Another nail in the coffin of domestic football and step towards a 'super' league

[Ally]

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cprgr2175x7o

 

Seems like FIFA are terrified of the power certain clubs have and will do anything to keep them (and their greedy owners) in the tent.

 

 

[Nookie Bear]

"But the matter was discussed at its Council meeting in Bangkok..."

 

Never meet in Widnes or Wishaw, do they.

[Bull's-eye]

Pretty sure the EPL clubs all signed an agreement not allowing a super league after the last ill fated attempt.

 

Looks like FIFA attempting to grab a piece of the pie to me. Of course FIFA will be happy to "sanction" any games with their name all over it . . . . . And accept a big bag of money for it.

[Ally]

16 minutes ago, Bull's-eye said:

Pretty sure the EPL clubs all signed an agreement not allowing a super league after the last ill fated attempt.

 

Looks like FIFA attempting to grab a piece of the pie to me. Of course FIFA will be happy to "sanction" any games with their name all over it . . . . . And accept a big bag of money for it.

 

Smacks of Saudi Arabia realising that, despite hoovering up a few players who fancy a last payday, nobody gives a toss about their teams or league, so they've bunged Infantino a few bob to get him to bring Manchester United v Arsenal and Bayern v Dortmund to Riyadh.

[Ally]

19 minutes ago, Nookie Bear said:

"But the matter was discussed at its Council meeting in Bangkok..."

 

Never meet in Widnes or Wishaw, do they.

Nor will these games in Las Vegas/Riyadh/Beijing be Hamilton v Arbroath.

[OTT]

Nothing more plastic than trying to play games in different countries like this. Part of the magic of going to Germany (for example) to watch Dortmund is experiencing the culture too. Going to the game, getting a currywurst, pints and getting that whole authentic experience. There isn't a yellow wall if they play a game in Saudi or Chicago. Its not the same. 

 

Instead of trying to create plastic fans, they should be trying to lift up local football and get local fans behind local teams. 

[Lovecraft]

3 minutes ago, OTT said:

Nothing more plastic than trying to play games in different countries like this. Part of the magic of going to Germany (for example) to watch Dortmund is experiencing the culture too. Going to the game, getting a currywurst, pints and getting that whole authentic experience. There isn't a yellow wall if they play a game in Saudi or Chicago. Its not the same. 

 

Instead of trying to create plastic fans, they should be trying to lift up local football and get local fans behind local teams. 

They know real fans will continue to cough up money though.  It's the day tripper's cash they want.

 

[escobri]

It's been known for a few years now that the structure of European football is changing, even Budge mentioned this in an interview. 

[SectionDJambo]

Football, as we once knew and loved it, is disappearing down the pan.

The lure of money is a curse to fans of many clubs. Admission costs are always rising and now they want to take games completely away from the local fans reach.

Meanwhile, money or benefits will be changing hands on the sly.

[Seymour M Hersh]

2 hours ago, Ally said:

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cprgr2175x7o

 

Seems like FIFA are terrified of the power certain clubs have and will do anything to keep them (and their greedy owners) in the tent.

 

 

 

I thought the whole super league thing was direct competition to the champions league and not domestic leagues. 

[Seymour M Hersh]

19 minutes ago, SectionDJambo said:

Football, as we once knew and loved it, is disappearing down the pan.

The lure of money is a curse to fans of many clubs. Admission costs are always rising and now they want to take games completely away from the local fans reach.

Meanwhile, money or benefits will be changing hands on the sly.

 

Sky Sports are the main cause in my opinion.

[No Idle Talk]

I hate the way football is run. Taking teams away from their local supporters is a despicable thing to do.

[The Treasurer]

At least we know this won't affect us. 

 

[Dagger Is Back]

2 hours ago, Ally said:

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cprgr2175x7o

 

Seems like FIFA are terrified of the power certain clubs have and will do anything to keep them (and their greedy owners) in the tent.

 

 

Not sure they’re terrified perhaps more to do with the brown envelopes stuffed with cash. 

