Manchester City, the dominant force in English football for over a decade, finds itself once again under the Premier League's microscope. This time, however, the allegations are not about intricate financial dealings or sponsorship controversies, but something seemingly more mundane: breaches of kick-off timing regulations. Recent reports confirm that City has been hit with a substantial fine of £1.08 million for delaying kick-offs and re-starts on nine separate occasions during the 2024/25 season. While a million-pound fine might seem like a drop in the ocean for a club of City's financial might, these sanctions underscore a deeper tension within the Premier League – a battle between sporting integrity, commercial interests, and the relentless demands of a global broadcasting behemoth. This isn't merely a trivial matter of punctuality. It speaks to the meticulous choreography of modern football, where every second is accounted for, and every deviation from the schedule has...
The countries who will compete in this summer's European Championships in Germany have begun to name their initial training teams.
These squads will be further pared down, with only 26 players allowed for each country in the competition, but some high-profile players have already been left out of the larger group for their respective countries' warm-up matches.England: Marcus Rashford, Ben White, Reece James, Ben Chilwell, Raheem Sterling, and Jordan Henderson.
Rashford has been a constant presence in the England squad under Gareth Southgate, but after a disappointing season in which he scored only seven Premier League goals, the forward has been left out this time around.
Spain: Pedro Porro, Gavi
Despite a good season at Tottenham, Porro was unexpectedly left out of the Spain team. The full-back scored seven Premier League goals last season and attracted the eye with his attacking ability, but Spain boss Luis Da La Fuente has decided against sending him to Germany.
Italy: Ciro Immobile, Manuel Locatelli, Marco Verratti, Destiny Udogie
It will be strange to witness an Italian squad without Lazio legend Immobile. The striker has not had his best season, scoring only seven league goals, but he has been an important member of his national squad in recent years, earning 57 caps and scoring 17 goals.
Germany: Leon Goretzka, Julian Brandt, Mats Hummels, Marco Reus, Karim Adeyemi, Timo Werner, Serge Gnabry
Many people are surprised that Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann has chosen to leave out Goretzka, his former Bayern Munich midfielder. Dortmund's Brandt is also missing from the roster, despite reaching the Champions League final with his club this season, scoring ten goals and assisting 16 in all competitions.
France: Michael Olise, Malo Gusto, Jean-Clair Todibo, Christopher Nkunku, Moussa Diaby
Olise, a Crystal Palace winger, has been in explosive form since returning from injury, scoring ten goals in just 19 Premier League appearances, yet Didier Deschamps has not selected him. Neither has fellow Premier League star Gusto, despite some strong outings for Chelsea at right back.
Diaby, an Aston Villa forward, also fails not make the team.
Belgium: Thibaut Courtois
The Real Madrid shot-stopper has missed the majority of the season due to an ACL injury, but despite his recent comeback to fitness, Belgium manager Domenico Tedesco has chosen against include the experienced goalkeeper in the team.
Portugal: Matheus Nunes, Renato Sanches, Raphael Guerreiro, Pedro Goncalves
Nunes made a large money move to Manchester City from Wolves last summer, and a lack of playing time under Pep Guardiola appears to have had a bad affect on his international career after being left out of the squad.
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