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• City agree three-year deal in principle with Maresca

• Chelsea able to demand compensation for Italian

Pep Guardiola has informed Manchester City’s players that he will leave the club after Sunday’s final Premier League game of the season against Aston Villa.

The manager felt obliged to update his squad after news of his departure broke on Monday night, taking him by surprise while he was preparing for Tuesday’s match at Bournemouth.

• Steve Clarke impressed by Southampton player’s form

• Craig Gordon, 43, makes cut – but no Miller or McBurnie

The Southampton striker Ross Stewart has ended a four-year absence from international football by being named in the Scotland squad for this summer’s World Cup.

Stewart’s excellent touch towards the end of the domestic season – the 29-year-old scored five times in 10 games as Southampton progressed to the playoff final – has prompted Steve Clarke to add him to his 26-man party. A substitute appearance in a Nations League game against Armenia marks the last time Stewart donned Scotland colours.

• New rules will not apply in European competitions

• Uefa will monitor automatic red card rule in World Cup

Uefa has opted against following Fifa’s lead and introducing automatic red cards for players who cover their mouths when confronting an opponent or leave the pitch in protest at a refereeing decision.

Football’s law-making body, the International Football Association Board (Ifab), approved those regulations last month after prompting from Fifa and they will take effect on 1 June, with match officials instructed to apply them at the World Cup. But Uefa’s decision means they will not apply in the men’s and women’s Champions Leagues or its other club competitions.

Our cartoonist on the unbridled joy and soul-crushing pain that followed the Scottish Premiership title decider

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Whatever Nicolas Jover is being paid, it’s not enough – or so it must have felt for Arsenal fans watching tense title pursuit

The best way out of a corner? A corner, it turns out. Nobody knows how much the dead-ball goal bonus is in Nicolas Jover’s contract. Or indeed, if it exists at all. Although it would definitely explain why Arsenal’s set-piece coach leaps up with such thigh-quivering excitement at every opportunity, presumably seeing the potential rewards whizzing by in front of his eyes, like the conveyor belt in a 1970s gameshow, a corner sofa, a speed boat, an enormous wheel of cheese.

But whatever it is, it isn’t enough. Or so it must have felt for Arsenal’s fans watching another step in this most gruelling of title pursuits, another night of football as pain, sport as trauma, leavened only by the sight with 35 minutes gone of Kai Havertz floating in the soft evening air, as light as a reed, all alone suddenly in front of the Burnley goal as the ball veered gently into his orbit, one of those moments where the day just seems to stop.

Players hope their workaholic manager will let his hair down if he wins competition for fifth time in Istanbul

Two years ago, during Aston Villa’s first European adventure under Unai Emery, Vicente Iborra was asked about a manager he knows better than most. “He is a coach that takes into consideration every detail which might happen in the match,” said Iborra, then of Olympiakos. Iborra has winner’s medals from all four of Emery’s Europa League triumphs, three on the spin with Sevilla, the last with Villarreal five years ago, before which the injured midfielder delivered a stirring dressing-room speech. “You have the chance to make a lot of people happy,” he said, by way of opening gambit.

On Wednesday, against Freiburg, Emery hopes to lift the trophy for a record-extending fifth time. Before Villa progressed past Nottingham Forest in the semi-finals, Vítor Pereira spoke on behalf of the masses when he described Emery as the king of the Europa League. Emery has reached the final on six occasions, losing one with Arsenal, and is seeking his first silverware with Villa. This week Iborra’s words feel more pertinent than ever: “I have learned many things from Mr Emery, but one thing I will never forget from him is that, in order to find yourself in a final, in order to experience this great moment in your lifetime, one truly has to want that, one has to long for it.”

• Incident is alleged to have happened in October 2024

• Mosengo-Omba set to be elected Fecofa president

Véron Mosengo-Omba, the sole candidate to become the president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo football federation, Fecofa, is at the centre of allegations of bullying and intimidation by members of the Confederation of African Football’s (Caf) audit and compliance committee (AACC).

The allegations centre on a two-hour meeting between Mosengo-Omba and the audit and compliance committee on 19 October 2024. During the meeting Mosengo-Omba, at the time the Caf general secretary, threatened to sue the members of the AACC and report them to the Fifa ethics committee because they endorsed a 2023-24 governance, risk and compliance (GRC) report which was highly critical of Mosengo-Omba’s ethical conduct. The Guardian has listened to a recording of the meeting.

