City await their punishment for 114 breaches, Ronaldo fined 255 euros, and the FFM gives its own referees top marks

City: 114 breaches and a relegation scenario

An independent commission has found Manchester City guilty on 114 of 115 Premier League charges, and now all of England is waiting for the sanction. According to the English press, the most extreme option is expulsion to League Two, which even insiders consider unlikely. More realistic is a heavy points deduction plus a fine, enough to send City down to the Championship no matter what they do on the pitch. And on the pitch they are working miracles: seven straight wins, with Enzo Maresca in Guardiola's seat. The club argues the ruling contains "clear material errors" and is bringing bank statements, documents from the Abu Dhabi government and 24 witnesses to prove the sponsorship money was not the owner's money in disguise. The commission has already dismissed that version as an explanation cooked up after the fact, and the alleged inflation of revenue and understating of costs has been put at 920 million pounds. The appeal is expected to take 12 weeks, ending around 21 January. Will the Premier League really strike its shiniest brand - or find a punishment that hurts, but not too much?

Ronaldo walked out of camp - the fine is 255 euros

The Portuguese federation has handed Cristiano Ronaldo a 30-day suspension and a fine of 2.5 "accounting units", which translates to 255 euros, for leaving the national team camp without permission during the Nations League break. The federation did not say which matches the suspension covers, or whether time already served counts. Ronaldo apologised, but claims coach Jorge Jesus broke his word twice: first they agreed he would not play in the away games in Norway and Denmark, then on the morning of the Norway match Jesus told him he would play half an hour, and in the end did not even bring him off the bench. For a player with 234 caps and 146 goals for Portugal, 255 euros is not a punishment, it is a number on paper. A message to the star, or a pat on the back?

UEFA sends Infantino 42 questions

The European federation has given FIFA president Gianni Infantino until 2 November to submit documents and answer 42 questions. At the centre is FIFA's failed plan for a private investment company, with exclusivity for the Thrive Capital fund of Joshua Kushner, brother of US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, chosen without competition and without consulting the FIFA Council. The questions go further: the FIFA peace prize awarded to Trump, Infantino's extra earnings, and the lifted World Cup suspension of American striker Folarin Balogun after Trump allegedly asked for a review. Infantino apologised and withdrew the plan, but UEFA says an apology is not an account. The Europeans have already started proceedings in the US and are preparing a criminal complaint in Switzerland. What is an apology worth when it only comes after the plan has collapsed?

Arsimi - Tikveš 1:1: the historic round left unfinished

Round ten of the First League could have ended with something never seen in Macedonian football - five away wins in five matches. Shkendija won at FK Skopje, Sileks at Bashkimi, Vardar at Bregalnica and Struga at Shkendija Aračinovo, and Tikveš arrived in Gostivar as the last chance. The statistics wanted a story, the pitch delivered a draw: 1:1. Lorik Kaba put Arsimi ahead in the 38th minute, and Sila equalised in first-half stoppage time with a superb strike. That is his eighth goal of the season and he now sits alone at the top of the scoring chart, ahead of Vardar's Zakarić with seven. Tikveš hit the bar in the 81st minute, Arsimi missed a sitter in the 88th. Shkendija lead the table with 23 points, Vardar and Struga have 20 each, and Tikveš 17.

FFM: the refereeing was "excellent"

The FFM referees' committee reviewed the round and passed judgement on itself: the refereeing was "at an excellent level", and the VAR system worked flawlessly. As an example it cites the penalty and straight red card for Shkendija Aračinovo against Struga (0:2), awarded after a video review. That same weekend Shkendija Aračinovo claimed that referee Vlatko Ilioski called their captain Besir Demiri an "illiterate monkey" in the 88th minute, demanded the audio recording be released, and later said the referee had personally phoned Demiri to apologise. The federation, for its part, says club officials entered the referees' dressing room with insults for the second time this season and has announced disciplinary proceedings. The referees' committee's assessment does not say a word about the audio recording. When the one doing the judging is also the one being graded, who is actually checking?