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Northern Ireland26225 Posts
On June 07 2023 14:33 RKC wrote:
Yes, only enlightened Western democracies (EU and USA) are entitled to invest and own top sporting resources (players, clubs, etc). Asia and Africa being backward civilisations should just bugger off, stay in their lane, and stick to street and village football. To guard against sportswashing, cultural appropriation, greed and corruption, yada yada. Got it.
It takes two to tango. Various Western sports orgs have been perfectly happy to take the money.
I’m less of a Formula One fan than some in here, but circuit after circuit moved out of some classic European circuits, almost invariably to the home of some despotic regime in somewhere like the Gulf. My understanding is this isn’t exactly popular, but I may be wrong.
See the football World Cup. There’s football mad countries all over Asia and Africa that many Westerners would love to travel to for such an event. But nah, you’ve got Qatar. People weren’t complaining about Japan/South Korea
Did Leicester fans, or some of the envious badly run clubs care that their chairman was from Thailand?
People do care when ‘not representing a nation state honestly’ start coming in and using a vehicle of sport that we love to burnish their own reputations. When they could bring the very reforms that fixed what gives them a negative reputation in the first place, relatively easily.
And it fucking works too, which is the particularly irritating part about it.
As a fan of sports and sidestepping politics, I’d like the playing field to be more, not less equal than it is. And not a single sportswashing project cares about the wider ecosystem or cost control. Ligue Une would have been one of the most vibrant, varied leagues around with lots of teams being in the mix for supremacy, instead it’s been a predictable PSG procession where they don’t even try that hard, minus a few times where they really really slacked off
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On June 07 2023 19:07 Hildegard wrote:Show nested quote +On June 07 2023 17:12 RvB wrote:On June 07 2023 04:36 Liquid`Drone wrote:
Some great players makes no difference to me. The market is plenty saturated, unless the quality of the teams actually surpasses that of the great european leagues it's still an irrelevant league.
The league also has to have some inherent interest tied to it, and the saudi league has absolutely 0 such interest. There are two ways for the Saudi league to become relevant: a) the aforementioned 'they get so many quality players their top teams might legitimately contend for 'best team'', or b) Saudi teams somehow manage to get some arrangement where they become eligible to play in the champions league / some huge changes happen to the structure of international club football and they become included.
I don't have the impression people outside France / maybe ex colonies tune in for Ligue 1, and PSG has been one of the most stacked teams in the world for several years now. But most people - even pretty serious football fans, only watch them in the CL, and generally with the hope that they will fail. I doubt westerners like us are the audience they're doing it for. The middle east has a huge amount of people who might be interested in seeing all these stars even if they are old and declining. On June 07 2023 14:33 RKC wrote:
Yes, only enlightened Western democracies (EU and USA) are entitled to invest and own top sporting resources (players, clubs, etc). Asia and Africa being backward civilisations should just bugger off, stay in their lane, and stick to street and village football. To guard against sportswashing, cultural appropriation, greed and corruption, yada yada. Got it. I doubt a top down approach by just throwing money at it will work though. It does not look like there is a long term plan behind it. That 500 million can better be invested in youth acadamies and professionalising the clubs. Ronaldo will take his cash for two years and then move back to Portugal leaving Saudi Arabia with nothing. It worked for the Premier League, but it seems now according to transfermarkt.de that Messi might go to Miami after Apple and Adidas offered shared revenue for streaming / sales or Barcelona. The Saudi offer seems to be postponed for a year.
the premier league is the most successful league because its based around the english language. its got nothing to do with top down investment and "sportswashing". the combination of accessibility and high quality football is what made epl number 1. la liga/serie a/bundesliga all failed in comparison to epl (particularly serie a considering the height of their quality and popularity in the 90s) because its still a league thats based on their "non global" languages.
the reality is no one really gives a shit about the saudi league, or any league in the middle east for that matter. that perception isnt going to change just because a few big names get paid hundreds of millions over there. and as long as that perception doesnt change, the saudi league will never be considered amongst the big boys.
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I would say, the fact that they have to pay those players like 10 times of what they would earn in Europe just hammers it home for every fan, that those are no leagues to be taken but just retirement/glamour leagues.
It was pretty much the same with the Chinese league. Like yay, you attracted some talent. Oh, you had to pay those players Messi/Ronaldo money, to get them here, that really shows how serious your league is to be taken.
