A group of Russian and Ukrainian clubs hoping to form a joint championship have formed an organising committee and have invited top flight clubs in both countries to a meeting in Moscow on 18th of February to formalise arrangements.
The invitation letter states, “The main goal of our organization is the development of club, national and European football”
“In order to bring football to a new level, we propose to combine multiple national championships in one tournament. Initially Ukraine and Russia will be involved but in order to develop the strength of our game, the league could be extended to all former-Soviet countries.
“We are convinced that this new championship will be a model for other territories; this integration process is the future of football.
“This initiative will create healthy competition, increase entertainment game and increasing revenues from television broadcasts and advertising – just some of the benefits of unification.
“All of this will allow individual clubs to benefit as well as national teams, who will gain from players working in a higher standard of league. This is perhaps a unique case in sport where all participants are able to win.
Soviet Sport spoke to several Russian teams who confirmed they will attend. Sergei Palkin, the chief executive of Shakhtar Donetsk, was cautious, suggesting Ukrainian clubs and the Federation need to act with unity, “I hope this meeting takes place but only after Ukrainian clubs have chosen a common position.
“Then we can decide who should attend. The Football Federation of Ukraine need to be active, they can unite clubs and deal with the proposal appropriately.”
Note their points:
“Main goal… development of club, national and European football”.
“Bring football to a new level”.
“Develop the strength of our game”.
“This integration process is the future of football”.
“This will allow individual clubs to benefit as well as national teams”.
“Create healthy competition, increase entertainment game and increasing revenues from television broadcasts and advertising”.
Amid all the talk about reorganising our game has anyone had the clarity of vision to articulate the above aspirations? Having lived with threats from “the big five” leagues for long enough other demographically-challenged countries are putting plans in place to allow their clubs a sporting chance. It will soon be “the big six” and thereafter, who knows?
Why on earth are we worried about the number of lower divisions we have? Regionalise or wither on the vine – and do your best to ignore any muppet who suggests taking legal action because he got his sums wrong. The only change worth having will be consensual and will benefit all in our game.
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Shoots!
Podium??
hail hail!
Nearly
Drat!
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS
12:12 on
6 February, 2013
PARTIZAN
Delighted to see you posting again-more often in future,please?
Highly delighted life is sweet for you now-you still in the NE?
Is Philvis at Klosters?
Paul67 – “Amid all the talk about reorganising our game has anyone had the clarity of vision to articulate the above aspirations?” You must be joking.
Top 10?? :-)
Regionalised European Leagues, fed from National Leagues is the way ahead. I’ve always been in favour of this over us going to England.
Hope PL is having tentative talks with his counterparts at PSV, Ajax, Anderlecht, Copenhagen etc. with a Western Europe Regional League in mind, along the same lines as the Russians/Ukrainians are talking about.
Has the Atlantic League’s moment come??
Hail, from an overcast Southampton, first time poster and very long time lurker. Oh and by the way I am not a Hun/Zombie or whatever they are.
BOBBY MURDOCHS CURLED UP WINKELPICKERS
Thanks for the welcome back. I have been occasionally lurking. Having read BHTRs post last night, I thought it time I posted again.
Paul 67, if this regional league is formed, do UEFA just pick from the top 2 or 3 from this league as representatives in the Champions League/Europa League ? That could possibly mean either no Ukrainian, or alternatively, no Russian Team in the European League in some seasons. Or, in the long term, is this seen as an attempt to supercede the Champions League etc ?
Marti
los_bhoy
12:18 on
6 February, 2013
Welcome los_bhoy
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS
Afternoon mate, do you happen to have ACGR’s email address? If so could you send it to me at asithought99@yahoo.co.uk
HH
The only change worth having is one that has the FANS interests at the heart of the change.
Therein lies the rub.
3.00 Kick offs
It is a disgrace that fans are asked to travel through the Drumochter Pass (A9) at stupid o clock in the morning to get to a 12.00 Kick off in Inverness – and vice versa for the fans from Dingwall Inverness and Aberdeen coming south.
The SFA should be doing a risk assessment on these journeys with the fans interests at heart. The minimum ‘safety measure’ should be a 3PM KO.
It’s a scandal. We went to Inverness last year only for the games to be pulled,
Partizan
10:55 on
6 February, 2013
Well done,good to see you posting again.
Engaged ? You do realise when you get married,she will just moan at you for something
else.
Best of luck luvburds.
Kayal33
I still think a European League run by UEFA is going to happen. Probably multiple Euro leagues in the format of the Champions League. Their first step was to get the European Cup in a league format. The next is to bring matches to a weekend. I believe the final is just a stepping stone. Next it will be the semi’s then the knockout stages and then all the group matches.
I can see there being a certain USA feel to the Champions League and it may in time become sort of worldwide league but in the mean time UEFA will want to make the cash. Too many leagues in Europe are two and three horse races and they want more competition.
How UEFA will fit this in with the leagues teams are currently in I’m not sure as yet but the Euro leagues are coming.
International football is almost dead. Not many players burst a gut for their country in Europe these days. All players born after 1990 want to play in the Champions league first and foremost. reaching a World Cup is down the list of aspiring footballers these days.
As any child who is an aspiring footballer.
What tournament would you most like to play in if you were professional?
I would estimate more than 90% will say the Champions League.
When I was a kid everyone wanted to play in a World Cup. Not so much these days.
