On July 18, 1921, the police had to charge in front of the Chicago courthouse to push back the crowd that wanted to get inside. The main courtroom was packed with people so worked up that the judge kept threatening to clear the room if silence wasn't maintained every few minutes. It was the most high-profile case in years in the United States: eight Chicago White Sox baseball players were on trial, accused of deliberately losing the 1919 World Series in exchange for money offered by a mobster who wanted to win money betting. It was as if Barça or Madrid players were being tried for accepting money to lose a Cup final. Non-sporting scandals have been part of the day-to-day life of professional sports for over a century.

The independent commission in charge of investigating the 115 charges brought by the Premier League against Manchester City has concluded that the club "seriously and systematically" breached the competition's financial rules between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons. According to the resolution, City – bought in 2008 by Sheikh Mansour, owner of the Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG), the investment vehicle of the emirate's royal family – used "fictitious commercial contracts" and other deceptive accounting mechanisms to artificially inflate its revenue. In this way, the club also managed to reduce its expenses by more than 900 million pounds. Thus, a more favorable financial situation than the reality was presented.

On days when Manchester celebrated titles in Salford, that is, at Old Trafford stadium, on the other side of the city, at City's ground, a banner was hung in the stands with a snippet of an Oasis song: “Some might say we will find a brighter day” (some might say we will find a brighter day). City was already owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, but things weren't taking off. Until things worked. And yes, much brighter days arrived.

The Empordà left-back Pep Chavarría signed this Wednesday for Xabi Alonso's Chelsea until 2031 in a deal worth 19 million euros fixed plus 3 in variables. The 28-year-old player leaves Rayo Vallecano after four seasons in the First Division and now makes the leap to the Premier League. A transfer that, moreover, will have a direct effect on Catalan football: UE Figueres and UE Olot will receive a part of the operation's money thanks to FIFA's solidarity mechanism.

If there's one footballer who doesn't go unnoticed on the pitch, it's Adama Traoré. Known for his striking physique and power on the field – more akin to an American football player – the player from Hospitalet de Llobregat has turned his athleticism and musculature into a hallmark and his main competitive advantage. A privileged genetic makeup that, paradoxically, seems to have gone from a virtue to a problem.

Since the spring of 2022, following Roman Abramovich's forced departure from Chelsea precipitated by the invasion of UkraineThe club's new owners, the BlueCo consortium, made up of four American investors and one Swiss investor, have pushed the blues to lead a revolution that was more economic than footballing, despite the complete overhaul of the squad and the passage of six coaches – two of them interim – including the current one, Enzo Maresca.

"Four very, very seriously injured people are still in hospital," Liverpool Mayor Steve Rotheram announced Tuesday morning, referring to the multiple car crash in the city center that occurred mid-afternoon on Monday, minutes after the Reds' bus passed by the street, as they were celebrating the title. On Water Street, shortly after six o'clock, a gray Ford Galaxy—according to eyewitnesses—first reversed and then accelerated, hitting a large group of fans. The death toll is 47, four of whom were trapped under the wheels. There were three adults and one child, and it is currently unknown if they are the same number of people who remain in a hospital. Firefighters had to intervene to rescue them. In total, 27 people required hospital treatment and 20 were treated. in situ by emergency crews.