[SectionDJambo]

4 minutes ago, Seymour M Hersh said:

 

Sky Sports are the main cause in my opinion.

Them, certainly, and UEFA have created a situation where the financial gulf between the bigger clubs and the rest has grown rapidly. 
Are we ever likely to see clubs of the size of Aberdeen, Dundee United, Ipswich Town, Nottingham Forest etc. ever make it to a European final again?

Us reaching another quarter final is probably well out of reach. 
Everything is designed to keep the, so called, elite clubs in the money.

[EIEIO]

2 hours ago, Nookie Bear said:

"But the matter was discussed at its Council meeting in Bangkok..."

 

Never meet in Widnes or Wishaw, do they.

Funnily enough they recently met at Loch Lomond and the prick Infantino (spelling?) attended a Spfl game at whatever St Mirrens ground is called now.

[Smithian]

Even though I'd appreciate my modern, glowing local *soccer* specific stadium stadium hosting Champions League caliber clubs on occasion, I really, really hate this idea.

 

My guess is the response would be NFL, MLB, NBA are playing international games. But those leagues are all the dominant league on the planet in their respective sport and abroad matches are a totally out of the ordinary experiences. NFL playing games in Europe, MLB in Asia, NBA everywhere doesn't dilute the product and steal it from fans. And with revenue sharing, any international fans gained benefits the entire league.

 

A setup like this definitely won't end with an occasional match. If you start dropping regular season matches abroad, it just starts making every league look more and more like each other and distances the gap between the haves and have nots.

 

And this will kill MLS. I'm not sure the Saudi League can be "killed" as it's already not more than a soulless pit of burning money.

 

Big clubs already do international friendly tours in the US, around Europe, and Asia in front of sold out crowds. This is just greedy.

Edited May 15 by Smithian

[Smithian]

.

Edited May 15 by Smithian

[Smithian]

33 minutes ago, SectionDJambo said:

Them, certainly, and UEFA have created a situation where the financial gulf between the bigger clubs and the rest has grown rapidly. 
Are we ever likely to see clubs of the size of Aberdeen, Dundee United, Ipswich Town, Nottingham Forest etc. ever make it to a European final again?

Us reaching another quarter final is probably well out of reach. 
Everything is designed to keep the, so called, elite clubs in the money.

The Conference League is a great invention because of this. Clubs like Hearts can have a hope of getting through the group/league phase and maybe winning a match or two with a good matchup. Yes, maybe there is a West Ham waiting to run you over like a freight train, but the right draw and you can have an exciting run.

[kingantti1874]

if it ever offers hearts an avenue out of the dead end that is Scottish football then I’m all for it

[Lone Striker]

 Football sold its soul decades ago for the TV dollar.   Now the Saudi dollar too.    FIFA & UEFA infiltrated by greed &  corruption, yet they still claim to be  "upholding the integrity of the game."    Its one enormous gravy train, which might become 2 enormous gravy trains if a breakaway Super League organisation  gathers steam.  Its already happened to elite golf.

 

Maybe its just an age thing - but if it wasn't for my  enduring love of our club, heritage and  Tynecastle,   I'd happily just abandon football altogether and go fishing instead.

 

 

[boag1874]

2 hours ago, OTT said:

Nothing more plastic than trying to play games in different countries like this. Part of the magic of going to Germany (for example) to watch Dortmund is experiencing the culture too. Going to the game, getting a currywurst, pints and getting that whole authentic experience. There isn't a yellow wall if they play a game in Saudi or Chicago. Its not the same. 

 

Instead of trying to create plastic fans, they should be trying to lift up local football and get local fans behind local teams. 

Spot on in every sense. Our league might be a backwater but I never want it to turn into this.
 

Football is different from the NFL etc, these aren’t just franchises that happen to be based in a certain city. Our clubs have deep roots in these areas, it’s a bond with a local community for better or worse that goes back through generations of fans. Theres no Edinburgh Derby without Edinburgh, no Old Firm without Glasgow (actually that sounds pretty good) etc.

