The shitness of modern football

[BeefStroganoff]

11 minutes ago, Smell The Glove said:

I can see why that hurts. When somebody as educated and as good at football as you can only entice an audience of Scott, that's gonna burn.

 

Oh goody, another troll following me around the forum.

[DJLJ]

https://m.independent.ie/sport/soccer/champions-league/uefa-eye-groundbreaking-deal-that-could-see-champions-league-final-held-in-usa/a1317047589.html

 

 

Uefa eye groundbreaking deal that could see Champions League final held in USA

A new commercial deal could result in European club games being held in the United States

Joselu lifts the European Cup after Real Madrid's win in the 2024 Champions League Final

Miguel Delaney

©UK Independent

Today at 18:54

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A Champions League final in the United States just became a step closer, as Uefa and the European Club Association have entered into an exclusive negotiation period with Relevent Sports for global commercial rights to Europe's men's club competitions from 2027.

The American agency have been at the forefront of trying to bring major games to the US.

Should the deal be completed, it would mark the end of Uefa's three-decade-plus association with TEAM Marketing, who were originally responsible for all of the prominent Champions League branding, like the starball and famous theme.

More seriously, it could put up to 170 jobs from the company at risk. There is understood to have been a state of shock at TEAM, as well as some anger about the process.

A statement to be released on Tuesday read: "The Board of UC3, the joint venture between Uefa and the European Club Association (ECA) has agreed to enter into an exclusive period of negotiation with Relevent Sports over the global commercial rights to the Uefa men's club competitions for the period 2027-2033.

“The decision follows an open tender process, launched last summer, which attracted bids from a number of global and regional agencies."

 

 

Relevent are controlled by billionaire and Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, who has long harboured plans to stage meaningful European club games in the United States.

The pre-season International Champions Cup is widely seen to have been ultimately set up for this purpose.

There were even plans to replace it with a Champions League-branded pre-season tournament and a final in the US has always been seen as the primary objective.

Fifa only last April said that it would consider changes to its policy that blocks league matches from being played in other countries, after an agreement with Relevent to dismiss the promoter's lawsuit challenging that very regulation.

Relevent Sports' lawyer Jeffrey L Kessler had filed a letter in a Manhattan court stating that Fifa and his client agreed to the dismissal.

 

Read more

• ‘I truly back us against anybody’ – Celtic’s Auston Trusty not fazed by Bayern threat

There had previously been plans to bring a La Liga game between Barcelona and Girona to Miami.

Relevent are now on the brink of striking a deal with Uefa, which could bring the prospect of Champions League games in the US by 2033.

The move marks the start of a huge shift within sport. For one, it is a sign of how the major clubs - through the ECA - are starting to exert much more influence of Uefa competitions and "push new boundaries".

The entry of US and Gulf investors into the European football market has meanwhile sparked a sudden and quick evolution, as major competition organisers start to look to maximise global opportunities.

This is how the face of the game could change, especially as the dynamics and culture of the sport change. Competition to attract the next generation of global "consumers" has become huge.

 

Football now sees itself as not just competing with other sports but against TikTok and other forms of entertainment, with a need to be aggressive in the market.

Sources close to the situation also insist Uefa has a responsibility to not just ignore the European Super League, and have to show clubs they are "dynamic" and "optimising market opportunities".

It is seen as a big reason why Uefa are pushing ahead with the joint UC3 venture, since it strengthens the links and offers more input in the commercial side.

The agreement would consequently mark the end of an era in European football in numerous senses.

There was said to be particular shock within TEAM that the news came out in a European-club matchweek, with some of their employees travelling to matches today to meet with broadcasters and sponsors.

 

 

[Chris]

 

 

Stephen Ross in charge of the efforts? From a selfish perspective Liverpool in a Champions League Final in Miami would be ace

 

*ducks for cover*

[navbasi]

Just now, Chris said:

 

 

Stephen Ross in charge of the efforts? From a selfish perspective Liverpool in a Champions League Final in Miami would be ace

 

*ducks for cover*

 

Ha! I came to reply to say "Someone will be dusting off their journalist credentials" and then saw you beat me to it!! The peacock will deffo fly in Miami surrounded by his Latino brothers and sisters!!

