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Barcelona don’t have any money to spend

We’re sure Lionel Messi will take a voluntary pay cut. Mas que un club.

David Ramos/Getty Images

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Barcelona are a team a bit light on depth thanks to recent injuries. Good thing their transfer ban ends in January, right? Well, kind of. See, Barca can’t spend any money.

UEFA have relaxed Financial Fair Play regulations recently, but Barca are still within €2 million ($2.28m USD) of exceeding their FFP wage limit. There’s also a club statute that prevents them from spending more, so the board would have to overturn that, even if they’re not worried about FFP.

Sales of fringe players aren’t going to raise that much or clear much off the wage bill for Barca, and they’ve been pegged as the favorites to eventually sign Paul Pogba from Juventus for a long time. Don’t expect Barca to react to the lifting of their transfer ban by spending tons of money.

Goal of the weekend

Robert Lewandowski’s header to send Poland to Euro 2016.

In the news

Five new players in, eight out for the USMNT. (ESPN FC)

Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul is out for the season. (BBC)

Carlo Ancelotti wants a Premier League job. Hi, Chelsea! (Football Italia)

Toni Kroos took some shots at the Spanish press, telling German press that they’re junk. (Bild)

Another former FIFA ExCo member has been suspended. (Guardian)

Memphis Depay and Robin van Persie got in a fight at Netherlands training. (Manchester Evening News)

You should be reading

Chloe Beresford on the origins of the word “calcio.” (The Gentlemen Ultra)

Paul Campbell on Northern Ireland’s incredible success story. (Guardian)

Phil Costa on England doing this weird thing where they give people hope. (The Set Pieces)

What happened in this weekend’s games

The USMNT lost a Confederations Cup playoff to Mexico.

Here’s a quick list of teams who have qualified for Euro 2016. Three more automatic qualifying places and eight playoff spots are to be decided.

  • Iceland
  • Czech Republic
  • Belgium
  • Wales
  • Spain
  • Poland
  • Germany
  • England
  • Switzerland
  • Northern Ireland
  • Romania
  • Austria

You can find recaps of this weekend’s Euro 2016 qualifiers here. (UEFA.com)

What to watch on Monday (click for listings, all times ET)

Euro 2016 qualifying: Nine games (from 12 p.m. ET) - Ukraine vs. Spain at 2:45 p.m. is the best of the bunch.

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