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The Premier League has endorsed Michael Oliver’s contentious issuing of four red cards following the explosive full-time scenes at Wednesday’s electric draw between Everton and Liverpool.

In a showdown that will be remembered as an instant Merseyside derby classic, the arch-enemies battled to a gripping 2-2 stalemate, culminating with James Tarkowski’s dramatic stoppage-time equaliser for Everton. Liverpool’s manager Arne Slot and his right-hand-man Sipke Hulshoff were incensed by the decision to let Tarkowski’s last-gasp goal stand.Despite VAR examinations for potential foul play or offside in the lead-up to Everton’s late goal, the system confirmed the on-pitch ruling. The official statement from the Premier League declared: “The referee’s call of goal was checked and confirmed by the VAR, who established that Doucoure was in an onside position in the build-up.”The aftermath saw both Slot and Hulshoff heatedly engage with referee Oliver, resulting in red cards for the managerial pair. Prior to their dismissals, tensions had flared into an all-out scrap involving players from both sides after Everton’s Abdoulaye Doucoure antagonised visiting supporters
Curtis Jones of Liverpool reacted by pushing Doucoure, igniting further skirmishes among the players, reports the Mirror. As police and stewards scrambled to defuse the chaos, things took a darker turn when a projectile from the crowd struck Everton keeper Jordan Pickford.

Subsequently, Jones and Doucoure received their marching orders, with these decisions now receiving the Premier League’s full backing. A statement said: “The referee issued second yellow cards and red cards to Curtis Jones and Abdoulaye Doucoure following an altercation after the final whistle. Arne Slot and his assistant Sipke Hulshoff were also shown straight red cards after the final whistle.”Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk, stepping in for a silenced Arne Slot due to the latter’s sending-off, gave an initial reaction filled with criticism towards Everton’s player Doucoure. “This is their cup final. We saw it last year, and this year it’s a big blow. Doucoure wanted to provoke our fans. Curtis didn’t think that was the right thing to do. I think the referee didn’t have the game in control; I said that to him,” vented Van Dijk.

“It was a very big provocation from one certain player. We all saw it and reacted as a team as we were able to do. You know what happens nowadays, it becomes one big tussle. Then it is not me who has to deal with it, it is the referee and today I am not sure he had it fully under control.”On the other side, Everton manager David Moyes expressed disappointment with Doucoure’s behaviour but couldn’t hide his joy over snatching a point from their rivals. “Mental probably sums it up. A brilliant finish for us, to finish the last Goodison Merseyside derby and score in the last minute is in a way fitting. [Tarkowski] had the quality which was the one that really mattered,” he reflected to TNT Sports.”I’m disappointed with Doucoure because we need him, we’re down on numbers at the moment. We’ve got to be careful what we do. Discipline is never easy sometimes in these games and tonight was a game where quite easily sending offs happen.”

Club officials of Everton, Nottingham Forest and Leicester City could run the risk of imprisonment or fines after Stake became the latest gambling firm to lose its UK licence after a probe into a porn ad on social media.
The Gambling Commission will write to Everton – sponsored by Stake – as well as Nottingham Forest (Kaiyun) and the Foxes (BC Game) to “warn them of the risks of promoting unlawful gambling websites”.

Everton’s sponsor must close its UK operations next month as a result of an investigation into a video featuring the porn actress Bonnie Blue which was branded with the firm’s logo. Everton can retain Stake as a sponsor but the club must take steps to ensure that the betting company complies with its pledge to cease UK business. Blue has not been accused of wrongdoing by the Gambling Commission.
The Gambling Commission made the call after an investigation into a video, branded with the Stake logo, which featured a stunt involving actress Blue at Nottingham Trent University. The video was widely shared on social media but was never posted from an official Stake account.