[Wembley Trophy]

FIFA have already got the Club World Cup over there, now the Champions League, trying for league games as well. 

I know I'm being naive but what the fuck do they do with all their profits, they're hardly skint, they're a football governing body ffs. Grass roots footy has gone to shit, so it's not like they're spending more on it. Pay yourselves a decent wedge but fuck off you greedy cunts.

[VladimirIlyich]

6 hours ago, Wembley Trophy said:

FIFA have already got the Club World Cup over there, now the Champions League, trying for league games as well. 

I know I'm being naive but what the fuck do they do with all their profits, they're hardly skint, they're a football governing body ffs. Grass roots footy has gone to shit, so it's not like they're spending more on it. Pay yourselves a decent wedge but fuck off you greedy cunts.

The FA run grassroots footy in England,not FIFA.

[Wembley Trophy]

1 hour ago, VladimirIlyich said:

The FA run grassroots footy in England,not FIFA.

Yeah you’re right, do the FA get money off UEFA. I guess what I meant was I can’t see any tangible way UEFA spends its profits, so why do they constantly need more (using methods detrimental to the average footy fan). Yep, they don’t seem to care about the AFF.
UEFA says 

We distribute as much as possible of our net earnings across European football to promote sustainability and growth.

Google states

UEFA earns significant sums through collectively selling broadcasting rights[1],commercial rights and tickets/hospitality, and will then distribute those sums back to the participating teams using a complex financial distribution model.21 Jan 2025

 

Maybe I should research it properly, but I’m a lazy git. I still think they’re greedy. 
 

 

 

 

[Wembley Trophy]

If they earn x amount of money from Champions league final but want more by taking it to the states, they are unlikely to want to earn less the year after by returning to Europe. The next step is rotating the final here, there

and everywhere, chasing the money. Once the genie is out of the bottle etc

[VladimirIlyich]

11 hours ago, Wembley Trophy said:

Yeah you’re right, do the FA get money off UEFA. I guess what I meant was I can’t see any tangible way UEFA spends its profits, so why do they constantly need more (using methods detrimental to the average footy fan). Yep, they don’t seem to care about the AFF.
UEFA says 

We distribute as much as possible of our net earnings across European football to promote sustainability and growth.

Google states

UEFA earns significant sums through collectively selling broadcasting rights[1],commercial rights and tickets/hospitality, and will then distribute those sums back to the participating teams using a complex financial distribution model.21 Jan 2025

 

Maybe I should research it properly, but I’m a lazy git. I still think they’re greedy. 
 

 

 

 

I dont know for certain how it all works but I always assumed all competitions had to FA affiliated,even the PL,but without FA consent teams couldnt enter various competitions both domestically and internationally? But the FA such Grade A shithouses that all they do is bag a load of cash from various sources and just play at being lapdogs for everybody else. They could demand more for grassroots but dont give a shite.

[Dav Eusher]

This might be better suited to the GF "Little Things That Annoy the Shit Out of You" thread - or even the thread about signs that you're getting older - but the club have started using a different font on the website and even on the scoreboard, and I just don't like it.

[Reckoner]

3 minutes ago, AngryOfTuebrook said:

This might be better suited to the GF "Little Things That Annoy the Shit Out of You" thread - or even the thread about signs that you're getting older - but the club have started using a different font on the website and even on the scoreboard, and I just don't like it.

Yeah I noticed that. I’m not happy.

[Dav Eusher]

1 hour ago, Reckoner said:

Yeah I noticed that. I’m not happy.

I'm glad I'm not the only one.

[navbasi]

I was watching the Juve vs Inter game last night and after Juve scored, the ball was given to this bloke on the touchline who bagged it up and then a QR code came up on the TV… “You can bid for a goal scored ball” 

 

I have no idea whether it’s for every goal or just the first one.. either way it’s bollocks… there is literally nothing left that isn’t monetised.  
 

www.socios.com

[aws]

12 minutes ago, navbasi said:

I was watching the Juve vs Inter game last night and after Juve scored, the ball was given to this bloke on the touchline who bagged it up and then a QR code came up on the TV… “You can bid for a goal scored ball” 

 

I have no idea whether it’s for every goal or just the first one.. either way it’s bollocks… there is literally nothing left that isn’t monetised.  
 

www.socios.com

How much do they want for the bag that holds the ball? 