Defender on being watched by Barcelona in League One, how his father changed his outlook and the influence of Andoni Iraola

“I just thought it was fake news,” says the Bournemouth defender James Hill, casting his mind back to the time Barcelona sent a scout to watch him play for Fleetwood. The game in question was a League One defeat by Burton and although the then 19-year-old was highly regarded, there were a few double-takes when the request to attend landed. “‘No, that can’t be right.’ And then afterwards someone told me they did come to the game: ‘Oh, incredible.’”

At that point Hill, who at the age of 16 became Fleetwood’s youngest player, was fresh from making his England Under-20 debut and a couple of months later an under-21 call-up followed, though a knee injury prevented him from joining Marc Guéhi, Morgan Gibbs-White, Cole Palmer and co. “I remember being on the phone to Lee Carsley,” he says. “‘I’m sorry, but I’m in the scanner at the moment, I don’t think I’m going to be able to make it judging from the pain I’m in.’”

From the best matches and great goals to scheduling gripes and the biggest disappointments, how was the WSL season for you?

There is little question that Khadija “Bunny” Shaw is the best striker in the world right now. The Jamaica international capped off her league campaign in style with a double against West Ham, bringing her tally to 21. In doing so, she became the first player in WSL history to score over 20 goals in three different seasons. Sophie Downey

WSL2 midfielder Malaika Meena has been collecting football kit to send to her ‘favourite country in the world’

It began with a social media post from a 13-year-old playing in Chelsea’s academy who wanted to offer spare kit to people less fortunate than herself.

A decade on Malaika Meena, an established WSL2 player, finds herself shifting through more than 1,000 items collected from players, fans or coaches in the past month alone, as her family tradition of donating football boots and kit to schoolchildren in Tanzania has blossomed into a movement larger than anything she could have imagined.

Forward was dropped after a previous attempt to undermine coach, but doing so now could spark mutiny

We can safely say how Arne Slot would like to respond to Mohamed Salah’s latest attempt to undermine him. The Champions League trip to Inter in December, when Salah was left at home as punishment for his incendiary interview at Leeds three days earlier, provides as clear an indication as any. But should a repeat offence result in a repeat sanction on Sunday? Liverpool and their besieged head coach could do without inflaming a potential mutiny at Anfield.

Salah decided to draw up battle lines before his departure, with Saturday’s social media post criticising Liverpool’s direction under Slot. His concerns are widely shared by the Liverpool fanbase and the Liverpool squad, it seems, given the support it received from Curtis Jones, Dominik Szoboszlai, Andy Robertson and several members of last summer’s underwhelming recruitment drive. Arrive at great expense, fail to deliver and fuel the sense that a toxic civil war is erupting behind the scenes: thanks for your efforts lads. It is impossible to say what prompted each individual like on Instagram but that is the impression the collective has given.

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• Carlo Ancelotti praises ‘improved fitness’ of Santos player

• Vinícius Júnior, Rayan and Igor Thiago also selected

Neymar will make his fourth World Cup appearance after Brazil named him to their 26-man squad on Monday. The decision was not guaranteed as questions surrounded Neymar’s fitness since his anterior cruciate ligament tear more than two years ago.

The Brazil coach, Carlo Ancelotti, said that Neymar “has improved his fitness” after the squad announcement at a gala in Rio de Janeiro. “He will be an important player in this World Cup.”

• Club reported £104.2m loss in last set of accounts

• Bowen, Fernandes and Summerville would have suitors

West Ham will be under pressure to raise more than £100m through player sales if they are relegated. The club reported a loss of £104.2m in their last set of accounts and their financial problems will deepen if they are no longer in the Premier League.

They are on the brink of going down after losing 3-1 at Newcastle on Sunday. Their fate will in effect be confirmed if Tottenham draw at ­Chelsea on Tuesday night and sealed if Spurs win. West Ham are realistic enough to know they will probably be in the Championship next season.

• Three European finals restricted to TNT and HBO Max

• Uefa understood to be unhappy with the decision

The Champions League final will not be available to watch for free in the UK for the first time since the competition’s modern rebrand 34 years ago when Arsenal face Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest.

The rights holder, TNT Sports, is understood to have irritated Uefa by opting to charge fans to watch all three European finals despite English clubs chasing a clean sweep of titles.

• Matheus Cunha scored after teammate had handled

• Refereeing chief admits goal should not have stood

Howard Webb, the Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO) chief refereeing officer, has admitted to Nottingham Forest that Michael Salisbury was wrong not to disallow Matheus Cunha’s goal owing to Bryan Mbeumo’s handball in Manchester United’s 3-2 win on Sunday at Old Trafford.

