After some horse-trading towards the end of last week, involving a reluctant Spartak Moscow, a huge step was taken on Monday towards establishing a Unified Football Championship across former-Soviet countries. 14 Russian clubs met a representative club from the Ukrainian league in Moscow, with Ukrainian clubs now due a corresponding meeting.
The event was hosted by Gazprom deputy chairman, Alexei Miller, an ally of Vladimir Putin, who afterwards briefed Russian media and indicated Uefa were aware of their plans.
Miller said, “We think it is realistic to hold the championship from the autumn of 2014 to the spring of 2015, but if the time to reach agreements drags on, we plan to hold the championship from autumn 2015 to spring 2016.
“Since a championship like this is a complicated diplomatic matter, we have decided to initiate the championship initially with Ukraine only.
“In the future, if everything works out, we will be able to co-opt clubs from the other countries in the post-Soviet territories, but that’s the next step. All former-Soviet countries would be eligible to join.”
Show me the money
Gazprom sponsor the Uefa Champions League and are keen to sponsor the new league. Miller was clear that money would drive the change, promising annual sponsorship of €1 billion, which in world football is (a close) second only to the value of the next FA Premier League TV contract.
Uefa Financial Fair Play requirements make change, of some sort, inevitable in Russia and Ukraine. Leading clubs there are heavily subsidised by benefactors and, unless they manage to considerably improve their income, they will have to either get rid of all their expensive players, or forgo European competition.
As things stand, the sums don’t add up but money from a Unified Football Championship would allow clubs in Russia and Ukraine to meet Uefa Financial Fair Play requirements and compete with major leagues in the west. Gazprom have the seed cash and political influence, both domestically and at Uefa, to oil the wheels.
In 2005 Uefa sanctioned the Royal League in Scandinavia between the top four clubs from Denmark, Sweden and Norway, but the initiative was poorly organised and perished three years later due to a lack of a TV deal.
After this experiment several clubs across Europe started lobbying to extend the strategy to other leagues which were disenfranchised by a lack of competition or TV income. The principle was further confirmed by Michel Platini and the Uefa Executive Committee in March last year, when they approved a three year probationary period for the BeNe League, which combined top women’s teams from Belgium and the Netherlands, the first season of which is now underway.
The Committee stated at the time that, subject to a satisfactory outcome of the BeNe experiment, other cross-border leagues would be considered by the Executive Committee if all stakeholders (national associations, leagues and clubs) came to agreement on a way forward.
The former-Soviet countries are now motivated to regionalise. The Scandinavians have understood the potential of regionalisation for years but didn’t get it right (they retained national leagues which determined European qualification, the Royal League was effectively a friendly competition). The Belgians and Dutch have a pan-national league already underway, while the former-Yugoslav countries have discussed implementing the same for a couple of years now.
Wales and England have the longest-established regionalised league system in the world.
Meanwhile…………. at a national stadium near you, the only change on the agenda is whether to have three lower leagues or two.
Scottish football is fully aware the viability of many clubs is at a critical level, but have singularly failed to present the vision evident elsewhere in Europe. Whatever world-class technical, stadium and coaching resources we have is being squandered by unambitious leadership.
Months into deliberations Scottish football is only addressing how to slice up an ever-smaller pie. The enormous increase in income possible from regionalisation to SPL clubs, and what trickles-down to the lower leagues, dos not seem to have registered.
Hard cash can focus minds..
Spartak Moscow owner, Leonid Fedun, was highly critical of plans for the new league and insisted he would not attend Monday’s meeting but after doing so he said, “When I heard the budget per year was €1 billion I changed my mind and decided to attend. You can’t miss a chance to be the part of that game.”
Football across Europe is set for change, a fact a great deal of the UK media seem to have missed.
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Turktelecom score. Poor defending by Gazprom, who started the match better.
1st mistake by Thomson & Co.
El Sharaaway a yard offside as he burst clear there. Gained a corner from which they nearly scored.
Not even a hint of wrestling at the corner kicks in Istanbul. Collum has stamped his authority on the game.
I know the Barca away top has the colours of the Catalan flag, but it looks like something conjured up by Salvador Dali on acid.
HH!!
Kojo
Re. Zonal marking.
We have the cat who we got from the doctor about eight years back. The cat is white and big. Because the cat was white and present from the doctor we called him “the Suppository” Word the suppository sounds better in Polish, like “Tsopeck” (Czopek).
Our Csopeck was doing that zonal marking everywhere. I’m sure he thought – this zone is marked, I will go to mark another zone. When that zone marking by Tsopeck had place outside it meant nothing to me or my family, but I assure you, it was not nice for us. So, for all cats in the environment that Tsopeck marking meant : No can’t go there, otherwise I can be attacked, beaten by the cat who is probably bigger.
