Enzo Maresca and Manchester City
Saturday

Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca plans to personally select the club’s next captain rather than rely on the player-led voting process associated with Pep Guardiola’s era. Bernardo Silva’s departure has created a vacancy at the top of City’s leadership group.

Maresca also wants an English presence in the leadership core, with Phil Foden and Marc Guehi among the names discussed. The change gives the new manager direct control over the hierarchy as City establish a new identity after Guardiola.

Jorge Messi, Lionel Messi and the Messi family
Saturday

Jorge Messi, Lionel Messi’s father, longtime agent and business manager, has died aged 68 in Rosario after a long illness. Barcelona, Newell’s Old Boys and the Argentine Football Association publicly confirmed his death and issued tributes to the family.

Jorge guided Lionel’s career from childhood, relocating with him to Barcelona when the forward was 13 and later managing major business decisions. Inter Miami subsequently left Messi out of its Leagues Cup match against Monterrey following the family bereavement.

FIFA, Gianni Infantino and his critics
Saturday

FIFA says there is a concerted and ongoing effort to undermine the organisation and president Gianni Infantino as pressure grows over the abandoned private-investment plan and fresh allegations concerning his time as UEFA general secretary.

FIFA rejected what it called unsubstantiated assertions and warned that any presidential challenge must follow its statutes and democratic procedures. The statement represents a direct institutional counterattack as UEFA, Concacaf and individual associations continue challenging Infantino’s leadership.

Egypt’s Ministry of Youth and Sports and sporting federations
Saturday

Egypt’s Ministry of Youth and Sports has issued an official circular restricting sporting federations from granting documents that could be interpreted as operating licences. The ministry says only its Sporting Services Companies Licensing Office can legally authorise relevant sports-service and investment businesses.

Federations must regularly verify that companies and entities dealing with them hold valid licences and stop dealing with unlicensed or expired operators. The ministry also ordered conflicting procedures to be cancelled or suspended and warned federations they remain responsible for violations.

Feyenoord, Luciano Valente and Giovanni van Bronckhorst
Saturday

Feyenoord have appointed 22-year-old midfielder Luciano Valente as their new captain under Giovanni van Bronckhorst. The role became vacant after goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther completed his transfer to Wolfsburg, forcing the Rotterdam club to choose another permanent leader.

Valente will wear the armband against Sparta and becomes the latest player entrusted with a position that changed several times last season. Feyenoord previously moved the captaincy between Quinten Timber, Sem Steijn and Wellenreuther before settling on Valente.