Salisbury’s decision was judged by Webb as being too lenient with regard to the Premier League’s approach to the handball laws. The competition does allow leeway in terms of players’ natural movements. But in Mbeumo’s case Webb felt Salisbury misjudged the incident as an unintentional handball so when Matt Donohue, the video assistant referee, asked Salisbury to review the 55th-minute incident on the pitchside monitor the decision should have been overturned.

• Spurs need a draw at Chelsea to effectively secure safety

• ‘It’s good to imagine celebrating the win in their stadium’

Roberto De Zerbi says the idea that “everyone wants Tottenham relegated” ought to motivate his players as they look to set aside the club’s dismal record against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge to get the result they need to stay up.

Spurs have won once at Stamford Bridge since 1990 but they need only a draw on Tuesday night to all but ensure they survive in the Premier League and West Ham go down.

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, John Brewin, Dan Bardell and Ewan Murray to discuss Manchester City’s FA Cup win and Celtic’s chaotic title celebrations

On today’s pod: Manchester City complete a domestic cup double after Antoine Semenyo’s brilliant backheel seals a drab FA Cup final against Chelsea. The panel discuss Pep Guardiola’s future, Chelsea’s astonishing seventh straight Wembley final defeat and the appointment of Xabi Alonso as the club’s new manager.

Elsewhere, West Ham collapse again at Newcastle to leave their survival hopes hanging by a thread, while Tottenham edge ever closer to safety despite doing very little themselves. There’s also another handball controversy at Old Trafford after Manchester United’s win over Nottingham Forest, praise for Bruno Fernandes and discussion around Michael Carrick agreeing a new deal.

Plus: Aston Villa secure Champions League football after beating Liverpool as Mohamed Salah publicly criticises Arne Slot, Sunderland keep their European hopes alive, Brentford and Brighton stumble in the race for eighth, and Ewan Murray joins the pod after Hearts’ dramatic Scottish title heartbreak at Celtic Park amid ugly scenes following a late pitch invasion.

Unheralded coach has presided over a remarkable turnaround as club navigates La Liga’s epic relegation battle

Luís Castro was 11 when he started vomiting blood. Taken to hospital and diagnosed with purpura, initially doctors told his parents there was no chance of him living and even when he was cured they said he couldn’t do any physical exercise ever again. But three lonely years later, driven by an inner strength he ascribed to a higher power, he was back on a football pitch, building a career that took him through the lower leagues in Portugal as a player and around the world as coach, winning trophies in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine and Brazil, until one day in December his name landed on the president’s desk at Levante: just the kind of man the Spanish club needed in their impossible fight for survival.

Oh, wait. No, that’s not right. “I had heard of another Luís Castro but not this one,” Pablo Sánchez admitted on Sunday night, “and this one turned out to be the ideal coach for our club.”

National League side secured FA Trophy in a shootout – and as their manager told his squad beforehand in the hotel ‘it’s been a hell of a journey’

The noise gave it away. The sweet sound of 22,000 ecstatic Southend supporters swimming in a sea of Wembley ecstasy left their head coach, Kevin Maher, in no doubt: soon he would raise the FA Trophy.

Maher, unable to tolerate the tension, had turned away just before Gus Scott-Morriss’s winning penalty against Wealdstone, but was instantly embraced by Mark Bentley, his first-team coach, former midfield partner and, most importantly, friend.

Relegated three times this century, AGF are the latest surprise champions in a notable trend for Scandinavia

When the buses pulled up at Brøndby Stadion on the penultimate weekend of the season, the travelling fans were already celebrating. The final whistle had just blown at Nordsjælland, where Aarhus’s title rivals, Midtjylland, had been held to a goalless draw. That meant Aarhus Gymnastikforening (or AGF for short) could secure the Danish title for the first time since 1986 with a win against Brøndby. The atmosphere was electric before kick-off, the AGF fans displaying a huge tifo with the message: “Let’s write history together.” It didn’t take long for the team to meet the moment, Henrik Dalsgaard, the former Brentford and Midtjylland defender, scoring from a corner after three minutes. The away end erupted, 40 years of hurt swept away in an outpouring of euphoria.

