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Post by simple on Jun 7, 2023 8:49:34 GMT
Yeah even if we get City levels of success, its not the same as running a super league or buying Juve and Valencia and Lyon and 49% of Schalke and dominating all the big leagues
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Solid-SCB-
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Post by Solid-SCB- on Jun 7, 2023 8:55:17 GMT
Effectively one day they will be the suppliers rather than the participants. Future proofing their respective nations' wealth is what it boils down to. Which makes it all the more ironic that the world at large sees them as these benevolent sports enthusiasts that just want to make everything better.
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Post by rhaegyr on Jun 7, 2023 8:55:48 GMT
Football, boxing and the like sold their soul for dirty money a long time ago. Golf's just another one on the ever increasing pile of tainted sports.
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Post by muddyfunster on Jun 7, 2023 8:57:00 GMT
Letting them go and do their own thing won't work as it's the same market for players and therefore it'll distort everything downstream. Just as happens now, it's just that we won't be top of the food chain in the PL.
The only real solution I can see is for the EU to get involved, legislate around club ownership within EU and pressure UEFA and FIFA. If players can't register for their countries and play in the biggest tournaments because if you go to Saudi you lock yourself out that might at least dissuade the types of players we actually care about dissuading.
It would also mean no European club football for non-EU but still European nations like the UK where they don't comply with ownership rules.
I say EU because whilst they aren't perfect they are far harder to corrupt with buckets of cash than the other institutions. UEFA and FIFA can only deviate so far from what the major European nations permit.
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dogbot
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Post by dogbot on Jun 7, 2023 8:59:02 GMT
The next move will to start getting top players in their prime to go to these teams they own. Again much like China tried to do. The goal will be to do what India have done with cricket and just turn the Saudi League into the top league. I’m not sure quite sure where Newcastle fit into that but feels like having a foothold in Europe is also useful. This is definitely what they'll do. It's their MO. Whether or not living in the desert will appeal to most players, I don't know. Perhaps they can move all their clubs to Jeddah and Al-Jubail or something. By all accounts, they're desperate for the 2030 world cup (which would align nicely with their Vision 2030 project) and they'll do whatever it takes to get it.
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Solid-SCB-
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Post by Solid-SCB- on Jun 7, 2023 9:03:40 GMT
Fortunately we've seen that players are mercenaries only up to a point. They still want to compete in competitions such as the Champions League and the main historic European Leagues while their bodies are still able. It's a lot easier to get everyone onside with an individual sport like golf and the players will still be able to play in the majors they know and love.
Obviously as with everything there will be a tipping point somewhere but football is probably the most difficult sport out there to fully manipulate.
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Post by Dougs on Jun 7, 2023 9:04:56 GMT
The whole thing is a circus. The only answer is aligned regs and legislation globally but that seems rather fanciful. So EU legislation with UK aligned is probably the next best thing. Wouldn't surprise me if they tried to lure players in their Prime to the Saudi league and then took it on the road half the time.
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Post by Trowel 🏴 on Jun 7, 2023 9:09:57 GMT
In theory the Saudis could buy out the Premier League, but in reality the ownership structure - equally owned by the 20 teams, with support from a minimum of 14 teams required to vote any change through - as well as any inevitable Government intervention would prevent it.
For now.
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Post by muddyfunster on Jun 7, 2023 9:32:39 GMT
Fortunately we've seen that players are mercenaries only up to a point. They still want to compete in competitions such as the Champions League and the main historic European Leagues while their bodies are still able. It's a lot easier to get everyone onside with an individual sport like golf and the players will still be able to play in the majors they know and love. Obviously as with everything there will be a tipping point somewhere but football is probably the most difficult sport out there to fully manipulate. Certainly one of the factors with the golf is that most of the players live in tax havens already.
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dogbot
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Post by dogbot on Jun 7, 2023 9:37:10 GMT
If the newly rich Saudi clubs would like, we'd be more than happy to sell them one H. Maguire, England Star, for a knockdown price of just £150m. He's on quite cheap wages, too, so if they doubled those, he'd be reasonable compared to what they're offering yer Kantes and Benzemas...
A man can dream.
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Post by cristar on Jun 7, 2023 9:38:37 GMT
Apparently the Saudi government are deciding which club Kante goes to. Whole thing is a complete joke.
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Post by Dougs on Jun 7, 2023 9:40:29 GMT
In theory the Saudis could buy out the Premier League, but in reality the ownership structure - equally owned by the 20 teams, with support from a minimum of 14 teams required to vote any change through - as well as any inevitable Government intervention would prevent it. For now. Be interesting if the Other 14 sold up to them though. I imagine the National Security and Investments Act may have levers for Govt to step in too.
