FA inquiry begins

GM football fans. Route One here, and we’re covering a new FA inquiry, Mbappe left out of the French squad and much more.

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PREMIER LEAGUE MW11 STATS

Chelsea (4th) vs Arsenal (5th), Sunday 10, 16:30 GMT. Arsenal have lost three of their last six games across all competitions, while Chelsea have only one win in their last four league games. Liverpool (1st) vs Aston Villa (6th), Saturday 9, 20:00 GMT. Villa have lost 16 of their last 18 Premier League away games against sides starting the day top of the table. Brighton (8th) vs Man City (2nd), Saturday 9, 17:30 GMT. City have taken 37 points from 42 available against Brighton. Danny Welbeck will be trying to make it five straight Premier League games with a goal involvement. Full Premier League M11 fixtures here.

Plus…

• Europa League results: Galatasaray 3 - 2 Tottenham | Olympiakos 1 - 1 Rangers | Man United 2 - 0 PAOK | Full results here

• Conference League results: Chelsea 8 - 0 Noah | Full results here

• Opta’s updated Champions League predictions (More)

• England’s Nations League squad announced; Lewis Hall (Newcastle) & Taylor Harwood-Bellis (Southampton) given first call-ups (More)

• Germany national team accidentally includes a player from Latvia (More)

• Declan Rice expected to play against Chelsea despite toe injury (More)

FA OPENS INQUIRY

FA investigates leading Premier League figure who could be a ‘risk to children or adults within football’

The English FA has opened an inquiry into a leading Premier League figure who has previously been investigated by police for sexual offences. The well-known executive in question will remain anonymous unless he faces criminal charges.

At least three women have reported him to the police over a number of years, but all the cases have been dropped. According to The Athletic, the man has never been charged and denies any wrongdoing.

The FA have started the evidence-gathering process this week. If they feel there is a risk to “children and/or adults” in football, the FA will determine what, if anything, the governing body does next. In the meantime, the FA will likely impose suspension orders, blocking the individual from some or all activity within the game while the investigation is carried out.

POLL

HEAD START

😬 West Ham fear technical director will go to Arsenal. Now that sporting director Edu has left Arsenal, reports suggest that West Ham’s technical director Tim Steidten could join the Gunners. West Ham spent more than £100 million on new nine signings but have not seen (paywall) any improvement with scrutiny growing over a number of underperforming players. But it’s understood that the Hammers want the German to stay at the club.

🇺🇦 Fans watch Ukrainian Premier League games live for the first time since war started. For the first time since the war began in 2022, the Ukrainian Premier League is holding a full season with fans, as martial-law restrictions on public gatherings have eased. Crowd size depends on the capacity of nearby bomb shelters. Short video here. Dynamo Kyiv and Oleksandriya both sit on 29 points and are yet to lose in the first 11 games of the season.

📺 Lloris reveals the problem with Amazon’s TV series. The former Tottenham captain has said that the players had a problem with the club’s decision to allow an all-access documentary to follow their 2019-20 season. In his autobiography, Earning my Spurs, the Frenchman said that “mics and camera” were everywhere which “was a constraint and it had consequences.” Amazon’s six-part All or Nothing series followed the team for the duration of the campaign, where manager Mauricio Pochettino was sacked and replaced with Jose Mourinho.

MBAPPE LEFT OUT

Kylian Mbappe has been left out of the French squad amid poor form

Kylian Mbappe has been left out of the France squad for their upcoming Nations League matches, despite coach Didier Deschamps saying the Real Madrid player “wanted to come”. Deschamps says the decision is a “one-off” but his absence in the camp is “for the best”.

It’s thought that poor form and discontent for Mbappe within France have led to the decision to leave him out. Mbappe faced criticism from his home country for missing Nations League fixtures in October due to an injury, but then seen partying in Stockholm. Plus, France will host Israel in Paris in their upcoming Nations League fixture, where Mbappe has a high-profile legal case against his former club PSG (more here).

Mbappe has had a mixed start to life at Madrid. The Frenchman has scored eight goals in 15 appearances for the La Liga club but has only netted once in his past five games. Real are trailing Barcelona by nine points and are 18th in the Champions League table.

AROUND THE FOOTBALL WORLD

Top Five European Leagues

> Bayern Munich are mourning the death of a fan who attended the team’s 1 - 0 victory over Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday (More)

> Real Madrid are considering making a signing in the January transfer window, with Liverpool’s Trent Alexader-Arnold their main target (More)

Rest of the World

> Coventry City have sacked long-serving manager Mark Robins. The 54-year-old returned to the club in 2017 and won the EFL trophy, achieved their first promotion in 51 years and led them to the League One title (More)

> Peru has arrested the head of the country’s football federation as part of an investigation into fraud, extortion, money laundering and other crimes (More)

Women’s Football

> Arsenal Women forced to move their Champions League game against Bayern Munich from Emirates Stadium because of a scheduling clash with the men's team (More)

> England Women’s have been drawn alongside 2023 World Cup winners Spain in the league stage of the Women’s Nations League (Full draw here)

ROUTER’S VOICE

Yesterday, we asked you: Do you think Kylian Mbappe is at fault for Real Madrid's dip in form?

🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 😬 Yes, he takes away more than he gives... (67%)

🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🙅‍♂️ Nope, it's not his fault... (30%)

⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (write in!)... (3%)

Your punditry takes:

• 😬 D.P.W: “Too many Michelin chefs in the kitchen.”

• 😬 P.L: “Ever since he came to the club, he messed up Real's entire lineup last season. They should be looking for a striker, not another winger.”

• 🙅‍♂️ A.R: “The team generally have gone off the boil. It's not down to one player.”

EXTRA TIME

The Bitcoin Club is a profitable non-league side.

Who is on track to qualify in the Champions League?

How Pogba's brother ended up betraying him.

Player’s daughter goes viral for reaction to being ignored by her father.

Can teams stay up after starting with 10 winless matches?

Will Odegaard’s return boost Arsenal? / analysis

Alex Ajoe’s brilliant bilingual interview with Luiz Diaz.

How Spurs’ stadium transforms from NFL to Premier League pitch. / via X

GAME FACE ON

Question: Who Am I…

• Clue 1: I played in La Liga between 1996 to 2007, winning four league titles and three UEFA Champions League trophies.

• Clue 2: I made 125 appearances for the Brazilian national team.

• Clue 3: I scored a famous free-kick against France in the 1997 Tournoi de France.

Scroll below for the answer.

ON TODAY

Women’s Super League

• Arsenal vs Brighton (19:00)

• Man City vs Spurs (19:30)

Championship

• Watford vs Oxford (20:00)

League One

• Barnsley vs Rotherham (19:15)

La Liga

• Vallecano vs Las Palmas (20:00)

Bundesliga

• Union Berlin vs Freiburg (19:30)

Serie A

• Lecce vs Empoli (19:45)

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

Answer

Roberto Carlos.

Goal of the Day

Today’s Goal of the Day is from H.M: Pajtim Kasami vs Crystal Palace. “As a Fulham fan, this goal will forever be remembered as one of the greatest for us in the Premier League!”

H.M’s goal can be seen here. Submit your entry for Goal of the Day here.