Sports
PSG target rare title defense as Arsenal eye 1st UCL crown
The Champions League trophy is up for grabs in Saturday’s final in Budapest, but for Paris Saint-Germain and Luis Enrique, the stakes go far beyond silverware.
Facing Arsenal, the defending champions and their serial-winning Spanish coach have a chance to strengthen their case as one of the defining teams of this era.
“I arrived at the club thinking, ‘My objective is to make history,’ and we have indeed made history,” Luis Enrique said. “We want to keep writing the story because we believe there’s still more there for us to achieve.”
PSG is already part of the conversation about the best sides of the Champions League era, yet only results on nights like this tend to settle such debates.
Victory at the Estadio Metropolitano in Budapest would make PSG only the second team to retain the trophy since the competition was rebranded as the Champions League in 1992.
For years, even the game’s most dominant sides have failed to repeat the feat.
Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona won two titles in three years. AC Milan and Juventus each reached three consecutive finals in the 1990s but won only one apiece. Ajax and Manchester United both saw title defenses end in final defeats.
Real Madrid, the most successful club in European football, eventually broke the pattern with three straight titles from 2016-18. What once seemed out of reach would now become a realistic target for PSG with victory on Saturday.
Luis Enrique would join Guardiola and Zinedine Zidane as a three-time Champions League winner, though his focus remains collective success rather than personal milestones.
Having previously won the Champions League with Barcelona, he has built a PSG side that has set the standard in Europe over the past two seasons. It blends attacking quality with intensity and pressing energy, a high-risk style that prioritizes control through aggression.
At its best, PSG looks unstoppable, with last year’s 5-0 win over Inter Milan in the final standing as one of the most dominant performances in the competition’s history.
With a squad averaging under 24 years old, the prospect of sustained success is clear.
Desire Doue, the two-goal scorer in last year’s final, is 20, while midfielder Joao Neves is 21.
PSG’s performances, including a 5-4 win over Bayern Munich in the semifinals, underline its quality, but history suggests dominance must be proven with repeated titles.
For many, Guardiola’s Barcelona side featuring Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta remains the benchmark of the modern era.
Others point to Luis Enrique’s Barcelona team of 2015, powered by Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez, as even more complete.
Statistically, no side matches Real Madrid’s dominance under Zinedine Zidane, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos, which delivered three consecutive titles. Over five years, Madrid won the competition four times.
PSG remains far behind Madrid’s 15 European crowns, having lifted the trophy for the first time last year. But it can still make a case as the defining team of its era.
Backed by Qatari investment, PSG spent heavily for years in pursuit of European glory, bringing in Messi, Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The breakthrough only came after a shift toward a more balanced, team-first approach, even while retaining elite talent. Messi, Neymar and eventually Mbappe departed, while a younger core emerged, including Doue, Neves and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Ousmane Dembele, once inconsistent at Barcelona, has re-emerged in Paris as a central figure.
A semifinal run in Luis Enrique’s first season was followed by last year’s title and a chance to go back-to-back.
“I’d say there was more pressure last season because everyone was like, ‘This is it, we can’t lose this time,’” Luis Enrique said. “This time around, there is pressure because we believe we deserve it.”
While PSG pursues history, Arsenal is aiming to claim its first Champions League title.
The Premier League side reached the final after topping the league phase with a perfect record.
Mikel Arteta’s team lost to PSG in last year’s semifinals.
“It’s two teams that are exceptional in the way they function, how they adapt and the intensity they play with,” Arteta said. “We’re going to have to be at our best to win it.”
A Flydubai flight carrying more than 170 passengers from Dubai to Tel Aviv diverted to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after transmitting emergency transponder codes, including one associated with a possible hijacking, triggering an Israeli military response before authorities determined the incident was not believed to involve a hijacking.
Flight FZ1073, operated by a Boeing 737 MAX 8, was traveling toward Ben Gurion Airport when it transmitted the international emergency code 7700 and briefly switched to code 7500, which is used to indicate unlawful interference or a possible hijacking.
The aircraft subsequently changed course, descended sharply and headed toward Saudi Arabia, according to flight-tracking data and Israeli media reports. It eventually landed safely at Tabuk Airport.
The unusual flight path and emergency signals prompted Israeli authorities to treat the situation as a potential security threat.
Israeli media reported that the Air Force scrambled fighter jets after the alert, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz held an urgent security consultation with senior defense officials.
The Israeli military also carried out a situation assessment involving the Air Force and other security agencies as authorities sought to determine what had happened aboard the aircraft.
A security source cited by Ynet said there was no confirmed information that the aircraft had been hijacked and that the pilot had activated a distress signal.
