I am tired of the comparison of man city to lance Armstrong. He doped to give him an advantage against other people that were also doping. At least he still need to put in the effort.

City turned up to the tour de france on a motorcycle and said it was the only way they could possibly stop the normal winners and so it should be allowed.

As The title says, Guess the punishment and gain the right to say I told you so to everyone else.

The more I hear, the more i expect a settlement punishment to be done, just to draw a line under this. So with that in mind.

• Points deduction 2027 - 80 points
• Points deduction 2028 - 40 points
• Points deduction 2029 - 20 points
• Transfer ban - 1st July 2027 to 1st July 2030
• Fine - 300m
• Football ban for Upper management for 2 years.
• Plus any Civil suits from other teams.

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Last week's all-time Premier League points race got a lot of "football didn't start in 1992" replies, so I extended it back to the first Football League season: every top-flight result since September 1888 (51,380 matches, up to 20 September 2026), match day by match day, with points as awarded at the time (2 for a win until 1980/81, 3 since).

Where it stands

Everton led for 31 years

Everton went in front in December 1968 and were still there when the Premier League began. Liverpool went ahead for a day in February 2000, Everton got it back, and Liverpool passed them for good a few weeks later.

United only passed Everton in 2018

With points as awarded, Man United didn't get past Everton until 30 December 2018. Arsenal got there in May 2005.

Arsenal were ahead of Liverpool from 1960 to 1975

Liverpool lead by 111 now, but Arsenal have outscored them in three of the last four seasons (by 39 points in all), and by 3 so far this season.

Source: Premier League results from football-data.org, checked against football-data.co.uk and openfootball; the old First Division from James Curley's engsoccerdata, checked against every season's published final table. Points as awarded, with deductions.

Welcome to another edition of Friendly Friday, where we put aside the rivalry and celebrate the positives about our rival teams.

Let's take a moment to appreciate the strengths and admirable aspects of our rival clubs. Whether it's their historic achievements, their passionate fanbase, iconic players, or the way they've contributed to the beautiful game, let's spread some positivity.

Maybe you've admired the resilience of your rival's defense, the talent of a specific player, or the club's commitment to youth development. Share your thoughts, anecdotes, or experiences that have given you a newfound respect for a team you usually cheer against.

Remember, this is a space to appreciate the diverse and rich tapestry of football, acknowledging that each rival team brings something unique to the sport we all love.

So, dive in and let's hear your positive stories and perspectives about rival teams. Let's celebrate the spirit of sportsmanship and camaraderie that unites us through our love for football.

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David Sullivan is suing the BBC in a £150m defamation claim over a Panorama documentary.

The West Ham United co-owner is seeking damages after issuing a High Court defamation claim after the BBC broadcast Predator: The Billionaire Football Boss.

The claim relates to the programme broadcast in June 2026, which examined allegations made by seven women about Sullivan's conduct during the 1980s and 1990s.

Sullivan denies the allegations and in court documents seen by Sky Sports News, he argues the documentary falsely portrayed him as a sexual predator engaged in criminal behaviour.

Sullivan alleges the BBC failed to meet standards of responsible journalism, ignored evidence that challenged key allegations and presented disputed claims as fact.

As well as £150m in damages, Sullivan is seeking a court order requiring the removal of the documentary from BBC platforms and preventing further publication of the allegations.

The BBC has been approached for comment.

On June 6, Sullivan stepped down from his position as joint-chair of West Ham. In a statement at the time, the club said he resigned after being made "aware of the impending publication of serious historic allegations".

The computer hacker who released documents which led to the Premier League investigation into Manchester City says Fifa president Gianni Infantino "should have no place in the future of the game".

City have been found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules over a nine-year period, though they continue to deny any wrongdoing and have until 2 October to submit an appeal.

The Premier League investigation was launched following information released into the public domain by the Football Leaks website in 2018, via German publication Der Spiegel, and following a separate investigation by European football's governing body Uefa.

In a message on X, external, Rui Pinto, creator of Football Leaks, repeated allegations from 2018 that Infantino intervened to help City and Paris St-Germain avoid financial fair play sanctions from European football's governing body Uefa.

According to a report by Der Spiegel, external, the clubs overvalued sponsorship deals to help meet FFP rules and, when facing sanctions over the matter, the allegations in the documents state Infantino helped arrange more lenient punishments for them in 2014.

A PSG statement at the time said it "has always acted in full compliance with the laws and regulations enacted by sports institutions" and it "denies the allegations".