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Post by muddyfunster on Jun 7, 2023 9:48:48 GMT
I mean we are no longer in the EU so we don't actually have to worry about competition law. If it comes to it the government could unilaterally block takeovers and legislate to make foreign ownership impossible. They can prevent the clubs trading in the UK or even seize them if they want. We saw a bit of this with Abramovich.
Very messy but would likely be a populist move so I would necessarily rule it out altogether. However it's pretty easy to buy off our government at present so don't have that much faith they'll do anything that doesn't serve their personal interests. Hence I think EU is the best bet.
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jono62
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Post by jono62 on Jun 7, 2023 10:00:32 GMT
Apparently the Saudi government are deciding which club Kante goes to. Whole thing is a complete joke. Well the plan is they get all these players and distribute them between the four clubs they own to make it 'competitive'.
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Post by simple on Jun 7, 2023 10:06:39 GMT
It would be interesting to see them turn their domestic league into a draft system for ageing megastars. It’d probably be more competitive than any of the established proper leagues in Europe.
If they make a direct move against UEFA or any of its members it would be a legal nightmare and one they probably have the finances to win.
I doubt they’d settle for funding a Super League rival to the Champions League and only doing enough for it to be a European XFL.
As an aside, that clip of an opposition keeper doing sarcastic applause at Ronaldo for missing the target is another lovely piece of schadenfreude.
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Post by TheSaint on Jun 7, 2023 12:49:56 GMT
Surely the next step would be having Newcastle play a few league games a season in Saudi Arabia. It’s worked pretty well for the NFL and you’d have to imagine if the money was right other clubs would be tempted.
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geefe
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Post by geefe on Jun 7, 2023 12:59:41 GMT
So how does that work then? Home fans get a discount on their season ticket? Or the game includes free flights? What about away fans?
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Post by reddevil93 on Jun 7, 2023 13:05:48 GMT
So how does that work then? Home fans get a discount on their season ticket? Or the game includes free flights? What about away fans? I wonder would most season ticket holders accept it for the FV back on the game and a £100 refund on their season ticket. For a relatively minor game.
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Post by simple on Jun 7, 2023 13:35:55 GMT
It would make sense to let all the boys in the bot farm who’ve started filling out the comments on all our social media since the takeover a chance to actually experience a match one day
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kal
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Post by kal on Jun 7, 2023 13:38:54 GMT
Messi off to Miami.
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Post by RumMonkey on Jun 7, 2023 13:44:45 GMT
Bellingham off to Real then. Thank fuck because he wasn't coming to Utd so I'm glad nobody else in the league got him.
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Solid-SCB-
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Post by Solid-SCB- on Jun 7, 2023 13:49:25 GMT
Six degrees of separation very nearly just had Phil Neville managing Lionel Messi.
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Post by Dougs on Jun 7, 2023 13:52:09 GMT
Haha, can you imagine that!
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Post by Trowel 🏴 on Jun 7, 2023 15:14:07 GMT
It's not as good/bad as the Darwin Nunez song, but... 🤔
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Post by Dougs on Jun 7, 2023 15:28:10 GMT
I'm slightly confused as to why Brighton agreed such a low release clause. Must have been a reason.
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kal
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Post by kal on Jun 7, 2023 15:36:33 GMT
Six degrees of separation very nearly just had Phil Neville managing Lionel Messi. I don’t think his sacking and Messi going there is unconnected.
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dogbot
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Post by dogbot on Jun 7, 2023 15:37:54 GMT
I'm slightly confused as to why Brighton agreed such a low release clause. Must have been a reason. He was a free agent at the end of the season otherwise.
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Post by Dougs on Jun 7, 2023 16:08:48 GMT
Eh? That was a clause in the new contract he signed last year? Or did I dream that?
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dogbot
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Post by dogbot on Jun 7, 2023 16:12:27 GMT
Eh? That was a clause in the new contract he signed last year? Or did I dream that? Last year but this season, right? The release clause was part of that two year agreement, if the interest came from "(a) particular club(s)". At least, that's what the Brighton fans I was reading were saying. This way, they got a transfer fee.
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deez
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Post by deez on Jun 7, 2023 16:19:17 GMT
He wasn't out of contract otherwise though.
But seems he was dead set on Liverpool.
£35m isn't what will be paid either, there are £20m of add ons I believe, of which I expect a lot will be easily achievable.
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