Michel Platini: Ajax will never win the CL anymore…

I’d be dead set against this so-called Money League. I’m tired of big money ruining the game. I wouldn’t watch it at all, even if my favourite teams were doing well in it.

Also like the idea of a merger between the Dutch and Belgian leagues – it would increase competition and increase money to the smaller European clubs that actually need it (not the Man U’s and Real’s).

As for the 6+5 rule – it’s possible if they can make sport a special case (which I think they should). It’s already treated as somewhat of a special case already – take a look at the Olympics for example: each European country has their own athletes representing their country, not the EU as a whole.

Posted from  Canada

I think your initial decision to honor the contracts was both ethical and financially astute, but it seems to have been politically unwise. It’s now apparent that you either misunderstood the agreements that you had made – tacit or otherwise – with the Federal Reserve, the Treasury, various members of Congress and Attorney General Andrew Cuomo of New York, or were not strong enough to withstand the shifting political winds.

I wish the days were back when Red Star Belgrade and Ajax could win the Champions League again, that was football at it’s best. Even when teams like Peñarol of Uruguay could beat AC Milan, now that was football.

It’s obvious money dominates the game now and I think the 6+5 rule would definitely be good for the game as a whole, I’d love to see teams like Arsenal, Inter and Real Madrid compete then.

@Shon Cary: I’m sorry. I did misunderstood the agreements, but I was also drunk…so yeah…

@Caleb: the money league is basically the top 20 of richest clubs, like a Forbes list. It’s not an actual league they play football in… Unless you suddenly call it the “Champions League”…

away with all this big money!! its ruening (?) football … where does all the money go?? more money for players who earn too much already and to FIFA and Ueafa members like Platini
its not the little ones who need to grow; its the bigger ones who need to sow down

what i always have found very interesting is how in the US sports is very socialistic (drafts, not going down etc.) while in politics they are much more ‘liberal ‘ …in europe it seems the other way around

hes right about Ajax never winning again though

Posted from  Netherlands

I think the 6+5 rule is very interesting but because of the European labor law I see it almost impossible to implement it.

About Oranje…I think Scotland will be severely punished. I see our front line too strong for Scotland. Robben on fire, Persie on fire, Hunter on fire…will they resist?

@mario ; my feeling isnt that good (though it tells us nothing) , the scots have nothing to lose; they will be out just not to get beaten 6-0 like the last time they played in Holland

and we need to have a close watch on Stekelenburg

Posted from  Netherlands

it’s really sad because ajax was the team of my childhood and very hard to believe that they will never win the cl. unfortunately this is the reality. bosman rule killed ajax and the club’s management does the same selling all the time the best players. 6+5 may help them but even in this case they’ll continue the same business model and sell everyone.

scotland? i’m not that optimistic but think that we’ll beat them 1-0 or 2-1 something like this in a very physical game. anyway we don’t have anything to fear to because this gropup is not at oranje’s level.

Posted from  Hungary

Scotland is doing an Ajax. I kind of expected that. Craig Gordon will not start in goal aginst Holland because he has been benched at Sunderland and has not enough matches under his belt. In stead, they are going with the Rangers goal keeper, Allan McGregor.

I can’t believe that we are getting to see either “live” or delayed almost every European Game except Holland Scotland ???? Unbelievable, it must be at a premium and no one here wants to pay the price Have to find a live stream somewhere again.
Jan is it available in Australia ?

Posted from  Singapore

I am actually surprised they are showing it here on Gol Tv. Sure it is delayed but usually it’s not Holland that is shown. It’s also too bad I won’t be able to watch it live because my sister just happens to perform in a play that night

Posted from  Canada

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richest_football_clubs

Forbes list of Soccers 25 richest clubs, no Dutch clubs.

@caleb If a merger between Dutch and Belgian leagues would help, I would be for it.
@ Goose Yes, we in North America are more socialistic, but it depends on the sport.
Baseball is the least socialist. The Yankees, Boston Red Sox, LA Dodgers, New York Metropolitans (Mets), are among the richest, and can sign free agents at will. Baseball has no salary cap, but a small “luxury tax”. If a teams salary goes over an amount, they the pay the league a tax for a “industry growth fund”. Teams all keep local TV and radio money. The Baseball draft is a total crapshoot, high school-college age players are very difficult to assess and require years in the minor leagues before they are ready for the majors. Good baseball teams invest heavily in minor league development. Baseball (honkbal) is rich in history, but becoming poorer financially due to poor TV ratings.
American COLLEGE Football has higher ratings then ML Baseball, NBA (basketball) and NHL (Hockey).

The richest league is the NFL (American Football). The massive dollars received for TV rights are equally divided.
It has a firm salery cap. Its draft (worst team first, Super Bowl team last) of College players evens the talent. Players drafted in the first and second round are expected to start right away. NFL Draft is the base of every teams talent. The draft is huge, its televised live like a game every April with analysts second guessing every teams pick the whole day. http://www.nfl.com/draft/2009
Nevertheless, some teams are perennial losers-..read the Detroit Lions, and some teams are always seem to be in the hunt-..read Pittsburgh Steelers. This is mostly due to management.
Owning a NFL franchise is an exclusive club with license to print money.

@Bart: I hope that your sister is not performing in the “Scottish play”

@Jan – thanks for the clarification about the “money-league”, I guess I was getting it confused with the so-called super-league idea that was supposed to comprise of the best clubs in Europe. I’m not sure if there are still efforts towards that league, but I’d be against anything like that. Like Goose said, big money is ruining football!

As for watching the game on Saturday – it’s on Setanta in Canada because we are playing Scotland (they usually show the games with British nations in them). I was so excited to be able to watch it on tv on Saturday, with an appetizer of the England game, but it looks like my satellite might not be set up by Saturday – it’s been a blizzard here for the last few days so the installers haven’t been able to do the installation! What kind of cruel torture is this??

Posted from  Canada

@Bart, Its my understnding that Gol TV is showing all of Holland’s home WC qualifying games–at least in the US; its likely the same for Canada (earlier, the Iceland match was on Gol TV). Some of the away games (Macedonia and Norway) have been on FSC. Has to do with contractual rights (federations own the broadcast rights for their home matches). I think Setanta has Scotland, not sure who has Iceland, so can’t say whether those away matches will be on FSC or Gol. I’d guess Gol will rebroadcast the Scotland match several times over the next week if past practices are any indication.

Posted from  United States

@Andrew, Holland Iceland wasn’t show here. At least if it was I either don’t have the right channel or I am a complete retard lmao, anyway Canada and the USA get shown different matches I believe when it comes to FSC. I don’t get Setanta so I have no idea what it is like lmao

@finnster, lol it’s actually something called “footloose” I have no idea if that is Scottish or not.

Posted from  Canada

@Bart, sorry, didn’t mean to give you inaccurate info. When FSC promotes the games,it always seems like the internationals shown in Canada are the same ones shown in the US, though perhaps at different times. My mistake…and if its the “Footloose” I’m thinking of, nope, def. not Scottish

Posted from  United States

Why did you wink Lmao don’t worry about it though. The important thing is that they show the tournaments, I can read about the qualifiers her

Posted from  Canada