Player strikes slammed

GM football fans. Route One here, and we’re covering player strikes, the fifth-richest person in the world buying Paris FC and much more. Enjoy Route One? Share us with a friend on WhatsApp with this link.

LAST NIGHT’S NATIONS LEAGUE STATS

England 1 — 2 Greece. Greece have beaten England for the first time, with Evangelos Pavlidis scoring twice. Norway 3 — 0 Slovenia. At age 24, Erling Haaland is already Norway’s all-time top scorer with 34 goals in 36 games. Italy 2 — 2 Belgium. Italy have drawn a home match by a leading position of two goals for the first time since 1978. Full list of Nations League results here.

Plus…

• Gareth Southgate will not coach for a year; ruling out Man Utd link (More)

• Reading FC sale blocked by owner’s £55mn debt (More)

• Football Manager game release delayed until March ‘25 (More)

• Greek Football Federation asked Uefa to postpone the game versus England; Uefa declined (More)

• Ryan Mason will stay at Spurs after rejecting Anderlecht role (More)

• Erling Haaland expecting first child (More)

PLAYER STRIKES

Uefa pushes back on ‘high income’ players calling for strikes, Bayern chief too

Players have been told that they shouldn’t threaten strike action in reaction to their concerns about a congested calendar. Since Rodri said players are ‘close’ to striking, many other high-profile players have voiced their concerns. It’s a prevalent talking point in the elite changing rooms.

Uefa present Aleksander Ceferin criticised elite players who he believes are speaking for the minority of professional players. Ceferin agrees the calendar has reached full capacity. But, he added: “Who is complaining? The ones who have the highest salaries and the ones [clubs] with 25 top players”. Bayern Munich chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen also believes the threat of a strike is unwarranted, especially from those “who are on the top in terms of income”.

This week, the PFA released findings that 68 per cent of footballers’ fear of injury negatively affects their mental well-being. European Leagues and FIFPro, the global players’ union, are submitting their legal complaint about Fifa’s expansion of the Club World Cup next week.

POLL

HEAD START

🤝 Prem clubs to rally behind CEO. Premier League clubs will reportedly support CEO Richard Masters at an emergency meeting next week. The meeting comes after a tribunal ruled the Premier League’s financial rules ‘unlawful’ in a case brought forward by Manchester City. One unnamed club owner said most clubs are backing the Premier League as they want the rules to remain. City warned that it would continue its legal pursuit should the clubs push through swift amendments to keep the rules operating.

🕵️ Colombia ‘spied’ on before World Cup qualifier. Colombia head coach Nestor Lorenzo claims his side was spied on before their match against Bolivia this week. Lorenzo says he will be filing an official complaint after an unidentified individual was photographed watching his side’s training session. It’s not quite the advanced ‘drone’ spying that engulfed the Canada women’s team at the Olympics this year, but no doubt Colombia will feel hard done by.

📈 WSL viewing soars. Viewing figures for Women’s Super League games have more than trebled this season following the switch to YouTube as the division’s streaming platform. The record-highest viewership for a WSL game had been Arsenal’s home game against Bristol City in 2023-24, attracting 78,050 views. In contrast, more than a quarter of a million people watched a league game between Leicester and Arsenal on YouTube last month. The rights to broadcast the WSL are up for grabs beyond 2025.

ARNAULT X PARIS FC

Fifth richest person in the world to buy Paris FC with Red Bull, becoming Klopp’s new employer

The family of LVMH’s Bernard Arnault has teamed up with Red Bull to take over Paris FC, a side in the second tier of French football. Arnault is the fifth-richest person in the world with a net worth of $191bn, according to Bloomberg. The purchase is part of his family’s aim to attach their luxury companies to sports teams and stars.

Arnault will take a 55 per cent stake in Paris FC, which is currently top of the second tier of French football. Should the purchase take place with Red Bull, it’s expected that Jurgen Klopp will support the club as part of his role as the drink company’s global head of soccer. Red Bull are expected to get around 15 per cent of the club.

Unlike London, the capital of France has only one dominant football club – Paris Saint-Germain. If Paris FC continue their fine start, next season there will be a top-flight Parisian derby in Ligue 1 for the first time since 1990. London boasts 42 derbies a year. More broadly, Arnault’s move into French football will be welcomed after the collapse in the value of its media rights.

AROUND THE FOOTBALL WORLD

🇫🇷 France national team: The French camp denies that Real Madrid put any pressure on Kylian Mbappe to not play for his country in the international break (More)

🇪🇸 La Liga: Barcelona goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny says it’s “nobody’s business if I smoke” (More)

🇦🇺 A-League: Macarthur FC have been banned from signing players until they pay Dwight Yorke compensation after being sacked as coach last year (More)

🇵🇹 Liga Portgual: Bournemouth owner Bill Foley is in talks to buy Portuguese club Moreirense (More)

ROUTER’S VOICE

Yesterday, we asked you: What's your favourite goal of all time?

🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🕺🏽 1960-80s (51%)

🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 📼 1990s (8%)

⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🎉 2000s (6%)

🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ 🧑‍💻 2010s - present (33%)

Your punditry takes:

• 🧑‍💻 W.H: “Luis Suarez for Liverpool vs Newcastle, 2012. The best goal I've seen live. You could play that pass to me a million times and I wouldn't be able to control the ball like that.” (Suarez’s goal here)

• 🕺🏽 M.T: “Glen Hoddle, White Hart Lane v Nottm Forest. I was present standing on the shelf and the ball didn’t touch the ground from the goalkeeper’s kick to Hoddle’s volley. Wow!” (Hoddle’s goal here)

• 🕺🏽 G.D.T: “The late, great Justin Fashanu Norwich City v Liverpool 1980 sublime and a muted celebration as well plus John Bond wearing an immaculate Trench Coat.” (Fashanu’s goal here)

• 📼 W: “Ryan Giggs in 1999 FA Cup semi-final v Arsenal - the game had everything in a top rivalry, cracking goals, sending off and a penalty save.” (Giggs’ goal here)

• 🕺🏽 A.J: “Robin Friday for Reading against Tranmere in 1976 - the legendary goal that is still talked about even though no footage of it exists! Clive Thomas who officiated the match said: "I've refereed at World Cups, I've seen Pele, George Best and Johan Cruyff, this rates as the best goal I've ever seen."

Editor’s Note: It’s safe to say that Diego Maradona’s goal against England in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final was the most submitted. You’ve probably seen it but in case you haven’t, here you go.

EXTRA TIME

How the Club World Cup has cannibalised football.

Opta predicts League Two points table.

How each Premier League team uses their full-backs. / w image

The global transfer market analysed.

Using virtual reality to develop the next Haaland.

Roy Keane refuses a selfie because he’s watching the game. / via X

The best dressing room moments in football.

Ex-Liverpool captain says Arsene Wenger was “lucky” to be successful.

GAME FACE ON

Question: It’s a simple one today… Who scored the opening goal of the current Premier League season?

Clue: One and done.

Scroll below for the answer.

ON TODAY

Nations League

• Estonia vs Azerbaijan (17:00)

• Czech Republic vs Albania (19:45)

• Slovakia vs Sweden (19:45)

• Ukraine vs Georgia (19:45)

• Bosnia vs Germany (19:45)

• Hungary vs Netherlands (19:45)

• Iceland vs Wales (19:45)

• Turkey vs Montenegro (19:45)

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

Answer

Joshua Zirkzee. Manchester United’s new signing scored a late winner on his Premier League debut to give his side a 1 – 0 victory over Fulham. He hasn’t scored since.