[DJLJ]

https://www.joe.ie/sport/fifa-world-cup-set-to-introduce-super-bowl-style-half-time-show-836612

 

FIFA World Cup set to introduce Super Bowl style half time show

 

SEÁN CROSBIE 

The American Dream!

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has announced that the 2026 World Cup final will have a halftime show, similar to that seen at the Super Bowl.

The next edition of the World Cup will be hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico. 

Football’s biggest game is set to be played at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19th, 2026…with a twist!

Infantino has said that “a list of artists” will perform during the 15-minute interval between halves. 

In a post on Instagram, he said: “I can confirm the first ever half-time show at a FIFA World Cup final in New York New Jersey.

“This will be a historic moment for the FIFA World Cup and a show befitting the biggest sporting event in the world.”

According to the Swiss native, Coldplay are set to help FIFA with producing the show, as well as creating a “Times Square” takeover during the final weekend. 

Infantino added: “We also spoke about how FIFA will takeover Times Square for the final weekend of the FIFA World Cup in 2026, during both the bronze final match and final.

“These will be two incredible matches, featuring some of the best players in the world, and what better way to celebrate them than in the historic Times Square in New York City.

“I also want to thank Chris Martin and Phil Harvey of Coldplay, who will be working with us at FIFA to finalise the list of artists who will perform during the halftime show, as well as at Times Square.”

It is yet to be confirmed whether or not FIFA will extend the length of time between the first and second half of the game to accommodate this performance. 

Halftime shows are not exactly commonplace in football, however, they are a major part of the NFL’s Super Bowl. 

In February, US rapper Kendrick Lamar performed at halftime during the showdown between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs. 

It was reported that Kendrick’s performance became the most-watched halftime show in history with 133.5 million viewers tuning in, surpassing Michael Jackson’s record of 133.4 million in 1993.

[Jairzinho]

That sounds fantastic. I wasn't sure there was a way I could give less of a fuck about International football but, fair play to them, they've achieved it.

[Kevin D]

1 hour ago, DJLJ said:

https://www.joe.ie/sport/fifa-world-cup-set-to-introduce-super-bowl-style-half-time-show-836612

 

FIFA World Cup set to introduce Super Bowl style half time show

 

SEÁN CROSBIE 

The American Dream!

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has announced that the 2026 World Cup final will have a halftime show, similar to that seen at the Super Bowl.

The next edition of the World Cup will be hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico. 

Football’s biggest game is set to be played at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19th, 2026…with a twist!

Infantino has said that “a list of artists” will perform during the 15-minute interval between halves. 

In a post on Instagram, he said: “I can confirm the first ever half-time show at a FIFA World Cup final in New York New Jersey.

“This will be a historic moment for the FIFA World Cup and a show befitting the biggest sporting event in the world.”

According to the Swiss native, Coldplay are set to help FIFA with producing the show, as well as creating a “Times Square” takeover during the final weekend. 

Infantino added: “We also spoke about how FIFA will takeover Times Square for the final weekend of the FIFA World Cup in 2026, during both the bronze final match and final.

“These will be two incredible matches, featuring some of the best players in the world, and what better way to celebrate them than in the historic Times Square in New York City.

“I also want to thank Chris Martin and Phil Harvey of Coldplay, who will be working with us at FIFA to finalise the list of artists who will perform during the halftime show, as well as at Times Square.”

It is yet to be confirmed whether or not FIFA will extend the length of time between the first and second half of the game to accommodate this performance. 

Halftime shows are not exactly commonplace in football, however, they are a major part of the NFL’s Super Bowl. 

In February, US rapper Kendrick Lamar performed at halftime during the showdown between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs. 

It was reported that Kendrick’s performance became the most-watched halftime show in history with 133.5 million viewers tuning in, surpassing Michael Jackson’s record of 133.4 million in 1993.

 

[AHA]

The money involved in this for a short tournament is mad. 

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/fifa-club-world-cup-prize-money-b2709591.html

[Mook]

4 hours ago, Jairzinho said:

That sounds fantastic. I wasn't sure there was a way I could give less of a fuck about International football but, fair play to them, they've achieved it.

