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.
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john McKay is supporting a c Milan tonight
If Wiggy’s at the Louden who is looking after his maw and da?
Seems like there is a hitch in the big merger meeting at Hampden … talks have broken off and will restart later this evening. Appears to be about money.
John MacKay in NO BLUE TIE shocker!!
Who is this old firm Stv are talking about?
corkcelt,
Here here, miki what’s happening? disappearing into the ether is no an option for mountain mhen
Well said Cork Celt
Jimbo
WIND(turbine) BENEATH MY WINGS :)
HH
I’ve always wondered about long-tailed tits, they seem to travel in bands occupying about three trees at any one time, as though a few will go ahead, check it’s safe, and start feeding, being joined later by the others – does anyone know whether some individuals specialise in being the “point man”? taking the risks of being first into any one tree, but getting first dibs on the easiest food, or do the last birds out of the last tree fly straight past the middle tree(s) which their mates are stripping bare, to prospect the next, “rolling” like a swarm of locusts.
hh and respect wb
Wind turbine collisions are indeed a cause of death for poor wee birdies, but if you are tough on bird death and tough on the causes of bird death, you need to exterminate domestic cats, which between them, polish off around 60 million of the wee chickadees each year in the UK alone.
I should know. Mine, dear old Munn and Dunning, account for a healthy proportion of that lot between them.
So, get rid of the cats and save the birds.
Of course the greatest cause of death of domestic cats is… domestic cars. So in reality, if you really want to save the birds, forget the turbines and just get more cars on the road driving ever faster, thus taking out an increasing number of feathery feline felons.
Simples.
EnviroCorrectGoneMad
Dontblowbackinanger
googybhoy ♥ celtic
15:28 on 27 June, 2013
@BarryAnderson_8: Breaking news: #Hearts sponsors Wonga pay this year’s sponsor money up front by giving #HMFC close to £1m to help fight for survival.
@alextomo: …as we know it’s July 19th Edinburgh Tribunals Centre, George St, Edinburgh
_________________________________________________________________________
Any truth in this story, can’t find any reference to it!
Ok guy’s sat at home wondering what to watch on Youtube…..
What’s worth a wee watch? Documentary and music wise.
Jonny
It’s 2 unrelated stories. One about Hearts, the other about RFC’s UTT play off.
TBB – or teach the wee birds to drive.
Or teach the cats to pounce on leading Scottish nationalists.
Cats v Nats, got to go with the ole felines.
I reckon wee Nicola would put up a fair scrap in a cat fight.
canamalar1
If you have sent me an e-mail regarding the shares I have not received this
Munn and Dunning
The wee cats would ask Serena to go haun’ers
All of the pictures of Wee Maria in the last 24 hours have been more upskirt tabloid than ever.
Think you’re forgetting that the cars are a cunning device used to source material for tennis racquets.
Saints Refuse To Cow Down To Agent Demands:
http://www.southampton.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=323058
BSR
Is that no a photie of mad frogs?
No up oan ma animals….
Kikinthenakas
I am not & NEVER have been an SNP man.
No matter.
Neither am I stupid enough to blame Alec Salmond for the death of our treasured visitor.
Life is cruel.
Could we try to not gratuitously insult our political opponents & pretend that only WE are sensitive to the Earth’s vagaries ?
kikin
Wee Maria Slips
When I hear talk of federating with England, Celtic moving to the English League etc my heart sinks and my love for the fitba dies another little bit. It might take a while to analyse. Nothing to do with England or the English – I like it and I like most of them who live in it (I’m a bit of an internationalist in any case).
If I find the time I’ll expand on why I feel like this.
BSR
Very similar to me coming home on Saturday night….
Splayedcsc
Nakas
Similarly doesn’t end there. ..o))
Rod Stewart visiting Cliftonville’s ground Solitude earlier.
#cliftonville #celtic pic.twitter.com/Q7cFqS7tZA
Re Wind Turbines & Birds:
The Gallowgate Growlers widnae see them in their way….
But, they might use them as washin poles :-)
Caged Red @cagedred 4m
Rod Stewart visiting Cliftonville’s ground Solitude earlier.
#cliftonville #celtic pic.twitter.com/Q7cFqS7tZA
jeezo can one of you techy’s stick this link up please? crackin wee photo
BSR
It is usually the female long tailed tit,that goes a wandering first then the males follow.I suppose they are not any different from most species,the female decides where you are going to roost.
Kilbowie Kelt
Are you serious? Don’t you watch the news?
Who do you think is responsible for the Offensive Black-throated Warbler at Football and Threatening Cormorants Act?
Good lord! Keep up man.
BT
Big tall dafty…worse for wear….you’re not wrong!
Kikinthenakas
The conservationist’s dilema
http://www.zazzle.co.uk/save_a_tree_kill_a_beaver_shirts-235198783062228613