BBC eyes revolving MOTD cast

GM football fans. Route One here, and we’re covering an update on Coote’s investigation, Match of the Day’s next presenter and much more. First time reading? Sign up here.

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TONIGHT’S WOMEN’S UCL STATS

Real Madrid vs Twente (17:45 GMT). Real Madrid have advanced from their group only once, on their competition debut in 2021-22, but lost 8-3 on aggregate in the quarter-finals to Barcelona. Roma vs Lyon (20:00 GMT). Both sides are undefeated so far in the competition, but Roma has failed to win in any of their previous three matches against French sides. Celtic vs Chelsea (20:00 GMT). Under new manager Sonia Bompastor, Chelsea have maintained a 100% win rate in all competitions, scoring 29 goals in just eight games.

Plus…

• Women’s UCL results (More)

• Bruno Fernandes saves fainting passenger on easyJet flight (More)

• Contenders to replace Gary Lineker on Match of the Day (More)

• Swedish coach says Elanga isn’t returning his calls after being left out of Nations League squad (More)

• A man has been jailed for two years and three months for loading illicit football streaming on “Firesticks” (More)

• Frank Lampard confirmed as contender for Coventry role (More)

• The latest Premier League injury list (More)

FA INVESTIGATE COOTE

The FA starts investigation into referee and offensive remarks about Liverpool, separate to PGMOL

The Football Association (FA) has launched its own investigation after a video, widely shared on social media, shows Premier League referee David Coote making offensive comments about Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp. Full story in a previous write-up here.

The 42-year-old now also faces the prospect of potential action (paywall) from the FA for using Klopp’s nationality in a disparaging context, which could breach the governing body’s rules on discrimination. Coote has already been suspended by the PGMOL, the body responsible for officials in English football.

Some reports suggest that the PGMOL were aware of the video shortly after it was recorded. It is thought that the video was recorded during the Covid-19 outbreak. And Coote, for whatever reason, was not appointed as the main referee for Liverpool games in the Premier League between July 2020 and March 2024. Instead, he took up a lesser capacity as VAR and fourth official. These claims have not been substantiated yet.

POLL

HEAD START

👴 57-year-old Japanese star set for 40th season as a professional. Japanese forward Kazuyoshi Miura plans to extend his professional career into his 40th season for Japanese fourth-tier side Suzuka. Here’s a clip of him playing last year. Miura’s career began in 1986 with Brazilian club Santos. He has since played for the likes of Palmeiras, Coritiba, Genoa, Dinamo Zagreb, Vissel Kobe and Sydney FC. Miura was one of the first Japanese stars, being crowned Asian Football of the Year in 1992 and scoring 55 goals in 89 international appearances between 1990 and 2000. With the Japanese football calendar running from March to November, Miura will be 58 when the new season begins next year.

😬 Club faces criticism for playing a YouTuber in a professional game. Argentine side Deporitivo Riestra have been accused of showing a “lack of respect” after choosing a YouTuber as a striker in a top-flight match. He has no professional experience but was given a contract by the Buenos Aires club, who are known for their unconventional marketing strategies, in February. The YouTuber, who has more than seven million subscribers, came onto the pitch for only 50 seconds. Former Chelsea and Manchester United midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron, now president of Argentine club Estudiantes de la Plata, said it showed a “total lack of respect for football and footballers.”

🏆 Former Chelsea player wins first major title as coach. Brazilian left-back Filipe Luis retired from football in December 2023. This week, as Flamengo’s head coach, Luis has won his first major title in just 1 month in charge, the Copa do Brasil, in a 1-0 away win over Atletico Mineiro. It ended 4-1 on aggregate. Flamengo have now won their fifth Copa do Brasil - the nation’s equivalent to the FA Cup. Luis has proven to have a solid track record at the club having won the Under-20 Intercontinental Cup in August. Flamengo are fifth in the Brasileiro Serie A table, 10 points behind leaders Botafogo with a game in hand and six games left to play.

