Ukraine has lodged a formal complaint with the ethics committee of motorsport’s governing body the FIA following the decision to lift the ban on Russian competitors in international events.

The Ukrainian Automobile Federation (FAU) has requested an urgent investigation into its Russian counterpart, the RAF.

The ban on individuals from Russia and Belarus competing in international motorsport events had been in place since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The move was approved by the FIA world council, to which sources have told BBC Sport it was proposed by FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem.

The FAU says the Russian Automobile Federation has “opened and continues to operate” offices in regions of Ukraine occupied by Russia – Crimea, the city of Sevastopol and the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts.

These are recognised by the United Nations as sovereign Ukrainian territory.

The FAU says these actions are in breach of both the FIA statutes and its international sporting code, which permit only one automobile club per country.

FAU president Oleksandr Feldman said: “This is a clear breach of the FIA statutes by the Russian Automobile Federation, which, as an FIA member organisation, is bound to comply with them.

“We urge the FIA president to take urgent action to have these offices closed, and for the Russian automobile federation to be sanctioned for its actions.”

The Ukrainian club has requested the FIA ethics committee find the RAF in breach of FIA statutes and order it to close the offices with immediate effect.

The statement also points out that the head of the RAF, Boris Rotenberg, is “directly subject to international sanctions imposed by the US, UK, EU, and other allied jurisdictions in response to aggression against Ukraine”.

The decision to lift the ban on Russian and Belarusian competitors followed a similar move by the International Olympic Association.

Following changes to the FIA statutes last year, the FIA ethics committee is under the control of Ben Sulayem and his ally the president of the senate, Carmello Sanz de Barros.

The FIA has been approached for comment.

Arsenal will face Real Madrid at home and Bayern Munich and Napoli away in the Champions League as they look to go one step better than last year’s defeat in the final to Paris Saint-Germain.

They will also face Borussia Dortmund, Lille and Sabah FC of Azerbaijan at home and Real Betis and Slavia Prague away in the league phase of the competition.

Mikel Arteta’s side reached the final last season only to lose on penalties to PSG, who retained their crown from the previous season. Arsenal had been knocked out in the semi-finals by the same opponents the season before that.

Arsenal and PSG are among the favourites again this season as the north London club bid to become European champions for the first time.

Get the full Champions League league-phase draw, with analysis, here.

League-phase matches

*Dates of matches to be confirmed in the coming days

Which game most excites you?

Real Madrid at home has a meaningful ring to it for Arsenal. In a way, it is synonymous with an iconic match that reaffirmed their place as a serious European prospect when Declan Rice struck two wonder free kicks and Mikel Merino added the gloss to a comprehensive 3-0 win in the 2025 knockouts.

It will be fascinating to observe how the home fans react to Vinicius Jr. That summer frisson when the Brazilian considered joining Arsenal only to stay to extend his contract and play under Jose Mourinho leaves some big emotion.

Arsenal feel able to take on the traditional big guns these days without any inferiority complex.

Which game worries you?

Arsenal need not be overly worried about anyone, although they know an away game at Bayern will be a significant challenge if they wish to try to emulate an unbeaten group phase last time out.

These two teams met in the group phase last season, with Arsenal winning 3-1. The game was close until Arsenal moved through the gears in the second half. Gabriel Martinelli turned the screw with a breakaway goal. The Brazilian, who scored freely in the Champions League, appears to be on the way out, so Arsenal will have to rely without a speed merchant to inflict damage.

What is Arteta’s biggest issue to confront in the tournament?

Given Arsenal reached extra time of the final last season without losing at all, the issues are in the finest details that could make the team better.

In the midst of all that emotion in Budapest, faced with the pain of a squandered penalty shootout, Arteta spoke with a lot of clarity after the game. “We want to reach another level,” he said.

The factors to help that happen were identified as both technical (difference-maker players who can bend a match their way with individual skill) and physical (having more fit players in peak form at the business end of the season). Right now it is hard to predict with much certainty that they are positioned to score higher on both fronts.

Arsenal went so close last season (Lars Baron/Getty Images)

Which team do Arsenal most want to avoid in the latter stages?

