Switzerland captain Granit Xhaka is being investigated by prosecutors over an alleged forged Covid‑19 vaccination certificate obtained in 2022. Following his public apology, he withdrew from the national squad for the upcoming Nations League fixtures, with the Swiss FA confirming the decision was made jointly with the player.
Former Birmingham City winger Jordan Graham has been hospitalised after a serious road traffic accident. The Professional Footballers’ Association confirmed he is receiving specialist treatment and asked for privacy while he recovers. Former clubs, including Gillingham and Leyton Orient, have expressed their support.
Wales manager Craig Bellamy has announced that three key players – midfielder Harry Wilson, forward Nathan Broadhead and goalkeeper Karl Darlow – will miss the start of the Nations League A campaign due to injuries. The squad has been reinforced with uncapped Leicester keeper David Cornell and newcomers Joe Taylor and Charlie Savage as replacements.
Rangers secured a 1-0 victory over Celtic in the Scottish Premiership thanks to a first‑half goal from Ryan Naderi. The win reinforces Rangers’ position in the league as they continue their campaign against their Old Firm rivals.
Chelsea forward Cole Palmer will miss the international break after withdrawing from England’s Nations League squad because of a minor injury. He had been recalled by Thomas Tuchel following his omission from the World Cup squad, but the injury forces him to sit out the four upcoming games.
Former England winger Andros Townsend was briefly trapped under a pitch roller while warming up for PT Prachuap in Thai League 1. He escaped injury and later featured as a substitute in a 3‑0 victory, joking about the incident on Instagram.
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.