The Prime Minister’s Office later said the diversion to Saudi Arabia was not believed to have been the result of a hijacking.
Emergency codes
The aircraft departed Dubai International Airport early Wednesday on its scheduled service to Tel Aviv. It was carrying roughly 174 passengers, according to reports, including about 27 children.
During the flight, the aircraft transmitted the 7700 general emergency code before briefly transmitting 7500, the code associated with unlawful interference.
The 7500 signal immediately raised the possibility of a hijacking, particularly because the aircraft was headed toward Israel, where security authorities have remained on high alert amid the wider regional security situation.
Flight-tracking data showed the aircraft changing direction and descending to a much lower altitude than its normal cruising level before continuing toward Saudi Arabia. Reports said the aircraft descended to around 15,000 feet.
The combination of the emergency signals, course reversal, descent and temporary concerns over communications intensified the response.
Israeli media initially reported that contact with the aircraft had been lost, although subsequent reports indicated that it was continuing toward Saudi Arabia and was expected to land at Tabuk.
The aircraft eventually landed safely.
Immediate action
The alert prompted an immediate military response in Israel, with fighter jets scrambled as authorities assessed whether the aircraft posed a security threat.
Netanyahu and Katz convened an emergency consultation, while senior military officials assessed the situation with the Air Force.
Other Israeli security bodies were also reported to have been involved in assessing the incident.
Some Israeli reports said departures from Ben Gurion Airport were temporarily affected while the situation was being evaluated.
The response reflected the seriousness with which aviation authorities treat a 7500 transmission. The code is designed to alert air traffic control and relevant security agencies to a possible unlawful interference situation.
However, the transmission alone does not establish that a hijacking has taken place.
Pilot dispute reported
As the situation developed, Israeli reports indicated that the incident was not believed to have been caused by a hijacking or an external security threat.
Reports cited by Israeli media suggested that a physical altercation between the pilots may have prompted the emergency signals and the subsequent diversion.
That account remained subject to further verification, however, and detailed official information from flydubai or UAE aviation authorities was not immediately available in the initial coverage.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office confirmed the broader assessment that the diversion was not believed to have been a hijacking incident.
The aircraft’s safe landing in Tabuk brought the immediate security alert to an end.
The incident nevertheless demonstrated how quickly an aviation emergency can escalate when an aircraft transmits a hijacking-related code, particularly on a route involving Israel.
Dramatic diversion
The flight was ultimately diverted well before reaching its planned destination at Ben Gurion Airport.
Rather than continuing toward Israel, the aircraft headed for Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely after the emergency.
Israeli authorities subsequently scaled back their response after determining that there was no confirmed hijacking threat.
The exact circumstances inside the cockpit, including what prompted the emergency transmissions and the aircraft’s abrupt change in course and altitude, remained under review.
The incident also highlighted the sensitivity of commercial aviation routes between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, which were established following the normalization of relations under the Abraham Accords.
Manchester City’s legal battle with the Premier League could take months or even years to resolve, but reports that the club has been found guilty of 114 of 115 financial charges have already raised major questions about sanctions, titles, compensation and the future of its squad.
The Athletic first reported Friday that an independent panel had found City guilty on all but one of the 115 charges brought against the club. A soccer source familiar with the case confirmed the reports to Reuters, saying the process was expected to “drag on.”
No punishment has been formally imposed, and City are expected to appeal any sanction.
Under Premier League rules, punishments can range from a fine or points deduction to expulsion from the competition. The scale of any penalty would depend on the findings and the specific breaches involved.
City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak addressed the reports in an open letter to supporters Saturday, reiterating the club’s position that it has committed no wrongdoing.
“The Premier League process still has a long way to run, and our confidence and intent in proving the club’s innocence is just as strong as when this began,” Al Mubarak wrote.
A three-person appeal board would hear any challenge against the independent judicial panel’s ruling. Unlike in UEFA cases, City cannot take the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
That distinction is significant because Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) overturned a two-year Champions League ban imposed on City by UEFA in 2020 over alleged breaches involving sponsorship revenue.
The Premier League case is considerably broader. The charges cover nine seasons between 2009 and 2018 and followed a four-year investigation that began after German publication Der Spiegel released leaked documents involving City executives in 2018.
Season in limbo
The timing could create an extraordinary situation for the Premier League.
City currently lead the table after five consecutive victories, but the club could potentially finish the season without knowing whether or how it will be punished.
Even if a verdict and sanction are announced during the campaign, an appeal could delay the implementation of any punishment.
