City Guilty, Čeferin Breaks His Word, Macedonia With Four Defeats: A Week in Which Nobody Backs Down

City guilty on all charges, Maresca "very calm"

An independent commission has found Manchester City guilty on all charges of financial irregularities between 2009 and 2018, and the club has already lodged an appeal, claiming it has evidence that overturns the verdict. Enzo Maresca says he is "very calm" and that his players don't hear the noise - they only control football. And football is going well for them so far: before the international break they won all seven games in the Premier League, the Champions League and the League Cup. On Sunday it's Anfield, where City won 2:1 last season, and three days later PSG at the Etihad. Years of financial irregularities against seven wins on the pitch - it remains to be seen which will weigh more when the punishment comes.

Bardhi after the four defeats: "We'll be back"

The Macedonian national team opened the Nations League with four defeats in four games, and captain Enis Bardhi spoke out on Instagram. "We gave everything, we fought to the end, but sometimes even our maximum isn't enough," he wrote, calling for self-criticism and a return "like men". The message is sincere, and that deserves credit - a captain who stands in front of the fans when it's hardest isn't making a small gesture. But the players' self-criticism is only half the story: who at the Federation will explain how the run reached four? The next chance is in November, with Slovenia at home and Scotland away.

Čeferin said he wouldn't, then ran for a fourth term

Aleksander Čeferin will seek a fourth term at the head of UEFA. The Slovenian, first elected in 2016 after Michel Platini's departure, said in February 2024 that he would not use the statute change he himself backed, because football needed fresh blood. Now, at a meeting in Berlin with representatives of all 55 federations, he thanked them for their trust and said there is "still important work". He won't run against Gianni Infantino at FIFA - even though UEFA is publicly demanding a 14-point FIFA reform, including limits on presidential powers. Limiting power, it seems, applies to others. In the Balkans we know this scene by heart: every term is the last, until the next one comes along.

Mourinho and Real: six points behind Barcelona and whistles in the stands

José Mourinho's return was supposed to lift the mood in Madrid, but so far the only thing rising is the whistling from the stands. After a 2:1 defeat at Atlético, Real are six points behind Barcelona in La Liga and have kept just one clean sheet in eight rounds. Vinícius, who signed a new long-term contract this summer instead of moving to Arsenal, has one goal in eight appearances. The defence is an infirmary: Militão and Mendy are out long-term, Asencio is recovering from surgery, Huijsen is suspended for Villarreal, and Konaté is a question mark after a knee injury. Real face five games in 16 days - enough for a turnaround, or for even louder whistling.

The First League returns, the derby of the two Shkëndijas without fans

After almost a month's break, the Macedonian First Football League returns with the ninth round, and - a miracle - with most games at the weekend instead of midweek and on Monday. On Saturday it's Tikveš - Bregalnica in Kavadarci (12:00) and Arsimi - Sileks in Gostivar (13:00), on Sunday Skopje host champions Vardar (15:00), and on Monday Bashkimi - Struga Trim Lum in Kumanovo. The most interesting game is on Sunday at 13:00 at the "Čair" stadium: Shkëndija from Aračinovo and Shkëndija from Tetovo meet for the first time in an official top-flight match. The hosts turned down the "Ballistët" request for fans of the Tetovo club to attend, citing security, so neither of the two fan groups will be in the stands. The league wants crowds, and the first derby of its kind is played without fan groups - does security in our football have to mean empty stands?