Gambling Commission letter

“The Commission will seek assurance from the clubs that they have carried out due diligence on their white label partners and that consumers in Great Britain cannot transact with the unlicensed sites,” they added.
“The letter will warn that club officers may be liable to prosecution and, if convicted, face a fine, imprisonment or both if they promote unlicensed gambling businesses that transact with consumers in Great Britain.”
The controversial Stake-branded video led to campaigners urging culture secretary Lisa Nandy to take action over what was said to be the use of sexual content, likely aimed at young people, to promote gambling.
“When an operator leaves the British gambling market we expect an orderly closure of its website to consumers in Great Britain and this includes providing consumers with clear information on how to obtain their funds,” the Commission added.

“If a customer has questions concerning their account they should contact the operator via its website.”
Stake describes itself as the “world’s leading cryptocurrency casino and sportsbook”.

This evening, all eyes will be on the highly anticipated clash between Celtic and Bayern Munich at Parkhead. The two powerhouses will play out the first leg of their Champions League play-off tie in Glasgow, before the six-time European champions hosts the Hoops in Bavaria next week.

After finishing inside the top 24 in the new league stage of the UCL, Celtic must beat Bayern to earn their place in the knockouts. Naturally, a lot of eyes have been on these two clubs recently and fans have noticed something about Bayern Munich over the weeks

Despite hosting four Champions League fixtures so far this season, Vincent Kompany’s side have not yet been seen wearing their iconic red home strip. After it was flagged that Bayern have only been sporting their away and third kits this tournament, it has since been revealed that UEFA had banned the players from wearing their home kit.

Bayern have reportedly been made aware of this issue and are expected to make changes, with the black numbers and letters to be switched out whites ones.

Typically, Bayern would be able to wear their home kit against Celtic, due to no clashes in colours with the famous green and white. However, these proposed changes to the kit will not be completed in time for tonight’s match at Celtic Park.

It also remains to be seen whether Bayern will made the amendments in time for the second leg, meaning the hosts could wear an alternative kit despite being on home soil.

Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr. has established himself as one of the most decisive players in the UEFA Champions League.
In fact, the Brazilian forward has now provided more assists than legendary Lionel Messi in this phase of the competition, achieving this feat in significantly fewer matches

While Messi recorded 12 assists in the Champions League knockouts throughout his career, Vinicius has already surpassed that tally with 13 assists despite playing 50 games fewer.
However, when it comes to goals in the latter stages of the tournament, Messi’s numbers remain on another level.
The Argentine forward has scored an astonishing 49 goals in Champions League knockout matches across 77 appearances.
This incredible record will take years for Vinicius or any other player to come close to matching, highlighting Messi’s long-standing dominance in European football.

Despite the challenge of reaching Messi’s goal tally, Vinicius continues to improve his attacking output for Real Madrid. So far this season, the Brazilian has been in outstanding form, consistently delivering in crucial moments.
Across all competitions, he has found the back of the net 16 times, with seven of those goals coming in the Champions League and eight in La Liga. Alongside his goal-scoring exploits, he has also been a creative force, registering 11 assists in all competitions.
Vinicius has cemented his place as one of the most dangerous forwards in world football. His ability to provide key passes, take on defenders, and score important goals makes him a crucial asset for Real Madrid in their pursuit of silverware this season.

As he continues to develop, the Brazilian will have the opportunity to further enhance his record in the Champions League if Real Madrid beat Manchester City in the second leg and move closer to the remarkable standards set by the likes of Messi

Manchester City must beat Real Madrid next week to progress in the Champions League after throwing away a 2-1 lead with four minutes remaining in the first leg at the Etihad.
With a fully-stocked defence for the first time this season, City looked more like their old selves and took the lead when Erling Haaland converted Josko Gvardiol’s chest down after good play from Jack Grealish.

Manu Akanji and Grealish had to go off through injury and Kylian Mbappe’s equaliser off his shin added some nerves in the second half. But Phil Foden’s jinking run won a penalty for Haaland to convert late on only for Brahim Diaz’s goal against his former club and Jude Bellingham’s injury-time winner to leave City with an almighty test next week.

Ruben Dias gave an Iberian flick of the wrists in frustration as Jude Bellingham celebrated his winner, and most City teammates just stood in disbelief. Erling Haaland was seething.

