Football
FIFA suspends India's football body over 'third party influence'
In a big blow to Indian football, international apex body FIFA on Tuesday suspended the country's soccer association "due to undue influence from third parties".
This means that India will not be able to host the big-ticket Women's Under-17's World Cup, slated to begin in the country on 11 October.
"The Bureau of the FIFA Council has unanimously decided to suspend the All India Football Federation (AIFF) with immediate effect due to undue influence from third parties, which constitutes a serious violation of the FIFA Statutes," the apex soccer body said in a release.
"The suspension means that the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 2022, scheduled to take place in India on 11-30 October 2022, cannot currently be held in India as planned," it added.
Also read: Rights group urges FIFA, Qatar to compensate WCup workers
However, on an optimistic note, FIFA said that the suspension will be revoked "once the AIFF administration regains full control of the AIFF's daily affairs".
"FIFA is in constant constructive contact with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in India and is hopeful that a positive outcome to the case may still be achieved," it added.
In May this year, India's Supreme Court disbanded the AIFF and appointed a committee of administrators to govern the popular sport in this country.
Also read: US stays top of FIFA women's rankings; England up to No. 4
This was because of the Indian football association's failure to hold elections since December 2020 when the tenure of its last governing body ended, with the AIFF attributing the same to the pending legal cases regarding its constitution.
New-look Barcelona held 0-0 by Rayo in Lewandowski's debut
Barcelona mortgaged its financial future to give Xavi Hernández the talent he wanted.
But Rayo Vallecano showed Xavi he still has work to do to forge a winning team after his new-look Barcelona was held to a 0-0 draw on Saturday in their Spanish league opener.
The modest club from Madrid frustrated Robert Lewandowski and his fellow Barcelona newcomers by defending well and producing the most dangerous scoring threats. As the minutes ticked by, the energy drained from the 81,000-strong Camp Nou crowd that had turned out to cheer the team that was only made possible by the constroversial decision by club president Joan Laporta to sell off television rights and other assets in exchange for some much needed cash.
The biggest applause Lewandowski heard from the crowd was to show their appreciation for his hustle on defense late in the match with Barcelona stymied in attack. The closest the former Bayern Munich star went to scoring was a header flicked well over the bar in the first half.
Fittingly, given its poor finish to the match, Barcelona ended with 10 men after Sergio Busquets got a second booking in stoppage time when he swung his arm into the face of Rayo substitute Radamel Falcao. Busquets’ explusion will rule him out of Barcelona’s visit to Real Sociedad. Falcao then had what looked to be a winner waived away for offside as Rayo went close to claiming a third straight win over Barcelona after it stunned the Catalan club twice last season.
“It is too bad because we wanted to show our fans that we are on the right path,” Xavi said. “We had generated a lot of expectations, but this is just the beginning. Today is disappointing for every Barcelona supporter, but we have to keep our faith in this way of playing as being the right one to win titles.”
Lewandowski, winger Raphinha and defender Andreas Christensen, who also joined Barcelona this summer, all made Xavi's starting 11. The three players along with fellow newcomer Franck Kessié and the recently re-signed Ousmane Dembélé and Sergi Roberto were only declared eligible to play by the Spanish league on Friday after Barcelona sold yet another stake in its in-house production company to improve its troubled financial balance.
The delicate state of Barcelona’s finances meant that it was unable to register Jules Koundé, its top defensive signing, in time for the season opener.
Xavi had said the demands placed on him and his team were higher this season because of the effort the club had made to give him a lot more talent after Barcelona won nothing last campaign following the exit of Lionel Messi.
But Xavi still has a way to go to create a team as well-honed as Andoni Iraola's Rayo, which for a third meeting in a row held Barcelona without a goal. Iraola’s team, led by midfielders midfielders Isi Palazón and Óscar Trejo, erased all the passing lanes for Lewandowski. Barcelona was unable to find the answer through Raphinha and Dembélé, who both wasted the one good chance they each got.
Read: Barcelona sells more assets as it hopes to register players
Barcelona’s best chance came from late substitute Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, whose goal-bound shot was saved by defender Alejandro Catena in the 85th.
Previously, Barcelona had needed goalie Marc-Andre Ter Stegen to keep the game scoreless.
