A mysterious overnight fire tore through Bristol Rovers' Eastville Stadium, destroying the South Stand, club offices and changing rooms. The blaze caused more than £1 million of damage and forced Rovers to stage three league matches and two League Cup ties at Bristol City's Ashton Gate before returning home in October.

Lionel Messi's Argentina career began in extraordinary fashion when the 18-year-old was sent off just 47 seconds into his international debut against Hungary. Introduced in the second half, Messi was shown a straight red after catching Vilmos Vanczák with a stray arm as he tried to break free from the defender's challenge.

Reggina became the latest club punished in the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal after being handed a 15-point deduction for the 2006-07 Serie A season. Club president Pasquale Foti received a two-and-a-half-year ban and a fine, while the club were also fined. The penalty was later reduced to an 11-point deduction on appeal.

Santos suffered the heaviest home defeat in their Brazilian Serie A history as Vasco da Gama stormed to a 6-0 victory. The result left Santos only two points above the relegation zone and prompted the dismissal of head coach Cleber Xavier just hours later. It was also the first time Santos had conceded six goals at home in a top-flight league match.