“It was one of the greatest days of my life and I think a lot of other AGF fans would say that too,” says Jakob Emil Beikes, the chair of AGF’s fanclub. “When we were celebrating it was just everything, all the feelings coming through. I still can’t believe it, actually. It’s insane.”

The WSL Golden Boot winner looks to have played her last game for the champions, while there are definite goodbyes at Arsenal and Chelsea

The focus was less on the performance and result and more on Khadija Shaw and her future. Manchester City had wrapped up the title after Arsenal dropped points against Brighton 10 days prior, so the game against West Ham was somewhat irrelevant. That Shaw scored two goals in City’s 4-1 win further highlighted what a huge error it would be for the club to let her go, with her contract expiring this summer. Shaw, though, gave hope to City fans so desperate for her to stay they chanted her name over and over at the club’s title party on Sunday. After the match on Saturday, she told Sky Sports: “I’ve always said Manchester is my home, it’s where I want to be, but there’s a lot of things which go on behind the scenes which I won’t talk about now. But I’ve always been proud of all the girls and everything. Manchester is where I would want to be, but ultimately we’ll see.” Suzanne Wrack

Nice began the season in the Champions League but may end it in Ligue 2 – a terrible indictment of Ineos’ ownership

By Get French Football News

Nice’s players and staff were attacked by their own fans a few months ago. On Sunday night, their ultras stormed the pitch after their goalless draw at home to Metz and the players had to scamper down the tunnel. It was a perfect snapshot of the scale of Ineos’ failure and the anger it has elicited from the club’s fans.

Nice’s season began with Champions League qualifiers and it could end with relegation to Ligue 2. Their failure to beat Metz on the final day of the season means they will face Saint-Étienne in a two-legged relegation playoff later this month. The timing is a disaster for Inoes, who are looking to cut and run after failing to turn the club into challengers to PSG’s dominance – their stated ambition when they bought Nice for €100m in 2019.

Bafflement at Old Trafford, Chelsea’s Wembley drought goes on and Leeds give fans cause for optimism

Luke Shaw’s first goal in over three years for Manchester United was a further reminder of the left-back’s capabilities. This has been his best season at Old Trafford having featured in all 37 league games thus far, leaving his injury-prone past forgotten. Considering Shaw’s experience and quality, he should be considered for a spot at the World Cup. Thomas Tuchel does not have a vast array of riches in the position and Shaw’s consistency has been key to Michael Carrick’s turnaround at Old Trafford. “He deserves to go,” said Carrick after the win against Nottingham Forest. “His consistency, his performances, his experience, his qualities. He’s an excellent full-back.” Nico O’Reilly is the current first choice for England and he has a very different profile from Shaw, having converted from playing as a central midfielder under Pep Guardiola. Tuchel may want to take Shaw to provide variety and reliability, which would be a sensible approach. Will Unwin

Match report: Manchester United 3-2 Nottingham Forest

Match report: Newcastle 3-1 West Ham

Match report: Aston Villa 4-2 Liverpool

Cult club of Hamburg gave everything at Millentor, but Dane inspired visitors to a dramatic victory that kept their survival hopes alive

There were few tears at the end, just as there were few gazes directed to phone screens during the game to check scores elsewhere. St Pauli scarves were raised to the sky in the stands of Millentor as You’ll Never Walk Alone rolled out of the stadium’s speakers, with the players and staff forming a huddle in the middle of the field to share words of commiseration.

This club apart will live to fight another day, after a day on which they had given everything and on which it just was not enough. It would be simplistic, on a day when Europe’s premier counter-cultural club played a club that have traditionally been seen by Bundesliga fans as the embodiment of corporate football with salvation the prize, to say that Wolfsburg needed this more than St Pauli. This meant plenty to this left-leaning neighbourhood of Hamburg too, where innovative measures like selling supporters shares in the stadium to raise funds have shown how determined they are to prove that there are ways to thrive and survive in the top leagues of the modern game without shedding their traditional values.

After a spring of boardroom civil war, the Giallorossi’s two-goal hero put his side close to a historic return to Champions League

A Rome derby on the penultimate weekend of the Serie A season could never be a low-stakes occasion. Scudetto wins come rarely in Italy’s capital city – Roma and Lazio have five between them – leaving neighbourly bragging rights as the next-most important prize on offer. It is an intense, bitter rivalry that has produced countless memorable moments – Francesco Totti taking selfies under the Curva and a cup-winning goal by Senad Lulic, for example – if also, sadly, many violent clashes between supporters.