Stating the bleedin’ obvious here, but Paris Saint-Germain are clearly a tough nut to crack. Although Arsenal had their moments against them in the past two seasons, the French aristocrats knocked them out in the past two seasons.

The list of competitors Arsenal have beaten in recent editions of the Champions League includes PSG in the group stage (but not in a knockout), Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Inter. The eagle-eyed out there will have noticed an absence of Premier League opponents. That is absolutely best avoided if possible.

European derby games, if you can call it that, bring an extra intensity that can be unhelpful. They haven’t actually been paired with an English team since May 2009 — before Max Dowman was born — but it never tended to go well.

What would be considered a successful finish?

The dream scenario continues the linear progress of recent seasons — from quarter-final, to semi-final, to final, to… well, the ultimate prize.

Arsenal should be ambitious and confident, but not arrogant. Nobody has a divine right to this elusive trophy. Sometimes, to reach the top, it takes a lot of attempts, resilience and hunger to be in the mix until one day it might be your turn.

PSG, currently the best around and a team that strengthened this season, had to keep buying tickets until they won the Champions League lottery. So hitting the latter stages should not be sniffed at. Let’s not be silly enough to think that anything less than at least a final is failure. The level of competition is crazy.

Prediction time… how far will Arsenal get?

The knockouts should be relatively straightforward. After that, the nature of the draw and the shape and momentum the team finds themselves in will have an impact.

The only thing to predict with certainty is that Arsenal no longer have to be afraid of anyone they might meet along the way.

Another week, and more volatility across the high-leverage landscape. While contenders push for the postseason, teams that are not will start auditioning players for next season, which benefits astute fantasy managers who focus on these situations rather than football.

Although his save total is not among the leaders in the second half, Mason Montgomery is amid his long-anticipated breakout as a closer. Don Kelly has not anointed him as such, but Montgomery has converted all four save opportunities since the trade deadline while not allowing a run in nine appearances in August, posting a minuscule 0.58 WHIP with 18 strikeouts and one walk (54.8 K-BB percentage) across 8.2 innings.

Small sample sizes can be misleading, but he’s been surging since the start of July, which coincides with introducing a sinker into his arsenal. In June, he used his sinker at a rate of 7.2%, but it rose to 28.1% in July and sits at 50.7% through the appearances cited above in August. For the visual crowd, here are his splits this season, by month and half-season, through games played on Aug. 26:

If his role as the preferred save option continues through the end of 2026, his fantasy stock for 2027 rises appreciably.

As the season progresses, it’s tougher to identify relievers on the rise, especially in bullpens with fluid roles. However, here are some interesting ones based on recent results:

Relievers on the rise

Juan Morillo (ARI): After his save on Aug. 26, he owns a 14-game scoreless streak, during which he has a win, the aforementioned save, and seven holds, while posting a 0.79 WHIP with 14 strikeouts versus three walks (21.2 K-BB%) over 14 innings. Whether he’ll remain the highest-leverage right-handed reliever or get more saves in September remains to be seen. In SOLDS leagues, it doesn’t matter.

Elvis Alvarado (ATH): He hasn’t been scored on in his past eight games, posting a 0.90 WHIP with seven strikeouts and two walks, recording a save in each of his past three. He teased fantasy managers after notching saves on June 10 and 13.

Erik Miller (BOS): Miller’s another reliever better suited for SOLDS formats or ones that count holds; however, he has turned in 10 scoreless outings since being acquired by the Red Sox. In that span, his WHIP is slightly below 1.00 and he’s recorded 18 strikeouts and three walks (35.7 K-BB percentage) through 10.1 innings.

Bradgley Rodríguez (SDP): Filling in capably for Jeremiah Estrada and Jason Adam as the Padres’ right-handed bridge option to Mason Miller, Rodríguez hasn’t allowed a run in 11 of his past 12 games, posting a 0.70 WHIP with 19 strikeouts and one walk (33.3 K-BB percentage) across 14.1 innings with a win, two saves and four holds.