A major points deduction could transform City from title contenders into relegation candidates, depending on its size and timing. Everton and Nottingham Forest were docked points during the 2023-24 season for financial-rule breaches, although City’s case involves a much larger number of alleged violations.
The most severe punishment could be expulsion from the Premier League.
That would raise another difficult question over timing. If a sanction were imposed immediately and later overturned, the consequences for the league table and European qualification could be difficult to reverse.
If enforcement were delayed until all appeals were exhausted, rival clubs could argue that they had suffered financial losses because City remained in the competition.
Titles at risk?
One of the most contentious issues would be what happens to the trophies City won during the period covered by the charges.
Between 2009 and 2018, City won four Premier League titles, four League Cups and the 2011 FA Cup, the club’s first major trophy in 35 years.
Manchester United and Liverpool finished second to City twice during those four title-winning campaigns.
That could fuel calls for titles to be retrospectively reassigned if City’s championships were deemed to have been secured through an unfair sporting advantage. But rewriting the Premier League record books would be a complicated process.
City have won four more league titles since 2018, creating further questions about whether later success could also be affected by the findings.
Former Stoke manager Tony Pulis, whose team lost the 2011 FA Cup final to City, said he did not expect trophies simply to be redistributed.
“I don’t seriously believe any other trophies and titles will be handed back over either,” Pulis told the BBC. “A points deduction and a massive fine feels far more likely. But I still feel cheated.”
The most prominent precedent is Juventus following the Calciopoli scandal in Italy. Juventus were stripped of two Serie A titles and relegated to Serie B in 2006 after a scandal involving the manipulation of referee assignments.
A similar decision in England would have major implications for the Premier League’s historical records.
Rival clubs could seek compensation
Financial compensation may prove a more realistic battleground than the redistribution of trophies.
If City are ultimately found to have gained a sporting or financial advantage through the breaches, rival clubs could seek compensation for lost prize money, European qualification revenue or other financial opportunities.
There is already a recent Premier League precedent. Everton were ordered in June to pay Burnley 35 million pounds ($46 million) after Burnley argued it had been harmed when Everton avoided relegation during a season in which the Merseyside club breached financial sustainability rules.
Similar claims against City could come from clubs that finished behind them in title races or missed out on European competition.
Establishing the precise financial loss suffered by each club, however, could create another lengthy legal battle.
What happens to City’s players?
The legal uncertainty has so far done little to affect City’s ability to attract and retain elite players.
The club recently spent about 460 million pounds in a single transfer window on players including Enzo Fernandez, Elliott Anderson and Ayyoub Bouaddi.
Erling Haaland also signed a nine-year contract in 2025 that could keep him at the Etihad Stadium until he is 34.
The question is whether players have negotiated clauses allowing them to leave if City receive a severe sporting punishment. Those contractual details are not publicly known.
A points deduction could affect the club’s appeal to some players, while relegation or expulsion would present a far greater challenge to its ability to retain its squad.
For now, there is no indication that City’s players will be forced to leave.
A case with major consequences
The Premier League case against City has become one of the most consequential legal disputes in English football.
The reported guilty findings do not represent the end of the process. A sanction, appeal and potentially further legal challenges still have to be resolved.
If the findings ultimately stand, the consequences could extend far beyond City, affecting league standings, European qualification, prize money and the historical record of the Premier League.
A major investigation into Türkiye’s football refereeing system has led to the detention of seven people, including Central Referees Committee (MHK) President Ferhat Gündoğdu, over allegations involving workplace bullying and official document forgery.
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched the “Referees File” investigation after receiving a complainant’s statement on Sept. 15, 2025. Investigators said they examined open-source material, Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) findings, historical telephone records, witness and complainant statements, and expert reports before determining that Gündoğdu and others could be linked to the alleged offenses.
Police carried out simultaneous operations Tuesday in Istanbul, Ankara, Elazığ and Manisa. Seven suspects were detained, including Gündoğdu, who oversees refereeing through the MHK, a body operating under the Turkish Football Federation (TFF).
Those detained are Gündoğdu; Ferdi Karadoruk, president of the TFF Active Referees Association; Sebahattin Şahin, an MHK member and TFF education and fourth-region official; Emre Kosif, president of the TFF Referees and Observers Association’s Istanbul Provincial Referee Board; Alican Sağlar, organizational official of the association’s Istanbul branch; former MHK vice president Ahmet Şahin; and former MHK member Yunus Yıldırım.
Center of investigation
Investigators have examined message records that allegedly shed light on how referee examinations and appointments were handled.
