Football (Soccer) Thread

[Agelastus]

OK, so this pandemic does have a silver lining, it's stopped two of the most deadly dull sports known to mankind. 

Yes, football being one of them.

I much prefer to watch golf on TV than I do football; support a team I may do but I don't find football to be an interesting sport to watch.

Give me Cricket, Rugby Union, Tennis or Golf any day of the week. With a side order of snooker for an indoor game.

[mongers]

OK, so this pandemic does have a silver lining, it's stopped two of the most deadly dull sports known to mankind. 

Yes, football being one of them.

I much prefer to watch golf on TV than I do football; support a team I may do but I don't find football to be an interesting sport to watch.

Give me Cricket, Rugby Union, Tennis or Golf any day of the week. With a side order of snooker for an indoor game.

Each to his own Angs.

TBT is spend very little time watching sport, maybe none nowadays.

[Maladict]

Yeah. I imagine it was highly bespoke/negotiated piece of cover.

I'm just quite impressed at the forethought. It's not something sports leadership is well-known for

Just connected the dots, seventeen years ago means SARS prompted it. Forethought indeed.

[Sheilbh]

Yeah. I imagine it was highly bespoke/negotiated piece of cover.

I'm just quite impressed at the forethought. It's not something sports leadership is well-known for

Just connected the dots, seventeen years ago means SARS prompted it. Forethought indeed.

Fuck! You're right. That is very smart planning.

[mongers]

Damn, Coronavirus fells Norman Hunter, legendary Leeds United hard-man:

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/52246007

[The Larch]

Liverpool-hating mascot benched by Singapore following complaints

Singapore's government has withdrawn its fictional band of coronavirus battling superheroes after complaints about a Liverpool-hating member of the five-strong Virus Vanguard.

Less than 24 hours after the team was unveiled, the government announced on Monday that they were reviewing the situation.

"The Virus Vanguard is undergoing a review. We have received quite a lot of feedback on the characters and we will be reviewing them. We are sorry if we offended anyone," it said.

The group were part of of a public information campaign created to reinforce how the authorities want the public to behave during the lockdown, which is known as "circuit breaking" in Singapore.

The members -- Circuit Breaker, Fake News Buster, Dr Disinfector, Care-leh Dee and MAWA [Must Always Walk Alone] Man -- all had special abilities which helped people to stay home, keep things clean, not spread rumours and look after each other's mental health.

Much of the controversy was focused on MAWA Man, who had the ability to force people to maintain social distancing through telekinetic power.

Growing up in the 80s supporting Manchester United and taunted by two Liverpool-supporting brothers, made him, according to the government's official website, "despise everything Liverpool including their motto You'll Never Walk Alone. His hatred for Liverpool so far exceeds his love for Man Utd that it manifested as a telekinesis power."

A petition organised by Liverpool fans in Singapore has received over 760 signatures.

"'You'll Never Walk Alone' is a song that was collectively used by most European radio stations as a show of solidarity amidst the Covid-19 lockdowns," the group wrote. "Yet this campaign appears to be an attempt to make a mockery of the song. This is distasteful and extremely disrespectful."

Liverpool have a long-standing and substantial fanbase in the country.

Singapore reported a record 1,426 new coronavirus cases on Monday and its total of over 8,000 confirmed cases is the highest in Southeast Asia.

[Maladict]

Dutch Eredivisie de facto cancelled by the government, no matches until September. Suck it, UEFA.

[The Larch]

Dutch Eredivisie de facto cancelled by the government, no matches until September. Suck it, UEFA.

Not even behind closed doors?

[Maladict]

Dutch Eredivisie de facto cancelled by the government, no matches until September. Suck it, UEFA.

Not even behind closed doors?

That would still be considered an event, needing a permit. No exceptions have been made so far.

[Syt]

Seems the French league will not resume play.

PSG owner's initial reaction (paraphrasing): Eh, whatever. As long as we can play Champions League. Outside of France if we need to.

[Josquius]

Checking the table that's surprising. You'd think they'd want their title at least. Shows how much they've fallen I guess.

Dutch Eredivisie de facto cancelled by the government, no matches until September. Suck it, UEFA.

Pfff. Sucks to be alkmaar. Should at least give them a playoff with ajax for the title.

[Syt]

Checking the table that's surprising. You'd think they'd want their title at least. Shows how much they've fallen I guess.

My impression is that many big teams put their prime focus on the Champions League these days and look at the national league as an annoying necessity.

[Maladict]

Checking the table that's surprising. You'd think they'd want their title at least. Shows how much they've fallen I guess.

Dutch Eredivisie de facto cancelled by the government, no matches until September. Suck it, UEFA.

Pfff. Sucks to be alkmaar. Should at least give them a playoff with ajax for the title.

Current league standings will count for European placement, but there will be no leaugue champion this year. Also, no relegations.
Seems reasonably fair, under the circumstances.

AZ don't seem to be too upset about it, at least not publicly.
Cambuur, who won the First Division and won't be promoted, are seething and seeking legal action. Not the best course of action from a PR point of view.

[Duque de Bragança]

Seems the French league will not resume play.

PSG owner's initial reaction (paraphrasing): Eh, whatever. As long as we can play Champions League. Outside of France if we need to.

Prime Minister might have been more bumbling than usual, due to the crisis but he left that perfectly clear: no more pro sports till September as in no more events with more than 5,000 people. Say goodbye to festival such as the Hellfest (French Wacken).
Incidentally, the earliest cluster of the pandemic was linked to an attendance of around  2,000 people, it was an evangelical protestant (not lutheran) meeting in Mulhouse/Mülhausen. Maurras must feel vindicated in his grave by protestantism being a plague, not just a spiritual plague. 
The eastern region got infected earlier and got more cases per capita than Île-de-France (Groß Paris and Region).

[Sheilbh]

Checking the table that's surprising. You'd think they'd want their title at least. Shows how much they've fallen I guess.

I don't think PSG care at all about the French title.

I think it's sort of similar with City's owners (the fans are famously more ambivalent) not particularly being bothered by another domestic win but really wanting to do well in Europe - or am I way off?

Here it feels like there is a lot of desire to finish the season no matter what, even if it's just played behind closed doors as a sort of mini-tournament. To me that feels right - partly because I think by June/July people will want some sporting entertainment.