Thats like some movie actor suddenly being offered 10 times their regular salary by some obscure film project you never heard about before. Yeah, it is probably porn industry, thanks...
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On June 07 2023 20:47 {CC}StealthBlue wrote:
Yeah because what wife would want to live in Saudi Arabia with her kids for two effin years.... Apple is also part of the lobbying group.
I am sure wifes and family have been playing bigger parts in transfers than most of us suspect in football history
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Northern Ireland26225 Posts
On June 07 2023 22:13 evilfatsh1t wrote:Show nested quote +On June 07 2023 19:07 Hildegard wrote:On June 07 2023 17:12 RvB wrote:On June 07 2023 04:36 Liquid`Drone wrote:
Some great players makes no difference to me. The market is plenty saturated, unless the quality of the teams actually surpasses that of the great european leagues it's still an irrelevant league.
The league also has to have some inherent interest tied to it, and the saudi league has absolutely 0 such interest. There are two ways for the Saudi league to become relevant: a) the aforementioned 'they get so many quality players their top teams might legitimately contend for 'best team'', or b) Saudi teams somehow manage to get some arrangement where they become eligible to play in the champions league / some huge changes happen to the structure of international club football and they become included.
I don't have the impression people outside France / maybe ex colonies tune in for Ligue 1, and PSG has been one of the most stacked teams in the world for several years now. But most people - even pretty serious football fans, only watch them in the CL, and generally with the hope that they will fail. I doubt westerners like us are the audience they're doing it for. The middle east has a huge amount of people who might be interested in seeing all these stars even if they are old and declining. On June 07 2023 14:33 RKC wrote:
Yes, only enlightened Western democracies (EU and USA) are entitled to invest and own top sporting resources (players, clubs, etc). Asia and Africa being backward civilisations should just bugger off, stay in their lane, and stick to street and village football. To guard against sportswashing, cultural appropriation, greed and corruption, yada yada. Got it. I doubt a top down approach by just throwing money at it will work though. It does not look like there is a long term plan behind it. That 500 million can better be invested in youth acadamies and professionalising the clubs. Ronaldo will take his cash for two years and then move back to Portugal leaving Saudi Arabia with nothing. It worked for the Premier League, but it seems now according to transfermarkt.de that Messi might go to Miami after Apple and Adidas offered shared revenue for streaming / sales or Barcelona. The Saudi offer seems to be postponed for a year. the premier league is the most successful league because its based around the english language. its got nothing to do with top down investment and "sportswashing". the combination of accessibility and high quality football is what made epl number 1. la liga/serie a/bundesliga all failed in comparison to epl (particularly serie a considering the height of their quality and popularity in the 90s) because its still a league thats based on their "non global" languages. the reality is no one really gives a shit about the saudi league, or any league in the middle east for that matter. that perception isnt going to change just because a few big names get paid hundreds of millions over there. and as long as that perception doesnt change, the saudi league will never be considered amongst the big boys.
Aye, the Premier League also had some other things going for it. It was more glamorously packaged, better presented as a product. Compare broadcast footage of the 90s Prem to other leagues and it is generally a bit better, more polished.
You have the English away fan culture added to the mix so most matches are pretty full and vibrant. Something Italy and Spain don’t really have to anywhere near the same degree. Add to that English football’s relative lack of omnipresent dynastic clubs at the top of the tree (I said relative ok!)
The English language certainly does help but it wasn’t just that that saw it become as pre-eminent as it did
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Northern Ireland26225 Posts
Well there goes my chance at ticking off the ‘watch Messi play live’ from my bucket list 
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And we can't ignore the one true MVP of this entire situation who just made a shit ton of money. If it goes through of course.
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Pandemona
Charlie Sheens House51493 Posts
Haha wow Messi took lesser money to go to Miami, regardless of shares and what not, no way its going to come close to the £1.2billion on the table in Saudi, my guess is this was all agreed when it was first reported back in December and he couldn't go back on it.
Also to note, i assume the downtime of the MLS means he can go back to Barca "on loan" as well if he wanted.
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Well that and he already has a house in Miami.
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There it is :D
Barca management screwed over Messi once again, Messi was never going to allow Saudi Arabia and its laws/customs to dictate to his family, and his wife especially.
