It was only in February this year that the proposed Russia-Ukraine joint league first reached the stage of formal meetings between clubs to discuss the viability but tonight a showcase tournament between top clubs from each country gets underway tonight. It is hoped the formal joint league will start this time next year when the top nine teams from each country will form the Unified First League.
Despite discouragement from Fifa, Uefa have insisted only that proper procedures are followed to give their ascent to the league. Gazprom, the Russian energy giant and Uefa Champions League sponsor, has underwritten the project with a commitment of 1 billion euros per annum.
As we know, in football, money talks, and the Russian and Ukrainian clubs, together with their national associations and Uefa, have been talked happy to make change possible.
In order to become competitive with their rivals in the west while meeting Uefa Financial Fair Play rules, Russian and Ukrainian clubs need to increase income, which the Unified First League would go a long way towards. Uefa president, Michel Platini, has long accepted that regionalisation was a viable way forward for domestic leagues, while former powers in smaller leagues have become disenfranchised from the game’s top table.
What does it mean for us?
Well, we don’t have a Gazprom, not yet, anyway, but once Gazprom’s financial and political muscle establishes the principle of regionalisation, that principle is available to all. Former Yugoslavia countries are already in talks, while Scandinavian countries have already had a few abortive attempts at (underfunded) regional cup competitions.
The British region.
Welsh football has managed to retain its national identity, provide an infrastructure for provincial and community clubs, while federating with the FA in England to allow their larger (sic) clubs to find their competitive level.
The model is already established for Scottish football, which has realised living with one (or two for that matter) massive club which completely invalidates their league competition as a ‘competition’ is no longer the best way to order their affairs.
Financial recklessness caused the collapse of one club a year ago while the recklessness of a Lithuanian bank has put another in jeopardy. A handful of other top-flight clubs now realise their financial commitments, not to mention sporting objectives, are no longer viable, with or without the crumbs from the table thrown in their direction when TV cameras and a few thousand fans arrive a few times per season.
Federate with England, just as the Welsh did. It will bring ‘competition’ back to our competitions, put thousands of everyone’s gates and provide access to viable commercial contracts.
Why are our leagues and Association not speaking to the English about this right now? The Football League in England is every bit as much a basket case as Scottish football right now, they also need to change the structural model and, unlike the equally lunatic (English) Premier League, appear to be self-aware in this respect.
Go talk to the Welsh FA, Cardiff City, Swansea, Wrexham or New Saints FC (!) and ask them what organising their game along the lines of the Scottish model would do to them.
Scottish football must federate or it will die. As such, if we stand on the precipice of crisis, let’s make it a good one. It’s the only thing which will get things moving.
Get Downfall here on Kindle or Heart of a Lion below:
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About 25 years for me Blantyre Tim
Lennybhoy
FFS ….embarrassing
The orcs will think it’s pure dead brilliant
Ooft – wee Jack hits the post in E.T.
Talks port have a comp???
Battle of the football bands in the EPL.
Thinking of contacting them to see who they can pick from our bands?
U2
Simple Minds
Pauli Notini
Frankie Miller
Fratellis
Rod
Glasvegas
And……….
Love this from Frankie
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=Ajfe4ODwnpI&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DAjfe4ODwnpI
BT
That song soot you does it?
.
LennyBhoy..
Think Bercovic Lenny and Sutton cost 6M..
Schiehdt cost 4M..
Summa
HH
I d a good day at work and thus have awarded myself a star..
Sally obviously gets the stars from fast food establishments….
HH
McGlumfer
قسم قسم الشؤون المالية قسم الشؤون المالية or just ask praecepta
My Aunties Fortune @ 10.22
Good luck
Re most expensive signing, iI think Chris Sutton, did he not cost 8 million plus. Best of luck to the 2 brave girls. Hoping all goes well and that op is a total success.
What is the hun bus reg no then?
KKK1690?
Che
Correct
They had an opportunity to change ….force out the FTP brigade and drag themselves into the 21st century
Instead they are happy to languish in 19th century bigotry
Here’s another one you might not have heard for a while…..
I know that its only a dream now,
But my hopes will always remain
To see the sun shine over Ireland
When the people are happy again.
Sutton is our dearest signing ..£6m …I think
suttons volley 21:49:
Either Sutton or Hartson both signed for £6 million. Berkovic and NL were around £5.75 million, Rafael Scheidt was £5 milllion.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Morar,
Although it’s always warming to hear of such acts of kindness, you must be going through the mill with worry. Thoughts and wishes with you all, and looking foward to hearing the good news once it’s all over.
—
Re this bus malarkey – I take it that it’s been armed with anti-zombie artillery? Surely necessary when they lose their next 18 away games.
Anyway, if I was Big Brucey, I’d be checking this luxury coach when it returns to depot at 7pm every Saturday – that shower will try to give him back a Glasgow Daimler and claim it’s the same bus. Saying that, with the help of the lovely Jack at meeja hoose, Big Brucey will believe it.
And let the world know,
it really is so,
Sing Irishmen sing
Corkcelt:
Good shout.
Don’t think it was 8 but may have been 6+
tonydonnelly67
Very Kojo(:-)
TT
Happy tunes
Ohhhhhhhhhh
Go any way this game
bournesouprecipe
22:03 on 27 June, 2013
McGlumfer
قسم قسم الشؤون المالية قسم الشؤون المالية or just ask praecepta
__________
Don’t worry about it – think BSR was enquiring (literal translation) if you were a descendant of the Bedahuns tribe? :-)
Evil Genius?
6 million
Ref conned there.
Why are Italy wearing black armbands?
Mind you, the ref’s nae giud anyway.
Summa of Sammi…._22:02 :
Scheidt was £5 million mate.
Eyal and Neil both under £6 million and both Hartson and Sutton £6 million each.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Thanks for the responses guys
If Lennon, Hartson & Sutton were playing in the EPL these days they’d command funny money.
HH
Yellow Peqie
It may not be Friday night but this is an all time classic:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VOmM7Wfgq-I
Emus.
Former italian international died
. Motor neurons disease. Can’t remember the name
Pique tries the olde Tierry Henry move – yellow card.
We don’t care about the news.
*tuts*
Wearing black arm bands for an ITalian player who died with the same illness wee JInkie had, 44 or 45 he was
Googy
You forgot about snoop dog, Celtic daft he is:)
Spain will nick this.
Bsr — Cheers for the one-eyed smiley thingy….
ن