And that concludes the blog for another Friday. A full weekend of sport awaits on the website.

Football Daily is here, as penned by the excellent Rob Smyth.

So, that new MOTD Gary Lineker mentioned.

What will that look like?

They can relax: the “woke” credentials of any candidate would not be taken into consideration, insisted one BBC source with knowledge of the show’s future direction. “Match of the Day will continue to be about football,” they deadpanned. “It will have people on it who know about football, talking about football. That’s the criteria.”

Sir Alex Ferguson remains unstoppable. His Spirit Dancer Flat horse has just landed the Bahrain International Trophy for the second year. He takes the lion’s share of a $1m dollar prize fund.

Six years ago today. Has Trent’s England career really been that long? Just 33 caps.

Russia’s football team – sanctioned by Fifa and Uefa – are playing a friendly with Brunei. Should you be interested in the scoreline, it’s 4-0 to Russia after 28 minutes.

Statement from the England Supporters’ Travel Club

“We are aware that some England supporters experienced difficulties when entering the Athens Olympic Stadium last night.

”FA Security, ESTC staff, the UK Police and The FSA were all on hand to witness these incidents and will work together to document and address the issue further with the appropriate authorities.

”The safety of ESTC members attending any match is a priority for us and we are disappointed in the incidents from last night.

We will provide a further update once we have one but would encourage anyone who wishes to document their experiences to complete this form.

Thank you to all those who made the journey to Athens and we hope you have a safe journey home.”

More news: from Crewe Alexandra. Pyro at a game is often not a good idea.

News, via the NYT/Athletic, that Gianni Infantino’s name is engraved - twice - on the Fifa Club World Cup trophy that will be handed out at next year’s junket.

“Fifa president Gianni Infantino’s name has been engraved on the new Club World Cup trophy….One of the inscriptions reads “founding president, Gianni Infantino”, followed by his signature.

Another passage reads: “We are witness to a new age. The golden era of club football: the era of the FIFA Club World Cup. The pinnacle of all club competitions. Inspired by the FIFA president Gianni Infantino.”

Urgh. “Gianni Infantino still gleaming,” doesn’t have the same ring about it, does it?

Newcastle’s Joelinton has been burgled for the second time.

“On his social media, Joelinton said that his house was once again invaded by criminals. Fortunately, there was no one at the residence, since the player is traveling with his family. The Newcastle United number 7 made an appeal asking that he just wants to live in peace.”

That is all from me today. Handing you back to John Brewin to close out your Friday!

The other big matchup in the WSL this weekend is when Manchester City head to London to take on the defending champions, Chelsea. Sonia Bompastor has made the perfect start after the end of the Emma Hayes era but Gareth Taylor’s City have just beaten Barcelona and sit top of the table.

From Tom Garry’s preview:

Saturday’s top-of-the-table meeting at Stamford Bridge between second-placed Chelsea, with their game in hand, and the unbeaten leaders City, who have played seven, won six, drawn one, should provide the kind of unmissable, box office drama that WSL viewers crave.

It will thrust many of the world’s best players on to the same field together for 90 minutes of world-class sport. Khadija Shaw, who has more hat-tricks than any other player in WSL history after scoring her sixth last week, at one end; Mayra Ramírez, with nine goal involvements in her first 12 WSL appearances, down the other. Plus head-to-head clashes that fans yearn for, potentially such as the City left-winger Lauren Hemp – who leads the way with a staggering 26 chances created in the WSL this term – up against her England teammate Lucy Bronze down that flank.

The news from Spain comes two days after a man was jailed for over three years for using and selling Firesticks after prosecution undertaken by the Premier League.

He also received a separate concurrent sentence of two years and three months for accessing and viewing the content he was supplying.

Kevin Plumb, the Premier League general counsel, said: “The significant sentence handed down to the individual involved once again serves to highlight the severity of his actions and we thank Merseyside police for their support throughout the case.

“We will continue to pursue legal action against those supplying unauthorised access to Premier League football, regardless of the scale or mode of operation. Ignoring warnings to stop only served to make the consequences worse for the individual.