On the other end of the spectrum, some concerns for closers as September nears:

Closer concerns

Yoendrys Gómez (MIN): He’s been listed previously, and regression came calling during a rough outing in Sacramento. There is no denying his fantasy appeal — he’s converted all 20 of his save chances this season. But the statistical migration toward the mean in the second half may not be over. His current 3.79 ERA is accompanied by a 4.63 SIERA and a more foreboding 5.32 xERA. Through 13.1 innings since the All-Star break, he has a 1.80 WHIP and a 16.1% walk rate; both are less than ideal for those trying to protect ratios down the stretch.

Riley O’Brien (STL): Although his manager insists his closer’s recent struggles are bad luck, O’Brien’s meltdown in Philadelphia — allowing four consecutive hits in two-strike counts — resulted in six earned runs and a walk-off loss. He recorded a 12-game scoreless streak before this happened, but he has also allowed at least a run in his past two outings, both losses. In the second half, he has recorded nine saves in as many chances. However, in these 14.1 innings, he has a 4.84 SIERA, which does not support the bad-luck narrative, a 6.1% swinging-strike rate, a 1.53 WHIP fueled by a 15.2 walk percentage, and an 80% contact rate allowed. His sell-high window has expired.

Stealth in September?

Luis Gastélum (STL): Segue alert: if one reliever is struggling, another could earn a larger leverage share in the final month of the season. Gastélum hasn’t been scored upon in seven of his past eight appearances, posting a 0.54 WHIP with 18 strikeouts and one walk (51.5 K-BB%) over his past 9.1 innings with a robust 21.7% swinging-strike rate. He’s definitely worth tracking.

Carson Seymour (SFG): Coming off a historic loss against the Reds, Tony Vitello should take a look at Seymour as his preferred save option going forward. Transitioning into a reliever has not been easy for Seymour, but he hasn’t allowed a run in six of his past seven appearances and recorded his first career save on Aug. 25. In his past 8.1 innings, he has 10 strikeouts and one walk (27.3 K-BB percentage) with a 14.2% swinging-strike rate. There may be a further learning curve, but his stuff and velocity grade better than Dylan Smith’s.

This leads into our updated leverage pathways, which aim to provide accurate team approaches for procuring saves despite the multitude of confusing usage patterns throughout the league. Each team will receive one of the following labels:

• Mostly linear: This is a more traditional approach, with a manager preferring one reliever in the seventh inning, another in the eighth, and a closer (when rested) in the ninth. There are shades of gray, but it usually follows a predictable pattern in high-leverage situations.
• Primary save share: The team prefers one reliever as the primary save option. However, he may also be used in matchup-based situations, whether dictated by batter-handedness or batting order, especially in the late innings. This provides multiple relievers with save chances each series or week throughout the season.
• Shared saves: Typically, two relievers share save opportunities, often based on handedness, rest, or recent usage patterns that keep them fresh. While these situations typically involve a primary and an ancillary option, other relievers may be used. Some teams also prefer a matchup-based option, which creates fluid save opportunities.
• Fluid: The manager has not named a closer, and usage patterns for the leverage roles remain unclear.

American League leverage pathways

Save streamers

*ancillary saves or shared roles

• Elvis Alvarado (ATH)
• Steven Cruz; Nate Pearson (KCR)
• Rico Garcia (BAL)
• Ryan Watson (LAA)

Save stashes

• Jeff Hoffman (MIN)
• Tyler Kinley (DET)

National League leverage pathways

Save streamers

*ancillary saves or shared roles

• Juan Morillo; Brandyn Garcia (ARI)
• Calvin Faucher; Josh Ekness (MIA)
• Daniel Duarte (NYM)
• Bradgley Rodríguez (SDP)

Save stashes

• Carson Seymour (SFG)
• Justin Martinez (ARI)
• Luis Gastélum (STL)
• Daniel Palencia (CHC)

Leaderboards

Saves

Holds

SOLDS

My rankings are a blend of in-season performance and rest-of-season expectations. If you feel strongly about a player, by all means, roster him.

Ratio relievers

*Multi-inning or bridge relievers who can vulture wins and help protect ratios.

• Juan Morillo (ARI)
• Erik Miller (SFG)
• Bradgley Rodríguez (SDP)
• Didier Fuentes (ATL)

Statistical Credits: FanGraphs, Baseball-Reference.com, Baseball Savant, BrooksBaseball.net. Check out my work at Reliever Recon and Closer Monkey for daily updates.