Soccer

[Johnny English]

They seem to threaten this a lot, and I may be way off, but is this the first time a specific team list and formalized plan has been set forth?

I agree completely as to the stance UEFA is taking.

No, there was a similar thing a couple of years ago with a number of teams involved. It does sound like this might be a little more advanced than previous times, but my instinct tells me it's just negotiation tactics for the big clubs to get more control over broadcast rights and revenues. They mostly want to negotiate individual broadcast packages on a per club basis, rather than be bound into a single contract controlled by the league.

[IATA]

What exactly is happening?

The big guys want to start their own league, and everyone is saying it will kill low level clubs and the premier league, but isn't this like exclusively the big clubs and also not played on the same days?

I don't really understand the ins and outs of it, but sounds like a bunch of foreign owners want to turn pro soccer into the NFL

[Johnny English]

What exactly is happening?

The big guys want to start their own league, and everyone is saying it will kill low level clubs and the premier league, but isn't this like exclusively the big clubs and also not played on the same days?

I don't really understand the ins and outs of it, but sounds like a bunch of foreign owners want to turn pro soccer into the NFL

The Premier League has a central broadcast rights contract that all clubs share in. Because of the promotion/relegation system it's normal that the Premier League features smaller, well run clubs (e.g. Bournemouth) who periodically appear and take a share of that contract. The big clubs hate that a small club with a tiny supporter base can get what they view as a disproportionate share of the broadcast revenues that they (the big clubs) mostly generate, so they want to break away and run their own league in which they control the broadcast deals.

The problem is that if they go Europe only they'll lose a lot of their traditional supporter base, so they want to be able to stay in the Premier League as well but probably not bother any more with traditional competitions like the FA Cup. The associations are rightly concerned that a breakaway like this will massively reduce their control over the game, so they're saying that if the breakaway happens then it's a full break and they will no longer recognise the clubs or their players.

I'm honestly torn. On the one hand the competitive imbalance is already so bad that I quite like the idea of Liverpool, Man U etc all freaking off and exclusively pandering to Asian kids watching on the internet so that we can get on with reclaiming the sport, but on the other hand there will be an inevitable dilution of quality at all levels if it happens.

[d sw0rdz]

i love the idea of the super league and think it's funny how all of the respective FAs/UEFA/FIFA are losing their excrement

FIFA can threaten all they want but they will not ban these players from international competitions. beyond those competitions needlessly suffering from the exclusion of the best international players across the world, the players had no say in the agreement or development of the super league

[Johnny English]

i love the idea of the super league and think it's funny how all of the respective FAs/UEFA/FIFA are losing their excrement

FIFA can threaten all they want but they will not ban these players from international competitions. beyond those competitions needlessly suffering from the exclusion of the best international players across the world, the players had no say in the agreement or development of the super league

As long as the clubs are ejected from their domestic competitions, which the national FAs absolutely have the right to do and would IMO be very sensible to do, I'm fine with it. I'm very much OK with the Manchester clubs and Liverpool and the three London clubs chasing Brad, 15, lifelong Liverpool fan from Idaho and Po Jing, 23 year old Manchester United obsessive from Seoul as their core fanbase, if the "downside" is that actual English clubs can compete in a league with parity and competitiveness. The big clubs already have their firms pressed so firmly on the scale as to render the top flight a fairly shitty excuse for a contest these days, so if they want to freak off it seems like quite a good idea.

And if you think that UEFA and FIFA won't ban players from international competition then you've not really understood the dynamic of football. Fans will cheer for a literal potato in their country's shirt, and a massive proportion of English fans - and I imagine most other countries' as well - will 100% support weakening the national team to tell the small handful of clubs irreparably damaging the sport we grew up with to freak off.

We've already seen backlash before to moves that go against what football is born from. FCUM came into existence as a result of the Glazers' takeover of MUFC. AFC Wimbledon were born as a backlash against the franchising of the original club. The grass roots spirit of football is more important to most fans than being a European colossus. I think you'd see a significant exodus of English fans from those six clubs to following other teams if this happens - I know amongst my friends there are many who have said they'll do exactly that.

[Johnny English]

English fans make their feelings clear about the proposed League of queynte. Cunts listen and back down.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/56823501

It doesn't surprise me that City and Chelsea are the first to crack, it's very clear that this was driven by the US financiers (owners of Man U, Liverpool and Arsenal) who have always seen European football purely as a business proposition. The Middle Eastern and Russian owners of the other clubs are in it for the visibility, not the money. Anything that makes them look bad doesn't fit with the model.

Basically, freak the Glazers, Kroenke and those cunts from the Red Sox.

[IATA]

what a run

rip super league, we hardly knew ye

[Johnny English]

This is a very good article, and about more than just soccer.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/24/super-leagues-dumbing-down-of-youth-laid-bare-a-brainchild-of-stupid-old-men

[Badger]

As a lifelong diehard NYCFC supporter it was nice to see them cruise to a 5-0 victory today.

[Johnny English]

A perfect example of the old adage, which holds true in all sports, that fans often don't realise just how far superior the most mediocre professional sportsman is to a good amateur:

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/56887874

[delavan]

https://theathletic.com/news/oli-mcburnie-sheffield-united-video/P8PtZ9Tzg7cs

[mj2sexay]

Absolute managerial merry-go-round taking place within the **upper levels of soccer.

Antonio Conte out at Inter after finally breaking Juve's iron grip on the Scudetto.

Pirlo likely out at Juve for said loss.

Zidane resigns from Real Madrid today.

Very likely Ronald Koeman doesn't return to Barca.

**I said upper levels so I'm not going to include Gattuso leaving Napoli for Fiorentina, but please Papa Aurelio, bring back Sarri and his cigarettes.

EDIT: And now apparently Mauricio Pottechino is talking with Tottenham about a return which would leave another major club (PSG) without a coach. Absolute craziness.

[Johnny English]

Reminder for the part time soccer fans that the Euros kick off this Friday. Must be time for MB to dust off his Germany jersey.

[mj2sexay]

Reminder for the part time soccer fans that the Euros kick off this Friday. Must be time for MB to dust off his Germany jersey.

Struck up a conversation with my Uber driver on Saturday night who is Turkish, but married an Italian straight off the boat. He and his wife are soccer crazy.

Should be an interesting Friday afternoon in their household!

[Johnny English]

Netherlands v Ukraine is the best game of the tournament so far.