Ter Stegen closed out quickly to block Álvaro García’s point-blank shot after the forward had streaked away down the left flank and cut back past the sliding Ronald Araújo just before halftime.
Barcelona had another scare early in the second half when Sergio Camello pounced on a ball lost by Araújo. Again Ter Stegen came to the rescue, forcing Camello into taking a shot from a narrow angle that trickled just past the far post.
“My team played tense and with nerves. I had tried to tell them that the pressure was on me,” Xavi said. “But Rayo played well and closed off our passing game. They executed their game plan.”
Iraola, a former Athletic Bilbao player who has impressed as a coach, said his team played well enough to claim another victory at Camp Nou.
“I think we played a great match. I am not satisfied because we wanted a win. It is too bad we couldn’t take the three points,” he said. “Maybe they had more chances, but we had three or four clear opportunities. I am happy for the effort of my team and for having neutralized a great rival.”
OTHER RESULTS
Álex Baena scored a double as Villarreal eased to a 3-0 win at newly promoted Valladolid.
Nicolas Jackson scored his first topflight goal in the 50th. Baena slotted a second goal in the 82nd before he struck an exquisite shot from outside the area in the 90th.
Joselu Mato converted a penalty deep in stoppage time to complete Espanyol’s fightback to secure a 2-2 draw at Celta Vigo.
Joselu, teammate Edu Expósito, and Celta's Goncalo Paciencia all scored goals in debuts for their teams. It was also the debut for Espanyol coach Diego Martínez, who returned to coaching after a one-year hiatus following his successful stint at Granada.
The league season kicked off on Friday with Osasuna beating Sevilla 2-1.
Meltdown: Man United feels heat after 4-0 loss at Brentford
Temperatures soared in England on Saturday and no one was feeling the heat more than Manchester United's latest manager, Erik ten Hag.
On another humiliating day for a massive club in freefall, United conceded four goals in the first 35 minutes and was swept aside in a 4-0 loss at Brentford in the Premier League.
It’s two matches, two losses so far for Ten Hag, the Dutchman who arrived from Ajax in a bold offseason appointment as United's fifth manager in nine years and looked shell-shocked in the dug-out as the goals poured in at Brentford Community Stadium.
It was understandable, too. United had never gone into halftime of a Premier League match trailing 4-0. Never before in the Premier League had United conceded so many goals so quickly.
There were so many individual mistakes — goalkeeper David de Gea let a weak shot dribble underneath him for the first goal, Christian Eriksen was tackled inside his own box prior to the second, and Brentford had two free headers at a corner for the third — that Ten Hag probably wanted to change most of his team at halftime.
He made three halftime substitutions, with Cristiano Ronaldo — back in United's team after an offseason when he pushed to leave the club — staying on and playing the full match. He wore a frustrated look throughout.
“What I asked them to do was play with belief and take responsibility for their performance,” Ten Hag said. “That is what they didn't do.”
Josh Dasilva, Mathias Jensen, Ben Mee and Bryan Mbeumo were the scorers for Brentford, which pressed relentlessly and blew United away.
“It felt like we were on top of everything," Jensen said. “They couldn’t cope with our pressure, our second balls, our intensity. You could see they were struggling.”
It might get even worse for Ten Hag and his new team, which opened with a 2-1 home loss to Brighton last weekend. Up next? It's only fierce rival Liverpool, which will be eager to hand United a fifth straight loss stretching back to last season.
“We are, as a team, in a difficult process,” Ten Hag said. “Of course, you expect a different start. It is not what we expected ... It seems like what happened in the past, last season, we bring into the new season. We have to change that really quickly.”
United's meltdown came in the last of Saturday's seven games that were played in sweltering conditions that reached as high as 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit).
Manchester City and Arsenal both scored four goals in home wins and continue to set a hot early-season pace.
Read: Barcelona sells more assets as it hopes to register players
CITY CRUISE
Man City didn't even need Erling Haaland to score in its 4-0 thrashing of Bournemouth.
Ilkay Gundogan, Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden were City’s scorers along with an own-goal, with Haaland barely getting a sight on goal in his first match at Etihad Stadium.
The Norway striker scored both of City’s goals in its opening-weekend 2-0 win at West Ham but was mostly crowded out a week later, making just eight touches before coming off in the 74th.