Of course, we asked the doctor to give us advise, how can we stop our cat doing zonal marking in our house. The doctor said that the only solution is that our cat must give his jewels as the dedication. It helped.
Back to the football, every smart , big cat (the player) on the pitch is doing zonal marking. He tries to scare the opponent and say :this is my territory. The other cats, even big who left their jewels as the dedication out off the pitch can’t do the zonal marking and they don’t scare the opponents.
I hope this helps.
Tallybhoy at 20.04
That’s interesting. The team on Radio Nacional de España just wondered out loud why the referee, if he is Scottish, has not turned out in a kilt. “And one of those knives they put in their socks,” added the ultimate wag after a pause.
Why are Barca dressed as Sherbet Dip Dabs?
mee-lan playing well
Stormin’ game.
AC Milan may heve been written off by some, but curiously, they remind of Celtic’s efforts v Barça.
A tonic for the troops.
Gotta say, Craig Thompson acquiting (no pun intended!) himself very well.
Just back from the opticians. Told him I can see 7 years into the future. He thinks I must have 2020 vision.
Wullie Collum and Craig Thomson are reffing the champions league games tonight, a thought The deadybears weren’t allowed representation in European competition for 3 years?
27 minutes gone and Craig Thomson hasn’t made a complete mess of anything yet.
Is this a new world record?
Barca wearing a Tequila Sunrise number tonight.
I thought Annie Lennox would have won the first award
Good evening friends.
Forza Barca!
Tonight we should call Barca Solero!
Jimmy Calderwood when asked about his team , Dunferline,going to Mordor on the title decider day in 2003 said when asked about Celtic maybe winning the league with a hand from Dunferline ‘ if that happens my father would kill me’
We know the rest and the uproar when Chris Sutton said we knew Dunfermline would lie down.
People like Calderwood are better out the game IMO
Jobo:
Whilst you’re about I’d been thinking about your duties the official CQN weather forecaster. I greatly admire the reliability of your reports and wondered if you could take requests for forecasts outwith your own locality. I’d like to start by requesting a Carmarthen locality report at 7:00am (or there abouts) tomorrow morning.
Chapo dear chap…
WWC
hebcelt
14:43 on
20 February, 2013
Hamilton tim what bugs me is why Hoops is,nt up a the centre circle when we have a corner against us and why Fraser do,st sp throw the ball out to the full backs more often
———————
The answer to that question is that the primary purpose in defending a corner is not to concede.
Which we are doing very well.
Also, I can think of two occasions recently when we’ve scored from DEFENDING a corner in the 4-0 game against Dundee united. If I remember correctly it was hooper who cleared the corner and was then on the end of Samaras’ ball to score the opener. The other may also have been hooper.
Forget to add:
:-)
Would somebody tell that twat who is commentating that it is EL-SHARAWAY and not EL-SHAWARAY?!
HH!!
Andrew Young @Hullbhoy
It’s always a good tactic remove your PLC Chairman ahead of publishing your first 6 month financial statements which may be a bit, erm…..
West Wales Celt –
not sure how many times I need to repeat this but I DON’T DO FORECASTS. I merely report the weather at that particular moment in time ;-)
ps where’s Carmarthen?
79 caps@20.04
Wee stuart Dougall will be ragin!!
Doc.
Plenty of lolly!
I can see Milan have studied our games with barca.
Let them pass and pass until the final third and shut them down.
Schalke score. 1 each.
Boring Boring Barca
jobo baldie
20:28 on
20 February, 2013
West Wales Celt –
not sure how many times I need to repeat this but I DON’T DO FORECASTS. I merely report the weather at that particular moment in time ;-)
—
Jobo,
Storm in a tea cup.
Sipsini, the Milan manager may have been on the phone to NFL for some advice.
They are certainly copying our tactics, even allowing Barca the ball out wide, then defending the crosses.
Only difference this time is I want Barca to score.
Young Hoops score
Barca vs Bayern in the final and it will be hard to call. Will be a great game though.
Gerry
Milan have obviously looked at our tactics in how we beat Barca.
The problem is they haven’t scored. And if Barca take the lead they will almost certainly get another on the counter attack.
Celtic under 19s go 1 up at Tannadice.
Liam Brady comparing Milan’s tactics to ours.
Thomson showing that he can referee impartially, so far.
Go on The Young Hoops!
HH!
“Liam Brady comparing Milan’s tactics to ours.”
>>>>>>>
So did I! Flounce Flounce Flounce!
; > ))
Re thompson and gollum doing well tonight .
My take on that is that they don’t care who wins or loses tonight ,so one thing less to distract them .
hail hail
Gerrybhoy
was thinking the same ,was impressed with Bayern last night
hail hail