It matters even more when either side has tangible objectives to play for, but as recently as late April that did not appear very likely. Roma were sixth – five points adrift of the Champions League places – and Lazio ninth. But then the Giallorossi got on a roll, just as Milan and Juventus started dropping points. A win in the derby could propel them into the top four, if either of those sides slipped up again.

• State department grants waiver for ticket holders

• Trump administration has cracked down on immigration

The Trump administration is suspending a requirement that would have required visitors from five World Cup-qualified countries to pay a bond of up to $15,000 in order to enter the United States for the tournament.

The US state department imposed the bond requirement last year for countries that it said had high rates of people overstaying their visas and other security issues as part of a broader crackdown on immigration. Travelers to the US from 50 countries are required to pay the bond, and five of those countries have qualified for the World Cup – Algeria, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal and Tunisia.

• Club president launches scathing attack on media

• No mention of turmoil, fights or José Mourinho

“Good afternoon, I regret to inform you that I’m not going to resign.” In a hot, packed press room at Valdebebas before an audience hurriedly summoned to witness a news conference so bizarre that they could barely believe what they were seeing, Florentino Pérez sat at a desk with a phone that he kept looking at and some papers that he didn’t, and announced that he was calling presidential elections at Real Madrid. What he didn’t announce was a date, an electoral commission, the resignation that is required for polling to actually happen, or indeed any details at all.

There was nothing about Madrid’s on-field issues either, nothing about the coach, no mention of José Mourinho, no explanation for the season they have just suffered. “I’m not here to talk about sporting issues,” Pérez said. Instead, he was there to deliver a surreal, repetitive rant that lasted over an hour, way after his own staff had tried to bring it to a close. A room of people, including the directors in the front row and lined up against one wall, looked at each other: yes, this was actually happening. Pérez went on and on, and on, the incoherent ramblings of a 79-year-old man who insisted “my health is perfect”.

Mikel Arteta’s side will be deeply unpopular champions, but this probably says more about us than it does about them

There was a minor stir a few years back when some American scientists bred a strain of “gene-edited” hamsters with the chemical that causes anger removed, presumably so they could achieve one of humanity’s historic goals: the dream of a more docile hamster.

Unfortunately the opposite happened. What the scientists created was a race of hyper-angry hamsters. These were described a little glibly in the media as Mutant Rage Monsters. But science is always more nuanced than this. We shouldn’t put angry hamsters in a box, even when we are literally putting angry hamsters in a box. Longer studies have shown more varied results. Sarcastic hamsters. Hamsters that hold grudges. Hamsters that retreat into silence on long car journeys. Even a subset of passive-aggressive hamsters who are, seriously, just fine with this. It’s pretty much what they expected from you, anyway.

It would be foolish of the club to undo a winning, entertaining formula by turning elsewhere for a permanent head coach

These days, we have a strong desire to complicate football, particularly in how we talk about it. Often, we are saying the same stuff we always were, just calling things by different names – styles are philosophies, contributions are actions, players earn minutes, not appearances – and the game can still be as simple as it ever was. This is something Michael Carrick understands well, and is one reason Manchester United’s next move is also simple: they have no choice but to appoint him as permanent head coach.

Under Carrick, United’s 33 points from 15 games puts them top of the form table for a period in which rivals have been beaten and Champions League qualification guaranteed, with a third-place finish highly likely. Had Ruben Amorim delivered these results, he’d be secure; were Luis Enrique responsible, they’d be further evidence of his generational – outstanding – brilliance. Yet there remains equivocation.

Wreathed with more than 150 years of hopes, dreams and drama, the FA Cup reflects sporting heritage and mystique

Footballing physiques have changed a great deal over the decades, but when Chelsea meet Manchester City on Saturday there’s one outline we’ll all recognise. While the average shape has got leaner and more toned, this body has stayed comfortable in its old-school proportions. A modest waist gives on to surprisingly wide hips. Arms that have never lifted weights remain a little skinny for the frame. And yet none of this has been a hindrance in the modern game: every year, the FA Cup trophy still ends up on the winning team.

This is one of sport’s most iconic pieces of silverware, wreathed with more than 150 years of hopes, dreams and drama. It’s a far more emotive sight than the cartoonishly crowned Premier League trophy, or even the stylishly minimalist Champions League trophy. And this makes it even more extraordinary to remember that the object itself is still not out of its tween years. This weekend it will make its 13th Cup final appearance.