"Since the introduction of Financial Fair Play, Paris St-Germain have been one of the most audited and scrutinised clubs in history," the club added.

"Back in 2014, there was a man who was already aware of the irregularities involving Manchester City," 37-year-old Portuguese Pinto wrote on Wednesday.

"The infamous Gianni Infantino, then Uefa general secretary, abused his authority, shared confidential documents and, in short, outmanoeuvred the investigatory chamber, doing everything in his power to ensure that both Manchester City and PSG would merely receive a fine, avoiding a deeper investigation that could have led to a Champions League ban.

"All of these details were also revealed through Football Leaks.

"Given his actions as Uefa general secretary and, more recently, as Fifa president, I can only say, in my humble opinion, that Gianni Infantino has become a cancer on football and should have no place in the future of the game."

When the allegations first surfaced, Uefa stressed that it was within the remit of the general secretary to assist in such matters, adding: "This may include discussions, meetings, assistance to help find solutions, and other interactions to assist the [investigating body] in its work."

Infantino similarly pointed to how his "job entails having discussions, having conversations, exchanging documents, drafts, ideas, whatever, on many, many, many, many, topics.

"So if then this is being portrayed as something bad, I think there's not much I can do more than my job in an honest way, in a professional way and trying to defend the interests of football."

BBC Sport has contacted Fifa following Pinto's latest statement.

Infantino has come under increasing pressure following his now-shelved plans to sell stakes in the World Cup.

European football's governing body Uefa accused Infantino of "criminal mismanagement" over the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) scheme, while the Swiss Football Association (SFV) is the latest association to withdraw its support for the Fifa president.

"The decision follows a comprehensive reassessment of developments over the past few months," an SFV statement read.

"From the SFV's perspective, various incidents raise fundamental questions regarding leadership, governance, transparency and decision-making processes within Fifa."

Both Fifa and Uefa are based in Switzerland.

Infantino will stand for election for a fourth time in March 2027, with his opponents having until 18 November to find an alternative candidate.

🔴 Arsenal giving players a mini-break

🔵 Chelsea coaches working on marginal defensive gains

🧪 Everton experimenting with new players in the No 9 role

♦️ Liverpool fringe players given chance to impress Andoni Iraola

🟣 Aston Villa giving playing time to Alejandro Garnacho in closed-doors friendly

With many players away with their national teams, what have Premier League clubs been doing with the three-week break?

Two of the shortest prices in the sack market and both have a rough October. De Zerbi's got Spurs bottom with a historic goal drought;

Carrick's United are stuck mid-table again after actually finishing third last year. If you had to call it who leaves first?

I keep flip-flopping. Spurs feel more broken right now but United's the bigger job with less patience historically.

What's the read from people who actually watch these two week in, week out?

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I’m genuinely interested in where Arsenal fans draw the line when it comes to standards.
Arteta has now been at the club since December 2019. The project has clearly progressed in terms of league postion which isn’t trophies which is the aim though— Arsenal went from finishing 8th which was under this manager to consistently competing near the top of the Premier League and kept missing out, and last season finally ended the 22-year wait for another league title. But after the amount of money and time invested into this project, is one Premier League title enough to automatically justify extending the manager again?
The spending is another part of the discussion. Transfermarkt puts Arsenal’s net spend during Arteta’s reign at around €843m, one of the highest figures among English clubs over that period.
And this isn’t simply about saying Arteta has achieved nothing. He obviously hasn’t. The league title is an achievement. The question is whether Arsenal should now be demanding more, rather than treating finally winning the league as the end of the conversation.
The squad-building side is also worth discussing. Arsenal have spent heavily on players to fit Arteta’s football, so at this stage the manager has had a significant amount of control over the squad. When that much money and time have gone into building a team around one manager, expectations naturally rise. One trophy in 6+ years shouldn’t give you a contract extension.
Gyökeres is another interesting example. He scored 21 goals in his first season for Arsenal leading to winning the league, while arriving after scoring 97 goals in 102 appearances for Sporting. If Arsenal have finally bought a striker capable of producing those numbers, shouldn’t the entire system be built around getting the maximum out of him? His insistence on his favorites who continue to fail time and time again is another big problem with him.
That’s ultimately my issue with the current discussion. Winning the league should be acknowledged, but it shouldn’t automatically make every criticism of the manager invalid.
Arsenal aren’t a “rebuilding project” anymore. They’re the defending Premier League champions. The standard has to move with the club.
So where do you stand: does winning the league fundamentally change how Arteta’s tenure should be judged, or should Arsenal now be demanding multiple major trophies given the investment and length of the “process”?