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Off Topic Thread 5.0

[Deleted User]

Thread continued from here https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057835955&page=250

The usual rules apply. Non-rugby talk here. Consider this a social place, but like a pub, things like religion and politics can be divisive, so don't say things here you wouldn't say to someone's face in the pub. Sober

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Squidgy Black

Would love to see the FA/UEFA/FIFA reprimand the clubs eventually even if it's a case that they all withdraw within the next couple of days. Maybe not as drastically as if they had gone ahead with it but there's no way this is something that should be let blow over.

hold my beer

I honestly think some of the owners are so far removed from reality that they thought this would sail through with no opposition. Off The Ball and various other people keep saying it was a leverage ploy but I don't buy it. It was greed from the start and they thought they'd get away with it.

Neil3030

Larbre34 wrote: »

No licence to operate, no planning permission for events (games), no fans, boycotts of merchandise and associate sponsors, potential withdrawal of those same sponsors under pressure from orthodox Football.

These fellas can have their league, but it'll be held on a training pitch in Antarctica.

I'm not overstating this either, those fans would rather burn down Anfield, Old Trafford, the Bridge and all the rest rather than see this continue. They are frustrated from the pandemic, bored, done with Authority, and sick and tired of being dictated to by prycks like Joel Glazer and Andrea Agnelli.

Listening to the organised backlash emerge these last few days I was trying to figure out what was so familiar about it. I came to the realisation that it reminds me of two events in history, Operation Valkyrie and the Turkish Coup of 2016.

Why? Both were botched, both were prosecuted by clowns, both were catastrophically misjudged and both were stamped on with such force that all that was left of the organisers was dust and memories. Now that the Super League has roused a sleeping giant, that's the fate the dirty dozen can expect.

Money will guide this, long term. If enough revenue is generated outside of Europe and if enough of the bigger clubs and their billionaire owners don't like their cut, a break-away NFL-style league is not just likely, I'd go as far as to say it's probable. The impotent rage of fans in England can be channeled into whatever antisocial behaviour they please, these "clubs" are now global corporations, seeking to maximise their return.

Podge_irl

hold my beer wrote: »

I wouldn't have been happy had they been given any concessions. They deserve nothing. And I'm guessing most football fans would feel the same.

Oh, I think they deserved **** all too. But now both the fans and the remaining superleague teams will hate them.

hold my beer

Podge_irl wrote: »

I suspect several of them at least were planning on pulling out the whole time. But if it was a tool/method to gain leverage over the Champions League then they have utterly failed.

Dropping out now won't buy them any friends and will just ruin any chance of getting something out of the situation and will simultaneously ruin any chance of the other teams getting anything out of it. Anything other than a joint statement from all the teams was going to make things even messier.

I wouldn't have been happy had they been given any concessions. They deserve nothing. And I'm guessing most football fans would feel the same.

Podge_irl

hold my beer wrote: »

That's a funny way of looking at it. Had they continued it would have been a million times worse. They also won't be the only team to pull out.

Edit: And City are gone

I suspect several of them at least were planning on pulling out the whole time. But if it was a tool/method to gain leverage over the Champions League then they have utterly failed.

Dropping out now won't buy them any friends and will just ruin any chance of getting something out of the situation and will simultaneously ruin any chance of the other teams getting anything out of it. Anything other than a joint statement from all the teams was going to make things even messier.

hold my beer

Podge_irl wrote: »

Well they have done a spectacular job of making a bad situation even worse for themselves. They will have made enemies of the entire PL and the 6 non-PL teams in this weird coup attempt.

That's a funny way of looking at it. Had they continued it would have been a million times worse. They also won't be the only team to pull out.

Edit: And City are gone

Podge_irl

The Inbetween is mine wrote: »

Absolutely bricking it that they would be chucked out of the champions league immediately.... Abramovich didn't like that at all

Well they have done a spectacular job of making a bad situation even worse for themselves. They will have made enemies of the entire PL and the 6 non-PL teams in this weird coup attempt.

The Inbetween is mine

Podge_irl wrote: »

absolute lols.

No idea what they are thinking. They are removing all leverage the group have and will remain hated and lacking trust going forward.

Absolutely bricking it that they would be chucked out of the champions league immediately.... Abramovich didn't like that at all

Podge_irl

The Inbetween is mine wrote: »

Chelsea have blinked!!!

absolute lols.

No idea what they are thinking. They are removing all leverage the group have and will remain hated and lacking trust going forward.

The Inbetween is mine

Chelsea have blinked!!!

Podge_irl

https://twitter.com/ESPNFC/status/1384433931785736195

This isn't just a new competition, this is potentially a Rugby Union vs Rugby League type break

Larbre34

Neil3030 wrote: »

For sure there's a clatter of "ifs", but thinking in longer time scales, I just can't see how you stop a club-owned league eventually emerging.

No licence to operate, no planning permission for events (games), no fans, boycotts of merchandise and associate sponsors, potential withdrawal of those same sponsors under pressure from orthodox Football.

These fellas can have their league, but it'll be held on a training pitch in Antarctica.

I'm not overstating this either, those fans would rather burn down Anfield, Old Trafford, the Bridge and all the rest rather than see this continue. They are frustrated from the pandemic, bored, done with Authority, and sick and tired of being dictated to by prycks like Joel Glazer and Andrea Agnelli.

