Football Articles | Mail Online

• Should McBurnie be dropped? Who can step in for toiling Gunn? And is the new system working? The big decisions facing Scotland boss Sebastien Pocognoli7 October 2026, 4:56 pm
  Sebastien Pocognoli became Scotland manager with a reputation for playing entertaining front-foot football which could still deliver results.
  
• Mikel Arteta becomes the Premier League's highest-paid boss on £20MILLION-a-year new contract - as club reveal plans to overtake crisis-hit Man City as England's dominant force7 October 2026, 4:39 pm
  Mikel Arteta has signed a new contract at Arsenal to take him beyond a decade in charge with the prospect of building a title-winning dynasty at the Emirates Stadium.
  
• Southampton's spying manager Tonda Eckert is handed FA let-off with a six-week suspended ban over Spygate scandal which saw them thrown out of the play-offs for the Premier League7 October 2026, 4:38 pm
  Southampton were thrown out of last season's Championship play-offs after Daily Mail Sport revealed the incredible revelation that they had spied on opponents Middlesbrough.
  
• Revealed: How Portugal boss Jorge Jesus defied Cristiano Ronaldo's eight-point apology script - as he slaps down sulking star's 1,996-word statement by insisting his focus is on the 'team'7 October 2026, 4:35 pm
  When questioned about Ronaldo's comments, Jesus responded: 'I read the statement, and now, as I do every day, I'm going to the federation to work, to think about the team and the national team.'
  
• Welsh looked the part as Pocognoli claimed his first win against Macedonia ... now the Scotland jersey looks his to lose7 October 2026, 4:24 pm
  You could scarcely blame Stephen Welsh for not cutting the umbilical cord with Celtic before he did.
  
• THE AUDIT - LIVERPOOL: Andoni Iraola's masterstrokes to win over fans, a thriving academy bursting with world-class talent and mega-rich investors... but four big questions remain7 October 2026, 4:00 pm
  THE AUDIT: Daily Mail Sport's assessment of the true health of Premier League clubs in the short, medium and long term - on and off the pitch. Here, we go beneath the surface at Liverpool.
  
• Inside Man City HQ since guilty verdict tore their world apart: Staff abused in the street, Enzo Maresca's defiant response, agents poring over contract clauses and what confused, nervous squad have been told ahead of trip to Anfield bearpit7 October 2026, 4:00 pm
  Some City players have been in regular contact with their agents, with often unanswerable questions. Clearly and understandably confused and fearful for their immediate futures.
  
• 'They said you'd never play again': The untold story of Dejan Kulusevski's 513 days of hell - how a 'knock' became a catastrophic knee injury, why Tottenham kept quiet and his Herculean recovery7 October 2026, 4:00 pm
  MATT BARLOW: As the Premier League returns with Spurs rock bottom and in desperate need of a boost, Kulusevski is almost ready to return from his 17 months in hell. This is his story.
  
• Merseyside police ready for explosive Liverpool vs Man City clash... amid concerns Blues' bus could be targeted by fans ahead of first game since guilty verdict7 October 2026, 3:54 pm
  MIKE KEEGAN: The Anfield clash will be City's first since they were found guilty of widespread breaches of the Premier League's financial rules, which could see them relegated.
  
• Celtic is a club which continues to eat itself from the inside out. The more the fans howl, the more the board closes ranks7 October 2026, 3:47 pm
  During a long and storied existence spanning almost 500 years, the Old Course at St Andrews has witnessed some of golf's most iconic moments.
  
• The Coldplay Kiss-Cam meets football! Female fan separates herself from 'boyfriend' in excruciating moment when cameras turned to them at Lionel Messi's Argentina farewell7 October 2026, 3:40 pm
  Cameras picked out the couple during the pre-match build-up, with footage shared on social media showing the female fan realising they were being shown on the big screens.
  
• Lionel Messi brutally SNUBS Benin star's attempted selfie in awkward post-match exchange - as legend's Argentina farewell is tainted by Malvinas controversy7 October 2026, 12:32 pm
  Lionel Messi's farewell celebration was marred by criticisms on social media of his apparent brutal snubbing of a Benin player keen to take a picture with the retiring superstar. 
  
• Bizarre moment Lionel Messi is handed a surprising gift by referee at the end of his emotional Argentina farewell7 October 2026, 12:31 pm
  The 39-year-old said an emotional farewell to the national team on Tuesday night, scoring in a friendly against Benin before making a speech that left teammates and fans in tears.
  
• Russell Martin tells Leicester fan 'you've been s***' in bizarre showdown outside stadium after team who've plummeted from the Premier League lost again while under-fire boss claimed they were 'dominant'7 October 2026, 11:24 am
  Russell Martin has told a Leicester City fan that the team were 's***' before he arrived in a bizarre showdown - after losing a lower-league cup match to Stevenage.
  
• Birmingham City's American Revolution 2.0: How Blues fine-tuned grand plans to reach Premier League promised land - from new stadium delay to shunning Wrexham rivalry and what they learned from transfer mistakes7 October 2026, 11:06 am
  Blues would never say it publicly but perhaps they have taken a deep breath. 'Don't mess it up' is a Knighthead mantras when negotiating a key deal and there were times in 2025 where they failed to do so.