JESUS' DOUBLE
A player who left City is thriving at Arsenal.
Gabriel Jesus played a starring role in the 4-2 win over Leicester, scoring the first two before halftime and providing the assists for second-half strikes by Granit Xhaka and Gabriel Martinelli.
Jesus, the Brazil striker who left City in the summer for a reported £45 million ($54 million), was in hot form for Arsenal in preseason and appears to be relishing being the starting striker once again after being in and out of City's team.
An own-goal by William Saliba and James Maddison's strike brought Leicester twice to within one goal of Arsenal at Emirates Stadium.
GERRARD TOPS LAMPARD
Teammates for England, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard were rivals in the dugouts as they went head-to-head for the first time as managers on Saturday.
Gerrard came out on top.
Despite a late wobble, Aston Villa beat Everton 2-1 for its first win of the season and left its opponent without a point. Danny Ings and Emi Buendia scored for Villa before an 87th-minute own-goal by Lucas Digne gave Everton hope.
Like Man United, Everton is on zero points after two games.
PENALTY SAVED
Back-to-back draws was probably as much as Fulham could have expected on its return to England’s big time.
It could have been much more, though, with Aleksandar Mitrovic having a late penalty saved in a 0-0 draw at Wolverhampton.
Jose Sa dived to his right to claw away the spot kick from the Serbia international, who scored twice in the 2-2 with Liverpool last weekend and was looking to score his 45th league goal in as many appearances for Fulham.
There were two other draws, with Brighton and Newcastle toiling to a 0-0 stalemate and Southampton coming from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Leeds.
Dhaka Abahani announces day-long program marking 47th death anniversary of Sheikh Kamal
Dhaka Abahani Limited announced a day-long program marking the 47th death anniversary of its founder Shaheed Sheikh Kamal on Monday (August 15).The day-long program will begin on 12.01 am Monday pacing wreath at the portrait Sheikh Kamal at the Abahani Club premises in Dhanmondi. Later, the players and officials of the club will offer doa and special munajat for the salvation of the departed soul.
Read: Barcelona sells more assets as it hopes to register playersThe programmes include hoisting national half –mast and club flags, hoisting of black flag, Quran Khwani at the club house and placing of wreath and offering Ziarat at Sheikh Kamal's grave at Banani graveyards at 10 am on Monday. The programmes also include distribution of food among the poor and destitute after the Zohr prayers and a Doa Mahfil after the Asr prayer sat the club premises.
Barcelona sells more assets as it hopes to register players
Barcelona has sold off even more of its club assets in the hopes of meeting the Spanish league’s financial rules so Robert Lewandowski and its other signings can play in the season opener.
Barcelona said Friday that it had agreed to sell 24.5% of its Barça Studios production hub to Orpheus Media in a deal that would earn it 100 million euros ($103 million).
Last month Barcelona sold an initial 25% stake in its production hub to Socios.com, a blockchain provider, for another 100 million euros as well as 25% of its Spanish league television rights for the next 25 years for nearly 670 million euros ($689 million).
All told, the heavily indebted Catalan club has mortgaged its future for 870 million euros ($895 million) in order to sign Lewandowski from Bayern Munich along with other talented newcomers.
Regarding the sale of nearly 50% of its production hub, Barcelona said in a statement that “with this investment the strategic partners in Barça Studios show confidence in the value of the project and the future of digital content in the world of sport.”
It also comes with Barcelona yet to register its new signings with the Spanish league. Barcelona opens the season on Saturday at home against Rayo Vallecano.
Thanks to the money it has made by selling its assets, Barcelona has been able to strengthen its squad by signing Lewandowski, winger Raphinha and defender Jules Koundé for a combined 160 million euros ($165 million).
But the Spanish league has strict financial requirements that limit the amount clubs can spend on players’ salaries and transfers based on the clubs’ financial health. Despite efforts to reduce costs and pay down its debt, Barcelona still holds 1 billion euros ($1 billion) in debt and has seen its salary cap slashed by the league in recent seasons.
So, as of Friday morning, it had not registered Lewandowski, Raphinha, Koundé, free agent arrivals Franck Kessié and Andreas Christensen, or Ousmane Dembélé and Sergi Roberto, who both signed new contracts recently after their old ones had expired and so are considered new signings by the league.
