4th place not might matter anyways?

[rgrayson]

http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,1738128,00.html

Clubs could be barred from taking part in the Champions League next season unless they formally declare their support for Uefa.

[deeplennon]

Uefa = suicidal?

[jegerpenge]

Heil UEFA!!!

[Ian Lozada]

http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,1738128,00.html

Couldn't we just send Lennart Johannsen a case of Yorkie bars and call it even?

[PsychedelicCeltic]

http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,1738128,00.html
Fortunately we are in the G14, plus all the clubs we'd want to play are in the G14 too.

I don't know who to support. Part of me thinks clubs are getting a bit big for their britches, and we need a more equitable system domestically and internationally so that it doesn't become the party of a select few. When Bayern Muenchen doesn't really have the money to play with the big boys, you wonder if the system's going wrong...

Plus, if Arsenal played in a European Superleague, I would basically be unable to hold a full-time job. :)

[fox point fury]

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Park/3369/pink4.jpg


"You know President Lennart Johansson. I gotta get going. Me and my loser friends you know we gotta go get World Cup tickets. Top priority of the summer."
*turns and walks away, them remembers...Walks back.*
"Oh President Lennart Johansson, er. I forgot."
*pulls from his back pocket the pledge*
"I might play ball. But I will never sign that."
*screws up and throws the pledge at President Lennart Johansson. President Lennart Johansson starts his truck up and drives away.*

[deeplennon]

"I might play ball. But I will never sign that."
*screws up and throws the pledge at President Lennart Johansson. President Lennart Johansson starts his truck up and drives away.*
Way to be pink, way to be.

[n4100]

Fortunately we are in the G14, plus all the clubs we'd want to play are in the G14 too.

I don't know who to support. Part of me thinks clubs are getting a bit big for their britches, and we need a more equitable system domestically and internationally so that it doesn't become the party of a select few. When Bayern Muenchen doesn't really have the money to play with the big boys, you wonder if the system's going wrong...

Plus, if Arsenal played in a European Superleague, I would basically be unable to hold a full-time job. :)I know what you mean about some of the clubs getting bigger than their britches. I'm not in agreement that they should see money from the WC or even EC, but I do think they should be compensated for players that get injured while away on duty, be it insurance or otherwise. Of course, that's just my opinion.

Now if they kept out the G14, that essentially gaurantees Chelsea winning the CL every year!

[Arsenal_pwns_all]

Seeing how Chelsea hates UEFA more than any G14 club I doubt they are safe anytime.

[fox point fury]

I know what you mean about some of the clubs getting bigger than their britches. I'm not in agreement that they should see money from the WC or even EC, but I do think they should be compensated for players that get injured while away on duty, be it insurance or otherwise. Of course, that's just my opinion.

Yeah, but tons of people moonlight in the real world and their main employer doesn't get compensated when they get hurt at their other job. Again, just opinion.

[n4100]

Yeah, but tons of people moonlight in the real world and their main employer doesn't get compensated when they get hurt at their other job. Again, just opinion.
Let's not get me started on injuries and insurance.

I just think there could be some type of insurance taken out by the national associations for qualifiers/friendlies and another set taken out by UEFA/CONCACAF/etc. taken out for major championships. But again, that's just me.

Edit: As I was away from the computer, I was thinking. THe difference between the scenario you present and club/international soccer is that the players have to, if called up, report lest they be fined/suspended by FIFA and their national associations. The same applies to the club if they fail to release a player on a FIFA date. The same can't be said for your scenario.

[Dave_M]

I havent read the article - but ive heard rumblings about a "European Super League" in the replies.

I am against the idea. Lest we forget the Premiership was meant to be a "super league" of sorts, and has been dominated by Manchester Utd since its inception, with just Arsenal, Blackburn and Chelsea (A, B, C heh) claiming honours when Man U fail. Heck even Spurs who played a big part in breaking away from old Div 1 have yet to finish in the top 6. So whos to say the same wont happen in an EU super league. It will be Real Madrid, Barca, Milan etc ruling to roost more often than not.

