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UEFA on Thursday denied ongoing talks with Super League promoter A22 Sports Management, but it admitted it had met the body after the promoter told AFP it was “negotiating” with UEFA to create a new Champions League format.

“What A22 and the Super League clubs have done is to propose an agreement to UEFA that essentially consists of providing a free broadcasting platform and making very slight changes to the current competition format,” said an A22 spokesperson.

In this version, a far cry from the initial semi-closed competition project that nearly tore apart European football in 2021, the 36 teams currently qualified for the Champions League would be divided into two groups of 18 clubs, with the highest-ranked teams then competing in the round of 32.

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UEFA acknowledged several “public meetings” between its general secretary, Theodore Theodoridis, and A22 co-founder Anas Laghrari but said they “produced no official results.”

“There are no plans to change the UEFA Champions League format,” UEFA said, having introduced a new format which came into effect from the 2024-25 season.

The developments come after Barcelona president Joan Laporta, who has long been at the forefront of the Super League project, expressed his desire for “an agreement with UEFA” to “pacify” European football.

Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser al-Khelaifi, the chair of the rebranded European Football Clubs (EFC, formerly European Club Association), welcomed Laporta’s shift at the EFC meeting in Rome.

For Al-Khelaifi, Barca’s rapprochement with the EFC and UEFA does not mean the end of the Super League project, because “it was already dead before”.

“We don’t need other competitions; we already have the best competitions,” the Qatari added.

Monaco sacked their Austrian coach Adi Hutter on Thursday and are set to replace him with Belgian Sebastien Pocognoli, sources told AFP.

The 55-year-old Hutter’s assistants, Christian Peintinger and Klaus Schmidt, will also leave the club.

The trio, who were hired just over two years ago, told players about their departure after training on Thursday.

Monaco are fifth in Ligue 1 after winning four and drawing one of their first seven matches, sitting just three points off leaders Paris Saint-Germain.

They lost their opening Champions League match against Club Brugge but then held Manchester City to a 2-2 draw last week.

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Sources claim that Monaco tried unsuccessfully to reach an agreement with German coach Edin Terzic, 42, who was previously in charge of Borussia Dortmund.

Instead, they are said to be turning to Union Saint-Gilloise’s Pocognoli, 38, a former Belgian international who last season—his only one as a first-team head coach—led his club to a first league title in 90 years.

Barcelona will face Villarreal in Miami in a La Liga match on December 20, the Spanish top flight said Wednesday, making it the first European league fixture to be played abroad.

Earlier this week, European football governing body UEFA said it opposed the idea of games being played overseas but would permit it on an exceptional basis, along with a Serie A match in Australia in February between AC Milan and Como.

“With this match, we take a historic step that projects La Liga and Spanish football into a new dimension,” said La Liga president Javier Tebas in a statement.

“We understand and respect the concerns that this decision may generate, but it is important to put it into context — it is a single match out of the 380 that make up the season,” Tebas added.

The game was due to be played at Villarreal’s home stadium, but will now take place at the Hard Rock Stadium in the United States, in Florida.
Villarreal will take measures to compensate season ticket holders after the game was moved.

“Villarreal season ticket holders will be able to travel for free to the match, and those who choose not to travel to Miami will enjoy a 30 per cent discount on their season ticket price as part of the measures designed to reward their support and loyalty,” said La Liga.

‘Complete Opposition’

In September, a total of 18 fan groups from both teams involved expressed their “complete opposition” to the match taking place abroad.

La Liga has attempted to play matches overseas dating back to 2017, but the

Spanish football federation (RFEF) frequently resisted, despite hosting the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia itself.

Barcelona’s rivals, Real Madrid, have also expressed their disapproval at the decision to take a La Liga game abroad.

They said in August that hosting the game in Miami would “alter the competitive balance” of the league and set an “unacceptable precedent”.

With a 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 victory over Spain’s Jaume Munar, Novak Djokovic overcame exhaustion and made it to the Shanghai Masters’ quarterfinals on Tuesday.

With other top seeds already withdrawn or eliminated, Djokovic is on track to win a record-extending fifth title in the Chinese financial hub thanks to his hard-won success.

When the match reached a decider, the 38-year-old almost looked unable to continue, but he had the strength to defeat his decade-young opponent twice in the third set.

I love you, thank you, everyone! Before leaving the court almost immediately after play was over, he yelled in Chinese to the adoring crowd.

Despite the 84 percent humidity, the 24-time Grand Slam champion broke in the fourth game.

His injuries broke when his left ankle slipped out of his grasp as he ran toward the net and needed a medical break.

Read more about US tennis player Townsend’s apology for the “crazy” Chinese food post here.

He managed to hold the fifth game despite suffering in pain as an on-court physio treated him.

In the second set, Djokovic was treated once more and appeared to be getting tired, crouching over frequently and urking on the court during rallies.

Serbian-flag-waving Chinese fans chanted in support, but 41st-ranked Munar ultimately broke in the 12th game of the second set due to an unforced error from his opponent.

As a medical professional rushed over, the agonized Djokovic sat on the court and continued to play with his chest heaving.

However, he made up for the incredible third-set revival by breaking the first and seventh games and causing a frenzied stadium.

player in the quarterfinals who is oldest

Djokovic is the only player with the highest ranking in Shanghai and the oldest player to have reached an ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal.

The tournament’s top player Carlos Alcaraz pulled out of the mix, and Taylor Fritz, Alexander Zverev, Jannik Sinner, and others have all been eliminated.

Due to the extreme humidity and over 30 Celsius temperatures, the Shanghai event has been a source of injuries.

After being seized with severe cramps, Sinner was forced to retire on Sunday.

Holger Rune, the 11th-ranked player who has also experienced the conditions, demanded on Tuesday that tennis officials institute a heat policy for events like Shanghai.

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, from France, defeated The Dane 6-4, 6-7 (7/9), 6-3, to move into the last eight.

Next up is Zizou Bergs, who is 44th overall.

The Belgian won a tense third set tiebreak, winning 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (10/8), and the Belgian won.