Vardar Won 2:0, but the Stands Emptied: the Referee Stopped the Match When the Komiti Began Their Boycott

Vardar won 2:0, and the stadium emptied anyway

Miodrag Božović opened his era on the Vardar bench with three points, but the picture from the stands says more than the result. The "red and blacks" beat Arsimi 2:0 - Zakarić scored in the 25th minute after an excellent pass from Spahiu, and that same Spahiu sealed it only in the 102nd minute, after the match had been suspended for a full 20 minutes. The stoppage came because the Komiti began their announced boycott against the club's management, unfurled banners and walked out, with most of the remaining spectators following them in solidarity. So: a new coach, a winning debut and empty stands as the backdrop. Who actually has the problem at this club - the team on the pitch or the people in the offices?

Struga TL are two points off Shkendija, and Sileks are sinking

The sixth-round derby in the First League went to Struga TL 1:0, the winner scored by Lasana Diako in the 59th minute from close range. It is Struga's fourth home win in as many home matches this season and they now trail leaders Shkendija by just two points. On the other side, Sileks record their third straight defeat - to Vardar, Shkendija and now Struga - and Aleksandar Vasoski's team is in a genuine crisis. Kratovo had their chances: Gerasov hit the bar, Eftimov missed the equaliser in 90+4. The gap between the top and the bottom of the table starts getting written in minutes like those.

Belgium withdrew its support for Infantino

The Belgian football federation officially announced it will not support Gianni Infantino for a new term at the head of FIFA. The reason is twofold: the way FIFA handled Folarin Balogun's red card at the 2026 World Cup, and transparency around the FIFA Forward Enterprise initiative. Balogun was suspended after being sent off against Bosnia and Herzegovina, but following a phone call between US president Donald Trump and Infantino the suspension was deferred and the player started the match - which Belgium won anyway, 4:1. Separately, Infantino had a plan to sell stakes in FIFA competitions to private investors through a new entity, an idea he withdrew after UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian confederation opposed it. He still wants a new term, which would run to 2031. So: the arguments are public, the investors were rebuffed, and the man stays. A familiar pattern, isn't it?

Arsenal beat Chelsea 2:1 and matched a record

At the Emirates, Arsenal kept their perfect start to the Premier League with a 2:1 win over Chelsea. Morgan Rogers put the visitors ahead in the second minute - the first goal Arsenal have conceded in the opening two minutes of a league match since August 2023. Kai Havertz equalised in the 25th minute with a low shot past the near post, and Martin Ødegaard completed the turnaround early in the second half, set up by Christos Tzolis. That gives Arsenal five straight home wins against Chelsea, only the second time this has happened in the history of the English top flight. Chelsea pressed until the end, but the Gunners held on.

Milan salvaged 1:1 in Turin, and the nineteen-year-old decided everything again

Milan drew 1:1 at Juventus in the Allianz, and once again the main story is Alphadjo Cissé. He came on as a substitute after the 60th minute in place of Diego Moreira, and only seven minutes later scored to make it 1:0 - a right-footed strike through Pierre Kalulu's legs. It is his second league goal this season, and he becomes the first teenager to score in each of Milan's first two away matches since the 1994/95 season. Cissé joined the club in January, spent the rest of the season on loan at second-division Catanzaro, and in the summer convinced Ruben Amorim to keep him in the first team rather than send him out again. Federico Gatti headed the equaliser in stoppage time and took two points off Milan. Amorim will be unhappy with the result - but not with the choice he made in July.