Football (Soccer) Thread

[Josephus]

Napoli players came out for their UEFA game today wearing #10 Maradona shirts. Nice gesture.

[The Larch]

Why would it have to be allowed? Teams and stadium owners can put whatever name they want to them.

Yeah I guess so. I figured that would be the kind of thing FIFA likes to get their red tape all over.

I highly doubt that FIFA has any power whatsoever regarding stadium naming.

[Syt]

Only during their events I think, and then only if a stadium has a non-FIFA sponsor's name. I recall that during the 2006 WC German stadiums that had sold their names to sponsors had to go by generic names instead.

[Liep]

Yes Liep, we should be playing Braithwaite more.

Good call.

[celedhring]

Messi scored and took off his Barça top to show a Maradona Newell's shirt.



The commentators were implying that it was a match-worn shirt. If true, the world now has a shirt that has been both worn by Messi and Maradona.

[Josephus]

Napol wore striped blue/white shirts in Maradona's honour. Insigne waved a number 10 shirt after he scored.

edit: Oh, just heard Napoli will change the name of their stadium to Stadio Diego Maradona.

[celedhring]

Incidentally, I think that the commentators were just kinda getting carried away when they said it was an original shirt (as opposed to a replica) during the broadcast. The fit on Messi is way too smug for being an original Newell's Maradona shirt 

[Admiral Yi]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86i69k6H16E

Ghanian news reader having difficulty with European club names.

[Syt]

https://www.thefa.com/news/2020/dec/01/gbe-points-based-system-launched-011220

PLAN AGREED ON ENTRY REQUIREMENTS FOR OVERSEAS PLAYERS IN ENGLAND POST-BREXIT IN 2021

The FA, the Premier League and EFL have come together to agree a plan for entry requirements for overseas players post Brexit.

Football's Governing Body Endorsement (GBE) proposal was submitted to the Government last month by the FA, as the governing body for football, and has now been approved by The Home Office.

The criteria will provide the framework for Premier League and EFL clubs to sign overseas players when the UK leaves the European Union (EU) after 31 December 2020.

Post Brexit, clubs will not be able to sign players freely from the EU. Players from EU countries who want to play in the Premier League or EFL will be required to gain a GBE, like all other overseas players without the right to work in the UK.

The GBE will operate a points-based system, where points are scored for senior and talented young players based on:
• Senior and youth international appearances
• Quality of the selling club, based on the league they are in, league position and progression in continental competition
• Club appearances, based on domestic league and continental competition minutes

Players accumulating the requisite amount of points will earn a GBE automatically, while players just below the threshold may be considered for a GBE by an Exceptions Panel.

The system meets the joint objectives of the Premier League, EFL and the FA allowing access to the best players and future talent for clubs, as well as safeguarding England teams, by ensuring opportunities for homegrown players.

In the Premier League, the number of overseas U21 players a club can sign will be limited to three in the January transfer window and six per season moving forwards. This enables the recruitment of the best players from around the world to train and play together with homegrown talent. Under FIFA's rules, the UK's exit from the EU will also mean that clubs will not be able to sign players from overseas until they are 18.

The leading football bodies have also agreed to work together to continue to improve the player pathway system.

The Women's game has also had their GBE proposal approved by the Home Office. This will also operate a points-based system, where points are scored on:

• Senior international appearances
• Quality of the selling club, based on the league they are in and former league position
• Club appearances, based on domestic league and continental competition minutes

The agreement is in accordance with the Government's required criteria and will come into effect when the UK leaves the European Union, in the new year. It will be implemented in the January 2021 transfer window and reviewed in full ahead of the summer 2021 transfer window.

Mark Bullingham, our chief executive officer, said: "Despite having different starting perspectives on how Brexit should impact football, this is another example of how the football authorities can work effectively together for the greater good of the game.

"We have a strong working relationship with both the Premier League and EFL and will monitor this new agreement together to ensure it evolves to best meet our joint objectives over time. We will also discuss improvements to the player pathway for the mutual benefit of football clubs and homegrown talent in this country."