Read: Barcelona sells part of its production hub for $102M
This new injection of another 100 million euros should help Barcelona’s financial balance that it presents to the league and increase its chances of being able to register all those players.
The club is also pushing to sell players such as Samuel Umtiti and Martin Braithwaite that are either unwanted by coach Xavi Hernández or have big salaries like Frenkie de Jong.
Teams have until the end of the month to register new players if they want to play in the Spanish league this season. Real Betis is also still waiting to register several players.
Barcelona club president Joan Laporta said recently that he was confident that his club will be able to field its latest acquisitions.
But it would be yet another blow to Barcelona’s reputation if its star signings are not able to play at Camp Nou on Saturday.
Orpheus Media is run by Catalan businessman Jaume Roures, the owner of Mediapro, a major television company involved in Spanish soccer but whose 2020 broadcast rights deal for the French league collapsed. Roures was a major financial backer of Laporta when he returned to run the financially troubled club in 2021.
Roures said on Friday that he was not sure if the money he paid Barcelona would be sufficient.
“The league won’t have any problems with this operation,” Roures told Cadena SER radio. “If the 100 million euros are enough, I don’t know. If it isn’t, the (necessary) amount must be close to that.”
Benzema, Courtois, De Bruyne on shortlist for UEFA award
Two Real Madrid teammates made the three-man shortlist announced Friday for the UEFA player of the year award for last season, while no Liverpool player was included.
Champions League winner Madrid was represented by Karim Benzema, who scored a competition-best 15 goals, and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who was the standout in its 1-0 win over Liverpool in the final.
Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, who plays with Courtois for Belgium, completed the list after a vote by coaches and selected journalists.
Read: Madrid wins again despite Benzema's missed penalty kicks
In the award for coaches, Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti is on the shortlist with Jürgen Klopp of Liverpool and Man City’s Pep Guardiola.
The winners will be announced Aug. 25 in Istanbul at the draw for the group stage of this season's Champions League.
None of the player nominees has previously won the UEFA award, which was first given in 2011 to Lionel Messi. Last year’s winner was Jorginho after he helped Italy and Chelsea to European titles.
UEFA said voting in the women’s awards is ongoing and shortlists should be announced next week.
Rights group urges FIFA, Qatar to compensate WCup workers
With 100 days to go until the World Cup starts in Qatar, Human Rights Watch on Friday again urged FIFA and the host nation to improve compensation for migrant workers and their families.
The rights group called for a “comprehensive remedy program for workers who suffered serious harms, including deaths, injuries, and wage theft” while working on World Cup-related projects like stadiums, transport and hotels.
Qatar has spent tens of billions of dollars on infrastructure since being picked by FIFA as host in 2010, and faced intense scrutiny of its labor laws and treatment of hundreds of thousands of workers, many from south Asia, who were needed to come to the tiny emirate and build the projects.
Read: FIFA to use new high-tech for offside calls at World Cup
“Qatar has compensated some migrant workers who have faced serious abuses in recent years, but for many, these programs were created too late and are still a major work in progress,” said Michael Page, HRW’s deputy director for the Middle East.
Since 2010, the agency claimed, the level of “uncompensated human rights abuses … is significant.”
In Qatar, a Workers’ Support Fund has since 2020 paid out $164 million in compensation to 36,373 workers from 17 different countries, HRW said citing data from Qatar's Ministry of Labor.
The organization did not specify a figure for how much compensation is still needed, though Amnesty International has suggested FIFA should pay $440 million in reparations to workers — matching the sum soccer’s world body will pay in prize money to the 32 national federations whose teams are playing in Qatar.
FIFA and tournament organizers have long cited the World Cup as a catalyst to modernize laws and society in Qatar.
Responding to Amnesty in May, Qatari organizers pointed to “significant improvements … across accommodation standards, health and safety regulations, grievance mechanisms, healthcare provision, and reimbursements of illegal recruitment fees to workers.”
