Emm Fernández

Esto es extremadamente irrelevante, el mundial nunca ha sido "los # mejores de acuerdo a la clasificación de la FIFA". Cada federación tiene un número de lugares asignados de acuerdo a la clasificación de sus miembros. Por eso UEFA tiene el mayor número de participantes.

Harry Maguire has started in a World Cup quarter-final and semi-final, a Euros final, he’s into his seventh year at United, has been playing well at club level for two-and-a-half years and is also a regular starter. Risible to suggest he is England’s fifth-choice centre back.

At some point, senior Premier League execs have to offer a proper explanation in public for their leniency towards Chelsea. They owe an explanation to fans of clubs punished more harshly. They owe an explanation to those clubs who did abide by the rules. They have to offer some explanation as to why PSR breaches are deemed far more serious than acts of "deception and concealment". Yes, these are the offences of a previous regime at Chelsea. But inconsistencies run through the PL's defence and their reputation is damaged. They can’t hide from a controversy of this magnitude.

Good result for Chelsea: club fined only £10m and given a suspended transfer ban after Premier League found 36 separate undisclosed payments totalling £47.5m made “to 12 persons or entities on behalf of the club”. Lenient sanctions. No sporting sanctions. Yet these are serious offences, as the sanction agreement between the PL and Chelsea makes clear, stating “they were not only obvious and deliberate breaches of the rules but also because they involved deception and concealment in relation to financial matters”. Yet no points deductions. Just a manageable (if record) fine and a “suspended one-year first-team player transfer ban (suspended for two years)”. Surely they gained a sporting advantage by recruiting such players? So surely a sporting sanction should be in order? And where's the consistency? In 2008, Luton Town received a 10-point deduction for irregularities in dealing with agents (nb from FA). There still could be some further sanctions by the FA following its "ongoing investigation". PL points to mitigating factors: current owners Clearlake/Todd Boehly in May 2022 voluntarily self-reported potential historical breaches from the Roman Abramovich era. Club co-operated extensively and helped provide (with others) 10,000 documents for PL investigation. PL established “that between 2011 and 2018, undisclosed payments by third parties associated with the club were made to players, unregistered agents and other third parties”. Payments related to the purchases of players including Eden Hazard, Willian, Samuel Eto’o, David Luiz, Andre Schurrle and Nemanja Matic - there is no suggestion any were aware of the illicit payments. The detailed work of the investigators – and level of Clearlake’s co-operation – is impressive. The sanctions less so. It is a legitimate debate: should a club be punished for offences under a previous owner? Yes, most fans of other clubs would scream. It's a deterrent. And the value of those players' contribution and subsequent sales arguably still benefits the club. PL also investigated “potential breaches of the Premier League’s Youth Development Rules, committed by a former senior employee, relating to the club’s registration of Academy players between 2019 and 2022”. Again, self-reported by the club, this time in 2025. Chelsea punished with £750,000 fine and immediate nine-month ban from registering academy players from PL and EFL clubs. #CFC

🤣 Maresca at least gave them some silverware

Which of these clubs is PGMOL's favorite? It's 90'+5, Gabriel fakes to be pushed by VvD, who is clearly offside, just seconds before scoring a winning goal, which team gets the decision ruled in their favor?

@stukeil Hace 40 años Colombia iba a ser sede del mundial; sus problemas de inseguridad y violencia causaron que FIFA cambiará de parecer, y México terminó siendo la sede alternativa. Quizá el comentario viene cargado de resentimiento por ese hecho.

Con todo el respeto del mundo para Colombia, el país que le dio al mundo a Pablo Escobar, las FARC y los Pepes… qué valiente opinar sobre violencia ajena. Pero sí, México absurdo. Completamente de acuerdo.

That was plain sigh robbery at The City Ground! Clear offside, VAR should have reverted the decision!

@arturoangel20 Con más equipos, sedes, mascotas, y el rumor de que las plantillas de jugadores serán más grandes, debería haber salido hace meses para poder completarlo.

En temas que importan. ¿Cuándo sale el album de estampitas del mundial?

Si son de lxs que se agüitan a mediados de febrero y aún guardan su iPod clásico en algún cajón, está lista es para ustedes open.spotify.com/playlist/098wq…

Mañana seguro subirán las reproducciones de ESE álbum de Fernando Delgadillo

Yoro deserves a lot of plaudits. Was basically defending on his own towards the end. Made top decisions and kept United in the game to grab that point. Insane recovery pace.

When Michael Carrick was coming to the end of his playing career at Manchester United, and considering coaching, the club gave him a questionnaire to fill in which would reveal his true character. It concluded that "Michael is a helpful, patient, stable person who works steadily and consistently. Even-tempered, he communicates, coaches, and teaches in a patient, detailed, non-threatening way. "He prefers having, and following, a well thought-out process to ensure success. If Michael is responsible for establishing the process, he will do so in a thoughtful, methodical manner, paying close attention to details and time-honoured successes." Pretty accurate. What Carrick has done with this United team is simply the appliance of these characteristics and the appliance of common-sense. Abandoning the 3-4-2-1 system that didn’t suit the players and was an insult to United’s DNA (which matters hugely). Playing players in their best positions - Bruno Fernandes as a 10. Ensuring a midfield balance with Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo, who protect the defence. Restoring that home-grown link with Mainoo (which matters hugely). Restoring belief by telling players, individually and collectively, they are good. He's a good communicator - as the Carrington questionnaire confirmed. Organising the players better. Steve Holland’s training-ground drilling of the units into a cohesive force is already apparent. Holland’s very demanding, not always to everyone’s tastes, but he’s a very effective coach. Holland's a very smart appointment by Carrick. It helps having Lisandro Martinez back. It helps having all week to instil his ideas. It helps that Carrick doesn’t tie himself up in knots in press conferences. He's calm, he reads danger early and he just wants what's best for Manchester United. There's no agenda with Carrick. There will be plenty of calls for Carrick to be given the role after two good wins and performances. Winning the Manchester Derby and then beating the Premier League leaders away is a great start. Carrick loves the club, loves working with the players and has a strong bond with the support. The Carricks are Reds. He did once have to encourage a more polite phrasing of the famous Georgie Best song his young son was passionately singing. United should enjoy having their team back in the hands of somebody who cares and understands and who can lead them forward for the rest of the season. The club can then sit down with Carrick in June and decide on the permanent role. No need to rush. If Carrick guides United into one of the five #UCL positions, he makes the job even more inviting to elite managers - and makes an even more convincing case for himself. #MUFC

what a time to have an anxiety disorder, a love of history, and a compulsive need to stay informed

🎶Oh oh oh it's Carrick you know

In four games in charge of Manchester United, Michael Carrick has: Beaten Unai Emery’s Villarreal Drawn at Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea Beaten Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal And now, on his return, pulverised Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. #MUFC

Man City should probably try and sign a few more players this month.

I don't care what anyone says about Pep Guardiola. If he wins his 7th Premier League title this season with Man City it's right up there with Lance Armstrong's 7 Tour de France trophies!

Whatever you think Germans should have done in 1933, do it now.

Video message from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell: federalreserve.gov/newsevents/spe…