Which nations could go to war with UEFA as Europe stands divided over title calls

rangeral

Well-Known Member

England

Premier League clubs are firmly against voiding the season and it’s easy to see why with the cost of that decision around £750 million in broadcast revenue alone. They want the campaign finished one top flight club reportedly put forward the extreme idea of finishing the campaign in CHINA. But if they want to avoid the 5000-mile trip to the Far East where coronavirus is said to have originated then a return to football behind closed doors could be more realistic.

France

Payment of Ligue 1 broadcasting rights has already been suspended by the world’s biggest sports rights holders beIN Sports - who were due to sign a £40 million cheque this weekend - and Canal+ who share the £762 million deal for the French top league. Premiere Ligue president Bernard Caiazzo warned that half of the clubs could go bust without that cash and is desperate for football to return but insists it won’t kick off again until at least June 15.

Germany

Bundesliga chiefs are determined to finish the current season with failure to complete the campaign likely to cost German clubs £750m. They are heavily reliant on broadcasting contracts with figures released for last season showing media revenue accounts for 36 per cent of total income. With play halted at least until April 30, German Football League chief Christian Seifert said: “At the very least, matches behind closed doors would be an option to soften the financial blow.”

Italy

Scrapping Serie A with 13 fixtures still remaining would see Italy’s top league losing up to £750 million with £460 million of that coming broadcasting rights. And that is why plans are taking shape to get the campaign going again in one of the worst affected Covid-19 countries with May 24 or 31 pencilled in for a restart date, with the league confirming on Friday night it was prepared to follow UEFA's order. Games would initially take place behind closed doors with lockdown measures set to be eased after April 13.

Spain

La Liga chiefs are looking at playing games behind closed doors, although no date has been set, in a bid to return with the cost of cancelling estimated at around £650 million in TV rights. President Javier Tebas warned of “serious problems” if the domestic season is not completed, saying: “We have 25 per cent of the season left to play and if the competitions are suspended everything would be revised and the incomes would be much lower.”

Austria

The Bundesliga is suspended until the beginning of May but top flight clubs are set for a videconference call on April 16 where that date is expected to be pushed back. And while the TV deal isn’t as big as other nations is is still the main factor in the determination of clubs to complete the campaign where LASK are three points clear of Red Bull Salzburg. Alois Tschida of Austrian press agency APA told Record Sport: “The TV deal is worth around £30 million per season and around a third of that has still to be paid. “Smaller clubs are more dependant on broadcaster money than the bigger clubs and will even play until August to finish it rather than suspend the season.”

Belgium

Broke ranks and declared Brugge champions with the leaders 15 points clear with just one regular-season game remaining before the play-offs to decide the top half of the table.
With that decision opening the door for other nations to follow suit, UEFA responded with an astonishing threat that anyone considering the same could be putting places in next season’s European club competitions at risk but the Belgian Pro League are unrepentant.

Denmark

“The Danish Superliga have been very clear that they will crown a champion after a full season has been played no matter when that happens,” said Klaus Egelund of newspaper Ekstra Bladet. “In Denmark the prize money is connected to a TV deal, worth approximately £40 million per season, and if all matches aren’t shown then the broadcaster won’t pay out the full amount so there will be a conflict with the rights holders. “So the decision is based on money because the Danish Superliga have already received 75 per cent of the revenue and divided that among the clubs and they would have to pay that back if the season was cut short.”

Holland

Top Dutch clubs hit out after the KNVB admitted they want to finish their season before August 3 which prompted Ajax technical director Marc Overmars to compare them to Donald Trump. The Amsterdam side, along with PSV and AZ Alkmaar, want to end the campaign while giants Feyenoord have held fire on a decision until clubs meet next week. But Overmars said: “The big countries have put pressure on UEFA to continue playing football at all costs. I am currently comparing UEFA and the KNVB with US President Donald Trump a week ago: the economy is more important than the corona virus.”

Portugal

Provisional plans are in place for Liga NOS to start again with clubs scheduled to have a mini pre-season in May ahead of a return to competitive action at the end of next month. Porto are a point ahead of Benfica with 10 games remaining and games would be played every weekend with two full midweek cards before a July 18/19 league climax and the top two meeting in the Portuguese Cup final the following weekend. Portugal hasn’t suffered as much as other European countries with the official death toll from coronavirus standing at 209.

Norway/Sweden

The Swedish Allsvenskan and Norwegian Eliteserien weren’t due to kick off until this weekend and have simply put their big kick offs on hold due to Covid-19. That means they aren’t facing the same dilemma as the rest of Europe but the problems will come the Scandinavian duo at the other end when the league was due to finish in October.
Martin Fransson journalist for Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter, told Record Sport: “The plan just now is to start the league in June but it’s more realistic we will start in July and just have a very short break before we start again next April.”
 
So in summary, Scotland seem to be the only league desperate to just scrap it and hand someone a title they haven't won?

The Record have answered the question they pose in the headline all by themselves. Not f*cking many is the answer.

I want the season ended now. The players dispatched on an extended break. A new season to look forward to (whenever that might be) rather than playing out the fag end of the current season. If that means the new season starts in October so be it. September or August would be better but hey ho. What I don't want is the return of football with us all looking backwards to finish this one first, before we can look forwards. 'Terminating' the current season does not mean declaring champions or deciding on relegation places. However, being honest, if those are the decisions that have to be taken get on with it and just bring this 'cursed' season to an end so we can get on with preparing, properly, for the next one.
 
