Leagues ·
Man City verdict fallout, Ferguson's rare praise for Keane, and Neymar's two-penalty rescue
The three football stories topping Google Trends today: reports of Manchester City players weighing their futures after the club's guilty verdict, Sir Alex Ferguson's warm words for Roy Keane in his new book, and Neymar's two penalties in Santos 2-2 Flamengo.
Manchester City: verdict, appeal and reports of player unrest. An independent Premier League commission found Manchester City guilty of serious breaches of the league's financial rules covering 2009 to 2018, including commercial deals the panel described as "sham" arrangements, ESPN and Sky Sports reported. City maintain their innocence and lodged an appeal on 1 October, calling the verdict "unsafe". Sanctions have not been set: they will be decided at a separate hearing, with fines, points deductions and other sporting sanctions all possible, and no date has been confirmed.
What is trending in England is the next question: the squad. These are reports, not confirmed moves. According to Football Insider, as relayed by The Hard Tackle, City players and their agents have begun weighing their options, with Erling Haaland, Rayan Cherki and Elliot Anderson among the names mentioned. Sports lawyer Dan Chapman told TEAMtalk that relegation alone would not automatically let players walk away, describing relegation release clauses as "quite unusual". No City player has announced a departure.
Ferguson on Keane: Sir Alex Ferguson's new book, Games of My Life, includes unusually warm praise for his former captain Roy Keane, SPORTbible and United In Focus report. Writing about Manchester United's 3-2 win at Juventus in the 1999 Champions League semi-final second leg at the Stadio Delle Alpi, where Keane scored United's first goal before missing the final through suspension, Ferguson says: "It was his greatest night in red." The two have been estranged since Keane left the club in 2005, according to SPORTbible.
Neymar rescues Santos: Santos came from two goals down to draw 2-2 with league leaders Flamengo in round 29 of the Brazilian Serie A on Thursday 8 October. Danilo and Lucas Paquetá put Flamengo 2-0 up by half-time. Neymar came on at the interval and, after Flamengo's Jorginho was sent off following a VAR review, scored two late penalties. Flamengo stay top on 61 points; Santos are eighth on 42, according to Campo Grande News.
Match facts
• Santos 2-2 Flamengo — Vila Belmiro, Santos | Thursday 8 October 2026 | Attendance: no official figure published in the reports consulted | Referee: Anderson Daronco (Brazil)
Sources: https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/50083711/man-city-financial-breaches-appeal-guilty-verdict-premier-league · https://www.skysports.com/football/news/13593377/man-city-premier-league-charges-appeal-process-punishment-hearing-and-what-happens-now-after-guilty-verdict · https://thehardtackle.com/transfer-news/2026/10/06/manchester-city-players-discussing-potential-departures-after-verdict-on-115-charges/ · https://www.teamtalk.com/manchester-city/man-city-ffp-verdict-players-cannot-leave-for-free-leading-sports-lawyer · https://www.sportbible.com/football/football-news/man-utd/sir-alex-ferguson-mentions-roy-keane-in-new-book-story-behind-feud-561402-20261008 · https://www.unitedinfocus.com/news/sir-alex-fergusons-glowing-roy-keane-endorsement-should-rekindle-relationship-between-two-man-utd-greats/ · https://www.campograndenews.com.br/esportes/gols-de-neymar-garantem-empate-do-santos-contra-lider-flamengo · https://www.vavel.com/br/futebol/2026/10/08/1274265-santos-x-flamengo-ao-vivo-brasileirao.html · https://netfla.com.br/noticias/flamengo-empata-com-o-santos-apos-vantagem-de-2-a-0-na-vila-belmiro
Manchester City · Premier League · Sir Alex Ferguson · Roy Keane · Neymar · Santos · Flamengo
Competition: English Premier League