[indianajones]

I can safely say that I'd never watch a single game of a super league. 

 

Absolute tourist shite. 

[Watt-Zeefuik]

21 minutes ago, boag1874 said:

Spot on in every sense. Our league might be a backwater but I never want it to turn into this.
 

Football is different from the NFL etc, these aren’t just franchises that happen to be based in a certain city. Our clubs have deep roots in these areas, it’s a bond with a local community for better or worse that goes back through generations of fans. Theres no Edinburgh Derby without Edinburgh, no Old Firm without Glasgow (actually that sounds pretty good) etc.

 

Most NFL fans think the games abroad are pretty shit too.

 

It's only tolerable not because of a lack of local attachments, but because NFL football has become so overwhelmingly TV-centric.

 

Which is the direction the EPL is headed but isn't there yet.

Edited May 15 by Watt-Zeefuik

[LarrysRightFoot]

FIFA and UEFA aren’t for fit for purpose. If they aren’t careful there will be a revolt and it may not end well for fans. 

[Gizmo]

4 hours ago, Nookie Bear said:

"But the matter was discussed at its Council meeting in Bangkok..."

 

Never meet in Widnes or Wishaw, do they.

What better place to spend the bungs than Bangkok or Vegas...

[Ministryofdad]

Is this the end of Scottish football 

[Ally]

4 minutes ago, Ministryofdad said:

Is this the end of Scottish football 

I doubt any Scottish games are going to get played abroad. Although I do remember the Pieman (GTF) being open to the idea of us playing Celtic in Australia.

 

Maybe the moon could host Rangers v Celtic. All ST holders get free, one-way travel to the game.

[Jarhead]

I think the majority of domestic leagues have become so distorted that super leagues may well be inevitable. 
A world super league above European, Asian, African and American super leagues. 
This would then probably see various premier leagues coming together ie Netherlands and Belgium fed from their respective domestic leagues. 
 

Where will this leave Hearts 🤷‍♂️

Where will this leave the SPFL 🤷‍♂️

Where will this leave the OF 🤷‍♂️

 

 

[jamboj]

18 hours ago, Ally said:

 

Smacks of Saudi Arabia realising that, despite hoovering up a few players who fancy a last payday, nobody gives a toss about their teams or league, so they've bunged Infantino a few bob to get him to bring Manchester United v Arsenal and Bayern v Dortmund to Riyadh.

Unfortunately this just isn't true, it's only western arrogance that perceives things this way. You and I might not care, but their market isn't us and never will be. 

 

The financial return from this league and others like it in the medium to long term, is in attracting fans in bigger emerging markets (China, India) and bringing in TV money and other revenues from there. Alongside the foreign investment in their tourism which it mutually supports. 

 

They don't care what we think. 

[Nookie Bear]

And this is obviously about money and growing the brand.

 

Sending Liverpool and Chelsea off to New York to play a match is solely for the purpose of selling the EPL and those clubs to a wider audience.

 

And what is stopping an arrangement to host an EPL game at Murrayfield?  That would be a nightmare for our game.

[jack D and coke]

52 minutes ago, Nookie Bear said:

And this is obviously about money and growing the brand.

 

Sending Liverpool and Chelsea off to New York to play a match is solely for the purpose of selling the EPL and those clubs to a wider audience.

 

And what is stopping an arrangement to host an EPL game at Murrayfield?  That would be a nightmare for our game.

Bad enough those filthy stinking Huns are playing Man Utd at Murrayfield. 
The actual **** is that all about?! 

[Lord Beni of Gorgie]

Our children want different things to our grandparents

[EIEIO]

44 minutes ago, jack D and coke said:

Bad enough those filthy stinking Huns are playing Man Utd at Murrayfield. 
The actual **** is that all about?! 

A different target audience to those of us on this forum , I suspect.  I won't be anywhere near Edinburgh that day. Super League, Champions League and English Premiership are not competitions that interest me , unless by some miracle Hearts reached the Champions League.

