Comments on: Welcome to the New World Order http://www.runofplay.com/2008/01/15/welcome-to-the-new-world-order/ Attacking Football Sat, 13 Mar 2010 15:34:31 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Brian http://www.runofplay.com/2008/01/15/welcome-to-the-new-world-order/comment-page-1/#comment-297 Brian Wed, 16 Jan 2008 00:07:42 +0000 http://www.runofplay.com/2008/01/15/welcome-to-the-new-world-order/#comment-297 Great post, Tom. I've updated mine to include a link. I agree completely that the most sinister aspect of all of this is that neither the clubs nor the ruling bodies will ever let us know what's really happened. Lordly press releases will float down from a snowy mountain castle above Zurich and that will be all they ever tell us. Ian at <a href="http://200percent.blogspot.com/2008/01/is-it-wrong-to-laugh-whilst-writing.html" rel="nofollow">200percent</a> is arguing that the G-14 is essentially just regrouping after having been outflanked by Platini and Chelsea in the latest round of sparring. I'm sure that's true to some extent, but I also agree with your point that the big clubs have already gotten so much of what they wanted out of UEFA that they no longer need the bluff of separation that it was largely the G-14's purpose to represent. Great post, Tom. I've updated mine to include a link. I agree completely that the most sinister aspect of all of this is that neither the clubs nor the ruling bodies will ever let us know what's really happened. Lordly press releases will float down from a snowy mountain castle above Zurich and that will be all they ever tell us.

Ian at 200percent is arguing that the G-14 is essentially just regrouping after having been outflanked by Platini and Chelsea in the latest round of sparring. I'm sure that's true to some extent, but I also agree with your point that the big clubs have already gotten so much of what they wanted out of UEFA that they no longer need the bluff of separation that it was largely the G-14's purpose to represent.

]]> By: Pitch Invasion · G-14 Disbands, Not A Victory for Football as a Whole http://www.runofplay.com/2008/01/15/welcome-to-the-new-world-order/comment-page-1/#comment-295 Pitch Invasion · G-14 Disbands, Not A Victory for Football as a Whole Tue, 15 Jan 2008 22:20:31 +0000 http://www.runofplay.com/2008/01/15/welcome-to-the-new-world-order/#comment-295 [...] Brian at the Run of Play also seems to concur, saying that “this looks like a colossal victory for Blatter and Platini against the power of the big European clubs. The threat of a breakaway superleague appears to have expired, gently, in its sleep, and the lawsuits that the G-14 had arrayed around FIFA will pack up their things and go home.” [...] [...] Brian at the Run of Play also seems to concur, saying that "this looks like a colossal victory for Blatter and Platini against the power of the big European clubs. The threat of a breakaway superleague appears to have expired, gently, in its sleep, and the lawsuits that the G-14 had arrayed around FIFA will pack up their things and go home." [...]

]]> By: Tom http://www.runofplay.com/2008/01/15/welcome-to-the-new-world-order/comment-page-1/#comment-294 Tom Tue, 15 Jan 2008 22:10:57 +0000 http://www.runofplay.com/2008/01/15/welcome-to-the-new-world-order/#comment-294 I've some thoughts on it on <a href="http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/01/15/g-14-disbands-not-a-victory-for-football-as-a-whole/" rel="nofollow">Pitch Invasion</a>, and I might edit it to address the point you make about the Superleague idea dying. The fact is, though, that I never saw that as a serious prospect. The G-14 has just been using the fear of it as a tool to pry more out of Uefa over the years, most of which they've got. The G-14 would have to be either barking mad or far smarter than they really are to pull off a breakaway: who walks away from the billions in television contracts they're guaranteed already from their national leagues and Champions league? Someone would only do so if they had an offer of even more money on the table, but there's no real demand for it from anyone, is there? I've some thoughts on it on Pitch Invasion, and I might edit it to address the point you make about the Superleague idea dying.

The fact is, though, that I never saw that as a serious prospect. The G-14 has just been using the fear of it as a tool to pry more out of Uefa over the years, most of which they've got. The G-14 would have to be either barking mad or far smarter than they really are to pull off a breakaway: who walks away from the billions in television contracts they're guaranteed already from their national leagues and Champions league?

Someone would only do so if they had an offer of even more money on the table, but there's no real demand for it from anyone, is there?

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