Daily Review: 8th of August, 2014 - Ligue 1 kick-off, Champions League draw, Arsenal are selling TV5

WEBMASTER: Hello, guys, I have decided to start a little new series which shall be known as the "Daily Review". Its aim will be to sum up the most important and/or interesting events of the day in an article and bring them to you guys. Hope you enjoy :)

The Daily Review: 8th of August

 Ligue 1 season opener, Champions League qualifications draw, Barca's transfer affair

LIGUE 1 KICKS OFF WITH A DRAW

It was a hard start today for PSG, as they drew the Ligue 1 opener versus Stade de Reims.

PSG star Zlatan Ibrahimovic fighting with Reims defender Tancalfred for the ball

Zlatan kicked off the season in excellent form, providing stellar performances in the Paris team's recent friendlies. He did not fail to deliver in this game, scoring both of their goals after Javier Pastore's assists.

The Swede scored his first in the 10th minute of the game.

Zlatan is celebrating as his shot hits the back of keeper Placide's net

 However, he failed to convert a penalty in the 19th.

Reims were quick to respond via Oniangue (22) and Devaux (34).

Thiago Silva started the game for PSG after beginning training sessions just 4 days before the game. His rustiness was evident, as Reims's second goal came after Devaux outplayed the 29-year old Brazilian CB.

Laurent Blanc reacted immediately and put Lucas Moura and Cavani on the wings while Ibrahimovic took his favoured place in the middle. Results were quick to follow, as he gracefully put the ball past Placide in the 63th.

PSG had more chances before the final whistle of Lanoit, but Reims' solid defense prevented the Parisians from taking the three points in this game. Some may say they deserved them, as Ibra missed a penalty and also failed to put in this no-brainer:

THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PLAYOFF DRAW\

Here is the Champions League draw, like I promised:

DRAMA:
Legia (Warsaw) have exited the tournament after UEFA decided to penalize them with a 3-0 default loss in the second leg of the third qualifying round due to them fielding a suspended player. I have been informed that Legia will appeal the decision in the 5-day period given to them by the association.

The accident in this case is the Polish team subbing in Bartosz Bereszynski for the final 5 (!) minutes of the second leg versus Celtic, which they won 2-0. Bereszynski was sent off in Legia's final Europa League tie last season and received a three game suspension. The Poles did not use him for their first 3 European games this season. However, they did not register him in their CL squad. According to UEFA rules, a suspended player has to be registered in order for his team's games to count towards his suspension.

Legia official Dominik Ebebenge on the matter:

"This is unjust and completely disproportionate. There have been similar cases in the past which have not punished in this way. This was just a basic human error."

"We have spent eight years working towards this and now it has been taken away from us. Financially, it's unimaginable and the players are shattered."

More on this in the next few days.

FC BARCELONA'S £15M OFFER FOR VERMAELEN HAS BEEN ACCEPTED

The Gooners' captain did not see much playtime in Arsene Wenger's squad last season, being forced to play behind German giant Per Mertesacker and French CB Laurent Koscielny.

There were negotiations between Arsenal and Man Utd in the last few days, but the latter ended their interest after refusing the London team's demand to make the deal a swap and receive a player.

Vermaelen must now agree personal terms with the Blaugranas and pass a medical before becoming a Barca player. The deal is expected to be completed by this Monday.

AS A GOONER: 
Thomas Vermaelen arrived at Emirates in 2009, coming from Ajax for a fee of €10 million, signing a 4-year deal.

He played 110 games with the Gooners and scored 13 goals.

Due to injuries, he lost his place in the starting lineup during last season and appeared in the red-white jersey only 21 times, prompting Wenger to agree that his time at Emirates had passed:

"He needs to play now. He has shown an outstanding attitude but he is in a position where we wouldn't stand in his way if he finds an interesting opportunity."

This is Barcelona's second CB purchase this window, after Jeremy Mathieu from Valencia, who was the side's first new signing in that position since 2009, 5 years ago.

This concludes today's Daily Review, hope you guys liked the article! Peace! :)