When the final whistle blew moments later, Haaland turned to the tunnel and started walking. He offered a handshake to the passing Carlo Ancelotti, and looked angry at something Kylian Mbappe said on the way past.

Then he headed to the dressing room, ignoring anyone else and ensuring he was the first there. City’s Portuguese players consoled Ederson, who had played brilliantly for large parts but was beaten by Vinicius to knock the ball into Bellingham’s path.
And as City’s beaten men trudged into the dressing room, it was Rodri who was waiting to shake the hands of each player and substitute in sympathy. Even without playing, he was there to offer support.
After the squad had departed, Vinicius Jr grinned like a Cheshire cat holding up his UEFA Player of the Match award. Finally, a trophy for the Brazilian – and maybe a place in the Champions League knockouts.

It isn’t set in stone, but you often see away teams jog out first to warm up at the Etihad, followed by City’s starters and then their substitutes over a leisurely period of time. But this was not like any other game, and Real Madrid like to make a point of doing things their way.
They release their team an hour before they have to and have no issue in doing so, and only gave themselves a 15 minute warm-up at the Etihad – coming out long after City had begun theirs.
They jogged past Rodri, who was on the touchline watching the City warm-ups with the ineligible Vitor Reis. Real have made it clear what they think about Rodri’s Ballon d’Or win, and Rodri made a point of staring at the Real players who were only focussed on running in the other direction.

City treated this warm-up more seriously, too. There was no sporadic arrival of substitutes, with all 23 squad players coming out at the same time to show a united front. It felt like a group of players treating the game like it was bigger than the usual Etihad fixture.

If City could try and distance themselves from the antagonistic ‘Stop Crying Your Heart Out’ banner depicting Rodri kissing his Ballon d’Or (despite having the ability to veto it), they had full control over the decision to play Freed From Desire as the final song over the PA system before kick-off.

Cue a stadium-wide rendition of ‘Rodri’s on Fire’. Then the banner was unfurled across the whole of the South Stand. Rodri got his phone out to take a picture – an image that itself went viral.
Pep Guardiola said the subject was over, but the pre-match antics suggested it wasn’t quite.

Vinicius Jr was roundly booed whenever he got the ball for his role in the Ballon d’Or feud and there were huge cheers when he lost the ball in the opening stages. ‘Where’s your Ballon d’Or?’ asked the City faithful throughout the evening.
Grealish’s telling reaction
Jack Grealish opened up on the difficulties of 2024 on and off the pitch this week, hoping for a better 2025. January followed the pattern of the previous year, but February has seen a recall to the starting line up and a surprise vote of confidence against Real.

It felt like 2023 all over again with Guardiola’s team selection and that could only be a good thing for Grealish. That was, until he went down on his haunches and signalled to come off – never a good sign.

And Grealish looked devastated when he passed Guardiola and headed down the tunnel with a slight limp. He knew his big chance to produce in a big game, therefore proving his worth again to Guardiola, was gone in that moment.
Last season when a similar thing happened at Luton he was in tears on the bench and you would not blame him for a similar reaction in the dressing room. This was another enforced step back in a season that continues to frustrate.

The Brazilian vowed to come back even stronger after being snubbed for the 2024 Golden Ball – but has looked well short of his usual brilliance.

Vinicius Jr would do it 10 times if he had to. At least, that’s what he told us. The Real Madrid winger, hours after being narrowly pipped to the 2024 Ballon d’Or by Manchester City’s Rodri, promised a glorious response. He would turn it on, find his groove, and prove to everyone that a mistake was made, that the wrong man won. Vinicius’ ‘Revenge Tour’ was on.
Except, not quite. Since that social media post, fired off on October 29, Vinicius has been well below his usual levels, with any Ballon d’Or bid seemingly on ice. There are somewhere between three and five players who are more likely to win it than him right now, with one of those a team-mate in Madrid.

