New VAR trials

GM football fans. It’s Friday, Nov. 15, and we’re covering Uefa’s investigation into Coote, a new VAR-style system being trialled and much more. First time reading? Sign up here.

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TONIGHT’S NATIONS LEAGUE STATS

Portugal vs Poland (19:45 GMT). Poland are now winless in their last six meetings with Portugal. Meanwhile, Roberto Martinez’s men have won seven of their 10 home matches across all four editions of the Nations League. Scotland vs Croatia (19:45 GMT). Scotland are enduring their longest-ever winless run on home soil (6) and their longest streak without a competitive victory (10). Denmark vs Spain (19:45 GMT). Spain have already booked their position in the quarter-finals. Plus, La Roja have seven wins and one draw in their last eight meetings with Denmark. Full list of Nations League fixtures here.

Plus…

• Nations League results: Greece 0 - 3 England | Belgium 0 - 1 Italy | France 0 - 0 Israel | Rep. Ireland 1 - 0 Finland (Full results)

• Fifa unveils new Club World Cup trophy (More) / w images

• Why are there so many international breaks? (More)

• Former footballer Diego Forlan beaten on pro tennis debut (More)

• Claudio Ranieri officially appointed Roma head coach until end of season (More)

UEFA PROBE COOTE

UEFA investigates Coote over footage of alleged drug use at Euro 2024

UEFA began a second investigation into referee David Coote after a new video showed him snorting a white powder during Euro 2024. The video, yet to be verified, was reportedly taken at a Uefa-appointed hotel on July 6. Uefa has already removed Coote from this week’s Nations League fixtures, where he was meant to be a VAR.

The PGMOL, which oversees referees in England, says it is taking new allegations against Coote “very seriously”. The PGMOL is now facing calls to drug test referees, something that’s never taken place before.

Coote is also under an FA investigation for a potential breach of its rules over his comments about Jurgen Klopp.

POLL

HEAD START

🧑‍⚖️ EPL player questioned by police over alleged assault. A Premier League player, accused of sexual assault, has been questioned by police again. The investigation involves multiple allegations against the anonymous player. The player, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has continued to play for his club since his initial arrest at a London address in July 2022. This comes a year on from a BBC News investigation, which spoke to five women who accused the player of assault. It is understood that the player denies any wrongdoing.

❌ Fletcher suspended after “extremely aggressive” manner to referee. Darren Fletcher, a Manchester United coach and former player, has received a three-match (paywall) touchline ban. The decision comes after his side faced Brentford in October, which ended 2-1 to United. Fletcher, 40, reportedly had to be held back by colleagues after approaching a referee aggressively. The referee’s statement said: “Mr Fletcher repeatedly called me a ‘f***ing joke and a disgrace’ with him following us all the way through the main tunnel.” Fletcher and United will appeal the suspension.

📉 Scottish side receives points deduction for uneven pitch. Bonnyrigg Rose, a Scottish League Two side, has received a six-point deduction for having a sloping pitch. James Bond actor Sean Connery used to play for Bonnyrigg Rose (learn more here). They are now asking fans to help raise more than £100,000 to level out the playing surface so that the team doesn’t receive any further punishments. Bonnyrigg Rose dropped from fifth to eighth following their point deduction. At the time of writing, the club has raised £5,992 through their fundraiser.

NEW VAR-STYLE TRIALS

Fifa hopes to expand trials of VAR-style alternative, allowing coaches to challenge decisions

Fifa hopes to get permission to continue trials of Football Video Support (FVS), an alternative to VAR. FVS gives coaches the chance to challenge on-field decisions two times per match. When the coach challenges the decision, the referee reviews replays at the pitch-side monitor.

Football's governing body is waiting for the International Football Association Board (IFAB) to approve the continued trials. Fifa has tested the use of this technology at the U20 and U17 Women’s World Cups this year and is looking to expand its application to other tournaments. The use of FVS has been positively received in the trials, according to Pierluigi Collina, the chairman of Fifa’s referees' committee.

As it stands, tournaments with limited human and financial resources use FVS. It’s an affordable and easy-to-implement technology compared to VAR. But Fifa hasn’t ruled out the chance for this technology to be used in conjunction with, or replacement of, VAR.

AROUND THE FOOTBALL WORLD

Top Five European Leagues

> Xabi Alonso will reportedly leave Bayer Leverkusen this summer, with Real Madrid his most likely destination (More)

> Bundesliga side FC St. Pauli has withdrawn from the social media platform X. The club say that the platform’s owner, Elon Musk, has turned “a space for debate into an amplifier of hate” (More)

Rest of the World

> Former Barcelona midfielder Andreas Iniesta has said that he and his company Never Say Never have bought second-division Danish side FC Helinsgor (More)

> Aitana Bonmati, arguably the best player in the women’s game, has said that the NWSL and WSL treat women footballers better than in Spain (More)

ROUTER’S VOICE

Yesterday, we asked you: Should Manchester City lose their league titles if found guilty of the 115 alleged charges?

🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 👍 Absolutely... (77%)

🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🚫 Nope... (23%)

Your punditry takes:

• 👍 U.L: “Absolutely, unequivocally, and undeniably so. What is the point of an investigation if punishment is not handed out? A tough punishment sets a precedent whereby opaque ownership by state-sponsored private actors cannot bend the rules, and buy trophies.”

• 👍 J.C: “If found guilty of these charges it means they had a significant advantage over clubs who followed the rules.”

• 🚫 J.M: “I do not think they should have the titles retroactively stripped from them. I do not feel like that benefits anybody and the clubs that would then be given the titles would always have them with an asterisk. The clubs that missed out should receive compensation though for loss of earnings.”

EXTRA TIME

This year’s most stylish kits that you probably missed. / images

Is this the tightest the Premier League has ever been?

Footage of a young Lionel Messi. / via X

The business of football academies explained.

Slavia Prague fans know how to put on a show. / via X

The Overlap disagree over Coote saga. / podcast

Premier League players with the most creative tattoos.

Why next five days are key to Scotland’s World Cup hopes.

GAME FACE ON

Question: Who Am I…

• I was signed by Manchester United in 2003, replacing Fabian Barthez.

• I have 329 appearances for another Premier League club.

• I am the most capped goalkeeper of all time for my country.

Scroll below for the answer.

ON TODAY

UEFA Nations League

Group 1

• Portugal vs Poland (19:45)

• San Marino vs Gibraltar (19:45)

• Scotland vs Croatia (19:45)

Group 2

• Cyprus vs Lithuania (17:00)

• Romania vs Kosovo (19:45)

Group 3

• Luxembourg vs Bulgaria (19:45)

• N. Ireland vs Belarus (19:45)

Group 4

• Denmark vs Spain (19:45)

• Switzerland vs Serbia (19:45)

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

Answer

Tim Howard.