The US men’s national team have high expectations at the 2026 World Cup. To me, that signals miraculous progress

The mere notion that the United States men’s national team will enter this World Cup with a plausible chance of going on a deep run represents something of a sporting miracle.

Consider that after the USMNT placed third at the 1930 World Cup – as one of just 13 countries to turn up, mind you – they were almost totally absent from the global stage for six decades. They kicked around the 1934 edition of the tournament just long enough to get smashed 7-1 by the hosts Italy in the first round. And they were there in 1950, stunning England 1-0 in the group stage, an all-time upset wedged around 3-1 and 5-2 losses to Spain and Chile, respectively.

Leander Schaerlaeckens’ book on the United States men’s national soccer team, The Long Game, is out on Tuesday. You can buy it here. He teaches at Marist University.

Our cartoonist on the Premier League title potentially being decided by a lengthy VAR check after grappling

• Buy this cartoon here | His favourites from 2025

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In this exclusive book extract, Rob Draper and Jonathan Northcroft reveal the remarkable process which led to Thomas Tuchel’s appointment as England manager

In 2024, when the Football Association was tasked with finding Gareth Southgate’s successor, Mark Bullingham hired two external data companies who built a profile of what successful international managers looked like then tailored it to mesh with England’s player base.

The top 50 coaches in the world were matched against the criteria and a shortlist emerged. “I joked with the team afterwards, because it came up with a list you and I could have come up with in the pub in 10 minutes,” Bullingham, the FA’s chief executive, says.

In generating a constant stream of outrage, debate and engagement, much-reviled tech has become its own spectacle

“Just keep delaying,” Darren England tells the referee, Chris Kavanagh, at West Ham on Sunday afternoon. The title is on the line, possibly relegation too, and as replay after replay queues up on the tape machine, who could blame a humble video assistant for wanting to savour the moment?

To survey it from all the relevant angles, consider all contingencies. To feel the sensation of all that awesome power at his fingertips. They’re calling it the most important VAR review in Premier League history. Stuart Attwell, you’ll never sing that.

In an exclusive interview the Brazil coach talks about being in charge of ‘the most important national team’, how to get the best out of Vinícius Júnior and what he learned at Madrid

Is Carlo Ancelotti an ambitious man? The Italian leans back and smiles. “Me? I’m not ambitious. Why? Why are you asking that?” The reason for the question is simple: the 66-year-old is one of the most successful managers ever, with five Champions League wins and league titles in England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. But he still wants more. Last May he was appointed Brazil head coach with one objective: to win the World Cup.

“I’m not obsessed with winning,” Ancelotti says. “What I have is a passion for enjoying the moments that football has given me. I’m not obsessed with winning the World Cup, but I have the pleasure and passion to enjoy the moment I’m living in, leading the most important national team in the world.”

The much-loved football sticker album is to be discontinued after 2030. Guardian writers recall their thrills and frustrations

With this summer’s World Cup already mired in controversy over politicisation, potential travel bans and rows over ticket prices, fans were dealt another piece of sad news this week: the tournament’s much-loved Panini sticker album will be discontinued after 2030.

Guardian writers recall their Panini memories from years gone by.

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An occasionally contrary but invariably entertaining studio regular on Jim White’s TalkSport show before and between stints at Celtic this season, Martin O’Neill made himself available this morning to discuss his side’s dramatic weekend title heist. It’s not often a game of fitba completely overshadows the FA Cup final but Saturday’s denouement at Celtic Park was the rare exception. O’Neill could scarcely have been more complimentary about his players, his staff and the unprecedented levels of global interest generated in the Scottish Premiership by a completely unexpected Hearts title challenge that came up agonisingly short. For 12 minutes O’Neill traded good-natured barbs with White and Sidekick Simon Jordan while joking about “the two Japanese lads” in the dressing-room openly wondering “who is this old man?” on his first day in interim charge. It was only when the trumpeting of the giant elephant in the studio klaxon reached an ear-splitting crescendo that White asked his special guest about the pitch invasion that greeted Celtic’s third goal and whether it suggested “a lack of class” on Celtic’s part.

Gone. Get rid. I’ll tell you why. It’s killing spontaneity in the ground. I’m a season ticket holder at Everton. Killing spontaneity. You can’t celebrate a goal because you think someone somewhere in an industrial unit is going to rule it out. So that’s a bad thing. But No 2, it doesn’t get decisions right. You could put up with it if it then got decisions right, but it doesn’t get the decisions right and it’s not consistent” – Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor reportedly building a potential bid to become the new prime minister, is asked on the burning issue of the day: the war in Iran, the cost-of-living crisis VAR!