Kishore Football: Madarbari Shovonia Club emerge champions
Madarbari Shovonia Club emerged champions in the Elite Paint Rabeya Siraj Koshore (Under-15) Football League beating Abdus Sobhan Football team by 8-7 goals in the tie breaker on Thursday.The final match between two teams was locked in goalless position in the stipulated period and also in the 10 minutes’ extra session at MA Aziz Stadium in the port city.Former Mayor of Chattogram City Corporation and general secretary of CJKS Alhaj AJM Nasiruddin distributed the trophies as chief guest.
Also read: Senior Div Football: Victoria SC make good start outplaying Dilkusha SC 4-1President of Chattogram Press Club and Vice President of Chattogram Divisional Sports Association Alhaj Ali Abbas and general manager of the meet’s sponsor Elite Paint Group of Companies Abul Kalam Azad were also present as special guests.
Also read: La Liga 2022-2023 Season Predictions: Championship race, top-four, relegation, top scorer
Senior Div Football: Victoria SC make good start outplaying Dilkusha SC 4-1
Victoria Sporting Club made a good start in the Bashundhara Group Metropolis Senior (First) Division Football League outplaying Dilkusha Sporting Club by 4-1 goal in the opening match at the Bashundhara Sports complex here on Wednesday.
Earlier, vice president of Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) and Chairman of the Metropolis Football League Committee M Imrul Hasan inaugurated both the Senior and 2nd Division Football Leagues at a simple ceremony this afternoon.
Read: Robi lift Absolute Corporate Football Carnival title
In the Senior (First) Division League, Sajjad Iqbal struck twice in the 24th and 40th minutes and Zamiruddin Jewel and Shohag Hossain netted one each for the Victoria SC in the 14th and 45+2 minutes respectively.
Mohammad Shawon scored the consolation goal for Dilkusha SC in the 67th minute.
Earlier in the 2nd Division League, Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishtan (BKSP) beat Bikrampur Kings by 2-1 goal at the same venue in the afternoon.
Emon Hossain and Al Mirad scored one goal each for Bangladesh Sports Training Institute team BKSP in the 17th and 52nd minutes while Mohammad Sumon netted the lone goal for Bikrampur Kings in the 69th minute.
La Liga 2022-2023 Season Predictions: Championship race, top-four, relegation, top scorer
The 92nd season of the Spanish top-flight football is all set to begin on Friday (August 12) and it will end on June 4 next year with the final matchday fixtures. The reigning La Liga champions, Real Madrid, will start the season as hot favourites to retain the title. FC Barcelona will be the main challenger to Madrid for the league title. The La Liga 2022–2023 season predictions for the championship, the top-four, relegation, and the race for the leading scorer are discussed in this article.
Which teams will fight for the Spanish La Liga title?
Two of the most successful teams in the Spanish league, Real Madrid and Barcelona, will be the hot favourites to win the La Liga title in the 2022-2023 season. Together, they have won 61 league titles out of 91 seasons. This statistic shows the dominance of Real Madrid and FC Barcelona in Spanish club football.
The reigning champions, Real Madrid, had a relatively easy season last year. They won the league title with 86 points, 13 points clear of second-placed Barcelona. The most successful club in Europe, Real Madrid, will once again be the front-runner to clinch their 36th La Liga trophy.
Read Nunez helps Liverpool salvage 2-2 draw at Fulham in EPL
Barcelona, on the other hand, surprised everyone by finishing second in the 2021–2022 league points table. They were nowhere near to their best at the start of last season, but things started to change once Xavi Hernandez took over the managerial role at the end of October 2021. Barcelona have made some important signings in order to be competitive for the upcoming season. With the new additions to the squad, the Blaugrana have become a real title contender for the next season.
Atletico Madrid, who won the league in the 2020–2021 season, have an outside chance to win their 12th La Liga trophy. However, they lost Luis Suarez and Antoine Griezmann hasn’t been able to produce his best form since making his return to Barcelona last season. Atletico may well be run out of the title race in the final two months of the season and eventually settle for third place in the points standings.
The Spanish La Liga's top three teams might face competition from Athletic Bilbao, Sevilla, Valencia, and Villarreal. However, they lack the ability to win a league, especially considering the remarkable consistency that Madrid or Barcelona possess.
Read US stays top of FIFA women's rankings; England up to No. 4
La Liga 2022-2023 predictions for title:
Real Madrid (Champion), FC Barcelona (2nd)
Favourites to make it into the Champions League
Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid are strong favourites to finish in the top three spots of the points table. Therefore, the remaining spot will be up for grabs for at least six teams. These six teams are Valencia, Athletic Bilbao, Villarreal, Real Sociedad, Real Betis, and Sevilla.
