Joel Colwill, the 21‑year‑old Cardiff City midfielder, has been named in Craig Bellamy’s 28‑man Wales squad for the Nations League A campaign. He said it would be “surreal” to line up against football icons Cristiano Ronaldo and Erling Haaland when Wales face Portugal and Norway in September.
The match at The Den saw West Ham come from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Millwall, but the game was clouded by an alleged spitting incident involving striker Taty Castellanos and Millwall keeper Filip Marschall. Both managers said they had not seen the incident, and Millwall lodged a formal complaint. The controversy has drawn attention away from the Hammers’ impressive comeback and their reduced‑to‑10‑men performance.
Hartlepool United head coach Lee Clark stepped down immediately following a 3-1 home loss to Worthing, which was the club’s third consecutive defeat and left them 18th in the National League. Clark, who took over in the summer, said he could not deliver the results the club and fans deserved, and the club now begins a search for a new manager.
Former Everton manager Brian Sorensen is set to become an assistant coach for the Republic of Ireland women’s national side ahead of their World Cup play‑off qualifiers against Kazakhstan. He will retain his technical director role at Aston Villa women while working alongside Liverpool’s Amber Whiteley under manager Carla Ward.
Oxford United issued a public apology after a newly released Campus Clothing shirt printed with “United 93” was criticised for evoking the 9/11 Flight 93 tragedy. The club said the design was intended to reference its 1893 founding year, withdrew the range and pledged to improve its approval processes.
Manchester United Women have endured a difficult start to the WSL, losing 2-1 to London City Lionesses and 5-0 to Chelsea. Manager Eva Olid acknowledged the constructive criticism and emphasized that the early setbacks are part of a longer-term rebuilding process as she implements a new possession‑based style.
Seventeen‑year‑old Floyd Samba made a spectacular first‑team debut for Manchester City, netting two goals in a 5‑0 Carabao Cup victory over Norwich City. His performance earned him man of the match honours and drew praise from manager Enzo Maresca and former players, highlighting his potential despite the presence of stars like Erling Haaland.
Wrexham’s Hollywood owners, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, released a short video on the club’s X account joking about the Spygate controversy as a dig at upcoming opponents Southampton. The clip, promoting sponsor Firefox, comes ahead of the Championship match at the Racecourse Ground, with manager Phil Parkinson urging his side to focus on the game despite recent setbacks.
The Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt has written to FIFA demanding that Gianni Infantino disclose all documents concerning the aborted FIFA Forward Enterprise plan to sell a 21% stake in World Cup commercial rights. The letter also seeks an explanation for the reversal of US striker Folarin Balogun’s World Cup suspension.
Republic of Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson told the media he has spoken to every player in the squad individually about the prospect of facing Israel in the Nations League, saying none feel comfortable with the fixtures. The two matches will be played at neutral venues – Israel’s ‘home’ game in Hungary on 27 September and the return in Serbia on 4 October – and the FAI has confirmed the home tie will be behind closed doors.