Richard Masters, the Premier League's chief executive, added: "The Premier League has worked with the FA to come to an agreement to ensure no part of Brexit should damage the success of the Premier League, or the prospects of the England teams. We welcome the news that the Home Office has approved the Governing Body Endorsement plan for the January 2021 transfer window.

"Continuing to be able to recruit the best players will see the Premier League remain competitive and compelling and the solution will complement our player development philosophy of the best foreign talent alongside the best homegrown players. Following the January transfer window, we look forward to reviewing the agreement with the FA."

EFL Chief Executive, David Baldwin, said: "The EFL has contributed to the discussions with our colleagues across football as the game prepares for the UK's exit from the EU, and it is helpful to be able to provide clarity for EFL Clubs by having an established position to a long-standing issue ahead of the January transfer window, albeit in the short term.

"The objective of the EFL throughout this process has been to ensure EFL Clubs continue to have the opportunity to sign players from overseas to enhance the quality of their playing squads, while recognising the need for restrictions, and we will continue to assess the application of these rules and consider the long-term implications early in 2021."

[Duque de Bragança]

https://www.thefa.com/news/2020/dec/01/gbe-points-based-system-launched-011220

PLAN AGREED ON ENTRY REQUIREMENTS FOR OVERSEAS PLAYERS IN ENGLAND POST-BREXIT IN 2021


The GBE will operate a points-based system, where points are scored for senior and talented young players based on:
• Senior and youth international appearances
• Quality of the selling club, based on the league they are in, league position and progression in continental competition
• Club appearances, based on domestic league and continental competition minutes

Players accumulating the requisite amount of points will earn a GBE automatically, while players just below the threshold may be considered for a GBE by an Exceptions Panel.

This could help other continental leagues in retaining for a bit longer players though.  Possibly positive.

I expect "Quality of the selling club, based on the league they are in", (...) to be somewhat controversial in the mainland. Beyond the (next to EPL) big 3 that is. ™Ligue des Talents™ being the fifth market but not necessarily the fifth league on sport terms.  Though Marseille managed to score a victory on the Champions' League after 13 defeats in a row.  Generous penalty aside.

[Liep]

You're welcome, celed.

[celedhring]

You're welcome, celed.

4 goals in 3 games... The team has lots of cooks but few diners, so to speak. We need a player like him.

[Liep]

You're welcome, celed.

4 goals in 3 games... The team has lots of cooks but few diners, so to speak. We need a player like him.

If Braithwaite can continue at just half pace and Griezmann, Dembele, Fati, Coutinho and Trincao can live up to their potential you might not miss Messi when he leaves for City.

[FunkMonk]

Tamas, what's up with this Dominik Szoboszlai kid? Arsenal are supposed to be in for him in January because he's supposed to be really good with a lot of potential but mainly because he has a relatively cheap release clause and Arsenal are starving for creative attacking midfielders.

[Syt]

Going slightly off topic while watching Europa League.

As astute readers of the What Are You Playing thread will know I'm currently making another attempt to learn Football Manager. To start I picked a more or less random team. I didn't want to go with one of the big 5 leagues (ESP, ITA, ENG, GER, FRA), but a decent league, and a name I know, so I ended up with Feyenoord Rotterdam.

I haven't really watched football much these last 15 years, so while some really big names are familiar, I knew nothing about the Feyenoord squad (and I wasn't aware that Mario Götze now plays for PSV Eindhoven? ), or the Dutch league.

Anyways, fast forward to today and I'm watching Feyenoord play Dynamo Zagreb in Europa League. It's a bit weird to see "my" players on the pitch and see distinct similarities to how they play in my matches (hell, the way some of my matches have been going the current first half - two Feyenoord players out on injury, and getting a penalty against them in the last minute of the half - is on par with some of the matches I had). I feel at this point I've come to know the current team a bit.

The last time I really, really played football managers the ones available in our market only let you play German teams, often with fictionalized players due to licensing issues, and with a small handful of stats, at best. Matches were either fully simmed in the background, or a text crawl (or crudely animated pre-rendered scenes). So there was a much bigger disconnect between the game and real life.

I totally can see why some people become so obsessed with the game.