I spent four months in the company of #Millwall captain Jake Cooper It was an eventful period that ended with a painful defeat in the playoffs this week This tells the story of that time and what life looks like for an EFL footballer (Free to read) nytimes.com/athletic/7272721…

Premier League clubs are planning legal action in response to Manchester City being found guilty on almost all the charges relating to breaches of the league’s financial regulations. Several teams mobilised leading lawyers some time ago to ascertain what they may be eligible to claim for, and a number of clubs are talking to each other about this. 📝 @David_Ornstein, @Dan_Sheldon_ and @AdamCrafton_ 🔗 nyti.ms/3V90c5q

It was billed as the sporting ‘trial of the century’, pitting some of the finest legal minds against one another But with #MCFC today found guilty on all but one of the 115 Premier League charges, who have been the legal figures fighting the case? nytimes.com/athletic/5897653…

It has been described as sport's 'trial of the century'. The Premier League's case against Manchester City has taken more than three years, cost tens of millions of pounds and has featured the UK's finest legal minds. In the Premier League's corner has been Adam Lewis KC, one of the founding fathers of sports law and the organisation's go-to lawyer. Manchester City's defence has been led by Lord Pannick KC, who is arguably the UK's most distinguished barrister and has become so famous that his appointment prompted City fans to display a banner reading: 'Pannick on the streets of London'. These are the people who fought - and will continue to fight - one of football's highest-profile legal cases. 📝 @TBurrows16 🔗 nyti.ms/4hbtZ61

EXCLUSIVE: Manchester City have been found guilty on almost all of the charges relating to breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations. The sanctions have not been decided, with all possibilities remaining on the table, and City are expected to appeal. City have been found guilty on all but one of the 115 charges, according to sources briefed on the matter who spoke anonymously as they were not authorised to do so publicly. More from @David_Ornstein 🔗 nyti.ms/4AvcSn8

🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Manchester City found guilty on virtually all charges relating to breaches of Premier League financial regulations. #MCFC expected to appeal against verdict issued by independent commission. Sanctions undecided, process ongoing @TheAthleticFC nytimes.com/athletic/7049721…

RT @TheAthleticFC: Paris Saint-Germain and Morocco defender Achraf Hakimi will stand trial for rape after his appeal to the highest court i…

“I always wanted to break records and (make sure) that people remembered my name. “But I have to be honest, I didn’t expect to be the top scorer of all time at the World Cup, at 27." @DTAthletic's exclusive interview with Kylian Mbappe. ▪️ Making World Cup history ▪️ Asking for a ‘Zidane’ haircut ▪️ Mid-air transfer talks with Liverpool ▪️ Why this could be his year for Ballon d’Or ▪️ The lure of being a ‘ghost’ ▪️Why he will never be silenced 🔗 nyti.ms/4cWI1pw

West Ham United striker Valentin ‘Taty’ Castellanos accused of spitting at Millwall goalkeeper Filip Marschall in the second half of today’s derby at The Den nytimes.com/athletic/7610275…

What a turnaround in the derby West Ham, so much better in the second half, equalise to make it 2-2. Delirium in the away end Big last 10 minutes to come at The Den

Millwall fans celebrate in front of the away end after scoring a second goal on the stroke of half time They lead in the derby, and deservedly so Been an absolute horror show for West Ham so far. Surely have to improve after the break

🔉Big rendition of Let ‘Em Come from Millwall fans at The Den, ahead of today’s Derby First meeting between the two sides in 14 years

A sizeable police presence separating the West Ham and Millwall fans at The Den today West Ham allocated 1,774 tickets in the away end

"I remember I once got hit with a house brick. I was waiting for a corner to come over, I was on the post defending it and it hit me. What makes the story funny is I shouted at the referee that I'd been hit with a brick and he went, ‘Good job it wasn't a whole one'" - Julian Dicks West Ham United & Millwall will face each other for the first time in 14 years on Saturday. @TBurrows16 and @RoshaneSport explain a long history of rivalry, riots and why it means so much to fans. nyti.ms/4cVwfvI

Oxford United has apologised and discontinued its “United 93” clothing collection, which was released close to the 25th anniversary of 9/11. United Airlines Flight 93 was among the planes hijacked by terrorists during the September 11, 2001 terror attacks in the United States. Oxford launched its “campus collection,” a range of American-themed clothing, on Friday morning. However, it was hastily deleted following the 10 a.m. launch, as some of the NFL-style shirts in the collection bore the slogan “United 93” on the back. Oxford United was founded in 1893, and was initially known as Headington United. More from @TBurrows16 nyti.ms/3V425QG

Millwall and West Ham face each other tomorrow for the first time since 2012 - when Harry Kane came on as a substitute for Millwall Fourteen years later, one of English football’s most notorious derbies is back A piece on the rivalry with @RoshaneSport nytimes.com/athletic/7603626…

Around 400 Met Police officers - around four times the usual number - will be deployed for Millwall vs WHUFC on Sat Live facial recognition will also be used, while a Section 35 dispersal order covering almost five miles across SE London will be in place nytimes.com/athletic/7604766…

Teesside has long experience of being talked down. The place once stood for steel, iron, coal — industry. Over 40 years that status has disappeared with the industries themselves. Teesside instead saw itself as half-forgotten by government, then the butt of jokes and disparaging coverage. Recent events have only reinforced an impression of a beaten, wild area. But as a name with national recognition, what has endured is Middlesbrough FC. There was a palpable sense on Saturday that, but for Boro’s late winner against Norwich, the mood across the region would have plummeted. It can sound overblown, but what you saw with Ashley Phillips’ 91st-minute winner was just how much Teesside hope, self-esteem and identity are invested in the football club. There are no claims that football means more on Teesside, just that, as @mwalker2771 writes, at a time like this its presence is enhanced. 🔗 nyti.ms/4yI3gnE

“There’s a big scramble now. Everyone has realised that, yes, £1m or £2m sounds really expensive as a fee when you sign an academy player, but they just have to be Championship level or above and you could make a huge profit. It’s a business within a business.” The uneasy truce is over between the biggest academies in England. For many years, there was an unofficial agreement between the big clubs in the Premier League that they would not try to sign players from each others’ academies. It was an agreement that was occasionally violated, but the ‘Big Six’ co-existed relatively peacefully. Now, no player is off the table. The Athletic has spoken to dozens of sources inside English academies and at player agencies to find out what is happening in academy recruitment and why there has been such an upsurge in players moving between big clubs. 📝 @JordanC1107 🔗 nyti.ms/4xTkXk5

Fabian Ruiz was part of the Spain team that won the 2026 World Cup, but was unhappy about the scenes that marred the final whistle. 📝 @TBurrows16 and @tomas_hill 🔗 nyti.ms/3TtFfS5

The Athletic sat down with Ousmane Dembele, Fabian Ruiz and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. The three of them joked about Dembele's preferred foot, Ruiz's inability to use his right and Kvaratskhelia's ability to win games. 📝 @TBurrows16 and @tomas_hill 🔗 nyti.ms/3TtFfS5