And so we arrive at Los Blancos’ Champions League knockout play-off against Man City. Neither side really wants to be here, and if UEFA had their way, both would be waiting eagerly in the last 16 for the winner of one of these fixtures. But they will meet all the same – with one of the competition’s presumptive favourites going home before it feels like the real competition has begun.

This is the kind of moment that Vinicius was, presumably, talking about. The knockouts of these competitions are where Ballons d’Or are won, where the stars stand up. And while last year Vini felt he was the red-hot talent robbed of his trophy, he is now coming into a crucial fixture short of his best and with plenty to prove if he is to finally get his hands on the Golden Ball.

Robbed?

The 2024 Ballon d’Or has certainly come back into focus this week as Madrid travel to the Etihad Stadium. As a reminder: Real Madrid got word that Vinicius wouldn’t win, and were so outraged, that they boycotted the glitzy ceremony in Paris, went on a fairly aggressive media campaign brushing aside the whole thing as a nonsense, and did everything they could to prove that Vinicius was the best footballer in the world.
In truth, it really was a toss up. Petulance aside – and there was plenty of it – this felt like a rare football debate with nuance and valid points from both sides. Vinicius lost and Rodri won; it happens.

In response, Vinicius promised that he would show the world what he was made of. With Rodri already out for the season with an ACL tear at that point, and with Madrid among the favourites to win pretty much every competition they were in, all while Kylian Mbappe was struggling to settle at the Bernabeu, few were betting against the Brazilian being good to his word.

Awkward few months

Since then, though, things haven’t quite gone to plan. Vinicius hasn’t scored a La Liga goal in nearly three months. He was sent off against Valenica in January for a silly push and has picked up injuries which have forced him to miss a handful of games. When he has been on the pitch, he has made a few mistakes and lacked his usual cutting edge in front of goal. This would-be Ballon d’Or winner suddenly looks a bit off the pace. Ancelotti, for his part, backed his star man back in January.

Carlo Ancelotti has backed his man, but also addressed the thing that is not always brought up when discussing the Brazilian’s form. Vinicius is constantly abused, jeered, made fun of, and targeted by fans in Spain. So much is expected of him, and so much of his game requires your attention, but he result is an awkward mix of showmanship and exploitation. The footballing world is fascinated with Vinicius because he is so very talented. But his style, his swagger, and his outspokenness on the abuse he routinely receives, makes it, presumably, very hard to be Vinicius.

“When people talk about Vini provoking [opponents], they’re deflecting the focus from the insults he receives,” Ancelotti said. W”e all hear what happens on the pitch. It’s difficult for Vinícius… We’re delighted with Vinicius in every way.”

Main man Mbappe

On top of that, Vinicius’ drop in form has been amplified by the improvements shown by Mbappe. The France captain had a mixed few months to start his Madrid career, as he constantly floated towards the left wing when Ancelotti told him he was a No.9, leading to a tactical headach. His confidence low, Mbappe also started missing penalties for fun, while he seemingly cared even less about running than usual. There were genuine fears that this Galactico – being paid a tidy £150 million in a signing-on bonus alone – might have been a misuse of Florentino Perez’s cash.

Those fears still haven’t gone away, but performances can change perceptions quickly, and the reality is, Mbappe is finding his feet. He has now scored nine goals in his last eight games, including a crucial equaliser against Atletico Madrid on Saturday. He was named La Liga Player of the Month in January and is averaging 0.9 goals and assists per 90 minutes.
It comes as little coincidence, though, that this massive improvement began when Vinicius was out of the team. When the Brazilian was missing from the line up, Mbappe could roam more without worrying about getting his team-mate’s way. Sure, he still played as a striker, but a cheeky drift out to the left wing did him little harm.

Since Vinicius has returned from suspension, the duo haven’t quite clicked. In fact, in their first five months together, Mbappe and Vinicius have combined for just five goals – a subpar figure given the individual quality both possess.

Time to move on?

