Manchester City found guilty on 114 charges, England beaten at Wembley, and three tables that did not move: 21–27 September in Europe

No Premier League, Champions League or LaLiga football was played between 21 and 27 September 2026. All three competitions are inside the merged international break that runs from 21 September to 6 October — this season the September and October windows have been combined into one 16-day period, with countries playing four matches instead of the usual two. 1 The Premier League stopped after Matchweek 5 on 20 September and returns on 10 October. 2 LaLiga's next round runs from 9 to 12 October, and the Champions League plays Matchday 2 on 13 and 14 October. 34

The week still produced the biggest story of the English season so far. On Friday 25 September, The Athletic reported that the independent commission hearing the Premier League's case against Manchester City had reached its decision, finding the club guilty on almost all of the 115 charges — 114 of them. 56 Neither side has published the decision. City deny wrongdoing and are expected to appeal, and no punishment has been announced. 78

Football was played elsewhere. The 2026/27 Nations League league phase opened on 24 September: England lost 3–2 to Spain at Wembley after Harry Kane missed a penalty, Germany were beaten 1–0 at home by Greece, and Portugal won both of their matches. 91011

The week in three lines. Manchester City have been found guilty on 114 of the 115 charges, and the sanctions available to a panel run from a fine to expulsion from the Premier League — but nothing has been levied, so the table has not moved. 57 England lost at home to Spain, and Germany lost at home to Greece for the first time. 910 The Premier League, LaLiga and Champions League tables are exactly as they were on 20 September. 1213

The Athletic broke the story on the evening of Friday 25 September, and Reuters, the BBC, the Guardian and ESPN followed within hours with the same substance: the independent commission found City guilty on all but one of the 115 charges the Premier League brought in February 2023. 568

Other clubs were told before the public was. A select group of Premier League club directors were informed by email and had to sign a non-disclosure agreement before they could read the document, and club executives are understood to have learned the outcome after a shareholders' meeting in central London on Thursday. 78 It is not known when the Premier League will publish the decision, but it is understood that any punishment decided by the panel will be released before an appeal is completed. 7

City deny wrongdoing and point at the process. A club spokesperson said the Premier League process "remains ongoing, with significant elements to be completed, and subject to strict confidentiality", and that the club's position "remains consistent with the club's statement of February 2023". City added that it had "diligently respected due process for eight years on the basis that the Premier League board and executive would behave as an independent, impartial and fair-minded regulator, free from partisan influence". The Premier League did not comment, citing the confidentiality of the case. 8

What the 115 charges actually are. They were brought in February 2023 and concern the seasons from 2009 to 2018. 7 More than 80 of them relate to the obligation to act in "the utmost good faith" and to give the league complete disclosure of the information it asked for; 20 relate to the failure to provide "full details of … remuneration", covering payments to players and managers; the remainder concern the profitability and sustainability rules and the related UEFA financial fair play regulations. The most serious allegation was that the club failed to give the league accurate financial information. 8 During the years in question City won three Premier League titles, three League Cups and the FA Cup. 7 The Premier League opened its investigation in December 2018 and charged the club in February 2023; the hearings have run for more than two years. 8

No sanction has been announced, and the menu is wide. Under Premier League rule W.64 a panel can fine a club, suspend it from competition, impose a points deduction, or in the most extreme circumstances expel it from the competition altogether. 8 Being found guilty on the most serious charges means City could be looking at a points deduction serious enough to relegate them, large fines, or expulsion from the Premier League. 7

The appeal clocks are fixed. A party wanting to appeal must do so by email within 14 days of the decision being announced. Under rule W.86 an appeal hearing should finish no longer than 12 weeks after the appeal is submitted, and the appeal board's decision, with full written reasons, must be published within 30 days of the hearing ending. 8

There are four plausible sequences from here. A sanction hearing could still be months away, with the outcome unpublished until any appeal is finished; backdating a penalty is seen as unlikely, which would leave a season being played by a club known to be guilty on most counts. If a punishment does land this season, a points deduction would normally apply immediately, subject to appeal, and could be large enough to effectively relegate City. A quick appeal and a complete decision is the outcome the league would want, so that clubs know what they are playing for — the last comparable points deduction, against West Bromwich Albion, was announced on 24 April and landed inside the relegation fight. And when the case closes it may not be over: clubs can pursue compensation from each other, Everton were ordered to pay Burnley £35m over a PSR breach and are appealing, and Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham reportedly preserved their right to claim two years ago. 14