+ Show Spoiler +
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United States10271 Posts
On June 08 2023 01:50 WombaT wrote:Well there goes my chance at ticking off the ‘watch Messi play live’ from my bucket list
at least us people here in the states now get that chance!
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51519 Posts
Messi: Me llevaré mis talentos a South Beach (probably).
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Northern Ireland26225 Posts
On June 08 2023 05:33 FlaShFTW wrote:Show nested quote +On June 08 2023 01:50 WombaT wrote:Well there goes my chance at ticking off the ‘watch Messi play live’ from my bucket list at least us people here in the states now get that chance!
Better make use of I’ll be annoyed haha!
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So Messi could make his debut in July, Inter Miami is going to have to quadruple security etc. for games. As well as MLS everywhere else. There is now a rumor that Beckham is trying lure Di Maria to Miami as well.
“After winning the World Cup and not being able to return to Barcelona, it was my turn to go to the league of the United States to live football in another way,” Messi said.
He didn’t take the money. He didn’t choose the memories. He picked Miami instead. Messi’s next matches are likely to be exhibitions with Argentina against Australia on June 15 at Beijing and at Indonesia in Jakarta four days later — and then his Inter Miami debut figures to be sometime in July.
“We are pleased that Lionel Messi has stated that he intends to join Inter Miami and Major League Soccer this summer,” read a statement from MLS. “Although work remains to finalize a formal agreement, we look forward to welcoming one of the greatest soccer players of all time to our league.”
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner — the trophy given annually to the world’s best player — makes his move after two years with Paris Saint-Germain. At 35, Messi has nothing left to prove in the game and filled the only significant unchecked box on his resume back in December by leading Argentina to the World Cup title.
Source
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The rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo has riveted football pundits and primary schoolchildren alike, fuelling endless debates over who is the greatest player of modern times – or ever.
The forwards are almost neck and neck on goals scored, Ballon d’Ors and Golden Shoe awards, but according to Dr Ian Graham, the outgoing director of research at Liverpool FC, a deeper look at the data reveals a clearcut winner. “It’s Messi,” Graham told an audience at the Cheltenham Science Festival this week.
Source - Guardian
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On June 08 2023 10:24 {CC}StealthBlue wrote:So Messi could make his debut in July, Inter Miami is going to have to quadruple security etc. for games. As well as MLS everywhere else. There is now a rumor that Beckham is trying lure Di Maria to Miami as well. Show nested quote +“After winning the World Cup and not being able to return to Barcelona, it was my turn to go to the league of the United States to live football in another way,” Messi said.
He didn’t take the money. He didn’t choose the memories. He picked Miami instead. Messi’s next matches are likely to be exhibitions with Argentina against Australia on June 15 at Beijing and at Indonesia in Jakarta four days later — and then his Inter Miami debut figures to be sometime in July.
“We are pleased that Lionel Messi has stated that he intends to join Inter Miami and Major League Soccer this summer,” read a statement from MLS. “Although work remains to finalize a formal agreement, we look forward to welcoming one of the greatest soccer players of all time to our league.”
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner — the trophy given annually to the world’s best player — makes his move after two years with Paris Saint-Germain. At 35, Messi has nothing left to prove in the game and filled the only significant unchecked box on his resume back in December by leading Argentina to the World Cup title. Source
didnt take the money lol, like is he playing for free in miami? i understand what they meant but come on, that still a false statement
im willing to bet that the miami offer was the next highest amount after the saudi offer
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Pandemona
Charlie Sheens House51493 Posts
Barca throwing shade at Messi in there announcement today was very petty, it isn't Messi fault the club treated him like crap and forced him out lol, then had no money still to bring him back!
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MLS/Beckham laughing all the way to the bank.
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United States10271 Posts
On June 08 2023 07:37 WombaT wrote:Show nested quote +On June 08 2023 05:33 FlaShFTW wrote:On June 08 2023 01:50 WombaT wrote:Well there goes my chance at ticking off the ‘watch Messi play live’ from my bucket list at least us people here in the states now get that chance! Better make use of I’ll be annoyed haha!
Probably can't even afford the tickets anymore, they're going to be hella marked up.
In other news, Mac Allister finally signs with LFC! YNWA
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EPT