I think Michael Lloyd might be on to something with his suggestion for crowd entertainment during VAR reviews (Friday’s letters). Stadium announcers could play songs that match the (alleged) infraction under consideration - maybe Johnny Cash’s ‘I Walk the Line’ for offside reviews, Timbaland’s ‘Hands in the Air’ for when the ball has been leathered against an outstretched digit from incredibly close quarters, or Justin Bieber’s ‘Hold Me’ for set-piece grappling (if it’s one of those scenarios that has to be replayed 17 times, then some or all alternative tracks with the same title by Wilson Phillips, Santana, Alabama Shakes or Tom Waits could also be played). Finally, for dubious decisions made in added time, in games that have a direct impact on the destination of a league title, there is only one possible track: Prince’s ‘Controversy’” – Paul Taverner.

Can I be one of 1,057 others to suggest that Andy Burnham would be better to sport an Everton shirt sponsored by NEC if he wanted to curry favour with the Labour Party hierarchy” – Chris Richardson (and no others).

This is an extract from our daily football email … Football Daily. To get the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions.

The Gunners seemingly have the easier end-of-season schedule, but Manchester City are clinging to hope that anything can happen

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The title race should be done. All logic says it’s already over. Arsenal lead Manchester City by two points which means two wins in their final two games of the season would seal the title – and those two games are tonight against Burnley, who have been relegated, and, on Sunday against Crystal Palace, who will be preparing for the Europa Conference League final three days later. It’s hard, frankly, to imagine a better pair of fixtures for Mikel Arteta’s side to play at this stage of the season.

City’s games appear harder. On Tuesday they play away at Bournemouth, who are still fighting for Champions League qualification, whether by claiming fifth above Liverpool, or by taking sixth and hoping Villa win the Europa League but finish fifth. (It makes little sense but, under Uefa regulations, if Villa finish fourth and win the Europa League, there would be no sixth Champions League slot for Premier League clubs.) Man City finish at home against Aston Villa, who will just have returned from Istanbul and a Europa League final.

Seagulls are in their first Women’s FA Cup final but their coach, Dario Vidosic, is determined to keep aiming higher

As Brighton’s old song goes, “Hark to the merry bugles”, because there is something in the air in Sussex by the sea. A purpose-built women’s team stadium is in the offing, a second consecutive top-half Women’s Super League finish is on the cards and the women’s side are heading to Wembley for the first time. The fans have never had it this good.

It took something special for Brighton to overturn a two-goal deficit in Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final victory at Liverpool and they left it late – very late – as Nadine Noordam settled a classic, five-goal thriller with her 95th-minute winner, but reaching this final is something the club have been building towards. In 2022, Brighton set out a bold vision to become a “top-four WSL club” and last summer the head coach, Dario Vidosic, was unafraid to discuss even higher targets, speaking in a determined, bullish and unwaveringly ambitious tone during an interview with the Guardian.

The Wellington Phoenix coach reflects on the aftermath of the Olympic spying scandal and leading her team into a first A-League Women’s finals campaign

Football is not the kind of profession that lends itself to time off for birthdays and the like. Especially when you’re preparing to lead Wellington Phoenix into their first A-League women’s finals campaign, as Bev Priestman was last week. Yet, especially when contrasted with last year, when she was still in the midst of a one-year Fifa ban after the spying scandal that engulfed Canada’s women’s football team during the Paris Olympics, being among “her people” turned out to be a gift in and of itself.

“It was my 40th birthday [last week],” Priestman says. “And it’s those moments I think to a year ago, and how I felt.

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Jordan Jarrett-Bryan, Will Unwin and Ewan Murray to discuss the title races in England and Scotland

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On today’s podcast: Manchester City did what they had to do, beating Crystal Palace, and are now two points behind Arsenal with two games to play. Palace started brightly, but a couple of glorious assists, one from Phil Foden and one from Rayan Cherki helped Pep Guardiola and co to keep the pressure on.

The real drama, though, was in Scotland. Celtic won and scored a controversial penalty at the death at Motherwell as the title goes down to a final day showdown against Hearts, who beat Falkirk.

Plus, spygate, an FA Cup final preview and your questions answered.

Chapters:

00:00 - Coming up ...

00:44 - City keep up the chase

14:50 - Scotland and the worst VAR call of all?

