Leaked papers show that City have been accused of taking unreported funds from an Arab businessman. I couldn't care any less. When it comes to football and money no-one can point the finger. Everybody has had their head in the trough for years and years.
City's owners have produced an incredible model for the growth and management of a club. They have completely regenerated the east end of Manchester, built a stadium and new training facilities which are the envy of England, and invested in Manchester's youth and women's football. They have spent their money wisely on players, getting Haaland, Alvarez and Akanji for less than Man U spunked on Harry Maguire. As Gary Neville said recently, "FFP was brought in to protect the big clubs' hegemony".
Real, Barça, Juve et al don't want City and PSG winning the Champion's League, basically. They have had to look on as their business models have failed and proven to be unsustainable in the long term. Now they see the EPL grow and grow to the behemoth that it is now and realise that they can't compete. Tough shit.
Italy was the best in class during the 80s and early 90s until they blew it. Greed and avarice saw the widespread cheating and buying of refs that came to symbolise Italian football. At this point it doesn't look like it will recover.
As for Spain, I have more knowledge of La Liga than Serie A, and they have no-one but themselves to blame for the demise of that league in the past 8-9 years. I lived in Madrid between 2005 and 2011. During those 6 years Real and Barça were the only winners of La Liga. During the previous 12 years the big two won it 9 times. The exceptions being Super Depor in '99 and Benitez's Valencia twice. In the 12 years since leaving Spain the big two have won it 10 times, with Simeone's Atleti twice being the only exception.
The whole league is based around El Clasico being the most important fixture of the season. The big two get the lion's share of the TV revenue. In 2011 the big two got €140m each while Atleti and Valencia got €48m. Mallorca and Osasuna got €14m. The Spanish FA and La Liga wanted Real and Barça to be the biggest and most successful clubs in Europe and so turned a blind eye to the book cooking exploits of both clubs. This worked like a dream while CR7 and Messi were the best players on the planet, not so good now.
The main problem is that they have outgrown La Liga. While the EPL has made an intensely competitive league, and successfully sold it to the Asian and North American markets by having early and late kick offs to cater for foreign TV schedules, La Liga have not been willing or able to do the same. The EPL is the only competitive sports league in any sport that makes more money from its foreign market than from its domestic market. Its USP is competitiveness. There are usually 8 teams fighting for the 4 UCL spots, while at the other end the scrap to stay in the most lucrative league in the world is typically tough. How interesting is a two-horse race when every year has the same two horses?
Now the Reals and Juves of this world are complaining about Saudi Arabia. Maybe they have a point. How can that league spend so much when they don't make any serious money from TV? Does FIFA care? Have officials been bought? FFP was supposedly brought in to stop club's greedy owners gambling their existence for a shot at the big time.
Remember Ridsdale's turn of the millennium Leeds? You can hardly lay that accusation at City's door. The owners have serious money and a serious plan for football in East Manchester, and they operate in the richest league in the world and regularly go far in the UCL. To try to denigrate everything the club has achieved just looks like sour grapes and hypocrisy.
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| Peter Anderson is a Unionist with a keen interest in sports |
Peter, "Remember Ridsdale's turn of the millennium Leeds?" I most certainly do. We spent to accumulate using the borrowing model which suited Thames Water and the housing market before the credit crunch and subsequent global economic crash so well - not. We paid the price for spending what we didn't have with two relegations, administration and starting our first season in the third tier with a 15 point deduction.
ReplyDeleteBut City, Chelsea, Everton, who were for the last two seasons were embroiled with us in relegation battles, and no doubt others use their financial muscle to serially violate Financial Fair Play regulations and will avoid the appropriate sanctions with the best lawyers money can provide. Meanwhile, thirty miles or so from the Eithiad, Wigan suffer their second four point deduction for failing to pay wages to their players and Bury FC go into liquidation and were expelled from the EFL. Both were victims of nefarious fly by night club owners who pass the EFL "fit and proper persons" test. But I am not bitter.
Daniel Farke will work his promotion oracle for the third time for us (he has at long last been appointed manager), he hopes. After that .... (he is on a four year contract and has an equal relegation record for Norwich his former club).
Tis hard not to be bitter sometimes Barry. Football is a dirty, dirty business from the top to the bottom. FIFA/UEFA corruption, sports washing, FA mismanagement, FFP, "Fit-and-Proper-Persons" but they want to sink a club that has regenerated East Manchester and lifted the standard of English football to the very top. But I'm not bitter!!!!
DeleteRidsdale's Leeds were a joy to watch. Radebe, Smith, Viduka, Kewel, Ferdinand, Harte, Woodgate and a UCL semi-final to boot. City were in the 3rd division around then too. I hope yous get back to the top league soon, but thon Championship is a toughy.
Don't I know, Peter. We got an eight year sentence in the Old Second Division the 1980s and a 16 year stretch after 2004. No remission for good behaviour. But it is a fresh start for us now. Cannot change the past. If we start winning games again, that will make me happy!
ReplyDelete6 Prem , 4 Spanish , 3 Italian , 2 German clubs have contested a C L final ; shows how competitive the Prem is . Liverpool need to get rid of the 30 + yr olds in the squad ; if not they will be playing Europa lge again next season . A Dublin Europa final next May with the Reds would be like a home gig . City in the top 4 is the only guaranteed slot for next season; 6 fairly evenly matched teams will be competing for the next 3 places . Leeds under O'Leary won zero # Flash in the pan
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