City guilty of 114 breaches, and heading to Anfield as if nothing happened: UEFA fines Serbia over the Mladić banner

City guilty of 114 breaches - and confident of winning the appeal

The Premier League's independent commission found Manchester City guilty on all charges but one: 114 breaches of the financial rules. According to the ruling, the club benefited from more than 920 million pounds between 2009 and 2018, and around 830 million of that is tied to sponsorship deals the commission calls fake, inflated with money that came from owner Abu Dhabi United Group. City have already lodged an appeal, claiming the ruling contains "clear material errors of law, principle and fact" and that the club is "innocent". A new three-member panel must decide by 21 January. The most interesting part is who found out first: Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham received the ruling before the other clubs, because back in 2024 they formally reserved the right to seek compensation - and Burnley got 35 million pounds over a similar story with Everton.

Liverpool - City: the verdict goes to Anfield

City's first game after the ruling is not just any game - on Sunday they visit Anfield. Enzo Maresca's side are the only team in the league with maximum points and are unbeaten in their last 10 league away games, and the coach insists the chaos around the club does not touch the players. Liverpool have 9 points from five rounds, unbeaten, but both home games ended in draws. Andoni Iraola could become Liverpool's third permanent manager, after Bob Paisley and Joe Fagan, to go unbeaten in his first six league games - except that to do it he finally has to win at home, and without the injured Isak and Gakpo. Gianluigi Donnarumma's agent says "nothing will change" and that "sporting justice will take its course". Will Anfield deliver a verdict faster than the appeals panel?

Barcelona without Raphinha ahead of Galatasaray

Hansi Flick confirmed that Raphinha will miss today's game against Getafe and Tuesday's Champions League trip to Galatasaray. The Brazilian injured his right hamstring playing for his national team against Australia on 29 September, and Flick says the injury "is not big". Except this is the third international break in a row he has come back from with a fitness problem - and this is a player with 14 goals and 3 assists in eight games, including back-to-back hat-tricks against Racing Santander and Sevilla. Barcelona have won all seven La Liga rounds and lead by five points, and the chance now goes to Gabriel Jesus, who is set to start for the first time. El Clásico against Real is on 25 October, so every day out counts double here.

UEFA fines Serbia over the Mladić banner

The Football Association of Serbia was hit with a total of 129,500 euros in fines for three Nations League games. The most serious incident was the game against the Netherlands in Belgrade: in the north stand of the "Rajko Mitić" stadium a group of children displayed a banner dedicated to Ratko Mladić and chanted his name - a man convicted with final effect of the Srebrenica genocide and other war crimes. The fine for racist and discriminatory behaviour alone is 50,000 euros, and Serbia will play their home game against Germany on 13 November in front of a reduced crowd and will not be allowed to sell tickets to their fans for the next away game. The neighbours were punished too: Kosovo with 35,000 euros after the game against Austria, Croatia with 20,000 euros after the game against Spain, both also with a suspended ban on away tickets for the next two years. The children held the banner - but who gave it to them, and who let them into the stand with it?

Modrić at 41: Real is my home, but I'm not retiring yet

Croatia captain Luka Modrić, currently at Milan, ended up after international duty at Valdebebas, Real Madrid's training centre, where he saw his former teammates, and Spanish media filmed him leaving while hiding his face. According to Italy's Corriere dello Sport, a few days earlier he had also met president Florentino Pérez to discuss what role he might one day return in. Modrić himself is more cautious: "Real Madrid is my home, the club of my life. I would like to work for Real, but I need to prepare myself for that." And on retirement he says: "I still have the passion, the ambition and the strength." Milan, meanwhile, are already looking for a successor - a sign that they are taking this story seriously there too.