According to records cited in the investigation, referee G.H.E. contacted Karadoruk on May 15, 2025, asking about questions for a refereeing examination. Karadoruk allegedly replied that he had requested them from Emre Kosif and would ask again.
Four days later, G.H.E. reportedly reminded Karadoruk about the questions. Karadoruk allegedly responded that he was asking Kosif for them for a third time and would return to the matter after a May 19 program.
The file also contains an alleged message from Karadoruk concerning Istanbul provincial referee board member Mehmet Çaylak. In the message, Karadoruk allegedly discussed withholding observer assignments from Çaylak and using pressure in an effort to make him resign.
The messages form part of the evidence being examined by prosecutors and do not, by themselves, establish that the alleged offenses occurred.
Alleged manipulation
The investigation extends beyond individual messages, with prosecutors examining alleged irregularities involving referee appointments, classifications, scoring and evaluation procedures.
Investigators are also examining claims of interference in refereeing examinations, including allegations that questions and grading were manipulated during a 2025 examination in Riva and that some results were subsequently changed.
WhatsApp conversations allegedly found on a phone belonging to Karadoruk have also been examined. The phone was reportedly seized and analyzed in connection with a separate obscenity investigation, with some messages allegedly concerning the selection of referee lists.
The investigation has also raised allegations involving the unlawful acquisition of personal data, breach of trust and other offenses against some of the suspects. The specific allegations vary by individual and remain subject to the ongoing investigation.
Searches across four provinces
The Istanbul Financial Crimes Branch conducted the operation under the coordination of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office’s Illegal Betting and Sports Crimes Bureau.
Authorities said evidence gathered through financial investigations, telephone records, witness testimony, open-source research and expert analysis pointed to possible links between Gündoğdu, MHK members, referees and observers.
Searches were carried out at addresses connected to the suspects, with authorities seeking digital material, appointment records and documents potentially relevant to the investigation.
The suspects were taken for mandatory medical examinations before being transferred to police facilities for questioning.
Justice Minister Akın Gürlek confirmed the operation and said the investigation had uncovered findings concerning alleged interference in referee classifications, appointments, scoring and examination procedures.
Türkiye have dropped four places to 31st in the latest FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Ranking after consecutive defeats to France and Italy in the UEFA Nations League.
Türkiye entered the latest ranking period 27th in the world following the 2026 FIFA World Cup but lost ground after opening their Nations League A campaign with a 1-0 defeat to France before falling 4-1 to Italy in Bursa.
The results cost Türkiye points under FIFA’s ranking formula, which takes into account the importance of a match, the strength of the opponent and the result. The drop leaves the national team in the mid-to-low 1500s in the latest points calculations.
Spain remain at the top of the rankings with 2,002.34 points after winning the 2026 World Cup, while Argentina are second with 1,970.37 and France third with 1,957.10.
England are fourth on 1,916.38, followed by Morocco on 1,806.87, Brazil on 1,802.90, Portugal on 1,797.39, Belgium on 1,779.63, the Netherlands on 1,778.65 and Mexico on 1,754.16.
Morocco’s position reflects a strong run of results, while Mexico have returned to the top 10 following the World Cup, which they co-hosted.
The latest positions and points are based on post-match calculations and remain unofficial until FIFA publishes their next full ranking release in early October.
Türkiye’s four-place slide comes during a difficult start to their Nations League campaign. They are bottom of Group A1 without a point after two matches, while France lead the group and Belgium and Italy have three points each.
Italy’s 4-1 victory in Bursa was particularly costly for Türkiye in ranking terms, with the defeat coming against a team ranked 15th in the world. France, meanwhile, are third, while Belgium sit eighth, underlining the strength of Türkiye’s group.
The Nations League results will also form part of the broader ranking cycle used in determining seeding and qualification pathways for future international competitions.
The latest setback has added pressure on Vincenzo Montella, although the coach said after the Italy defeat that he remained committed to his work with the national team. Türkiye were also without several key players, including Kenan Yıldız, Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Mert Müldür.
Montella acknowledged that the team’s performance against Italy was below expectations but pointed to Türkiye’s rise from League C to League A during his tenure and said the squad needed to adapt to the higher level of competition.
Türkiye will have an immediate opportunity to stop the slide when they visit Belgium on Oct. 2, but their recent Nations League results have already left them four places lower in the FIFA rankings than they were after the World Cup.
Goalkeeper Vozinha helped Cape Verde reach this year’s World Cup round of 32 with clean sheets against Spain and Saudi Arabia, but the 40-year-old says he is struggling to cope with the sudden fame.
Cape Verde, a collection of islands near Africa’s west coast with a population of some 500,000, surprisingly reached the knockout stage in their first appearance at the global tournament before losing 3-2 to Argentina.
