee and stick around … why not, eh?