Listening to the organised backlash emerge these last few days I was trying to figure out what was so familiar about it. I came to the realisation that it reminds me of two events in history, Operation Valkyrie and the Turkish Coup of 2016.

Why? Both were botched, both were prosecuted by clowns, both were catastrophically misjudged and both were stamped on with such force that all that was left of the organisers was dust and memories. Now that the Super League has roused a sleeping giant, that's the fate the dirty dozen can expect.

Neil3030

For sure there's a clatter of "ifs", but thinking in longer time scales, I just can't see how you stop a club-owned league eventually emerging.

hold my beer

Neil3030 wrote: »

The Super League is the first step toward a situation where an association couldn't stop it happening.

That's if it goes ahead, which is looking less likely by the day.

Neil3030

The Inbetween is mine wrote: »

This was tried already, remember the "Dublin Dons" ?
the FAI & FIFA stopped it.
cant see it being like NFL franchises tbh

The Super League is the first step toward a situation where an association couldn't stop it happening.

The Inbetween is mine

Neil3030 wrote: »

Place your bets:

In your lifetime you will see a major English/French/Spanish club physically relocate to a developing market like China.

I'm leaning
yes
myself.

This was tried already, remember the "Dublin Dons" ?
the FAI & FIFA stopped it.
cant see it being like NFL franchises tbh

Neil3030

Place your bets:

In your lifetime you will see a major English/French/Spanish club physically relocate to a developing market like China.

I'm leaning

yes

myself.

Zzippy

Podge_irl wrote: »

Its not relegation, its an invitational tournament where they decide on a whim who the extra 25% of people they choose to let in are.

That's just poker night in my house. With slightly smaller stakes. Obvs.

prawnsambo

The Inbetween is mine wrote: »

I think UEFA & FIFA getting it out there that they will ban players from their competitions is very clever indeed
It'll mobilize players at the likes of Liverpool and Utd to revolt as they want to play at the European championships, and upcoming world cups.
It'll also stop players transfering to these clubs, knowing it'll kill their international careers.... clever.

It's the obvious move and the one that has the least moving parts. As a player you're a member of your FA, and through that all the way up to FIFA. If you're dumped out of your FA, that's it, end of story. If your FA doesn't enforce the rules, they're out too. And it's not just World Cups you're out of, it's the Olympics too. It's basically the same process as a doping ban.

The Inbetween is mine

I think UEFA & FIFA getting it out there that they will ban players from their competitions is very clever indeed
It'll mobilize players at the likes of Liverpool and Utd to revolt as they want to play at the European championships, and upcoming world cups.
It'll also stop players transfering to these clubs, knowing it'll kill their international careers.... clever.

Teferi

There's currently a massive bank transfer on the way to the Tory party. Bojo will back off tomorrow once it hits the account.

awec

The government clipping the wings of the big football clubs would be incredibly good politics in the UK. Unsurprising that the tories are all over it like a rash already.

Larbre34

For a bunch of clubs worth billions, its more than a bit mad that they didn't assess the risks of trying to blow up basically a global system in which they only control a small part.

FIFA, UEFA and their domestic FAs can chuck them out of their domestic competitions and ban their players from international representation, based on breach of many contracts.

Their players will be queuing up to void contracts, basically cos of all of the above.

Their "legacy" fans (how insulting is that) will boycott games, picket stadiums, petition suppliers to bail, riot, heck knows what else.

The big broadcasters are inextricably linked to existing structures, so Super League will need a new online platform. Not a deal breaker, but a challenge.

The Governments can torment them. Refuse to licence matches, turn down development plans, tie them up in knots with Revenue, parliamentary investigations, the lot. That goes double for the UK, where EU competition laws and so on, no longer apply.

Other clubs and agents can refuse to do business with them. Best of luck playing matches with no players!

Who knows what they've already signed with JP Morgan. When they have to pull out of it, Morgan might ruin the lot!

Apart from Woodward and Agnelli being less honorable than Vito Corleone, its just the most unbelievable set of circumstances for a mature industry.

hold my beer

awec wrote: »

The owners of the 12 clubs involved.

The dirty dozen

awec

pickarooney wrote: »

Sounds even more boring than the Champions League. Who wants this?

The owners of the 12 clubs involved.

thomond2006

Neil3030 wrote: »

I'm the finest Limerick export since Richard Harris!

Speaking of, this is a magnificent story:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AI8qoJpz4Z0

It's probably been posted here many times before, but for the topic that's in it.

pickarooney

awec wrote: »

A bunch of clubs want to create a new competition to play in instead of the Champions League. The format is a league format, to be played alongside their domestic league.

The new competition will have no promotion or relegation, the clubs involved will be guaranteed to be in it every year.

The numbers involved are massive. 3.5 billion pot for the founding clubs to share as a welcome payment.

It's a load of balls. FIFA and UEFA need to come down hard.

Sounds even more boring than the Champions League. Who wants this?

stephen_n

mfceiling wrote: »

Best one I saw today....

Spurs joining the Super League is like me walking into the Crucible and putting 50p on the table.

Along with....

Spurs joining a European Super League is like bananaman getting called up as an Avenger.

As a Spurs fan I concur with both.

mfceiling

Best one I saw today....

Spurs joining the Super League is like me walking into the Crucible and putting 50p on the table.

Along with....

Spurs joining a European Super League is like bananaman getting called up as an Avenger.