Lineup leak investigation

GM football fans. It’s Tuesday, Dec. 17, and we’re covering Man United’s investigation into club leaks, Real Madrid claim La Liga manipulation and much more. First time reading? Sign up here.

FIXTURES

Women’s Champions League: Real Madrid vs Chelsea, 17:45 / 12:45. Sonia Bompastor will look to extend her side’s 15-game unbeaten steak, while Madrid have recorded four consecutive European victories. Twente vs Celtic, 17:45 / 12:45. Celtic are at risk of losing all six group matches in their debut UWCL, though Twente have lost their last four matches in the competition. Lyon vs Wolfsburg, 20:00 / 15:00. The French hosts have already sealed the top spot in Group A, while the visitors have also secured their place in the quarter-finals.

Results…

• Premier League MW16: Bournemouth 1 - 1 West Ham (Table)

• Serie A: Lazio 0 - 6 Inter Milan (Table)

• EFL League Two: Fleetwood 1 - 1 Accrington Stanley (Table)

TOP TALKING POINTS

Man Utd Launch Leak Investigation

Manchester United have launched an investigation into which player is leaking team news information, multiple sources claim. Ruben Amorim’s lineup was leaked the night before his side’s 2-1 derby win over Manchester City.

Garnacho’s brother Roberto has been accused on social media of being one source. Roberto denies being the mole. Amad Diallo was also reportedly questioned by his boss on whether he was responsible for the leaks. In general, Amorim aired his concerns with the leaks. He said: "I know that story, I think it is impossible to fix, you have a lot of people in the club, the players talk with agents, it is not a good thing.”

Amorim left out Garnacho from Sunday’s squad because he wants more from him in training. Reports suggest club insiders clarified that Amorim’s decision was not related to the leak investigation. Marcus Rashford was also left out of the squad for the same reason. The Guardian reports that Rashford has essentially been put up for sale as part of a cultural reboot of the club. 

New Women’s Tournament

A second women’s club competition will be introduced in Europe for the 2025-26 season. It will sit under the Women’s Champions League as the Europa League does on the men’s side. It will be called the Women’s Europa Cup and will have a two-legged knockout format.

As part of the announcement, Uefa confirmed a new record revenue distribution system for both European tournaments. For the next two years, starting from next season, Uefa predicts that €37.7m will be available for distribution, rising to €46.7m for the next three years. This is a 122 per cent increase compared to previous cycles.

Uefa also announced that prize money for EURO 2025 — hosted in Switzerland — will more than double compared to the previous edition. The 16 teams participating will share €41m. See more on the tournament here.

The draw for EURO 2025 took place on Monday. See the full draw here.

Madrid Claim Manipulation

Real Madrid has alleged ‘manipulation’ in La Liga and is considering legal action. The complaint follows a ‘controversial’ decision not to award Vinicius Jr a penalty in their draw to Real Vallecano on Saturday. See a close-up of the tackle here.

The on-field referee dismissed the appeals for a penalty and VAR chose not to intervene. Madrid argue that both decisions were willful neglect rather than a mistake. They are now considering lodging an official complaint with the Federation and the Technical Committee of Referees. Earlier this year, La Liga slammed Madrid’s ‘merciless campaign’ on referees and fully backed the official in question.

Madrid have frequently criticised the performance of referees this season, regularly broadcasting videos on the club's TV channel, Real Madrid TV, highlighting officials' mistakes. They are next in action on Wednesday, where they will play Pachuca in the final of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup.

POLL

ON THE BALL

Europe

> VAR will only be used in the FA Cup from the fifth round onwards (More) | Southampton sack manager Russell Martin; they sit bottom of the league on nine points in 16 matches (More) | Bristol Rovers sack manager Matt Taylor after just over a year in charge (More)

> Florian Wirtz has extended his contract with Bayer Leverkusen past 2027 (More) | Pepijn Lijnders, former Liverpool assistant manager, has been released of his managerial duties at RB Salzburg (More) | Austria striker's skull is fractured during attack in country’s capital city (More)

> Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal out for up to a month with a right ankle injury (More) | Referee briefly stops French league match between PSG and Lyon after homophobic chants (More)

> Women’s League Cup quarter-final draw announced (More) | Fast food chain Subway has been named the new title sponsor of the Women’s Super League (More)

Americas

> Club America secure a historic three-peat after their second-leg Liga MX final victory over Monterrey (More) | Liga MX will scrap the mid-summer pause for the Leagues Cup, opting for mid-week matches instead (More)

> Diego Milito, former Inter Milan striker, has been named president of Racing Club in the Argentine Primera Division (More)

Rest of the World

> Ademola Lookman crowned men’s Player of the Year at the 2024 CAF Awards; Ivory Coast voted Team of the Year (Full list of results)

> FIFA apologises to Ukraine soccer body for Crimea map error at 2026 World Cup draw (More) | Karim Benzema is reportedly considering retirement this summer (More)

> Auckland FC's perfect start to their debut A-League season came to an end when they were held 2-2 by Melbourne City on Sunday but the New Zealanders remain top of the standings (More)

ROUTERS’ VOICE

Yesterday, we asked you: Do you think there should be league-wide measures against team leaks?

🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ 👏 Yes... (45%)

🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 😴 Nope... (54%)

⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (write in!)... (1%)

Your punditry takes:

• 😴 P.O: “Who cares? It's 11 v 11 when the match starts, does it really matter if you know who those 11 are a few hours early?”

• 😴 P.D: “We need leaks for FPL!”

• 👏 I.J: “What happens inside the club should day in the club.”

EXTRA TIME

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Chelsea’s star-studded Crossbar Challenge.

The worst lookalikes in football.

GAME FACE ON

Question: Who Am I…

• In 2005, I joined Galatasaray and won the Turkish Cup.

• In 2007, I joined Bayern Munich for a club-record fee of €25m.

• In 2013, I won the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award.

Scroll below for the answer.

ON TODAY

Women’s Champions League

• Real Madrid vs Chelsea (17:45)

• Twente vs Celtic (17:45)

• Lyon vs Wolfsburg (20:00)

• Roma vs Galatasaray (20:00)

Coppa Italia

• Juventus vs Cagliari (20:00)

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

Answer

Franck Ribery.