Landmark football league

GM football fans. It’s Friday, Dec. 12 and we’re covering the closure of Mbappe’s investigation, a landmark change to Irish football and much more. First time reading? Sign up here.

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FIXTURES

PREMIER LEAGUE MW16: Arsenal vs Everton, Sat 14 Dec, 15:00 / 10:00. Arsenal have beaten Everton more times than any other team has beaten any other opponent in the history of the English top flight with 102 wins. Liverpool vs Fulham, Sat 14 Dec, 15:00 / 10:00. Liverpool could break their Premier League goalscoring record for a calendar year with four games left in 2024, sitting 12 short of the record 88 they scored across 2019. Manchester City vs Manchester United, Sun 15 Dec, 16:30 / 11:30. Man City have won five of the last six Manchester derbies in the Premier League, while Erling Haaland's nine-goal contributions are a record for any City player against United. See the full list of fixtures here.

Results…

• Europa League: Plzen 1 - 2 Man Utd | Rangers 1 - 1 Tottenham | Ajax 1 - 3 Lazio | Lyon 3 - 2 Frankfurt (Full results / Standing)

• Women’s Champions League: Bayern Munich 4 - 0 Juventus | Valerenga 1 - 3 Arsenal | Hammarby 0 - 3 Barcelona | Man City 2 - 0 St Polten (Round-up)

• Conference League: Astana 1 - 3 Chelsea | Fiorentina 7 - 0 LASK (Full results)

TOP TALKING POINTS

Mbappe Investigation Closed

Swedish prosecutors have dropped a sexual assault investigation in connection with Kylian Mbappe’s visit to Stockholm in October. The lead investigator said there was not enough evidence to continue the investigation.

Prosecutors never publicly named the suspect. But Swedish outlets reported that Stockholm police were investigating an alleged assault in the city and that, as part of the case, officers had visited the hotel where Mbappe stayed. Mbappe’s legal team dismissed those reports as false.

In an interview aired last week, Mbappe said he was ‘surprised’ by the reports. “Listen, I haven’t received anything, no summons, nothing,” he told Canal Plus. “The Swedish government has not said anything, so I’m not concerned.”

Landmark Irish Football Change

The Irish FA is looking to recruit 20 teams for its new National League. The purpose of the league is to act as a direct connection between grassroots and professional football for the first time in Ireland. The National League will launch in August 2026.

The National League will be integrated into the existing football pyramid in Ireland, offering a clear route for promotion and relegation to and from the Irish top flight, the League of Ireland (see table). Two leagues, consisting of ten teams, will compete in their respective North and South divisions. They will then face off in a playoff collectively at the end of the season.

This move is part of the Irish FA’s strategy to “transform the football pyramid to create a clear pathway for ambitious clubs”. It also plans to invest £800,000 in club facilities to improve playing standards and upgrade spectator experience.

Berlusconi’s Serie A Firesale

The Berlusconi family is looking for a partner or a buyer for Serie A club AC Monza. They helped steer the club from Italy’s third tier to the top flight in six years of ownership. AC Monza are currently 19th in the Serie A.

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who previously owned AC Milan, took over AC Monza through the family's holding company Fininvest in 2018. The deal was reportedly worth just €3m.

Following Berlusconi’s death in 2023, and the club’s financial losses of €60m, his son Pier Silvio Berlusconi has expressed his family’s desire to sell the club. He also cited the increased complexity of modern-day football club management. The Berlusconi family are also open to new investments to stabilise and grow the club.

POLL

ON THE BALL

Europe

> Tottenham’s Christian Romero has ‘apologised’ for criticism of the club’s board (More) | Arsenal are investigating antisemitic posts from an account allegedly belonging to an academy kit man (More) | Sheffield United owner puts the sale of the club on hold in the hope of Premier League promotion (More)

> More tickets were sold for women’s football than rugby league in 2024 (More) | Investment group Mercury 13 hopes to buy a women’s team in England (More)

> Jamal Musiala awarded German National Player of the Year 2024 (More) | Serbia have been hit with partial stadium closures for two matches over supporter behaviour in Nations League games (More)

Americas

> Red Bull Arena, the stadium for MLS runners-up New York Red Bulls, becomes Sports Illustrated Stadium in a 13-year naming rights deal (More) | San Diego draft picks revealed (More) | MLS league attendance was second in the world for 2024 (More)

> Mexican side Pachuca bested Botafogo 3-0 in the Intercontinental Cup to reach the next stage of the competition (More)

> The Liga MX final first-leg is kicking off as Club America host Monterrey (More)

Rest of the World

> Australia players union is the latest to condemn the awarding of the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia (More) 

> The number of Japanese football players, both men and women, in major European leagues has surpassed 100, a 90% increase in five years (More)

ROUTERS’ VOICE

Yesterday, we asked you: Does hosting the 2034 Saudi World Cup in winter sit well with you? 

⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 👍 Yes... (6%)

🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🙅 Nope... (92%)

⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other... (2%)

Your punditry takes:

• 🙅 M.T: “I understand this is very American but we have a lot going on in the Winter months... between the NFL, college football, NBA, and college basketball the sporting calendar is full in North America. Summer is our slow season and a great time to sit back and watch the world's greatest sporting event. FIFA will lose lots of viewers in the USA if the tourney is played in Nov/Dec.“

• 🙅 D.G: “I went to Qatar and that was an amazing experience due to the proximity of stadiums and the lack of any sort of real issues with the government – the human rights issue being a bigger issue with the Qatari government. Saudi will likely have major issues with many visitors and I can’t imagine the games being anywhere near as accessible.”

• 🙅 G.M: “It will disrupt the domestic season too much such that it would become two half seasons… and then it would finish too late to have a proper summer break in 2035!”

EXTRA TIME

Why only Chelsea can wear white socks at Stamford Bridge.

New Fired Up Champions League ball…

… and Nike’s leaked 2025-26 Total Ninety Premier League ball.

Key challenges for women’s club football growth.

The clubs with the best transfer market record, ranked.

Roy Keane on his heated exchange with an Ipswich fan.

Why is it so difficult to offer new contracts for players over 30?

Google’s most searched footballer in 2024.

The ‘big’ teams in danger of Champions League exit.

Arsenal’s set-piece coach has a mural in London.

Micah Richards’ live hair reveal. (via X)

Podcast: The secret to Brentford’s success.

GAME FACE ON

Question: Since the start of last season, who are the only team to have scored more Premier League goals from outside the box than Nottingham Forest (15)?

Clue: Out of character.

Scroll below for the answer.

ON TODAY

Championship

• Derby vs Portsmouth (20:00)

La Liga

• Valladolid vs Valencia (20:00)

Bundesliga

• Freiburg vs Wolfsburg (19:30)

Serie A

• Empoli vs Torino (19:45)

Ligue 1

• Toulouse vs Saint-Etienne (19:45)

*All time in UK. ET -5. CST -6. PST -8. MST -7. CET +1.

Answer

Manchester City (22).