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Sal-ittihad

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Somehow or other the Saudis will want to compete and be the best. UEFA may get to the point where they can get on board with that or be bystanders. It won't depend on UEFA to facilitate it.

To be clear, I hope it doesn't happen. I would prefer the Saudi league to crash and burn, but I am not confident it will.
 
Fwiw Ceferin has been consistently quite clear about not letting the Saudi clubs in European football. How much power does he actually hold over the decision is another debate tho
 
It would be in their interests financially.

This isn’t rocket science mate - it’s not about the integrity of the competition it’s about getting the most income.

You get that by having the biggest teams - and the biggest teams want to extract the most money.

Look at the format for next season - fucking hell… what a mess (unless you’re Swiss - who was our Swiss poster from years ago!!!!!!).

You know how this goes - at some point Saudi will offer all the riches to top teams to leave and join a new super league funded by them (if they’re smart they do it quickly and include MLS and start taking about the only club competition with Messi & Ronaldo).

They also offer UEFA a chance to retain the teams that have already expressed a desire to run their own thing and are crucial to the Champions League attracting revenue.

Saudi’s don’t care - it’s only numbers on a spreadsheet and either one gets the result they want - but who bites first.

Isn’t that the Prisoner’s Dilemma…

How is it in their interest? They are there to govern European football and even though its dodgy as fuck I can guarantee you that no other European football association would welcome the Saudis into a European competition. There would have to be rule change, change of cup format and a change in the principles of how you qualify for the competitions. That isnt easy to do.
If you give them 1-2 spots then 1-2 European teams miss out. As if that will be approved or voted in.

UEFA have already said no to playing the CL final in another country, like the US, and no again yesterday to a question about playing in Ryhiad.
I'd bet that this more media driven and a consequence of the transfer window then any news coming out of UEFA.

I dont think the MLS would want anything to do with the Saudis either.
 
It’s the same with Solly March, I think the issue is they both peaked too late and probably know pushing as far as they can with Brighton is what’s best for their careers now.
 
The upside to his slight deterioration is that he's always fit, City kept hold of Aguero for the handful of games he would win, despite him being finished and fucked. Salah is neither.
 
Has anyone seen the state of CL next season?
Not confident UEFA won’t cave in and defintely don’t they are lot less corrupt than FIFA. Just take a look at the changes they have introduced recently and their own exec commitee.
 
Has anyone seen the state of CL next season?
Not confident UEFA won’t cave in and defintely don’t they are lot less corrupt than FIFA. Just take a look at the changes they have introduced recently and their own exec commitee.

FIFA are responsible for the Club World cup, and if the Saudis are allowed to compete in the CL their tournament will lose of its appeal with the games between Europe and Saudi. No way they will allow that to happen.

Both UEFA and FIFA are corrupt as fuck, but in this case the fact that they have to keep their separate interest for this issue will work in footballs favor.
 
Unless the Saudi league just falls apart under the weight of unpaid bills and broken promises (here's hoping), I suspect there will be some kind of integration between them and the European clubs at some point. It all just seems a little uneasy at the moment, and UEFA will clearly be concerned.

Not quite sure how that will look, but if the Saudis do move onto attracting the bigger players (rather than the ones heading to retirement) then UEFA won't want top stars not playing in the Champions League, and they definitely won't want the big European clubs forming a Super League without them (which the big clubs will still be very happy to do, obviously).

Giving the Saudis a place in the CL might seem a small price to pay.

I doubt the European associations or clubs will be happy about it, not least because someone will be losing CL places, but if there is money in it for them somewhere then it might change their mind, and in theory (very, very, very much IN THEORY), it could bring the Saudi clubs into Financial Fair Play rules.
Sorry mate but this makes no sense. Why? Because there will then be very little to stop the players moving to Saudi clubs on oodles of cash.
The Euro clubs know this and there'll be hell to pay if UEFA try to muscle it through.
 
From UEFA's constitution.

Article 5
1 Membership of UEFA is open to national football associations situated in the continent of Europe, based in a country which is recognised as an independent state by the majority of members of the United Nations, and which are responsible for the organisation and implementation of football-related matters in the territory of their country.
2 In exceptional circumstances, a national football association that is situated in another continent may be admitted to member- ship, provided that it is not a member of the Confederation of that continent, or of any other Confederation, and that FIFA approves its membership of UEFA.

