Football

[Louis the fly]

This is an interesting development, millionaire capitalists such as Boris Johnson are complaining about billionaire football club owning capitalists seeking new ways to increase their already enormous wealth. A European Super League.
Football not a game but a universal money making business, all our top clubs in the hands of foreign owners who have no interest in football, only in balance sheets.

[Lewis McColl]

This super league can be stopped by the fans. The government have said they will look at ways to stop it as well. They can look all they like. The money men have the football governing bodies in their pockets. Last year Man City were fined and banned from the Champions league for infringing the Financial Fair play regulations they had been fined the year previous. The club appealed to some European court and the decision was overturned. European football is run by UEFA but yet some court can over rule a decision made by the sports governing body, a governing body which has also in recent years been found to be corrupt along with the international governing body FIFA.
Back to the fans, and how they can stop this money grab and destroy the game. If fans turn up at stadiums en masse and blockade the grounds, if the players cannot get in they cannot play the games simples. The owners timing to announce this is deliberate so as they do not have crowds disrupting games as due to the pandemic stadiums are empty of fans.
How ridiculous the whole concept of this so called European Super League the founding clubs 6 of which are English premier league clubs, Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham , Chelsea and Liverpool have made an agreement that none of the founding clubs can be relegated for 23 years it is a nonsense all they are doing will be playing exhibition matches. It has to be stopped as the well known saying goes money is the route to all evil. English clubs should be owned by English owners not some foreign multi mega millionaires.

[Ivan Cloherty]

This is an interesting development, millionaire capitalists such as Boris Johnson are complaining about billionaire football club .

Careful there Louis, nearly fell off your hobby horse there, last I heard your close friend Boris was trying to introduce legislation to prevent this. Not that it bothers me one way or the other, but you couldn't help but introduce politics into could you. Really sad!!

[Captain Kong]

I cannot understand why full grown mature Men want to see some one kicking a ball

Last time I ever saw a football match live or on TV was 9 March 1946. Not done me any harm and saved a lot of money
When it comes up on TV News I always change channels.

[Lewis McColl]

Brian , you have got your date wrong, but it was a long time ago, first televised match was October 1946

In October 1946, the first live televised football match was broadcast by the BBC from Barnet's home ground Underhill. Twenty minutes of the game against Wealdstone were televised in the first half and thirty five minutes of the second half before it became too dark.
Concerning football whether you like the game or not it is the atmosphere inside the stadium is what it is all about. Ask anyone who has attended a game between Liverpool v Man Utd the passion of both sets of fans is amazing.
Sadly a bunch of multi millionaire capitalists are trying to steal that away from the fans. An average of 33 million people attended professional football matches in the UK in 2019 season, Premier League global audience rose to 3.2bn for 2018/19 season.

[Ivan Cloherty]

Last time I ever saw a football match 'LIVE' or on TV was 9 March 1946.

#5 or perhaps you read it wrong Lewis

[john walker]

Until I hear what benefits the breakaway league will bring to football as a whole and fans in particular I will reserve my judgement on the new plans . I have seen the likes of Phil Neville grandstanding on T.V. with his version of why it should not happen and wonder why anybody should listen to this champagne socialist. I am sure that his views are non objective and have nothing to do with his involvement with that other bastion of champagne socialism the so called union that calls itself the Professional Footballers Association who's members will probably be one of the major losers by earning less from T.V. income etc. I do not think that Boris and other politicians would normally give a da*n about the announcement as it is, as already mentioned , just another business decision. The only reason that may be of interest to them is what an easy vote catcher this could be ?? They can probably see the headlines in the media now with ' Protector of the peoples game Boris Johnson etc' With various elections coming up next month it could be a great diversion from far more important matters like covid 19 the economy and all the other political decisions he has to make . If this all looks as though it is written by a cynic 'IT IS' Football sold it's soul years ago to big business with billion pound media deals and club sales to oligarchs and tycoons. About every 3/4 years a similar idea is floated with as much hot air espoused from all and sundry with a result the rich clubs get a bigger share of the trough and things go back to business as usual until the next time.

[Lewis McColl]

#5 or perhaps you read it wrong Lewis

Thanks Ivan , and apologies to Brian I have indeed misread Brian's post

[Lewis McColl]

#7 Sorry John , you have mentioned the wrong Neville, it is Gary Neville, oh and that champagne socialist (Red Nev) in his man utd days. During the Covid pandemic he kept two of his hotels opened and let NHS staff have free use of it. https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/ent...b6f5b7c53d580c

I am a Liverpool supporter, Jurgen Klopp last night slated Gary Neville , saying he needed to get in a hot seat and find out what pressure is in the real world instead of pontificating from the comfort and hiding behind SKY TV as a football pundit.

I am not a fan of Neville but I hope Jurgen Klopp picks a phone up this morning and phones Gary Neville to apologise, Neville currently employs over 500 people and as he said last night trying to keep 500 people employed during a pandemic for over a year is a pretty hot seat to sit on. So if he is a champagne socialist the country could do with a few more like him.

[john walker]

#9 My apologies for giving the wrong Christian name Lewis The pair of them are like book ends being interchangeable . I will stick with my cynicism, I am sure that there is an ulterior motive for His altruistic actions. Over the years other things he has done appear to have benefitted Neville more so than others.