Vozinha, whose performances earned him a Yashin Trophy nomination for the year’s best goalkeeper, has become a global star, with his Instagram follower count ballooning from 56,000 to 28 million people.
“I’ve lost my peace and tranquillity. I no longer have any privacy,” Vozinha told Britain’s Observer newspaper.
“I go to a restaurant, and there’s always someone who wants to take a photo with me or asks me for an autograph. Or worse, someone’s filming me … I don’t think there’s anything I can do about it.”
His family members have also been affected, with fans showing up daily at his mother’s house in Cape Verde.
“I’m not there, so I can’t help them,” said Vozinha, who left Portuguese second-tier club Chaves to join Chile’s Colo-Colo in July.
“A lot of people want to be famous … but they only see the positive side of that reality. To be honest, if I were offered the life I have today or the life I had before, I’d choose the one I had before.”
Greek substitute Dimitrios Kourbelis scored a solitary goal to stun Germany 1-0 away in the Nations League Sunday, while Ireland’s players – in remembrance of Gaza – wore black armbands during their match against Israel.
Portugal coach Jorge Jesus dropped Cristiano Ronaldo and was rewarded as his replacement Goncalo Ramos scored the winner in a 2-1 success away to Norway.
Jurgen Klopp, however, was made to wait for his maiden victory in charge of an ineffective Germany as Kourbelis’s deflected second-half strike settled the game in Augsburg.
The former Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund boss had made five changes to his team which drew 1-1 with the Netherlands Thursday as he sought to give more of his players a chance to impress him.
Although midfielder Bambase Conte had an impressive debut and Germany dominated possession, they rarely threatened Konstantinos Tzolakis’s goal.
“Personally, I’m completely unbothered by it. I’ve lost far more matches in my life than I would have liked,” Klopp told ARD.
“We absolutely need these kinds of matches – they are exactly the games we wanted to have.”
Ireland back Gaza
Ireland’s players came out wearing black armbands for their match with Israel in Hungary which almost did not take place due to heavy pressure back in Ireland on the team to boycott the game over the war in Gaza.
Only a player vote in midweek allowed the game to go ahead.
Ireland has long been a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause and the players bowed their heads as the Israeli anthem was played before the match.
The teams skipped the traditional prematch handshakes and did not exchange pennants either in a near-empty stadium in Debrecen.
Troy Parrott made a heart sign with his hands after opening the scoring on 14 minutes, while Jack Moylan kissed the Irish badge on his jersey and his black armband after netting the third goal 25 minutes in.
Ireland won the game 3-0 but Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused them of being “on the wrong side of history” over the players’ actions.
In Oslo, Joao Felix gave Portugal a 17th-minute lead as an unusually profligate Erling Haaland squandered a succession of chances.
He did eventually equalize for the hosts six minutes into the second half, but almost immediately, goalkeeper Orjan Nyland gifted Ramos a simple finish for the winner.
“The most important thing is to show what I can do whenever I’m called upon and to contribute to the team,” Ramos told Sport TV, without being drawn on his selection ahead of Ronaldo.
Meerdink brace gives Xavi win
The Netherlands gave Xavi Hernandez his first win as head coach as Mexx Meerdink’s brace earned a 2-1 success over Serbia in Belgrade.
The Oranje turned to Barcelona great Xavi after a disappointing World Cup last-32 exit at the hands of Morocco.
But Xavi’s men forged ahead on the half-hour mark as AZ Alkmaar striker Meerdink drilled in a penalty to score his first international goal after Aleksa Terzic fouled Crysencio Summerville.
Half-time substitute Luka Jovic turned in the equalizer following a goalmouth scramble less than a minute after the restart.
But the visitors reclaimed the lead in the 69th minute as Meerdink, who made his Netherlands debut against Germany, fired a left-footed shot into the bottom corner after being played in by substitute Guus Til.
Denmark bounced back from Thursday’s dramatic loss to Norway by seeing off Wales 2-0 in Copenhagen in Group A4.
The Scandinavians, who missed out on the World Cup with a penalty shoot-out defeat by the Czech Republic in the play-offs, have now won their last four meetings with Wales.
They went ahead eight minutes into the second period when Wales skipper Ben Davies diverted Mikkel Damsgaard’s free-kick into his own net with his arm.
Denmark doubled their advantage 13 minutes later when Gustav Isaksen’s deflected shot spun in off the crossbar.
In League B, Austria made it two wins from two as David Affengruber, Junior Adamu and Carney Chukwuemeka scored in a 3-1 win over Kosovo in Vienna.
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