Association Football 2023/2024 Discussion Thread

[JGibson]

A very big win for Arsenal, as they finally break their long losing streak against Manchester City in Premier League play. Gabriel Martinelli got the game-winner to give his side the 1-nil win over Manchester City.

[JGibson]

2028 and 2032 Euros hosting countries have been announced.

2028: UK and Ireland
2032: Italy and Turkey (Türkiye)

[Mike88]

Meanwhile, news from Iran...

https://twitter.com/Renascenca/status/1712542816071557245

Cristiano Ronaldo risks 100 lashes for hugging a disabled artist

Striker Cristiano Ronaldo hugged a disabled young woman in Iran and now risks a sentence of up to 100 lashes. The information is being provided by the Italian television program TgLa7.

At issue is the Portuguese international's meeting with Fatemeh Hamami, an Iranian artist who has 85% of her body paralyzed, and who became famous for the paintings she paints with her feet.

At the time, Fatemeh Hamami presented CR7, who was in the country to face Persepolis FC, in the Asian Champions League, with a painting of hers.

Cristiano Ronaldo, current Al Nassr player, offered a game shirt, but hugged and kissed the artist on the face, something that is prohibited in the country.

[LabourJersey]

2028 and 2032 Euros hosting countries have been announced.

2028: UK and Ireland
2032: Italy and Turkey (Türkiye)

UK and Ireland as a joint bid isn't truly crazy, but having five teams automatically qualify seems very absurd.

[JGibson]

Arsenal and Chelsea played to a 2-2 draw this past Saturday, after Chelsea held a 2-0 lead.

[JGibson]

Premier League club Everton could be facing a 12-point deduction that would harm their survival chances.

 

Sachin Nakrani and Andy Hunter at The Guardian:

The Premier League has reportedly recommended that Everton should be hit with a 12-point deduction if found guilty of breaching its financial fair play rules.

Everton were referred by the Premier League to an independent commission in March following an audit of all top-flight clubs’ financial records for the 2021-22 season. The details of the charge have not been disclosed but are believed to relate to a tax issue connected to loans for Everton’s new stadium at Bramley Moore dock. The disciplinary hearing began last week and a verdict is expected later this year.

 
The league’s profitability and sustainability rules allow clubs to lose a maximum of £105m over a three-year period or face sanctions; Everton had recorded losses of £371.8m over the the previous three years and annual losses for five consecutive years - more than £430m in total over the period.

 
Everton could be fined or hit with a transfer embargo if found guilty but, according to the Daily Telegraph, the Premier League has recommended a points deduction up to a maximum of 12 points. As things stand, a 12-point deduction would leave Everton bottom with minus-five points and well and truly facing a third battle in three years to avoid relegation to the Championship.

[Santander]

Utterly insane format for the 2030 FIFA World Cup--Spain, Portugal, and Morocco tri-hosting the event with the opening matches held in Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay. We're really never getting a normal World Cup again.

One basketcase country hosting isn't bad enough, so why not have 6?

[Santander]

Disgraceful refereeing for Newcastle-Arsenal.

[buritobr]

Fluminense beat Boca to win first Copa Libertadores title

Fluminense beat Boca Juniors 2-1 and won the Copa Libertadores da América at Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro. The Argentine Cano scored the first goal to Fluminense. Then, the Peruvian Luis Advíncula scored for Boca Juniors. In the extra time, the Brazilian John Kennedy scored Fluminense's second goal, the only player who has the same nationality of the team to score a goal in this game.
There was an Argentine invasion in Rio de Janeiro. There were ~20K Boca Juniors fans in Maracanã, and thousands of Boca Juniors who came to Rio even not having tickets. During the week, there were some fighting episodes among Boca fans, Fluminense fans and the police at Copacabana beach.

Until 2018, the final of the Copa Libertadores da América was played in 2 games, 1 in the home of each team. Since 2019, South America adopted the European Champions League format, in which there is a single game final in a host city chosen before the tournment starts. In 2023, it happened for the first time a coincidence: the host city was the home city of one of the teams. I don't think it was a good decision the South Americans copying the Europeans. South America doesn't have the income, population density and income similar to Europe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNJwvHzGgh4

[JGibson]

Disgraceful refereeing for Newcastle-Arsenal.

Yep. Mikel Arteta has every right to be livid. That goal should NOT have been given, and Bruno Guimarães should have been sent off.

[JGibson]

St. Louis CITY SC's first-ever MLS season ends with a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to our hated rivals Sporting Kansas, as they swept us 2-0 in the series. 
At the beginning of the season, no one expected us to even clinch a trip to the playoffs, let alone the #1 spot in the West. All in all, we way exceeded expectations that were given to us to begin the season, which was to avoid last place in the West and at least get within touching distance of a playoff spot.
Next year will be year two, and our road to our first MLS Cup trophy will begin anew.

