The ‘Football Manager 17’ beta comes out on Tuesday, and it’ll simulate Brexit

In its quest to be as realistic as possible, Football Manager 17 will feature Brexit and its consequences. The beta version of the immensely popular simulation comes out on Tuesday, and players who keep games going for multiple seasons will find themselves affected by Great Britain’s exit from the European Union.

“We usually try and keep politics out of the game because nobody wants it rammed down their throat,” said Miles Jacobson, the studio director at Sports Interactive, the company that makes FM. “But we were left with an interesting situation this year when the people of Britain voted to leave the EU and it wouldn’t have felt right to leave that out. It’s something we had to reflect in the game.”

And for even more realism, you won’t be able to predict when the consequences of Brexit pop up or if there are any consequences at all. It could happen between two and 10 years into the game, and it could keep free movement of players, fairly lax regulations, or require every non-Brit to get a work permit. It’s also slightly randomized which home nations opt to leave Great Britain or stay -- for example, Scotland could break off to stay in the EU.

If you want to see some of the game’s biggest new features, SI has released this video detailing them. You can get the game on Steam or order a physical copy here.

David de Gea’s incredible stop on Coutinho.

Luka Modric has signed a new contract. (RMFC)

And so has Javier Mascherano. (Sport)

Wolfsburg has sacked manager Dieter Hecking. (Bundesliga)

The man rumored to replace him is André Villas-Boas. (Mirror)

Mauro Icardi has paid a fine and apologized for insulting Inter fans in his book. New editions of the book will be altered. But he’s kept the captain’s armband. (Gazzetta)

It’s just nothing but drama at Inter -- they’re considering replacing Frank de Boer with Fabio Capello. (Football Italia)

Hey, Manchester City actually made a nice profit last year. (Guardian)

Toby Alderweireld’s injury isn’t serious, but he’s still out this week. Eric Dier is expected to replace him. (BBC)

Columbus Crew SC has begun major planning on a new stadium. (MLS)

Barcelona is going to hand out Catalan flags before their Champions League game even though UEFA might fine them. (Marca)

Matt Stanger on virtual reality changing how we watch soccer. (The Set Pieces)

Karan Tejwani on Sassuolo’s transformation into one of Serie A’s best clubs. (These Football Times)

Jonathan Wilson on political unrest in Gabon affecting the Africa Cup of Nations. (Guardian)

Liverpool-Manchester United was bad.

Champions League: 8 games (2:45 p.m.) -- We recommend Sporting vs. Dortmund.