Ahead of the Madrid derby, it emerged that Vinicius had rejected a bumper contract extension offer from Real. The Brazilian is still under contract until 2027, an typically Madrid don’t begin discussions over new deals until there are two years remaining. It seems, then, that they are making an exception here.
And why wouldn’t they? Vinicius is 24-years-old, one of the best in the world, and only likely to get better. Mbappe sells a lot of shirts, and so too does Jude Bellingham, but zoom out and Vinicius has it all to be the leader of Madrid’s next great generation.

He is, therefore, the kind of player that needs pinning down to a long-term contract, presumably on the most favourable terms possible. That Vinicius has rejected Madrid’s first advance is equal parts concerning and unsurprising. Of course, this whole thing is going to be played out in broad daylight; Vinicius is far too high-profile to keep anything close. The attention on the club brought about by the arrival of Mbappe – not to mention his astronomical wages – is going to make every Bernabeu extension for the foreseeable future difficult to tie up, too.

There also remains the chatter that Saudi Arabian clubs are queuing up to make Vinicius the new face of the Pro League. He could make unimaginable money – reportedly a cool €1 billion – by moving to the Middle East, and still return to Europe in his prime should he so wish. Certainly, it is not beyond the realms of possibility for Vinicius to consider an exit this summer.

Answer the call

Vinicius, then, is at something of a crossroads. Ancelotti reportedly berated him and his Madrid team-mates at half-time of the Madrid derby after a pretty languid first-half display, while there was even isolated chatter that Luka Modric and others are sick of his attitude. The two-game suspension handed out for his red card in January was unfortunate – and perhaps unfair – but has only fuelled the fire. Evrything that can possibly go wrong seems to have done so for Vinicius in the past three months.

Man City, then, will be a challenge. Ancelotti admitted that the game has become something of a Champions League Clasico, given how frequently these two sides meet in the competition. It will probably be the best tie on the knockout play-offs – no matter how poor City are at the moment. Traditionally, these are the games Vinicius shows up in. His best performances in Madrid white have come in the latter stages of the Champions League. His record of nine goals in 20 knockout games since the start of 2021-22 is nothing special, but includes match-defining displays against Liverpool and Bayern Munich, as well as goals in two victorious finals.

Vinicius has his chance now, then, to kickstart his season. The revenge tour can get back on track at the home of the club whose midfielder broke his heart in October. But if he has another off night, more questions will undoubtedly be raised around an elite footballer who is struggling just when he promised greatness.

Espanyol has hit out at Barcelona defender Mapi León, who was caught on camera touching the privates of Daniela Caracas during a game on Sunday.

In the first half of the Liga F match between the local rivals, León touched Caracas in her crotch area after the players clashed in the box during a set piece. León then appeared to hurl a verbal insult at the Espanyol defender.
In a statement published on the club’s website, Espanyol expressed its “total discontent and condemnation” of León’s actions, saying the defender “violated the privacy” of Caracas.

Espanyol added that Caracas has been subject to “hundreds” of insults on social media after a clip of the interaction with León went viral.
Barcelona, which currently leads the Spanish top flight, won the match 2-0 over 13th-place Espanyol.

Espanyol said: “Although Caracas, at the time, could not react because of the impact caused by the situation, later, when she assimilated what had happened, she became aware of the seriousness of the gesture, but chose not to react angrily to avoid a disciplinary sanction and harm the team.”
The club said that it made its legal team available to Caracas should she wish to pursue charges against the Spain international.

“At RCD Espanyol we defend our player and condemn any act that threatens the integrity of female footballers on the pitch,” the club said. “We firmly believe in respect and sportsmanship as fundamental values ​​of football and we hope that these types of situations are treated with the seriousness they deserve. In addition, we have made the club’s legal services available to our player in case she wishes to take legal action.”

Caracas, 27, is a Colombia international who was a part of the team’s run to the 2023 World Cup quarterfinals.

FC Barcelona rebuked the act via a press note issued by the player condemning the act.

Juventus, Milan, and Atalanta play in the Champions League knockout playoff midweek and qualifying for the Round of 16 would boost the clubs’ finances by €11m.