[JGibson]

FC Copenhagen (København) beat Manchester United 4-3 in the UCL group stage. 

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Forgot to post this yesterday because I was so angry. The worst use of VAR to annul a goal yet. Completely unacceptable "attacking foul" that would never get called and rightfully so.

Milan saved from their own second rate performance, what else is new.

https://twitter.com/CricketCli41000/status/1723370349448909278?s=20

[JGibson]

A 5-way title race in the Premier League is on, as Manchester City drew Chelsea 4-4, Liverpool beat Brentford 3-nil, Aston Villa defeated Fulham 3-1, Arsenal won 3-1 over Burnley, and Tottenham lost to Wolverhampton 2-1.

MCI: 28 [+20]
LIV: 27 [+17]
ARS: 27 [+16]
TOT: 26 [+9]
AVL: 25 [+12]

[JGibson]

PL club Everton slapped with a 10-point deduction.

https://twitter.com/David_Ornstein/status/1725488623548608924

[JGibson]

In the UCL, Arsenal blank Lens 6-nil, lock up a trip to the last 16 and win Group B. 6 different goal scorers put their names on the goals tally.

[JGibson]

3rd Round FA Cup matchups. This is the first round in which Premier League and Championship teams take part.

Key matches:
Arsenal v. Liverpool
Tottenham v. Burnley
Shrewsbury Town v. Wrexham or Yeovil Town
Sunderland v. Newcastle
Wigan v. Manchester United
Manchester City v. Huddersfield
Chelsea v. Preston North End


https://twitter.com/EmiratesFACup/status/1731306227194269853

[JGibson]

UEFA Euro 2024 group stage draw is out as of yesterday.

[JGibson]

The Premier League has a very tight title race.

https://twitter.com/premierleague/status/1733974984366649830

https://twitter.com/premierleague/status/1733995058372763838

[Mike88]

Here in Portugal it's also very, very tight:

31 SportingCP
31 FCPorto
30 SLBenfica
29 SCBraga
25 Vitória de Guimarães

And, has everybody noticed that Girona is still in the lead in La Liga? Wow.

[Santander]

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/13028415/ankaragucu-president-punches-referee-two-detained-as-turkish-super-lig-game-descends-into-chaos-after-full-time

Matches in all Turkish football leagues have been suspended indefinitely by its football association after a club president punched a referee at the end of a Super Lig match on Monday night.

Insanity.

[JGibson]

The Bournemouth v. Luton match got abandoned due to Luton captain Tom Lockyer's cardiac arrest collapse at around the 59' mark of the match, in which both teams were level 1-1.

https://twitter.com/LutonTown/status/1736080936503009371

[JGibson]

The Premier League has ordered the Bournemouth v. Luton Town match that was abandoned at 1-1 to be replayed in full at a date and time to be announced.

https://twitter.com/LutonTown/status/1737525792819572829

[JGibson]

The European Court of Justice rules that neither FIFA nor UEFA can legally block the formation of the Super League.



Paul MacInnes at The Guardian:

Uefa has been found to be “abusing a dominant position” in the way it applies its rules, leaving the potential for a revival of the European Super League project.


In a long-awaited ruling by the European court of justice, Uefa and football’s international governing body, Fifa, were found to have rules relating to the establishment of new competitions that were not “transparent, objective, non-discriminatory and proportionate”. These rules have been declared “unlawful” by the court.
 
The judgment also found, however, that its decision “does not mean that a competition such as the Super League project must necessarily be approved”. The ruling has been awaited by football’s stakeholders as potentially offering sign as to the future of the European game and whether a project such a Super League could happen again.


[...]

 
A22 swiftly revealed its plan for men’s and women’s Super Leagues, with 64 teams in the men’s competition, 32 in the women’s and promotion and relegation across the divisions in each. It said the initial selection of clubs would be based on merit, there would be no permanent members and clubs would continue to play in their domestic leagues, with Super League matches scheduled midweek. Ejection from either competition, however, would happen only for clubs that finish at the bottom of the last tier.

 
Clubs would be placed in groups of eight, guaranteeing them 14 matches a season. Reichart said of the project’s plans, which would in effect replace Uefa’s Champions League. “For fans: We propose free viewing of all Super League matches. For clubs: Revenues and solidarity spending will be guaranteed.”

[JGibson]

Arsenal got hosed by the corrupt deep state-run PGMOL yet again on a VAR decision (wrongly awarded a goal similar to the incorrectly awarded goal at Newcastle), as they lose to West Ham 2-nil.