“The selling of broadcast rights supports the Premier League’s industry-leading financial contribution to the whole football pyramid and we’re pleased that the courts have once again recognised the importance of safeguarding these rights with the outcome of this case. No matter the scale, we will continue to protect these rights by carrying out investigations and prosecuting illegal operators at every level.”

From the archives: End of an era as Alex Ferguson calls time at Manchester United (2013)

Barney Ronay on how Sir Alex changed football and leaves David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, José Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Ralf Rangnick, Erik ten Hag, Rúben Amorim with the hardest of acts to follow.

At the end of which he leaves not just an empty space, but a sense of broader endings. Ferguson’s managerial strength was in the end bound up in his longevity, the ability to bridge and encompass such distinct and instructive eras. This is a school of managerial opportunity that is now closed. Nobody will ever do this again, just as nobody really manages like Ferguson at the top level any more, seeking to take charge of a club from top level down, a practice learned from the arch all-seeing eye, Jock Stein, who would routinely answer the club telephones at Celtic and once at the height of his powers stood on a motorway island directing supporters’ cars back to Glasgow after a match was postponed.

Alongside this, Ferguson has bolted on with great adaptive intelligence the full range of modern skills: control of the junior millionaire; a facility with agents, media and corporate overlords; and of course mastery of the wretched mind-games, the relentless unsettling, as required, of his opposite number.

Like a kind of managerial Elvis, Ferguson was there in the front rank when the world was changing, shaping its face, defining its terms, hogging the best seat.

Rúben Amorim believes he is “where I am supposed to be” after spending his first week as Manchester United’s head coach.

On Friday, United released a clip from Amorim’s first interview with the club’s in-house TV channel which showed him looking around a floodlit Old Trafford.

You watch on TV and you know that it’s big and it’s impressive, but when you are here you can feel it and I think you feel the history,” Amorim says. “I’m really, really proud to be a Manchester United coach, so it’s amazing. It’s a real honour to be here.

Told by the interviewer that there is a “weight to the place but it does lift you up”, Amorim says: “That’s really funny because I feel very relaxed. Maybe because it’s not game day, when we have a game I’m a different guy but I really don’t feel the weight.

It’s the big north London derby in the WSL this weekend and the Arsenal interim manager, Renée Slegers, has been speaking to the media ahead of the match. Jonas Eidevall resigned from his role as head coach in October 2024 after a poor start to the 2024-25 WSL season, winning just one of the opening four games, but no news on who will take his place. Here is what Slegers had to say on the job:

I think it’s good for the team if there’s a permanent solution and the club is working hard for that in the background. I think this job is a very fun job. It’s a demanding job as well. But again I don’t think so much about that- it’s mostly in the press conferences I have to think about it [taking the job permanently]. I go home, I play with my three-year-old son and then I go to bed early!

On Arsenal beating Juventus in the Champions League earlier this week:

Very proud of the players because it’s a very hard away game to go to with the pressure that was on us to get a result. It was an intense and demanding game. They are together at the moment trying to play to their strengths. I’m very happy with where we are at the moment.

From the Asian qualifier today: Japan hammered a hapless Indonesia side 4-0, extending their lead at the top of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup and edging them closer to an eighth consecutive spot at football’s premier spectacle.

Despite several early scares in front of more than 70,000 fans in Jakarta, the Blue Samurai eventually carved open a home team filled with European-born players.

Crystal Palace’s Daichi Kamada cut past a defender in the 35th minute and squared the ball across goal, with Indonesia’s Justin Hubner being credited with an own goal as he tried to stop striker Koki Ogawa from tapping in.

That broke more than half an hour of stubborn Indonesian resistance in heavy rain before Japan took their foot off the brakes, doubling their lead just five minutes later when Monaco’s Takumi Minamino smashed in a low shot off the left upright.

Sporting Lisbon’s Hidemasa Morita capitalised on a mistake by Indonesian goalkeeper Maarten Paes before substitute Yukinari Sugawara smashed in a fourth to seal the thumping.

Japan are now at the top of Group C by seven points at the halfway stage of the third round of Asian qualifying for 2026, all but guaranteeing them a World Cup berth bar an astonishing collapse.