Juventus, Milan and Atalanta are the Serie A clubs involved in the Champions League playoff this week.

The Bianconeri host PSV at the Allianz Stadium on Tuesday, while Milan and Atalanta play away at Feyenoord and Club Brugge – respectively – on Wednesday.

As reported by several Italian media, including Il Corriere della Sera, qualification for the Round of 16 will allow the three Italian clubs to earn €11m each. The decider will be played next week.

Milan secured 15 points in the league phase placing 13th. Atalanta earned 15 points as well, finishing ninth, while Juventus accumulated 12 points, ending in 20th place. Milan and Atalanta were among the seeded teams in the draw, meaning they will play the return leg at home.

Juventus and Milan will meet Inter or Arsenal if they qualify for the Round of 16, while Atalanta will get Lille or Aston Villa

A new draw for the Champions League Round of 16 will take place on February 21.

Barcelona cut the gap on La Liga’s top two with an entertaining 4-1 win over Sevilla on Sunday, despite playing out the final half-hour with 10 men after Fermin Lopez’s red card. Robert Lewandowski, Lopez, Raphinha and Eric Garcia struck for the Catalans, who were able to capitalise on leaders Real Madrid’s 1-1 draw with second-placed Atletico Madrid on Saturday.

Hansi Flick’s Barca climbed within two points of Los Blancos and moved one behind Atletico to crank up the tension in the title race. Lewandowski’s early strike was cancelled out by Sevilla’s Ruben Vargas, with Lopez and Raphinha pouncing early in the second half.

Lopez was sent off for a high tackle but Barcelona held out and extended their lead when Garcia nodded home late on. “Today we had to win to stay in the title race and now we’re putting the pressure on,” Barca defender Inigo Martinez told DAZN.

The match at Sevilla’s Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan stadium got off to an explosive start with teenage winger Lamine Yamal forcing Sevilla goalkeeper Orjan Nyland into a superb save with a curling effort. Barcelona took the lead moments later from the resulting corner, played short, with Raphinha eventually crossing for Martinez to nod the ball across goal.

Veteran Polish striker Lewandowski prodded home from close range after seven minutes to reach 19 league goals and extend his lead as the division’s top goal-scorer. Sevilla were level almost instantly, with Ronald Araujo playing Saul Niguez onside and the Spaniard crossed for Vargas to turn home in the eighth minute.

Araujo’s unfortunate evening was compounded by an injury sustained when fouled by Saul, with Pau Cubarsi replacing him in the 22nd minute.

Lopez’s short stay

Barca stopper Wojciech Szczesny made a good save from an acrobatic Dodi Lukebakio effort as the hosts, 13th, gave as good as they got in the first half. Flick sent on Lopez at half-time for Gavi and the midfielder scored and got sent off within the space of 15 minutes.
Lopez netted at the start of the second half, heading home from playmaker Pedri’s inviting cross. Vargas netted from an offside position at the other end before Raphinha extended Barcelona’s lead with a vicious effort from distance in the 55th minute.

Lopez was dismissed for a rash high challenge on Djibril Sow on the hour mark, leaving the Catalans the job of protecting their lead with a man fewer. Szczesny saved low from Suso’s drive but Sevilla created little else of note as Barcelona largely kept the Andalucians at arm’s length.
Garcia nodded home at the far post in the final stages as Raphinha’s deflected cross fell kindly to him to wrap up Barcelona’s emphatic victory.

The FA have verified that goal-line technology was not in use during Newcastle United’s FA Cup fourth round 3-2 victory over Birmingham City.

Ethan Laird gave the League One team a surprise lead just 40 seconds into the game, scoring after a corner kick. Joe Willock then controversially equalised before Callum Wilson put the visitors ahead two minutes later.

Tomoki Iwata scored from 25 yards out to level the score for the hosts at the end of a frantic first half. Both teams sought a winning goal after the interval, and it was Newcastle who secured it when Willock netted his second of the evening with eight minutes remaining.