LINEKER MOTD EXIT

Gary Lineker wanted to stay on as host but wasn’t offered a new contract, execs consider ‘revolving’ MOTD presenters

The BBC has officially confirmed that Gary Lineker is leaving its flagship show Match of the Day at the end of the season. The broadcast corporation’s culture and media editor Katie Razzall said that “Lineker was open to staying on” as the presenter of MOTD but the BBC didn’t offer him a new contract. Lineker speaks for the first time since the announcement.

The recently appointed director of sport at the BBC, Alex Kay-jelski, is reported to have played a key role in what sources claim was a “mutual decision.” Kay-jelski is known to want to freshen up the BBC’s coverage and reduce salaries. 

It’s been reported (paywall) that the BBC is warming to a possible revolving cast of MOTD presenters. The likes of Mark Chapman, Gabby Logan, Alex Scott and Kelly Cates (all contenders here) are leading candidates for a team of presenters to rotate for the flagship show. Other reports back Chapman, who presents Match of the Day 2, as the leading candidate. Lineker will host the BBC’s coverage of the FA Cup until 2026 and the World Cup in the same year, under an 18-month contract extension.

AROUND THE FOOTBALL WORLD

Top Five European Leagues

> Roma owners were in London to sound out Graham Potter and Erik ten Hag as potential candidates as their next manager (More)

> Stade Rennes has named former Chile manager Jorge Sampaoli as their new coach, replacing Julien Stephan on a contract until 2026 (More)

Rest of the World

> Ecuador international Marco Angulo has died at the age of 22 just over a month after being seriously injured in a car crash, his club have announced (More)

> Pele’s former club Santos has won promotion back to Brazil’s Serie A with a 2-0 win over Coritiba. They were relegated for the first time last year (More)

ROUTER’S VOICE

Yesterday, we asked you: Do you think David Coote should be banned from refereeing all Premier League games?

🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 😤 Absolutely, he shouldn't ref another game... (77%)

🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🤷‍♂️ Nope, he should remain an EPL ref... (19%)

🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (write in!)... (4%)

Your punditry takes:

• 😤 M.J.W: “A prem referee displaying open animosity towards a manager, team or fanbase cannot continue to referee in the Premier League. Trust in his impartiality is gone. He has tarnished the reputation of the whole PGMOL and called into question decisions he made vs Liverpool (especially missed Odegaard handball and Pickford sending off). A great day for conspiracy theorists, not a great day for PGMOL.”

• 😤 I.B: “He should be removed from his job but no one should delude themselves into thinking that he’s the only one with a chip on his shoulder. Until they have to come out at the end of a game to explain their actions during it they can pretty much effect any game however they want with no sanction.”

• 🤷‍♂️ M.W: “Everybody moans about their job when around friends in situations they think are safe.”

EXTRA TIME

A history of Lineker’s time as Match of the Day presenter.

Genoa launch new third kit with WWE wrestler The Undertaker.

Three high-profile incidents between Liverpool and David Coote.

… and a map of where English Premier League referees are from.

Players pelted with water bottles in Turkish second division. / via X

The stats behind why Liverpool must keep hold of Mo Salah.

Is this the greatest comeback in football history?

ESPN review VAR decisions from the weekend.

Tweets that came back to haunt footballers.

GAME FACE ON

Question: Who Am I…

• I signed for Manchester United for a fee of £4mn in 2005 and won 11 trophies at the club.

• I became the second East Asian player to sign for the club.

• I rejoined PSV on loan for the 2013-14 season and announced my retirement shortly after.

Scroll below for the answer.

ON TODAY

Women’s Champions League

• Galatasaray vs Wolfsburg (17:45)

• Real Madrid vs Twente (17:45)

• Roma vs Lyon (20:00)

• Celtic vs Chelsea (20:00)

Brazilian Serie A

• Flamengo vs Atletico MG (23:00)

*All time in UK. EST -5. PST -8. CET +1. CST +8. JST +9.

Answer

Ji Sung Park.

Goal of the Day

Today’s Goal of the Day is from T.S: “Ronaldinho's infamous strike against Mourinho's Chelsea in the 2005 Champions League. Need I say anymore? Everything about the goal was perfect. The kit, the ball, the players, the magnitude of the occasion. Just breath-taking.”

T.S’s submission can be seen here. Submit your entry for Goal of the Day here.