Sports reports: Ferrari supports Vasseur, Tebas calls for Manchester City's punishment, and changes in the England women's national team

The Ferrari team, competing in the Formula 1 world championship, distanced itself from Christian Horner's statements and declared its full confidence in team director Fred Vasseur.

Horner said in a recent interview with The Times newspaper that driving Ferrari would be his “dream.” The 52-year-old Briton has been away from Formula 1 for more than a year, after the Red Bull team excluded him from his position.

The British news agency (PA Media) reported that Horner's statements shed great light on Vasseur's future with Ferrari, in light of the team's disappointing results during the recent period.

Ferrari ranks second in the manufacturers' class standings, but is 160 points behind Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton achieved his first victory with Ferrari in Barcelona last June, but he did not climb the podium in the last 6 races, leaving him 103 points behind the leader of the drivers’ championship, Kimi Antonelli.

Before the 16th round of the season, scheduled in Malaysia this week, Maria Conte, Ferrari’s chief communications officer, said on behalf of Chairman John Elkann and CEO Benedetto Vigna: “In recent days, speculation has increased about Ferrari, and in particular about its leadership.”

She added: “Ferrari’s position is clear and has not changed. We have complete confidence in Fred Vasseur and his team, and we continue to uphold that confidence.”

She continued: “Ferrari has always received exceptional attention, and it is natural that many professionals aspire to be a part of it. “This reflects the strength of what Ferrari represents.”

She emphasized: “We want to avoid speculation, and we do not intend to fuel it or comment on assumptions made from outside the company. And it's not just the Times story about Mr. Horner, there's a lot of speculation in general. “Our position is clear, and we would like to avoid this week in Malaysia being distracted by these kinds of rumours.”

Javier Tebas, president of the Spanish Football League, called for the maximum possible penalty to be imposed on Manchester City by the English Premier League, if it is proven that the club violated financial rules.

The British news agency, PA Media, reported that news emerged last Friday that Manchester City had been convicted of the majority of the 115 charges against it for the period from 2009 to 2018, despite Khaldoun Al-Mubarak, the club’s president, confirming that he was “confident” of Manchester City’s ability to prove its innocence.

The maximum penalty available to the English Premier League is exclusion from the competition, a decision that requires the approval of at least 15 of the competition’s 20 clubs during a general meeting.

Tebas, who is campaigning against what he describes as “financial doping” in European football, believes that the punishment should reflect the extent of non-compliance with the rules, and at the same time represent a deterrent message to others.

Tebas said during the FIFPro Performance Summit in London today (Tuesday): “I do not know the exact rules, but I believe that the harshest punishment stipulated in the English Premier League regulations should be applied in this regard.”

He added: “The punishment must be aimed at sending a clear message. “This is not a matter of a father and his children, but rather a punishment to ensure adherence to the rules.”

He continued: “Violating the rules for more than 10 years, regardless of how simple the violations are, is extremely dangerous. Therefore, the punishment for non-compliance must be strict. “Not just to send a message, but because the rules were broken.”

Chloe Kelly and Ella Toon have both been left out of the England women's squad ahead of their crucial 2027 World Cup qualifier against Greece.

Although the European champions failed to secure direct qualification during the group stage, following a harsh defeat against the Spanish national team, they have another opportunity to reserve the promotion ticket next month. Sarina Wegman, the team's coach, decided to make significant changes before that confrontation.

The absence of Kelly and Ton from the list is the most notable surprise. Due to their pivotal role in the England national team, since winning the European Nations Cup in 2022.

However, Kelly only participated in one match, during the first five matches of her English team, Arsenal, this season, while Toon was on the bench for Manchester United, during the two teams’ 1-1 draw, earlier this month.

However, the player wearing the number 7 shirt for United returned to the starting lineup after 4 days, where she contributed by scoring a goal and assisting another, during her team’s victory over Sheffield United in the League Cup, and then participated as a starter in the match that ended in a 2-1 victory over West Ham United, the day before yesterday, Sunday.

The England national team roster is witnessing increasing competition for positions, as there has been a feeling, in recent weeks, that Wegman cannot ignore the brilliance of Potter, the young midfielder (20 years old), who began the new season as a permanent fixture in the Chelsea squad.

At the same time, Erika Parkinson made a promising start to her career in the United States with the North Carolina Courage team, and is knocking on the doors of returning to the national team, after she was in the squad last April, but was absent from the list last June.

Both young players reserved their place on the list, which necessitated the exclusion of some names in the midfield and attack, and Kelly and Toon were chosen for exclusion.

Notable absentees also include Lottie Wobin-Moi and Taylor Hinds, with the Arsenal defenders making just one appearance for the team during the opening five matches of the season.

On the other hand, the list included defender Nim Charles after her return from injury and her participation as a substitute with Manchester City at the weekend, and Grace Fisk, Liverpool defender, also reserved a place for herself in the list.

In the same context, player Aggie Beaver-Jones was not included due to her suffering from injury in recent weeks, as she only participated for 10 minutes during Chelsea’s victory over Arsenal, the day before yesterday.

Ellie Roebuck also did not participate in any matches this season, after undergoing shoulder surgery during the summer, so she was replaced on the list of goalkeepers by Chiara Keating, who returned to participate regularly in matches, following her move to Liverpool in the last summer transfer period.

The England women's national team list is as follows: Goalkeepers: Hannah Hampton (Chelsea), Kiara Keating (Liverpool), and Anna Moorhouse (Orlando Pride).

In defence: Lucy Bronze (Chelsea), Jess Carter (Gotham), Neve Charles (Chelsea), Grace Fisk (Liverpool), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Maya Le Tissier (Manchester United), Esme Morgan (Washington Spirit), and Leah Williamson (Arsenal).

In the middle: Laura Blindkilde-Brown (Manchester City), Lucia Kendall (Aston Villa), Erica Parkinson (North Carolina Courage), Lexi Potter (Chelsea), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich), and Keira Walsh (Chelsea).

In attack: Freya Godfrey (London City Lionesses), Lauren Hemp (Manchester City), Lauren James (Chelsea), Beth Mead (Arsenal), Jess Park (Manchester United), Alessia Russo (Arsenal).