The Real Football Thread

[Rob5091]

Did you see Betis' video announcing him, though? It was purely the most brilliantly surreal thing I have seen in football since Jorge Campos retired.

Wow! Someone really likes David Lynch!

 

[Mayomaniac]

Did you see Betis' video announcing him, though? It was purely the most brilliantly surreal thing I have seen in football since Jorge Campos retired.

No, I didn't, that's awesome!
That said, he actually played well in his first game.
Still, the guy has one of the lowest foodball IQs around. Instead of using his actually impressive speed and pace he usually stops and tries to use his fancy dribbling and spinning moves...
Meanwhile Jorge Mendes pretty much owns Milan atm. The coach (Conceicao) his client, the biggest star (Leao) his client, their newst big signing (Joao Felix on a loan) his client. That said, if he actually brings a promising young CB like Antonio Silva to Milan this summer, I'll eat my words.

 

[Rob5091]

Hats off to lowly Plymouth who showed mighty Liverpool that if you turn up with a B team you'll get stuffed. Now Plymouth have Man City next in the cup so a good pay day for the Devon team.

 

[Rob5091]

Sir Jim pouring his hard earned pounds, shilling and pence into Man Utd, so we can assume that the cycling side of things is currently coming second (or third even!)
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/feb/12/sir-jim-ratcliffe-manchester-united-job-cuts-ineos

Sir Jim Ratcliffe believes his decision to cut about 200 more jobs at Manchester United is necessary to help the club avoid going bust, the Guardian understands.

The minority owner is said to feel he has little choice other than to take tough measures after United lost £300m over the past three years, but he is confident that acting now can lead to the club being profitable and highly competitive in two years’ time.

 

[Rob5091]

10,800 Euros for a kiss? Sounds like the "yacht gals" rate for billionaires -
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c39vljzn0mlo

 

[Red Rick]

Damnit, I wanted Feyenoord-Arsenal

 

[Rob5091]

Liverpool beat Man City and that seems to be about it for the Premier League
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c778jrzy5vno

this season's title race is done and dusted.

 

[Rob5091]

Things are either really bad or this is management mindfu*king
https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...atest-cost-cutting-sir-jim-ratcliffe-football

Jim Ratcliffe will close the staff canteen at Old Trafford and replace the free lunches currently on offer with fruit.

Manchester United’s largest single minority shareholder will also implement a similar move at United’s Carrington training base, with only players receiving lunch for free. Non-playing staff there will be offered soup and bread.

The news emerged before an all-staff meeting at Old Trafford’s Manchester Suite on Monday when, the Guardian understands, the club’s chief executive, Omar Berrada, confirmed the closure of the staff canteen and other key decisions, including confirmation that there will be more redundancies. No questions were taken at the briefing.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Things are either really bad or this is management mindfu*king
https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...atest-cost-cutting-sir-jim-ratcliffe-football

While overpaying for mid players like 60M for Rasmus "10 goals per season" Hojlund.

 

[Rob5091]

While overpaying for mid players like 60M for Rasmus "10 goals per season" Hojlund.

and of course letting guys go, who then shine for their new club -
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cx2gd810143o

 

[Rob5091]

Wow! If the problems on the pitch were n't bad enough ...
https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...nchester-city-enron-esque-financial-deception

Manchester City have been accused of an Enron-style financial deception by La Liga president, Javier Tebas.

Tebas said the Spanish league filed a complaint against City to the European Commission in the summer of 2023, which he says the Commission is investigating. City have not commented on Tebas’ allegations but club sources are aware of them, and strongly refute them. Tebas claims City used related companies in the United Arab Emirates to hide losses and thus improve the club’s own balance sheet, and compared it to the Enron scandal. Enron executives were found to have reaped millions by using a web of partnerships to generate false profits and hide the company’s true debt.

Man City have Etihad Airways as a main sponsor and even have called their home stadium the Etihad Stadium.

 

[Rob5091]

The Special One keeps on being, well, special!
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cjry7dj9v2po

On Thursday, Mourinho was banned for four games and fined a total of £35,194 by the Turkish Football Federation for two separate disciplinary matters. The TFF said it was penalising him for "his derogatory and offensive statements towards the Turkish referee" and because he "accused Turkish football of chaos and disorder with insulting and offensive statements towards both the Turkish football community and all Turkish referees".

So of course,

On Friday, Fenerbahce said Mourinho was filing a 1,907,000 Turkish Lira lawsuit, through the club's lawyers, against Galatasaray "due to the attack on the personal rights" of the Portuguese coach.

 

[Rob5091]

Sepp Blatter & Michel Platini back in court over fraud allegations. Not new ones but 2011's 2m Swiss Francs transfer to Platini. Back in 2011, 2m Swiss Francs was something, but now? Loose change for hot shots.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce349pj3e5do

In 2022, the pair were acquitted in a trial over a payment of 2m Swiss francs (£1.6m) made to Platini and authorised by Blatter in 2011.

Both men denied wrongdoing and said the transfer was belated payment for Fifa advisory work by Platini, who formerly led European football's governing body Uefa.

But the Swiss federal prosecutor appealed against the decision. The new trial is expected to last until Thursday, with a verdict due on 25 March.

 

[Rob5091]

The peasants are revolting!
https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...im-ratcliffe-ownership-arsenal-premier-league

Several thousand Manchester United fans staged a protest against the Glazers’ and Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s ownership of the club before the 1-1 Premier League draw at home to Arsenal on Sunday.

 

[Rob5091]

Not sure how this squares with the current money saving measures and £2 billion is probably just the starting cost.
https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...ew-stadium-next-to-old-trafford-norman-foster

Ratcliffe has said government money will be needed for the regeneration scheme. He said United “don’t need any government funding” for the stadium and that the plans were consistent with the government’s strategy of improving economic growth. The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, said in January she backed plans for the regeneration of the Old Trafford area, though she did not explain how the government would support it.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Rigged VAR, he's nowhere near it, never seen anything like this in my life.

 

[snipeheem]

Rigged VAR, he's nowhere near it, never seen anything like this in my life.

Bad angle,when he slipped he toucht it left foot

 

[Tim Cahill]

Bad angle,when he slipped he toucht it left foot

https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/1j9x85g/juli

View: https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/1j9x85g/juli%C3%A1n_alvarez_disallowed_penalty_frame_by_frame/


Doesn't look conclusive, no discernible movement of the ball and they disallowed it immediately, surely there's a better angle because none of the ones I've searched for look clear and obvious at all.

 

[snipeheem]

https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/1j9x85g/juli

View: https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/1j9x85g/juli%C3%A1n_alvarez_disallowed_penalty_frame_by_frame/


Doesn't look conclusive, no discernible movement of the ball and they disallowed it immediately, surely there's a better angle because none of the ones I've searched for look clear and obvious at all.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1899959657143378277

View: https://x.com/matswiecicki/status/1899959657143378277

 

[snipeheem]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1899962748588503175

View: https://x.com/ArchivoVAR/status/1899962748588503175

 

[Rechtschreibfehler]

I don't think that given the fact that there are frames in live images it's really clear to see if he touched the ball before or at the same time with both feet. That's btw. a problem with offsides and VAR as well, it can depend on which frame you choose to make the decision.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Arsenal are doing Pulisball in an actual Champions League semi, they've got Thomas Partey doing long throws!!

https://twitter.com/x/status/1560241515221422081