The nearest precedents do not transfer. Everton's PSR breach produced a 10-point deduction, cut to six on appeal and followed by a further two points; Nottingham Forest were docked four. Chelsea's 74 breaches of the FA's rules on agents produced only a £10m fine, because Chelsea were found not to have gained a significant sporting advantage and were praised for self-reporting — neither of which applies to City's case. 814

On the pitch nothing has changed yet. City are top of the Premier League on 15 points from five matches, three clear of Arsenal, and their next fixture is at Liverpool on 11 October. 212

The 2026/27 league phase began on 24 September, and the merged window packs four matchdays in before it ends on 6 October. In the week to 27 September the whole of Matchday 1 was played, plus the first two fixtures of Matchday 2 in League A groups A2 and A4. 11

Spain beat England at Wembley, and England will remember the penalty. Lamine Yamal scored inside two minutes. Anthony Gordon equalised on 36 minutes and Harry Kane put England ahead on 40, but Kane then missed a penalty early in the second half, and the world champions took the match through Álex Baena on 60 minutes and Mikel Oyarzabal on 74 — both of them scoring five minutes after coming on. 915

Germany had never lost to Greece, until now. Jürgen Klopp's second match in charge ended in a 1–0 home defeat in Augsburg on 27 September, Dimitris Kourbelis scoring on 74 minutes. Germany had drawn 1–1 in Amsterdam four days earlier, Cody Gakpo equalising. 16 It was Klopp's first defeat as Germany coach and Greece's first win over Germany in 11 meetings. 1017

Portugal won twice, and Norway's centre-forward kept scoring. Portugal beat Wales 1–0 on 24 September and then won 2–1 in Oslo on 27 September through João Félix and Gonçalo Ramos, with Cristiano Ronaldo left on the bench. Erling Haaland scored his record-extending 22nd Nations League goal for Norway in that match, having already scored twice in Norway's 3–2 win over Denmark. 1618

One match came with a demonstration attached. The Republic of Ireland beat Israel 3–0 in Debrecen on 27 September, having worn black armbands, bowed their heads during Israel's anthem and declined the pre-match handshakes. 19

The international window took three Premier League forwards out of their national camps. 16

Kai Havertz limped off after 30 minutes of Germany's 1–1 draw with the Netherlands and returned to Arsenal for treatment; German media reports suggest he could be out for four weeks. In the same match Brian Brobbey of Sunderland went off with an apparent hamstring injury five minutes later and was replaced in the Netherlands squad by Joshua Zirkzee. Alexander Isak withdrew from Sweden's camp injured after scoring in the 2–1 win over Romania, and will miss the rest of the break. 16

Others had a better week of it. Haaland scored for Norway, Viktor Gyökeres got Sweden's winner against Romania, and Gakpo equalised for the Netherlands against Germany; Bryan Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa and Nicolas Jackson also scored for their countries. 16

Nothing in any of the three tables has moved since 20 September, because nothing was played. 41213

Manchester City lead the Premier League on 15 points from five matches, ahead of Arsenal on 12 and Brighton & Hove Albion on 10; Tottenham Hotspur are bottom on two. Barcelona lead LaLiga on 21 points with a goal difference of +24, ahead of Atlético de Madrid and Real Betis on 16 and Real Madrid on 15, while Málaga, Valencia and Elche are the bottom three. The Champions League's 36-team single table is exactly as the opening round left it. 41213

The Nations League window closes on 6 October, and the club season returns the same week. LaLiga's Matchday 8 opens on Friday 9 October with Málaga against Espanyol. 3 The Premier League's Matchweek 6 runs from Saturday 10 to Monday 12 October, with Liverpool hosting Manchester City at Anfield on the Sunday and Coventry City against Newcastle United on the Monday. 2 The Champions League is back on 13 and 14 October for Matchday 2. 4 The next international break runs from 9 to 17 November. 1