[Martin Daoust]

I am certainly against a Super League, but I am not surprised this has reared its ugly head again, and I don't think its for the reasons stated in these reports. I've had a sneaking suspicion for a long time that because of what Chelsea are known to have done and are suspected of doing because of the huge cash infusion they have received, and the emergence of other Russian billionaires at other clubs - also not G-14 clubs - there is a real desire to level the playing field again before these clubs simply spend their past the G-14 as Chelsea has had some success doing. I think these clubs want transfer and wage caps that they can well meet while stunting the Billonares's clubs's spending power and advantage, or to shut these clubs out of competing at top level football which will render their billions pointless then.

I think because of the uneasiness in football about ticket costs and whether fans will continue to attend matches to pay for all the money clubs pay put now already, UEFA will be forced to look at measures - such as mandating more home-grown players yet again, to help redistribute wealth and players , as well as wage and transfer fee caps before long now...

[fox point fury]

Let's not get me started on injuries and insurance.

I just think there could be some type of insurance taken out by the national associations for qualifiers/friendlies and another set taken out by UEFA/CONCACAF/etc. taken out for major championships. But again, that's just me.

I agree that it would be more than fair, especially for a tourney like the ANC which occurs in the middle of the season for the major leagus. I just like playing devil's advocate.


Edit: As I was away from the computer, I was thinking. THe difference between the scenario you present and club/international soccer is that the players have to, if called up, report lest they be fined/suspended by FIFA and their national associations. The same applies to the club if they fail to release a player on a FIFA date. The same can't be said for your scenario.

Good point re: club obligations for release. Another interesting aspect is the number of "foreign" (i.e. non-eu) club players who must play a certain percentage of international matches in order to qualify for work permits. It seems that labor laws also contribute to the problem.

[SLO-Gunner]

Couldn't we just send Lennart Johannsen a case of Yorkie bars and call it even?


But Yorkies aren't for girls.

[OklahomaGunner]

This is a bargaining chip by the G-14...there is NO WAY teams like Bayern, Arsenal, etc. are going to accept trying to compete financially with Barca, Madrid and Milan.

There is no way a majority vote would accept a "super league" unless there were to be a revenue sharing system, which those same "big three" would never support.

The G-14 will get something, but they don't want this...no matter how much they claim they might.

[DougG_ATL]

I see the clubs' perspective here, though. So much of their revenue is dependent on the quality of football being played and when expensive players return injured from international competition, the clubs have little recourse. If the international federations had some degree of responsibility to their players' clubs, it would help the overall situation, in my opinion.

Imagine if Kolo Toure had been badly injured in the African Nations Cup, with Campbell and Ashley Cole still hurt. It'd have depleted our backfield even more than it already is.

Nationalism is great and international football is fun to get behind, but not at the expense of the clubs' well-being.

[Rewinder]

As always a compromise is neccessary here. Clubs should be compensated, but only in certain circumstances such as WC Qualifiers. Many FA's arent that rich, and won't afford to be compensating teams for injured players.
You also have to consider what it would do to the level of international football. Many teams will be reluctant to field any of their stars fearing repercussions, and how will NT coaches experiment in squad selections before major tournaments if it means costing their FA huge sums of money.

Tournaments like the African Cup of Nations should be moved to the summer, and be held in the years between world cups and euros - it will get no coverage up against the euros - and it makes no sense pulling all their biggest players away from their clubs for a few weeks in the middle of the season.

WC 06, ANC, Copa America 07' , EURO 08, ANC, Copa America 09, WC 2010 - a permanent year-round soccer calendar

[PsychedelicCeltic]

No why the African Nations Cup could be moved to the summer. Just unfeasible unless you want nobody north of the equator ever to host the tournament again. Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Egypt are major footballing powers. Moving the ANC to the summer would condemn them to never hosting a tournament again.

[Rewinder]

It's not fair to their players and their clubs who are in a crucial point of the season/transfer window, to leave for 3-4 weeks for a tournament. With most of the african national teams players playing in europe these days, it should definately be an important factor in deciding when to host the tournament.

You also have to think of the smalller clubs, who maybe rely on a star player from one of these teams, they are taking their players away for a fair amount of time. Players always get injured during the tournaments, so it is unfair to these teams to have their players put at risk every other year in the middle of the season. In the summer, most injuries will not affect teams nearly as much as they currently do, and will probably get their players back in time, or sign replacements on loan to cover.