Villarreal had a magnificent last season in the UEFA Champions League. They reached the semifinals in the 2021–2022 UCL tournament but eventually lost to Liverpool, 5-2 on aggregate. In the domestic league, Villarreal finished seventh in the points table with 59 points, 11 points less than 4th placed Sevilla. They will thrive for a top-four finish next season and are one of the early favourites to finish fourth in the league standings.
Read English Premier League 2022-2023: Who are favourites to win the Golden Boot?
Sevilla, Valencia, and Athletic Bilbao are among the most popular football teams, after the two Madrid clubs and Barcelona. They will play for a spot in the top-four along with Real Sociedad and Real Betis. Both Betis and Sociedad had fantastic outings, finishing fifth and sixth place respectively in the 2021–2022 La Liga points table.
La Liga 2022-2023 season predictions for top-four:
Real Madrid (1st), FC Barcelona (2nd), Atletico Madrid (3rd) and Villarreal (4th)
Which teams may find it difficult to avoid relegation?
Granada, Levante, and Alaves were the three teams relegated to the Segunda Division at the end of the 2021–2022 season. On the other hand, Almeria, Valladolid, and Girona were promoted to La Liga from the Segunda Division.
All three promoted clubs, along with the teams that fought hard to avoid relegation in the 2021–2022 campaign, are expected to compete to avoid the bottom three spots in the points standings in the upcoming season. Rayo Vallecano, Elche, Espanyol, Getafe, Mallorca, and Cadiz all put up a valiant fight until the end in order to escape being relegated. These six teams could struggle and battle for survival once more.
Read Premier League 2022-2023 predictions: Title race, top-four, and relegation
On the other hand, newly promoted clubs generally struggle during their first year in the top division. As a result, Girona, Almeria, and Valladolid's 2022–2023 La Liga campaigns could not be without hiccups. Two of these three teams have a strong possibility of getting relegated next season.
La Liga 2022-2023 predictions for relegation:
Elche (18th) Almeria (19th), and Cadiz (20th)
Favourites to finish the season with the highest goals
Real Madrid’s French forward, Karim Benzema, was the top scorer for the 2021–2022 season. He won the Pichichi Trophy with 27 goals in 32 appearances. The second best striker in the last season was Celta Vigo’s Iago Aspas, with 18 goals. Besides, Espanyol’s Raul de Tomas and Real Madrid’s Brazilian wunderkind Vinicius Junior netted 17 goals each.
The top three goal scorers from last season, along with Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele and blockbuster signing Robert Lewandowski, all will be in contention for the Pichichi Trophy for the leading scorer next season.
Read Trophee des Champions 2022: Messi, Neymar likely to start for PSG against Nantes
Many football pundits believe that Barcelona’s signing of Robert Lewandowski from FC Bayern Munich this summer transfer window has reignited the el clasico rivalry. Both Lewandowski and Benzema are considered two of the top strikers in the world right now. Undoubtedly, the attention of millions of football fans will increase when these two compete in the same league.
Both Lewandowski and Benzema are known to be prolific goalscorers as well as clutch players. As a result, the chances of either of these two players being the top scorer in the 2022–2023 La Liga season are very high. Besides, Madrid’s Vinicius Jr. may well be even more effective upfront, and Barcelona’s Dembele has shown real promise in the pre-season matches. If they stay in shape, Dembele and Vinicius could be among the top goal scorers in the league.
La Liga 2022–2023 season best scorer predictions:
Karim Benzema, Robert Lewandowski, Vinicius Junior, Ousmane Dembele, Iago Aspas.
Read England beats Germany in extra time to win Euro 2022
Aftermath
As per multiple La Liga 2022-2023 season predictions, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona are overwhelmingly favourites to win the title. The 2020–2021 season champions, Atletico Madrid, will also be in the race for the championship, but can they fight till the end? At least six teams will try to compete for the final slot in the top-four, escalating the competition. The Spanish La Liga will be closed from November 10 to the end of December due to the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The big event's break might have an impact on the 2022-2023 La Liga season's final points standings.