So for Saudi clubs to enter the "UEFA Champions League", Saudi Arabia has to join UEFA. And that can only happen if FIFA approves (which they won't, because it kills the World Club Cup and they'd probably say no just to piss UEFA off anyway).
And then if they do enter the CL, as @Richey points out, there's FFP considerations. Either the Saudi clubs have to meet FFP (which they won't) or UEFA has to absolve the other teams in the competition from following it (which they won't).

This is not going to happen.

And please don't tell me the Saudis will just go and "buy" UEFA and FIFA, that's just daft.
 
From UEFA's constitution.

Article 5
1 Membership of UEFA is open to national football associations situated in the continent of Europe, based in a country which is recognised as an independent state by the majority of members of the United Nations, and which are responsible for the organisation and implementation of football-related matters in the territory of their country.
2 In exceptional circumstances, a national football association that is situated in another continent may be admitted to member- ship, provided that it is not a member of the Confederation of that continent, or of any other Confederation, and that FIFA approves its membership of UEFA.

So for Saudi clubs to enter the "UEFA Champions League", Saudi Arabia has to join UEFA. And that can only happen if FIFA approves (which they won't, because it kills the World Club Cup and they'd probably say no just to piss UEFA off anyway).
And then if they do enter the CL, as @Richey points out, there's FFP considerations. Either the Saudi clubs have to meet FFP (which they won't) or UEFA has to absolve the other teams in the competition from following it (which they won't).

This is not going to happen.

And please don't tell me the Saudis will just go and "buy" UEFA and FIFA, that's just daft.


Yes the main advantage the Saudis have is that they are not in UEFA and not subject to FFP.
They will need to fuck off from Asia - which is fine by the rest of us tbh - but that likely means they will never ever qualify for the World Cup again.
 
Bottom line, Nation states in all their forms (Sovereign wealth funds, companies owned by the brother or Mum of a monarch etc.) have to stay away from the game.

Otherwise it becomes a plaything of governments, and we're in the Hunger Games.
 
Sorry mate but this makes no sense. Why? Because there will then be very little to stop the players moving to Saudi clubs on oodles of cash.
The Euro clubs know this and there'll be hell to pay if UEFA try to muscle it through.

Yes, you are probably right, and I certainly hope you are.

My concern I guess is that I don't quite see a new, fiercely ambitious and hugely wealthy league co-existing with the established leagues in the long term. They'll end up being some kind of crossover, it will just be a case of what it is.
 
Hendo played his latest pro league match in front of 900 people. The Saudis will be forcing people to the games next.
 
That's because they cannot compete in the Asia int'l tournaments, so they were pushed into Europe and hence, their clubs compete there too.
In theory, they should be in Asia too.
And how long before the Saudi League rise that point and push for their inclusion in the CL...?
 
And how long before the Saudi League rise that point and push for their inclusion in the CL...?
Are Donavan and Dreamie the same person?

UEFA will not allow a AFC team into its flagship competition.

Its one of the reasons they expanded the FIFA World Club Cup competition. To try and head off a break away competition.

The LIV argument is a shite one too.
 
Are Donavan and Dreamie the same person?

UEFA will not allow a AFC team into its flagship competition.

Its one of the reasons they expanded the FIFA World Club Cup competition. To try and head off a break away competition.

The LIV argument is a shite one too.
There is enough money loating around in the Sadui League to offer enough massive bribes to make anything is possible
 
The real money will be MLS clubs playing Saudi Clubs along with an annual all star game.

They’ll probably call it a World Series too
 
From UEFA's constitution.

Article 5
1 Membership of UEFA is open to national football associations situated in the continent of Europe, based in a country which is recognised as an independent state by the majority of members of the United Nations, and which are responsible for the organisation and implementation of football-related matters in the territory of their country.
2 In exceptional circumstances, a national football association that is situated in another continent may be admitted to member- ship, provided that it is not a member of the Confederation of that continent, or of any other Confederation, and that FIFA approves its membership of UEFA.

So for Saudi clubs to enter the "UEFA Champions League", Saudi Arabia has to join UEFA. And that can only happen if FIFA approves (which they won't, because it kills the World Club Cup and they'd probably say no just to piss UEFA off anyway).
And then if they do enter the CL, as @Richey points out, there's FFP considerations. Either the Saudi clubs have to meet FFP (which they won't) or UEFA has to absolve the other teams in the competition from following it (which they won't).

This is not going to happen.

And please don't tell me the Saudis will just go and "buy" UEFA and FIFA, that's just daft.
Like it was daft they would buy a World Cup? Or buy the PGA?
 
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