Tuesday cannon fodder: damp embarrassed vandals

Premier League/England

Chelsea supporter arrested for racially abusing Son Heung-min | The Guardian
A Chelsea supporter was arrested for racially abusing Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min on Sunday afternoon.

Average annual salary of Premier League players tops £3m for first time | The Guardian
The average salary is according to the Global Sports Salary Survey.

What happened to football on Christmas Day? The lost history of a Victorian tradition | FourFourTwo
Football was once as much of a Christmas Day staple as the Queen’s Speech and pigs in blankets.

Europe

Can Borussia Dortmund be fixed? | StatsBomb
What’s going on with Die Borussen?

Zlatan Ibrahimovic statue has nose cut off by vandals - BBC Sport
Vandals cut off the nose of a statue of Zlatan Ibrahimovic outside Malmo’s stadium in Sweden.

‘This can’t be Milan’: Boban embarrassed by worst loss in 21 years | The Guardian
Milan’s chief football officer Zvonimir Boban has described the 5-0 defeat by Atalanta as ‘embarrassing’ and ‘painful’.

Lazio’s Supercoppa win means a damp end to Juventus’s golden decade | The Guardian
The showpiece in Saudi Arabia deepened the concerns over Serie A’s serial champions.

MLS/Americas

A First Look at NYCFC’s Bronx Stadium Plan – The Outfield
And signs it may be closer than you think.

How To Fix US Soccer — We Found One Club That Found A Way
Portland Community Football Club (PCFC) has provided a sterling example for American clubs.

Ranking the USMNT Talent Pool: Goalkeepers
Let’s take stock of the U.S. Men’s National Team talent pool heading into 2020.

Still Outlawed By England And UEFA, Safe Standing Gains Foothold In MLS
Modified safe-standing terrace sections are becoming increasingly popular at MLS grounds.

The USL has a ballpark problem – The Athletic ($)
USL clubs playing in baseball stadiums poses serious concerns not just for the teams themselves, but the league as a whole.

Other

FIFA’s idea to hold the women’s World Cup every 2 years would be really dumb - SBNation.com
If FIFA really wants to help women’s soccer, there are way better ways than diluting its greatest event.

Expectation is destroying our love of football - Football365
The more money in football, the greater the expectation.