[Polonia Gorgie]

18 hours ago, The Treasurer said:

At least we know this won't affect us. 

 

It kinda does affect us though, look at the matches being played at Murrayfield. Liverpool v Napoli 

Man Utd v Lyon and now

Man Utd v Rangers , the last fixture is an absolute disgrace!! Why not play it at Ibrox? Why completely disregard Hearts and Hibs!! 

[Gillsland jack]

16 hours ago, Ally said:

I doubt any Scottish games are going to get played abroad. Although I do remember the Pieman (GTF) being open to the idea of us playing Celtic in Australia.

 

Maybe the moon could host Rangers v Celtic. All ST holders get free, one-way travel to the game.

I find it still laughable that the old firm fans actually thought they had a pathway into the EPL, 'because wur faunbases ur world wide' in actual all probability, the British Government and police knew they could not inflict supporters buses every weekend all the way down the M6 and beyond, causing absolute carnage along the way, spouting their sectarian bile upon the  English general public.

So what chance a Rangers v Celtic match in Chicago? because the Uglies will behave themselves in airports, inflight full of the bevy and will uphold the good name of Scottish Football, of course they will.

[TexasAndy]

As far as I'm concerned the so called elite countries can sell their souls to the devil.  I am happy and safe in the knowledge that a Hearts SPL game will never be played outside of Scotland.

[Watt-Zeefuik]

3 hours ago, jamboj said:

Unfortunately this just isn't true, it's only western arrogance that perceives things this way. You and I might not care, but their market isn't us and never will be. 

 

The financial return from this league and others like it in the medium to long term, is in attracting fans in bigger emerging markets (China, India) and bringing in TV money and other revenues from there. Alongside the foreign investment in their tourism which it mutually supports. 

 

They don't care what we think. 

 

I don't even think China and India are the primary targets. The Arab language TV market is enormous and very switched on to football. SA has just made themselves to the Arab world what the EPL is to the anglophone world.

[The Treasurer]

2 hours ago, Polonia Gorgie said:

It kinda does affect us though, look at the matches being played at Murrayfield. Liverpool v Napoli 

Man Utd v Lyon and now

Man Utd v Rangers , the last fixture is an absolute disgrace!! Why not play it at Ibrox? Why completely disregard Hearts and Hibs!! 

Can't see how a "league" game involving Real Madrid v Betis at Murrayfield would have any affect on Hearts 

[Nookie Bear]

3 minutes ago, The Treasurer said:

Can't see how a "league" game involving Real Madrid v Betis at Murrayfield would have any affect on Hearts 

 

Difficult to judge beyond assuming it just sells a foreign league to Scottish people.

 

Would it be played at the same time as a domestic fixture?

 

Perhaps the host nation could receive a multi-million pound fee to be distributed amongst its member clubs?

[The Treasurer]

3 minutes ago, Nookie Bear said:

 

Difficult to judge beyond assuming it just sells a foreign league to Scottish people.

 

Would it be played at the same time as a domestic fixture?

 

Perhaps the host nation could receive a multi-million pound fee to be distributed amongst its member clubs?

I very much doubt there would be a plastic game at Murrayfield at the same time as we had a proper league game at Tynecastle. 

More likely it would be staged at some ridiculous time to suit tv viewers in USA or the far East 

[Forrest]

https://inside.fifa.com/about-fifa/associations/news/combatting-climate-change-a-key-focus-at-the-fifa-infrastructure-workshop

 

Flying clubs across the globe for no reason is a funny way to combat climate change. This proposal is an absolute disgrace in many aspects, if which sustainability is but one. 

[Lone Striker]

26 minutes ago, The Treasurer said:

Can't see how a "league" game involving Real Madrid v Betis at Murrayfield would have any affect on Hearts 

Isn't it about trying to convert as many local football fans as possible into spending a chunk of money to watch "new" clubs & competitions ?   It might just be one match at the moment, but if the finances look promising for these 2 clubs then that will grow into several matches, which could then grow into a "tour" involving several clubs.   