UEFA have a winning product and they know it. A European league is on the horizon and it’s not a matter of IF it’s when it happens.
Where that leaves Celtic is unclear but I don’t want us to play in England. There are bigger arena’s than the EPL and Celtic need to have a product and the infrastructure to be part of it.
The Russian and Ukranian link up is interesting but we are talking about a very new country and two countries who were all part of the one league until a few decades ago.
The Champions League is where it’s at and we need to solidify our position there. We have proved we can cope this season and the goal is to qualify for the last 16 each season from now on.
When the big boys shuffle the pack in a few years we will be in the mix if we continue to compete at a CL level. There is no reason why we shouldn’t.
LB
Paul67
Article is a real boost
‘Hope’ seems to be today’s watchword -are our leaders are active in meetings to create ‘big league number 7’?
Has a wee ring to it…
Unfortunately -I still feel they don’t peddle hard enough to make the big ideas happen, and a culture of responding to the market rather than making or driving a market prevails.
However, I fully recognise that the present SPL model gives us a strong foundation, and is paying dividends… to an extent
Just a nagging feeling they lack vibrancy and potency…. We seem to be missing that ‘Fergus Spirit’….
HH
P67
Muppet?
I thought more like Goonzo from Rupert The Bear, wondering aimlessly here, there and everywhere, babbling nonsense
Rgds
hhplc
Tomtheleedstim, indeed.
los_bhoy, welcome. What kept you?
Marti Sandino, it would be all in together.
saltires en sevilla, yes, I like the sound of Big League 7.
Gonzo even…doh…it’s catching!
voguepunter
12:25 on 6 February, 2013
============
Haha thanks.
Well she has already ‘encouraged’ me to stop smoking! Over 10 weeks free from that wee addiction. She is a very good influence on me.
LiviBhoy
12:28 on
6 February, 2013
“All players born after 1990 want to play in the Champions league first and foremost.”
Nope.
We would (and will) lose players to EPL sides that will NEVER play CL football, they will go willingly too, even if we get last 16 every season.
BRTH – thanks for your post. Inspirational thought-provoking and eye-opening.
Thanks
TB
los_bhoy
12:18 on
6 February, 2013
Hail, from an overcast Southampton, first time poster and very long time lurker. Oh and by the way I am not a Hun/Zombie or whatever they are.
——
No-one said anything about you being a Hun/Zombie – why bring the subject up?
You’re one to be watched.
Good Afternoon(early morning here) CQN World.
Robert Nesta Marley’s birthday today, so big day in Jamaica (for some)
From someone who doesn’t usually drink, sitting here with my head thumping, having had only 1 red stripe last night, exactly why I very rarely do it.
But BRTH article this morning fairly lifts the spirits.
Doc – if about, mate sorted with that info yesterday morning, so thanks
Better go and get that sun bed
Hail Hail
PS – Winning Captains, I am aware a “Gil Herron” supporters club has been started in Kingston, by another mate of mine
Partizan
12:32 on
6 February, 2013
In a few years you’ll be encouraged to give up other things you like. It’s like a slow anesthetic.
Partizan
Good on your good lady,they new adverts against smoking would give you
the heeby jeebys,thank goodness I chucked it in my early 20’s
Personaly…id take an atlantic league over access to the epl every day of the week……im also of the opinion that over time it would prove to be more lucrative to sponsers than the epl….the amount of people watching an atlantic league combining the top clubs from scotland,ireland,holland,belgium and the scandanavian countries would rival anything the epl..la legia or any of the other leagues can claim…and as an added bonus….we could subscribe to this league seperatly without paying sky who then in turn feed the epl bubble….win win…..in time clubs from the epl would be begging for access to the atlantic league…i also like the idea of leaving a celtic playing in the scottish league to bleed the young team for the big team….
Paul67, you would also hope that part of this proposal would address the open racism and homophobia within their game e.g. the current despicable stance of Zenit St Petersburg.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2249569/Zenit-St-Petersburg-fans-demand-non-white-gay-players.html#axzz2K7cT4y7W
I sincerely hope we never meet this foul mob on our European travels.
Paul67
Myopia is one of our games diseases. Even the visionary wigmeister himself, Gordon Smith cant see beyond the end of his sad blue nose.
Nuclear Bovril and a Half Munched Pie
12:37 on
6 February, 2013
Paul67
Myopia is one of our games diseases. Even the visionary wigmeister himself, Gordon Smith cant see beyond the end of his sad blue nose.
————————————————————————–
You sure its a wig?http://bigcostumeshop.com/images/wholesalehalloweencostumes/92015BFW.jpg
Juve cyberspace floating comments from Pirlo .
Celtic ——2 very difficult games .
We have watched and analyzed all of their European games—–we know what to expect .
Yes —-they beat Barca. Barca are a fantastic team but they didn’t adapt their style of play when they played in Glasgow . We wont make the same mistake..
We know the atmosphere will be electric. It will not intimidate us / it will inspire us
some real sleekit hackery from Grant in the Herlad……………must be hurtin’.
Guid.
Afternoon chaps,
Is the Juve game on stv next week? I don’t think my search for a ticket that isn’t going to cost upwards of £200 is going to bare fruit so i may be on the couch. At least i’ll be warm.
HH
voguepunter
Mr Smiths barnet is of a superior construction to your example but is still made from 100% syrup.
Partizan, good to see ye back on.
HH to ye!
V