29:35 - Southampton and spygate

41:12 - FA Cup preview

44:17 - Prem preview

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Plus: winning two titles in the same season, trophies with family connections and an easy routes to finals

• Mail us with your all of your questions and answers

“Carlisle and Barrow will play each other next season in the Cumbrian derby in the National League,” writes Peter Hutchinson. “The clubs are located at opposite ends of Cumbria and the distance between the two grounds is some 78 miles [by car]. Does this make it the greatest distance between two teams involved in a ‘derby’?

A couple of clarifications: answers here will feature the shortest distances by car. The second, perhaps more important, point is that we are excluding matches that are simply rivalries. Specifically, we are looking for matches between teams that are linked based upon their proximity or geography, rather than, say, a ‘clásico’ between Real Madrid and Barcelona, which is essentially a historical rivalry in which the distance between the two teams is largely irrelevant (save for being in the same country).

Can you find a derby based on proximity or geography with teams more than 386 miles apart? Emails to the usual place: knowledge@theguardian.com.

Jérémy Doku finds the net again, Joshua Zirkzee struggles at Sunderland and Ismaïla Sarr is fulfilling his potential

When Bruno Fernandes became the Football Writers’ Association player of the year on Friday, Declan Rice and David Raya could have been forgiven for feeling a touch aggrieved. They have been essential to Arsenal’s push for a Premier League and Champions League double, but Raya showed why he might have been more deserving at the London Stadium as his technically pinpoint one-on-one save gave Arsenal the platform they so desperately needed to secure a vital three points late on. Mikel Arteta’s side were on the ropes as Mateus Fernandes exchanged a one-two with Pablo to run in with the goal at his mercy. Surely this was it for Arsenal: the title slipping again. Raya’s nerve held strong, making the most crucial of saves. Arsenal’s dream of winning a first title in 22 years remains in his hands. Graham Searles

Match report: West Ham 0-1 Arsenal

Barney Ronay: VAR offers up title-deciding moment

Match report: Manchester City 3-0 Brentford

Match report: Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea

Match report: Sunderland 0-0 Manchester United

Match report: Nottingham Forest 1-1 Newcastle

Match report: Burnley 2-2 Aston Villa

OL Lyonnes ended Arsenal’s Champions League hopes while Rebecca Knaak puts Man City on the brink of WSL title glory

Who is the best female player in the world right now? Melchie Dumornay continues to make a strong claim for that accolade after her starring role in OL Lyonnes’ comeback to beat Arsenal in the Champions League semi-finals. The fearless Haiti international won a first-half penalty and provided a superb assist for Jule Brand’s late winner in the second leg, as well as being a constant thorn in Arsenal’s side with her pace, trickery and energy. The attacking midfielder, having missed the first leg through injury, helped the French side come from 2-1 down to win 4-3 on aggregate. Tom Garry

Ousmane Dembélé becomes our seventh winner as he beats Lamine Yamal into second and Vitinha into third on our list of the best players on the planet

• Premier League dominates list | How every judge voted | Our methodology | The top 100 female players for 2025

• 2024 edition | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012

The Frenchman, who has been named the best male footballer in the world by the Guardian, has benefitted from PSG’s focus on the team rather than individuals

What makes a good player great, and a great player the best? This question has been occupying me since 2014, when the Guardian first asked me to contribute to its inaugural Next Generation feature. My job was to look for a France-based talent born in 1997 who could go on to have a stellar career.

After a great deal of research, I narrowed it down from my shortlist of five by asking questions not about the players’ football ability, but about other attributes: resilience, adaptability, decision-making, creativity, work ethic, response to feedback and willingness to learn. Qualities we cannot see, and are harder to measure.

Aitana Bonmatí has been voted the best female player on the planet by our panel of 127 experts ahead of Mariona Caldentey and Alessia Russo

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• Meet the judges | See how every judge voted

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The margin may have got smaller but the brilliant Spanish midfielder makes it a hat-trick of No 1 finishes

They say the best things come in threes, and Aitana Bonmatí has written herself into the Guardian’s top 100 history as the first player to finish at the top of the tree for a third consecutive year.

Last year the majestic midfielder emulated her Barcelona and Spain teammate Alexia Putellas by winning for a second year running, but the 27-year-old has now gone one better, establishing herself once again at the top of the women’s game.

From PSG’s Ibrahim Mbaye to Brazil’s next hope, we select some of the most talented players born in 2008. Check the progress of our classes of 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 … and go even further back. Here’s our Premier League class of 2025