 

The dilemma for us is that instead of spending  all your football budget on  Hearts stuff (home, away, travel, merch etc)  you either have to increase your  football budget to watch the elite tour stuff as well, or divert some of your Hearts spend to this elite stuff...... or be sensible and just ignore the elite tour nonsense !!

 

 

 

 

[Lone Striker]

10 minutes ago, Forrest said:

https://inside.fifa.com/about-fifa/associations/news/combatting-climate-change-a-key-focus-at-the-fifa-infrastructure-workshop

 

Flying clubs across the globe for no reason is a funny way to combat climate change. This proposal is an absolute disgrace in many aspects, if which sustainability is but one. 

Absolutely, spot on.      However its likely that FIFA are clever at the art of  green-washing.   Just donate $1m to some environmental project so they can claim to be offsetting their carbon footprint.   They probably do something like that already to escape criticism about  the pollution caused by miilions of replica team shirts with "Messi" on the back being manufactured in India & Chine by slave labour.

 

FIFA's empire of dirt is huge.

[The Treasurer]

16 minutes ago, Lone Striker said:

Isn't it about trying to convert as many local football fans as possible into spending a chunk of money to watch "new" clubs & competitions ?   It might just be one match at the moment, but if the finances look promising for these 2 clubs then that will grow into several matches, which could then grow into a "tour" involving several clubs.   

 

The dilemma for us is that instead of spending  all your football budget on  Hearts stuff (home, away, travel, merch etc)  you either have to increase your  football budget to watch the elite tour stuff as well, or divert some of your Hearts spend to this elite stuff...... or be sensible and just ignore the elite tour nonsense !!

 

 

 

 

The last part of your post is what real football fans will do, the plastic fan bois that would be attracted to this are not really the kind of fans who would turn up for a home game against St Johnstone anyway 

[Lone Striker]

25 minutes ago, The Treasurer said:

The last part of your post is what real football fans will do, the plastic fan bois that would be attracted to this are not really the kind of fans who would turn up for a home game against St Johnstone anyway 

👍    PHM's  

[Boab]

6 hours ago, jamboj said:

Unfortunately this just isn't true, it's only western arrogance that perceives things this way. You and I might not care, but their market isn't us and never will be. 

 

The financial return from this league and others like it in the medium to long term, is in attracting fans in bigger emerging markets (China, India) and bringing in TV money and other revenues from there. Alongside the foreign investment in their tourism which it mutually supports. 

 

They don't care what we think. 

Correct.

I remember when Klopp was on bleating about the Saudis trying to lure Salah away for a large sum, and how something should have been done about it.

Unfortunately there wasn’t anyone there to point out to the windbag that the Saudis spent less than a quarter of what English teams did for the same period. 
The English are the last ones who should be complaining. 

[Smithian]

2 hours ago, The Treasurer said:

Can't see how a "league" game involving Real Madrid v Betis at Murrayfield would have any affect on Hearts 

Fans have finite dollars. If a young lad gets obsessed with Real Madrid or Betis, that is less attention and dollars for a local club. One match won't be a hit to Scottish clubs, but if continental or English sides played an occasional match in Edinburgh or Glasgow, it could add up over time while also hurting those domestic leagues by further stretching the distances between the haves and have nots.

 

 

[Smithian]

3 hours ago, TexasAndy said:

As far as I'm concerned the so called elite countries can sell their souls to the devil.  I am happy and safe in the knowledge that a Hearts SPL game will never be played outside of Scotland.

Don't give up hope, fellow stateside Jambo. Someday, Hearts will play a match stateside for the Scottish diaspora and abroad supporters. There will be dozens of us in the ticket line!

 

In all seriousness, I could see Hibs and Celtic playing an Irish diaspora match on the East Coast 

[FarmerTweedy]

On 15/05/2024 at 17:38, Nookie Bear said:

"But the matter was discussed at its Council meeting in Bangkok..."

 

Never meet in Widnes or Wishaw, do they.

Tbf, there's absolutely no reason why they would.