Stole Dimitrievski held Valencia together again, but La Liga is measured in points, not saves

Sevilla beat Valencia 1:0, with the goal arriving in the 81st minute - from a free kick and a header by Juan Iglesias, the one thing the Macedonian goalkeeper could not stop that evening. Valencia's defence held for eighty minutes and then gave way once. Enough. After five rounds Valencia have one point and sit bottom of La Liga, while Sevilla are third on 10 points. Stole Dimitrievski was once again among the best players on the pitch in a losing team - which is a compliment and a verdict in the same sentence. A goalkeeper playing well in a team at the bottom is usually only postponing the inevitable.

Messi is buying an entire Spanish club - and that is not romance, it is a business plan

According to Spain's AS, Lionel Messi has reached an agreement in principle to buy 100 percent of second-division side CD Eldense, after his legal representatives negotiated with the Colombian investment group TH. The deal still awaits the relevant checks and approval from the Spanish Sports Council. The numbers tell the story: the club has around 3,500 season-ticket holders in a town of just over 55,000 people, and the Nuevo Pepico Amat stadium holds around 5,800 spectators. Messi already owns third-tier Cornella, but this would be the first professional club under his name. And here comes the part nobody mentions: what happens to a small club after the global attention arrives, and then leaves?

567,570 euros in a personal account in Doha: the Eto'o case smells familiar

Former officials of Cameroon's football federation want an answer as to where 567,570 euros ended up - money the Russian Football Union paid for the friendly in Moscow in October 2023, sent to Samuel Eto'o's personal account at the Qatar National Bank in Doha. Gibai Gatama, a former executive committee member, claims there is no banking or accounting evidence the money ever reached the federation, while the statutes require funds to be held in accounts in the federation's name. A complaint was filed with FIFA's ethics committee and since then - silence. Eto'o, incidentally, is one of Gianni Infantino's loudest supporters and pledged to campaign for all 54 African federations to vote for him. FIFA replies that the president has no influence over independent judicial bodies. The Balkans know this scene by heart: the document exists, the signature exists, the answer does not.

Macedonian first division: Shkendija led 2:0 and finished with one point in Gostivar

Leaders Shkendija were 2:0 up after half an hour away at Arsimi, through Ibraimi in the 18th and Meliqi in the 29th minute. Then Contreras came on - a goal in 45+1 and a goal in the 80th minute, final score 2:2. The same result came in Kavadarci: Lusinhano put Tikvesh ahead in the 12th minute, Struga turned it around through Agamah (18) and Radeski (43), and Renatinho pulled out a point for the hosts in the 87th minute. Shkendija remain top on 16 points, Struga are second two behind, Tikvesh third three behind. A gap like that after seven rounds means one thing: the title race is open, and the leaders have already failed to win twice. In a league where the difference is measured in points rather than budgets, that is good news for everyone except Tetovo.

Trabzonspor dream of Guardiola, and Fenerbahce refuse a resignation

Turkish football delivered two stories this week that say more about ambition than about reality. Trabzonspor reportedly want Pep Guardiola on the bench and are offering an enormous salary, a move Turkish clubs have long used to draw headlines. In Istanbul, meanwhile, Fenerbahce coach Ismail Kartal resigned after a draw with Roma, but the president did not accept it and the club announced he continues to work with the team. A resignation that is not accepted is not stability - it is postponing a decision somebody does not want to make. Balkan clubs know that manoeuvre down to the last detail: the coach stays until somebody who wants the job turns up.