Japan will go away to China on Tuesday knowing that another win would almost cement their World Cup place, while Indonesia face Saudi Arabia, who are fighting for second joint on six points with Australia and China.

Just the top two seal their place at the 2026 World Cup in North America, with third and fourth forced into another round of Asian qualifying. AFP

Craig Bellamy believes Wales’ Nations League test in Turkey presents the perfect rehearsal for their World Cup qualification campaign next year. Wales enter the Kadir Has Stadium in Kayseri on Saturday evening expecting an intimidating atmosphere, with their travelling 1,000-strong support tucked away in the corner of a 33,000-capacity arena that is right on top of the players.

Nations League promotion is on the line for Wales – winning in Kayseri and beating Iceland at home on Tuesday will guarantee their place in the top tier of the competition’s next edition.

But Bellamy knows the main objective is reaching the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States, qualification for which starts next year.

Coming to a country as passionate about football as Turkey is, that’s always an honour. You have to relish this, it’s so good. Will we be able to play how we want to play? That’s going to be the test.

It is (Nations League) six games to prepare for the World Cup and what scenario that’s going to be. What can we do in these six games to take us close to giving us a realistic and good opportunity of qualifying for the World Cup? So far, so good, but that’s what makes this so good is because it will allow us to shorten that gap.

Bellamy is the first Wales manager to be unbeaten in his opening four games after two wins and two draws.

And in Asia, qualifiers to the 2026 World Cup continued. Iran and South Korea – who had the captain Son Heung-min scoring his 50th international goal – tightened their grips on automatic spots to the tournament with wins over North Korea and Kuwait respectively.

Uzbekistan and Bahrain suffered late defeats while Australia and Saudi Arabia settled for a goalless draw in their Group C encounter.

Japan, who meet Indonesia in Jakarta on Friday, will move seven points clear at the top of Group C with a win against the Southeast Asian side.

Outside of Uefa’s Nations League, Caf’s Afcon qualifiers continued during this international break.

Thursday’s results on saw six more nations – Nigeria, Tunisia, South Africa, Uganda, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon – clinch their spots at the tournament to be played in Morocco next December.

Equatorial Guinea managed a goalless draw against the group leaders Algeria after the Desert Foxes aimed to extend their advantage. Riyad Mahrez led their attack, and the visitors saw good chances through Mohammed Amoura and Ramiz Zerrouki. However, Nzalang Nacional’s defense, marshaled by Basilio Ndong and Marvin Anieboh, held firm.

Nigeria battled to a 1-1 draw with Benin to confirm their qualification. Benin opened the scoring in the 16th minute when Mohamed Tijani capitalized on a corner delivery from Junior Olaïtan. In the second half, Nigeria were rewarded with their efforts in the 81st minute when Victor Osimhen met Moses Simon’s cross with a precise header to level the score.

Hello all. Let’s keep the trend going with some more Manchester United news.

The former United midfielder Irene Guerrero has opened up on her time with the club, saying there were days where she “had to go into the bathroom to cry” during training.

The 27-year-old joined the club in September 2023, having been part of the Spain squad that won that summer’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. The season that followed, disrupted early on by a knee injury, saw the ex-Atlético Madrid player make only seven appearances in all competitions for Marc Skinner’s side, starting just once, and she subsequently left to sign for the Mexican team America in July.

Guerrero told Marca:

I did everything in my power to get a chance, but when the weeks go by and you don’t get it, you see how small you are. When I returned to training in January (after the injury), I had minutes in some games between January and March, but then there is a period where I don’t play at all. I fully understand that a coach may like one profile of player more than another and that’s absolutely fine, but being denied the opportunity to show your level or potential and then see if it fits into your game model or not...

It was difficult for me to accept at that time. I asked myself. ‘Why are you coming to sign me, pay a transfer fee and give a player in exchange if you don’t count on me later?’ Mentally reconciling that was not easy. The support I had from my family and my partner helped me to see the positive side and get down to work. When I hit rock bottom I started to approach it in a different way.

I remember days when, halfway through training, I had to go into the bathroom to cry, wash my face and come out as if nothing had happened. I tried not to let anyone notice and not to affect the team, but I had a very important, very hard mental limit.