 

'We have the best & most popular sport in the World. I know, let's come up with a couple of ideas every year to make it a bit shitter.'

 

Why?

[Twentyman]

Never thought I would miss Sepp Blatter, but this cunt is doing his utmost to make him look good.

[VladimirIlyich]

2 hours ago, Mook said:

 

'We have the best & most popular sport in the World. I know, let's come up with a couple of ideas every year to make it a massively shitter.'

 

Why?

 

[DJLJ]

https://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/article/fifa-will-analyze-expanding-world-cup-to-64-teams-in-2030-132020472.html

 

FIFA will 'analyze' expanding World Cup to 64 teams in 2030

 

Henry Bushnell

Senior reporter

Thu, Mar 6, 2025 at 3:01 PM GMT·3 min read

5

 

Scroll back up to restore default view.

FIFA will consider a proposal to expand the 2030 men's World Cup to a whopping 64 teams, twice the size of the 2022 tournament and previous editions.

The World Cup is set to expand to 48 teams for the first time in 2026. Although eventual expansion to 64 is probably inevitable, the expectation has been that 48-team fields would be the norm for at least a decade, and probably two, in keeping with the tournament's historical growth trajectory.

But, at Wednesday's FIFA council meeting, according to a report from the New York Times, the president of Uruguay's soccer federation proposed a one-off expansion for the 2030 World Cup, which will mark the 100th anniversary of the event. (FIFA told Yahoo Sports that the proposal was "to analyze a 64-team FIFA World Cup to celebrate the centenary.")

That tournament will be held across six countries and three continents. It will begin with one game apiece in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, where the first World Cup was held in 1930. It will then shift to Spain, Portugal and Morocco; those three neighbors, under the current format, would be tasked with hosting 101 of the 104 games over 39 days.

An expanded World Cup would increase the burden on all three. It would carry all sorts of logistical concerns. Organizing the first 48-team World Cup in 2026, spread across the United States, Canada and Mexico, is already proving a colossal challenge for FIFA and North American organizers.

A 64-team World Cup would likely be a 128-match affair. Although its format — with 16 groups of four, then a 32-team knockout stage — would actually be preferred to the unwieldy 48-team version, it could strain the capabilities of transport networks and local facilities. Saudi Arabia and other potential future hosts likely would not be able to match the 64-team event in 2034 and beyond.

 

From the experts at Yahoo Sports

 

The Times reported that the Uruguayan official, Ignacio Alonso, made the proposal by reading from a prepared statement in English toward the end of Wednesday's meeting. It stunned some of the 37 members of the council, FIFA's ruling body, who had mostly gathered virtually, via videoconference.

But Gianni Infantino, FIFA's all-powerful president, called the proposal an interesting one that should be studied, according to the Times.

In fact, it's not outlandish to assume that Infantino and Alonso had discussed the idea before Alonso brought it to the council. Infantino, ever since his 2016 election, has pushed relentlessly to expand competitions and launch new onesto augment FIFA's revenue — which he can use to fulfill promises of multimillion-dollar handouts to each of FIFA's 211 member associations, which double as his electorate. (He was re-elected by acclamation, after running unopposed, in 2023.)

A FIFA spokesman, in response to an email seeking further details about the origin of the idea, claimed that it was "spontaneously raised" at Wednesday's meeting. "The idea was acknowledged as FIFA has a duty to analyze any proposal from one of its council members," the spokesman wrote.

It's unclear how, exactly, the proposal will be studied, or who would decide on further expansion, or when.

Separately, FIFA is already considering expanding the Women's World Cup to 48 teams in 2031, just two cycles after it expanded from 24 to 32. That 2031 tournament will likely be held in the U.S., after FIFA, with little justification, opaquely barred most other potential hosts from bidding.

[Jairzinho]

The 48th best women's team in the world. My word, that'll be quite the spectacle.

[DJLJ]

4 hours ago, Jairzinho said:

The 48th best women's team in the world. My word, that'll be quite the spectacle.

64th best men’s team can’t be that much better though.

[Jairzinho]

33 minutes ago, DJLJ said:

64th best men’s team can’t be that much better though.

 

Looking forward to the Premier League season soon being stopped for four months every year so they can face off against each other in an empty stadium in Bahrain.