So there is a limit to the power of the English Premier League. Indisputably the most entertaining, popular money-spinning league in world football, the world does not, it seems, revolve around it. At least not yet.
It ain’t over ’til it’s over: FIFA’s ruling Executive Committee is not expected to rubber stamp its task force’s recommendation until next month and the big European clubs employ so many of the world’s top players these days that their bargaining power should not be underestimated.
Ennio Flaiano, uno dei più famosi sceneggiatori del cinema italiano (basti pensare la collaborazione al capolavoro di Federico Fellini, “La dolce vita”), parlando dell’Italia amava recitare questa battuta: “La situazione è grave, ma non seria”. Ecco, la si potrebbe riproporre senza problemi nel descrivere il momento del calcio italiano, che sta attraversando una nuova crisi istituzionale.
Before anybody starts throwing stones, let me clarify: there is no racism in English football only. But there is racism in England as a whole.
In October 2013, the Daily Telegraph wrote this headline and leader:
“Madcap proposals by Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini to increase World Cup finalists to 40 just do not add up – Sport’s top men claim that world Cup finals should be open to more nations but it is just another political football being kicked about by the hierarchy”
The paper continued to say:
“Under the madcap World Cup expansion plans dreamed up by Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini,
He can certainly talk a good game – in three languages in fact. And if prizes were given for glossy manifestos he would already have the keys to Sepp Blatter’s private office in Zurich.
“I don’t want to be a thief of my own wallet.” Johan Cruyff
It is hard to imagine the nation that produced Johan Cruyff, Marco van Basten and Dennis Bergkamp ever giving its name to something negative in football. But then Dutch Disease is an economic concept.
The FIFA Presidential election has absolutely nothing to do with public support, or indeed media backing. Around two fifths of nine tenths of NOTHING. I reiterate that after an in-depth Talk To Al Jazeera interview to be aired over next few weeks with Prince Ali, the candidate considered the main challenger to Sepp Blatter.
Capitalism and popular culture do not always make comfortable bedfellows, especially when the bed is football. The Premier League’s new £5.1 billion domestic TV rights deal has brought calls for lower ticket prices.
Im Februar 2005 trat noch ein recht junger Mann seinen Dienst bei der Deutschen Fußball-Liga an, den bis dahin in der Szene kaum einer kannte. Zehn Jahre später ist das völlig anders: Christian Seifert gilt national wie international als Gesicht des Höhenflugs der Bundesliga.
“I read a stat the other day that Burnley are bigger economically than Ajax.” Richard Scudamore, Premier League chief executive
The announcement that broadcast rights for Premier League football will soon be worth £1.712 billion (€2.317bn, US$2.633bn) every year in the domestic UK market alone must have caused a flood of mixed emotions for club executives across Europe.
The Africa Cup of Nations is not some fly-by-night, irrelevant competition. It is the continent’s equivalent of the European Championship finals, the Copa America, the Gold Cup or the Asian Cup.
Non è bastato il gesto della scorsa settimana – rinunciare allo stage per la Nazionale – per farsi ascoltare dai padroni del calcio italiano. Dopo le decisioni della Lega di Serie A del 6 febbraio, Antonio Conte è sempre di più un uomo solo al comando, dove ormai è doveroso mettere l’accento più sulla parola “solo” che su quella “comando”.
The mountain has given birth to three mice. What started out as a solid promise to “dismantle the FIFA monster”, has taken on the characteristics of playground posturing and classroom semantics.
“Your sons and your daughters are beyond your command. Your old road is rapidly agein’. Please get out of the new one if you can’t lend a hand. For the times they are a-changin’.” Bob Dylan
For the past 20 years football has had a very healthy and profitable relationship with pay-tv. This will be underlined once more over the next 24 hours or so when the Premier League makes its announcement over the result of the auction it has being holding for its UK rights.