Lucas Neill and Phil Jagielka are two of the latest victims of burglars in England. Both Everton players were robbed last week.

‘A step in the right direction.’ That’s how Gordon Taylor, chief executive of the English PFA and honorary president of FIFPro, reacted to the recent announcement of the Premier League to introduce a squad cap and a quota for home grown players.

‘I thought these days were gone, but maybe I’m being naïve.’ Blackpool manager Ian Holloway was sad and furious after his player Jason Euell was racially abused by a fan on Tuesday, when Stoke City beat his team 4-3 in the English League Cup.

On opening night of the Europa League there were more referees than ever, as UEFA started its experiment with two extra officials for each match. It seemed like they didn’t have much to do.