olafgb
14 Jul 2003, 05:03 AM
From kicker:
THE LEAGUE TALKS ABOUT STRIKE
More games in the EC and WC qualifiers. And the idea of FIFA boss Blatter to reduce the league to 16. Bundesliga threatens.
[Bayern GM] Uli Hoeneß has “no understanding” for the idea that meanwhile already was realised. “I can only shake my head about it”. Hoeneß is not alone with this reaction: it is about the starting national game marathon.
The German NT will have to play at least four games more in the WC and EC qualifiers after 2006. The groups are enlarged. This UEFA decision caused a storm of indignation. And it’s growing to a hurricane after FIFA President Sepp Blatter demanded the reduction of the league to 16 teams.
When the decision of the UEFA Executive got known, Leverkusen’s finance boss Wolfgang Holzhäuser “ran around the desk like a tiger for half an hour”. For him the end of the tolerance is reached. “Those decisions exactly document, why the clubs do not feel their interests being represented by the associations. FIFA and UEFA only think about filling their cash and gaining more power on cost of the clubs. We can forget about the meetings of the UEFA Club Commission – they just have an alibi function, UEFA does what they want anyway.”
Holzhäuser’s most important demands: “The leagues have to be fully independent, get away from the associations, who don’t want to understand that we are the owner of the rights and they just a service company.” As this suggestion can’t be realised in short terms, Holzhäuser is recommending a determined and spectacular way: refusing the co-operation. “After the drastic expansion of the qualifiers for ECs and WCs without us, the European clubs will now have to react. We should strike on a whole national team date.”
The existing conflict between big clubs is supported by the new decisions. The top team union G14 – all employers of many national players – don’t accept it since a very long time that their expensive stars have to be given away that often and long to the national team. Michael Meier, GM in Dortmund: “We will talk about whether we still allow our players to go to the national team.”
The club officials reject Blatter’s demand to play with 16 teams as lunatic. “This would mean four games less per season, less TV and less attendance income”, calculates [Schalke GM] Rudi Assauer. The consequences would be a loss of millions and a loss of jobs in the sector. “Hopefully Mr Blatter realised that Germany got larger after the reunification”, adds Meier. And Rene C Jäggi, chairman in Kaiserslautern recommends: “Blatter should care about FIFA. My impression is that it always depends on the leg Blatter’s is getting out of his bed with – every day a new idea.” And this surely are not always the best ideas.
An interview with Dortmund GM Meier:
Kicker: The national team will have to play at least four games more in the EC and WC qualification. What do you say about the UEFA decisions, Mr. Meier?
Michael Meier: This is undermining the schedule reduction of the Champions League. Less games for the clubs, more games for the associations – that way the clubs are the losers. It is odd how the associations deal with our interests and our property. We can’t accept that.
K: FIFA President Sepp Blatter demands a reduction of all national leagues to 16 teams.
MM: Who is giving him this right? These are national competitions, rights that belong to our own, how can the FIFA President talk into it? 16 clubs means more unemployed players, less TV income, less attendance income – and this all for making the associations richer. England with 20 clubs, Spain with 20 clubs and our Bundesliga can not be ruled according to Bulgaria, Scotland, Austria or the Faroes. Blatter’s suggestion contains destruction of profitable companies.
K: What will the clubs do?
MM: So far only G14 was at the front. But now even the already determined changes also affect others and a reduction of the league would be a shot into the soul of all clubs as they would be affected by new relegation and promotion rules. We will talk about whether we will ignore the duty to send players to the national teams. The clubs won’t agree to more national games. And we will heat up our demand that the associations have to take over the salary of the players for every minute they are having them. The now done decisions are a slap in the face of the UEFA Club Commission. Why are we doing our work in there?
K: FIFA President Blatter still plans with a club WC that takes part every two years…
MM: And another theory…
THE LEAGUE TALKS ABOUT STRIKE
More games in the EC and WC qualifiers. And the idea of FIFA boss Blatter to reduce the league to 16. Bundesliga threatens.
[Bayern GM] Uli Hoeneß has “no understanding” for the idea that meanwhile already was realised. “I can only shake my head about it”. Hoeneß is not alone with this reaction: it is about the starting national game marathon.
The German NT will have to play at least four games more in the WC and EC qualifiers after 2006. The groups are enlarged. This UEFA decision caused a storm of indignation. And it’s growing to a hurricane after FIFA President Sepp Blatter demanded the reduction of the league to 16 teams.
When the decision of the UEFA Executive got known, Leverkusen’s finance boss Wolfgang Holzhäuser “ran around the desk like a tiger for half an hour”. For him the end of the tolerance is reached. “Those decisions exactly document, why the clubs do not feel their interests being represented by the associations. FIFA and UEFA only think about filling their cash and gaining more power on cost of the clubs. We can forget about the meetings of the UEFA Club Commission – they just have an alibi function, UEFA does what they want anyway.”
Holzhäuser’s most important demands: “The leagues have to be fully independent, get away from the associations, who don’t want to understand that we are the owner of the rights and they just a service company.” As this suggestion can’t be realised in short terms, Holzhäuser is recommending a determined and spectacular way: refusing the co-operation. “After the drastic expansion of the qualifiers for ECs and WCs without us, the European clubs will now have to react. We should strike on a whole national team date.”
The existing conflict between big clubs is supported by the new decisions. The top team union G14 – all employers of many national players – don’t accept it since a very long time that their expensive stars have to be given away that often and long to the national team. Michael Meier, GM in Dortmund: “We will talk about whether we still allow our players to go to the national team.”
The club officials reject Blatter’s demand to play with 16 teams as lunatic. “This would mean four games less per season, less TV and less attendance income”, calculates [Schalke GM] Rudi Assauer. The consequences would be a loss of millions and a loss of jobs in the sector. “Hopefully Mr Blatter realised that Germany got larger after the reunification”, adds Meier. And Rene C Jäggi, chairman in Kaiserslautern recommends: “Blatter should care about FIFA. My impression is that it always depends on the leg Blatter’s is getting out of his bed with – every day a new idea.” And this surely are not always the best ideas.
An interview with Dortmund GM Meier:
Kicker: The national team will have to play at least four games more in the EC and WC qualification. What do you say about the UEFA decisions, Mr. Meier?
Michael Meier: This is undermining the schedule reduction of the Champions League. Less games for the clubs, more games for the associations – that way the clubs are the losers. It is odd how the associations deal with our interests and our property. We can’t accept that.
K: FIFA President Sepp Blatter demands a reduction of all national leagues to 16 teams.
MM: Who is giving him this right? These are national competitions, rights that belong to our own, how can the FIFA President talk into it? 16 clubs means more unemployed players, less TV income, less attendance income – and this all for making the associations richer. England with 20 clubs, Spain with 20 clubs and our Bundesliga can not be ruled according to Bulgaria, Scotland, Austria or the Faroes. Blatter’s suggestion contains destruction of profitable companies.
K: What will the clubs do?
MM: So far only G14 was at the front. But now even the already determined changes also affect others and a reduction of the league would be a shot into the soul of all clubs as they would be affected by new relegation and promotion rules. We will talk about whether we will ignore the duty to send players to the national teams. The clubs won’t agree to more national games. And we will heat up our demand that the associations have to take over the salary of the players for every minute they are having them. The now done decisions are a slap in the face of the UEFA Club Commission. Why are we doing our work in there?
K: FIFA President Blatter still plans with a club WC that takes part every two years…
MM: And another theory…