However, it was the midfielder’s first goal that made headlines due to doubts about whether it had actually crossed the line. Blues goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell found himself behind his line after closing down on Wilson before the striker passed the ball to Willock.

But it seemed he had recovered and caught the ball before it fully crossed the line. Assistant referee Nigel Lugg immediately started waving his flag to signal a goal. While Lugg was certain the ball had crossed the line, replays cast doubt on the decision, causing widespread confusion.
The FA have confirmed to Mirror Football that goal-line technology was not in operation at St Andrew’s. The absence of VAR in Birmingham’s FA Cup match against Newcastle – due to their League One status – meant the calls were made without the technology, despite the club’s recent Championship history.

Lugg’s verdict turned out to be pivotal and sparked controversy, as pointed out by ex-Everton midfielder Leon Osman during a Radio 5 Live broadcast. “The assistant referee flagged really early as if he has given the goal,” he said.

Despite the contentious moment around his disallowed goal, Willock chose to direct attention towards his own game when speaking with BBC Sport: “I was just trying to give my best. It has not been an easy season for me, I’ve been waiting for my chance to push on and hopefully this is the start of the rest of my season.
“It’s very exciting times. It’s not an easy place to come to, we want to thank the fans. Hopefully we can go one better this time in the Carabao Cup [final] and far in this competition.”

Carlo Ancelotti said “football people don’t understand” penalties like the one awarded to Atlético Madrid in their 1-1 derby draw with Real Madrid on Saturday.
Julián Álvarez converted the 35th minute spot kick — given by VAR after Aurélien Tchouaméni was adjudged to have fouled Samuel Lino — to put visitors Atlético ahead at the Bernabéu.

Kylian Mbappé equalised in the second half, for a result which leaves leaders Madrid just a point ahead of their local rivals at the top of the LaLiga table.
Ancelotti initially said “I’ll pass” when asked for his thoughts on the penalty, after a week which saw Madrid file a formal complaint over the refereeing in their defeat at Espanyol last weekend, drawing an angry response from Atlético, who accused them of putting pressure on officials.
Girona [today]. Football people don’t understand it.”
Madrid have been regular critics of refereeing in LaLiga, and their open letter this week called for “structural reform” calling the current system “completely discredited.”

“I think we deserved more,” Ancelotti said. “We had total control, we scored, we got into the box, we played very well in the second half.
“The first half was totally different, much slower, and less aggressive. I think with what we did in the second half, we leave with a good feeling. The penalty affected the team, obviously.”
“I think the referee did his best with his decisions,” Diego Simeone said in his news conference, citing a first-half decision to show Real midfielder Dani Ceballos a yellow card for a challenge on Pablo Barrios. “For some people the Ceballos challenge was a red, and for others it wasn’t. I thought [the referee] had an OK game.”

Pep Guardiola has revealed that Manchester City expects to learn the outcome of the hearing into its 115 charges of alleged Premier League financial rule breaches ‘in one month’. The Premier League referred City to an independent commission in February 2023 over 115 alleged contraventions of financial rules dating from 2009 to 2018. The Etihad club have always denied any wrongdoing.

The hearing took place in front of an independent commission between September and December. And Guardiola, while speaking about City’s record £180m investment in the transfer market during the winter window, has revealed that an outcome is expected very shortly.

He said: “In one month, I think there will be a verdict and a sentence. After that, we will see my opinion of what happened so far.”

City added Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis, Omar Marmoush and Nico Gonzales to their ranks during the last month. And Guardiola has claimed he was simply strengthening his squad and there were no other reasons behind the splurge.
“My words will not convince people,” he said. “I know with this club it is always ‘just about the money’.

Former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp recently joked he would throw a party should the Premier League strip City of their titles due to breaches of financial regulations. The Reds finished second to Guardiola’s side while under Klopp in 2018/19 and 2021/22.
At his first public appearance as Red Bull’s head of global soccer, the German said: “We had this discussion when I left. I haven’t spent a lot of time in Mallorca because I am always flying around the place.