Football (Soccer) Thread

[The Larch]

To be fair to the MLS, if any of you follow it, it is trying to get away from the retirement league stereotype by coming up with all sorts of incentives to sign younger <25 year old designated players over older players.
One of the last major old "retiree" signings is currently playing for a top Serie A side. 

If you mean Ibrahimovic I don't think he's a player you can extrapolate much from.

[Zoupa]

So today Spurs lost against NS Mura. You have no idea who the fuck NS Mura are, so let me enlighten you.

It's a Slovenian team, who as recently as 2013, were playing in Slovenia's fourth tier league.

They hail from Murska Sobota, a city of 11 000 people and their storied ground is Fazanerija. capacity 3 782 souls.

I am sure Antonio Conte is ecstatic with his career choices. I think a year ago he was playing in the Champions League, Milan vs Real Madrid.

[Duque de Bragança]

Inter (Milan), not Milan (AC) Plus his team played Barça, not Real, in the 2019-2020 CL and finished third of the group so off to Europa League where Inter lost the final eventually.

Antonio Conte, as a coach, always seemed to have a problem with the Champions League to be fair.

I guess motivation for the Conference League the new bottom European League is hard to come by for his players. 

[Maladict]

Only one out of Italy, Portugal and Turkey will qualify. Or maybe even none of them

[celedhring]

Erdogan isn't so bad.

[Maladict]

Erdogan isn't so bad.

I'd have liked to see North Maceodonia get an easier group. They did really well in the group phase.

And my sense of Schadenfreude would have enjoyed a Russia-Ukraine pairing. 

[Sheilbh]

Alarmng to see United making sensible seeming decisions

Separately, I quite like a lot of the ideas from the review of football - apparently government prepared to broadly support this:

Government's fan-led review calls for Premier League clubs to pay transfer tax
    Stamp duty-style levy would help support football pyramid
    Also call for independent regulator to oversee English game
Paul MacInnes
@PaulMac
Wed 24 Nov 2021 22.00 GMT

Premier League clubs should pay a stamp duty-style tax on every transfer fee to help support the English football pyramid, the government's fan-led review has said, in one of 47 recommendations to safeguard the future of the game.

The highly anticipated report, led by the Conservative MP Tracey Crouch, was commissioned this year in response to ongoing crises of governance. Its proposals, according to Crouch, set out "a long-term sustainable position for English football". The government will make a statement on the report in parliament on Thursday, with the possibility of legislation being announced next spring in the Queen's speech.

Confirmed in the review is the recommendation that an independent regulator should oversee the English game. Able to grant licences to compete in league football, the regulator would have oversight of a club's finances and decide whether owners and directors were fit to hold their role, including the application of a new integrity test.

Rules around owners' responsibilities and financial commitments would be beefed up under the report's recommendations, coming into line with practices more commonly applied to banks or media companies. The transfer levy, meanwhile, could see a tax of as much as 10% put on Premier League deals, with the money redistributed. The review calculated that in the past five years a 10% levy would have raised about £160m a year.

Other proposals include:
A golden share, held by supporters, that could veto certain key changes in a football club – from changing the name to selling the ground.
Shadow boards made up of fans who must be consulted by clubs on key decisions.
Limits on the amount of money owners can put into a club, to prevent unsustainable practices and stop the distortion of competition, set according to the size of a club's existing finances.
A reappraisal of parachute payments to be determined between the Premier League and Football League – and, if there is no solution, by the regulator.
Compulsory relegation and promotion clauses in players' contracts.
Compulsory equality, diversity and inclusion plans for every club, building on the success of the Football Association's leadership diversity code and the Premier League EDI standard.
A review into the future of the women's game.
Trials to allow the consumption of alcohol while watching a match.

"I genuinely think that what we've set out in the report is good for the game," Crouch said. "It will set out a long-term sustainable position for English football.

"I think it will encourage growth and investment and I think it will drive improvements across the game that have been required for many years, decades in fact."

It is understood the government supports the key recommendation of a regulator, but Crouch warned this change would not be enough. "I think it's really important to say that this is a whole package of reforms," she said. "An independent regulator is one thing but if you don't have proper prudential regulation, good corporate governance, supporter engagement and a golden share it's basically just a bunch of people issuing a licence."