I also went through moments of sending everything to hell, especially when I got home and said to my partner, ‘I want to go home, I don’t want to be here. I’m not enjoying myself, I’m not happy and I feel like everything I’ve sacrificed to come to another country is not worth it. The reward for the effort and work I’m doing on a day-to-day basis is zero.’

United declined to comment when contacted by the PA news agency. PA Media

Yara El-Shaboury will be taking the reins for the next tranche of red-hot news and views,

And the ratings from last night in Athens, too.

Harry Kane was left out last night by Lee Carsley, and here’s the explanation.

It’s important that I think if we are going to put these players in a position where we are going to go and win the World Cup then they need to have as many experiences as they can. So, it was no slight on Harry. He’ll start the next game.

Ruud van Nistelrooy has waved his goodbyes to Manchester United – for now?

England v Ireland at Wembley on Sunday.

Lying in wait for Lee Carsley’s swansong will be Caoimhin Kelleher, who had another fine game as Ireland beat Finland. He’s been a Wembley wizard before with Liverpool. He saved a penalty last night in Dublin.

“Yeah, I’ve two Cup wins there so hopefully another happy one on Sunday. We know what to expect. They’ll be quality. There’s a lot of players missing, but they’ve a lot of strength in depth and a lot of strength in depth in their squad as well. We need to recover because we’ve to go again in three days. But we’ll be ready for them.”

“We know we can improve on things and it’s big opposition in England. Any England versus Ireland game is big and we’ll definitely be up for it. We’ll look at the game to see what we could have done better, what we need to improve on and get ready.”

“It’s looking good at the moment. That run of games is very important, keeping that rhythm is good. I’m happy to be getting a chance to show everyone the levels I can play at. It’s common sense. If I’m playing week in, week out, I’m going to be coming in more match-sharp and ready. There’s confidence from playing week in, week out.”

Football Weekly has landed, including well, me, actually. A fun edition, even with no Barry.

And here’s Lee Carsley himself.

Lee Carsley – turns out his reign could be a success, after all. So says Barney Ronay.

Lewis Hall, a half-time sub, was one of the most eye-catching performers as England won in Greece. Seems he entered the mixed zone in Athens.

Per PA Media

“I’ll be honest, I wasn’t really expecting to come on just because of the position that Ezri plays. I think it was (performance coach) Chris Jones who told me and I couldn’t quite believe him at first.

“Luckily, I had another 10 minutes as well then to get myself ready and prepared to come on. It’s amazing. I don’t think it’s fully sunk in yet, really. I’m sure I’ll lie down tonight and realise what’s happened. It’s an amazing feeling for me and really happy to get the win as well.”

“I did feel a bit nervous before coming on. But I think when you’re out there and you sort of get your first pass away and you’re in the game, you just treat it as any other game, really. There’s so many talented players around me that I knew anytime I get the ball that there’s always going to be options. There’s so much quality in the team, so it’s amazing to play with them players as well.”

Loan ranger Will Unwin has been running the rule.

The excellent Nick Ames makes the wholly valid point: why are Belarus playing Uefa fixtures?

Its complicity with Russia’s abuses is appalling enough before the domestic picture, and an atrocious human rights record in which football and footballers have not been spared, is accounted for. There are believed to be more than 1,300 political prisoners, the same individuals referenced by those fans in Warsaw, in Belarus. These incarcerations have often been the result of the slightest opposition to Alexander Lukashenko’s authoritarian regime.

The other big story of the week is the imminent change in the Match of the Day studio.

“I bowed out in my football career when I felt it was the right time. I feel this is now the right time. I think the next contract they’re looking to do Match of the Day slightly differently, so I think it makes sense for someone else to take the helm.”

Slightly differently? Alarm bells will be ringing.

Liverpool fans and journalists who were there, will recognise that stadium from 2007’s Champions League final, a mess of organisation from my experience and from Gregg Bakowski, neé Roughley, my colleague, here’s a reminder of what happened back then.

The problem then was getting in, not getting out.

That call for witnesses for the Athens from Football Supporters’ Association.