Why confirmed team news has a timestamp
The editorial desk separates official match documents from expected line-ups, rumours and later corrections.
Confirmed means attributable
FORM/PRICE reserves confirmed for information attributable to an official competition, club or governing-body document. Expected line-ups remain labelled as expected even when a reliable reporter publishes them.
The distinction matters because availability can change both the estimated match state and the price. A later update must not silently overwrite what the model knew earlier.
Competition rules define their own timing
UEFA's 2026–28 European Championship regulations state that match sheets are submitted at least 75 minutes before kick-off. Other competitions can use different procedures, so the source and competition must travel with the timestamp.
Squad registration and matchday selection are also different facts. A player appearing on an eligible player list does not prove selection for a specific fixture.
The editorial record
Every match-context item should preserve the claim, named source, observed time, reviewer and any correction. If those fields are missing, the item remains internal.
- Official source named.
- Observed-at time shown.
- Expected and confirmed states separated.
- Corrections remain visible.
Sources
Direct links are preserved so the editorial reasoning can be checked independently.