The review was widely welcomed across football. "This is potentially a huge step forward for football governance," said Kevin Miles, the chief executive of the Football Supporters' Association. "The government committed to a fan-led review which has listened to the voice of fans. It's now up to the government to deliver upon the recommendations."

Rick Parry, the EFL chairman, said the review was a "really thorough piece of work" which had "comprehensively recognised the financial challenges" within the game. "We believe that reform in football should be about making clubs sustainable," he said. "We support both redistribution and regulation within the game".

The Premier League said it welcomed the review and commended Crouch and her expert panel for their work. "We recognise the vital importance of fans and the need to restore and retain their trust in football's governance," a statement said. "We also acknowledge the call for some form of independent regulation to protect English football's essential strengths.

"The Premier League, alongside English football as a whole, is a global success. We have an outstanding track record on and off the pitch, including the positive impact on youth development, communities and the wider game, of which we are proud. It is important to everyone that any reforms do not damage our game, its competitive balance or the levels of current investment."

The Football Association said it recognised the review's importance and would work with the government over the recommendations.

One Premier League chairman has already come out against it saying it would kill the golden goose

[Zoupa]

Erdogan isn't so bad.

I'd have liked to see North Maceodonia get an easier group. They did really well in the group phase.

And my sense of Schadenfreude would have enjoyed a Russia-Ukraine pairing. 

These groups aren't balanced at all. OTOH, Scotland has a real shot   

[Duque de Bragança]

Erdogan isn't so bad.

I'd have liked to see North Maceodonia get an easier group. They did really well in the group phase.

And my sense of Schadenfreude would have enjoyed a Russia-Ukraine pairing. 

UEFA rules prevent a Russia-Ukraine pairing.
That messes up draws obviously.

As for Portugal, if the team gets eliminated by Italy, coach Fernando Santos might stay a bit longer.

The Wales Austria Ukraine Scotland group is a joke. 

[Zoupa]

Not sure Santos survives not qualifying. He did guarantee Portugal would be in Qatar.

[The Larch]

Shambles at the Portuguese league, with Os Belenenses, whose squad is ravaged by COVID, being forced to play against Benfica with just 9 players (2 of them goalkeepers), including youth teamers. They're not even at half time and Benfica is already up by 6 goals.

Edit: 0 - 7 at halftime.

Edit 2: For the 2nd half only 7 Belenenses players made it to the field, and as soon as the ref whistled for the game to be re-started, one of the Belenenses players claimed injury and left the game, thus the match was declared to be over as no team can have less than 7 players in the field.

[Duque de Bragança]

Belenenses SAD, not Os Belenenses (i.e the historical club re-started at the bottom Lisboete level following a buy-out by a wealthy investor and subsequent splinter), being an empty shell, it figures.

Benfica changed his tune compared to its last season Covid woes, though I would not blame them for this mess, just making the most of it in a shameful way (celebrations after each "brilliant" goal  ).

Obviously, this does not look though sensationalist headlines by CMTV (who else) might be a tad exaggerated.

[Duque de Bragança]

Not sure Santos survives not qualifying. He did guarantee Portugal would be in Qatar.

I'd rather have him stay and qualify the team, then get rid of him later obviously, but fear perhaps irrationally he could linger a bit more.

[Duque de Bragança]

Covid cases in B(elenenses)-SAD are Omicron variant related. 

[Josquius]

Shambles at the Portuguese league, with Os Belenenses, whose squad is ravaged by COVID, being forced to play against Benfica with just 9 players (2 of them goalkeepers), including youth teamers. They're not even at half time and Benfica is already up by 6 goals.

Edit: 0 - 7 at halftime.

Edit 2: For the 2nd half only 7 Belenenses players made it to the field, and as soon as the ref whistled for the game to be re-started, one of the Belenenses players claimed injury and left the game, thus the match was declared to be over as no team can have less than 7 players in the field.

Pretty shocking.
It's happened to Sunderland that we've been forced to play during corona outbreaks, albeit still with enough youth bodies to put out a team.
When it happens to other teams of course games are called off.