UEFA seemed to continually use the word "abandon" when indicating what shouldn't be done. To me abandoning would indicate a null and void scenario but I think in this case they might be using it do mean both null and void and prematurely finalising standings.
 
It’s obvious that football will be back - behind closed doors admittedly - in a couple months time.

Scotland will really have no option other than to follow suit. Bit of a scunner in that it will take a miracle for us to catch them in this weird and atmosphere devoid end of season marathon we’ll have in June/July
 
I dont think any league will go to war. Individual clubs will.Those who get relegated while still possible to stay up and those who are denied a chance of promotion or winning the league will (should) lawyer up and fight it.
 
A war they will ultimately never win.
Who ?
The numbers from the major leagues would be crippling wouldn’t they . Gigantic loss of revenue being considered but I suppose they should be underwritten by the Domestic governments like any other industry ?
 
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At the end of the day what ever the day is I will need to be sure that the country is clear of the virus before I go back Cheltenham is a good example Money was King over everything else.
 
I don’t like that fact uefa firstly said its not their job to decide individual league titles but now have started threatening countries who do make decisions.
if they want to rule the roost they should make a definite decision that all uefa members have to accept or shut the %^*& up
 
Dont know what the point is of chasing UEFA. They're in the pockets of the tv companies as much as the leagues that are mentioned.

Every decision that's going to be made here is about the money. Nothing more, nothing less. The venue for the next world cup says it all. I'm hoping if we strike massive oil reserves in renfrewshire, we can apply for the world cup finals. Final at st mirren park, with it's new 80,000 capacity stadium.
 
UEFA are clueless. They don't want any responsibility.

They refuse to make a decision and direct all leagues on what must be done.
But then they start telling FAs what they can't do.

So, we're not going to advise you but here's an ever growing list of things you must not do.

The SFA are equally hapless and lacking in imagination. 'We really don't know what to do, but we definitely do know what we don't want to do' a spokesperson could be heard thinking.
 
A more apt puff piece would be entitled:

The Club's that will go to war if places are finalised on the last game played!

Now there's a thread that would make interesting reading Al! The league's that are currently to close to call and not mathematically decided.
 
Nobody is going to war with UEFA.

As we have found out this season, its their ball & they can do what they like with their comps.

If the SPFL.decide to hand the papes the league & UEFA then ban them from Europe it would.be interesting to see how they react as they need the.CL money to service their wage bill.
 
It’s coming out slowly but the whole thing is down to TV money which the clubs across Europe are fucked without - Scotland probably better off than most given its peanuts but it’s still money most of the clubs cannot do without and we must be looking at several clubs going to the wall without it.
 
I can’t see football as we know it returning this calendar year.

Maybe games behind closed doors, but I doubt it as impossible without breaching social distancing which will be here to stay for the foreseeable.

SFA / UEFA etc living in a bunker and not seeing no the bigger picture.

Quite feasible that there will be no games until 2021-22 season.
 
Nobody is going to war with UEFA.

As we have found out this season, its their ball & they can do what they like with their comps.

If the SPFL.decide to hand the papes the league & UEFA then ban them from Europe it would.be interesting to see how they react as they need the.CL money to service their wage bill.

We’ve made a fair old whack ourselves from the last two seasons in Europe mate. The cynic in me says Rangers would be more inclined to fight on the grounds of a potential ban from Europe than on any decision to award the Dhims the title, simply because the former hits us harder in the pocket.
 
We’ve made a fair old whack ourselves from the last two seasons in Europe mate. The cynic in me says Rangers would be more inclined to fight on the grounds of a potential ban from Europe than on any decision to award the Dhims the title, simply because the former hits us harder in the pocket.

Thats why I dont see any association going to war with UEFA. The ban from Europe isnt worth the risk to the financial wellbeing of the clubs.

As much as the SPFL want to hand them the league, look at how the Belgians are backtracking now. Id suspect that ourselves, Motherwell, Dolly would vote against them being given it as we could lose potential revenue from Europe as well.
 
So sad that all are talking about money when there is not enough equipment or funds to fight this virus.
In my view, these so called super leagues, reap what you sow and I hope they go bust.
 
Finishing campaign in China, hard to believe any sensible club could come up with that ridiculous suggestion....just proves its all about the money.
 
I'm at the stage where I just want them to get on with, award the paedophiles the title and we can crack on with ridiculing them in courts
 
Cannot get my head sround the dates these countries expect to begin playing football again. Highly unlikely we will see football being played, even if behind closed doors, before September.

But also it is crass of these associations trying to ensure their filthy lucre whilst the World is in crisis. Football used to be the (working) people's game, this crisis has shown irrefutably it no longer is. Millionaires with their snout in the trough wanting more, more, more.
 
I can’t see football as we know it returning this calendar year.

Maybe games behind closed doors, but I doubt it as impossible without breaching social distancing which will be here to stay for the foreseeable.

SFA / UEFA etc living in a bunker and not seeing no the bigger picture.

Quite feasible that there will be no games until 2021-22 season.
Penalty shoot outs. lol
 
UEFA seemed to continually use the word "abandon" when indicating what shouldn't be done. To me abandoning would indicate a null and void scenario but I think in this case they might be using it do mean both null and void and prematurely finalising standings.
In a sensible world the league will be null and void current standings will indicate who goes where in Europe and theres no relegation and no champions. If they want to expand the league to add two championship teams then fair enough.
 
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