European Football Thread

[MDK]

I'll put something back in his face

[FestiveJack]

Thanks, Nick.

[MDK]

And then a sending off for diving!

[MDK]

They've not scored. To be winning they need to have scored more than the opposition.

[MDK]

It's got very interesting in the Zenit vs Sevilla game

[Lineker]

Torino just beat Juventus for the first time in 20 years! Title celebrations for Juve are on hold until at least Wednesday.

Other good games on BT/ESPN later - Gladbach vs. Wolfsburg and Benfica vs. Porto.

[Lineker]

AC Milan's players will have to stay at their training ground indefinitely as they start a retreat following Saturday's 2-1 Serie A loss at Udinese.

Elsewhere, Bayern have now secured the Bundesliga title.

[Baddar]

And people say LVG is tough!

[Lineker]

Belgian footballer Gregory Mertens is in an induced coma after suffering cardiac arrest during a football match.

The 24-year-old Lokeren defender was playing in an U21 match against Genk when he lost consciousness and collapsed in the 25th minute.

Medics rushed onto the pitch and treated Mertens for several minutes. He was given CPR and treated with a defibrillator before an ambulance arrived on the pitch to take him to hospital.

Fans were asked to leave the stadium and the match was abandoned.

According to Belgian news site HLN.be, Mertens is fighting for his life in an induced coma.

Mertens has made 15 appearances for Lokeren this season, including three in the Europa League where he faced Hull City.

As part of the requirement for the European campaign, Mertens would have undergone medical tests but a heart defect or condition was never found.

The player moved to Lokeren last summer after three years at Cercle Brugge. He’s a former Belgian international at U21 level.

[Jimmy]

James Rodriquez has just scored an absolute screamer!

[Lineker]

Small-town club Carpi will play in Italy's Serie A for the first time next season after completing an historic rise.

Five years ago the club, whose stadium has a capacity of 4,144, was playing in the Italian fifth division.

They were promoted to Serie B in the 2012-13 season and will now face giants like Juventus and AC Milan in Serie A.

There are questions over where Carpi will play next season as Serie A rules require a minimum capacity of 20,000.

However, special exemptions are sometimes approved.

"It's been an extraordinary journey and I'm delighted with this promotion," coach Fabrizio Castori told Sky Sport Italia. "This team has improved step by step and these lads have a great future."

The town of Carpi, in northern Italy, has a population of only 67,000.

The original club was founded in 1909 and although Carpi were declared bankrupt in 1999, they were re-established the following year.

Carpi confirmed their place in Serie A with four games remaining of the season courtesy of a goalless draw against Bari on Tuesday night.

Former players at the club include Italian 2006 World Cup winner and former Everton defender Marco Materazzi.

[lanky316]

Belgian footballer Gregory Mertens is in an induced coma after suffering cardiac arrest during a football match.

The 24-year-old Lokeren defender was playing in an U21 match against Genk when he lost consciousness and collapsed in the 25th minute.

Medics rushed onto the pitch and treated Mertens for several minutes. He was given CPR and treated with a defibrillator before an ambulance arrived on the pitch to take him to hospital.

Fans were asked to leave the stadium and the match was abandoned.

According to Belgian news site HLN.be, Mertens is fighting for his life in an induced coma.

Mertens has made 15 appearances for Lokeren this season, including three in the Europa League where he faced Hull City.

As part of the requirement for the European campaign, Mertens would have undergone medical tests but a heart defect or condition was never found.

The player moved to Lokeren last summer after three years at Cercle Brugge. He’s a former Belgian international at U21 level.

Caught on Sky Sports News that he's since passed away. Unbelievable.

[Lineker]

Real Madrid and Barcelona are being stopped from negotiating their own lucrative television rights deals under a new Spanish law. New rules, coming into force in 2016, will see rights to show La Liga pooled and sold collectively, bringing it more in line with the Premier League. The deal, which could see a sharp price increase for broadcasters, will benefit the big clubs but to a lesser extent. A ministry spokesman said the changes allow Spain to "adapt to modern times".

So that's huge.

[Baddar]

There was talk of this happening a while back, glad it's finally coming into effect. When it was being discussed, only two clubs were against the idea of a joint broadcasting deal. Doesn't take an expert to figure out the two.

[Colly]

Vigo and Rayo?

[FestiveJack]

That's amazing. Obviously Barca and Real will still have the advantage but the cycle of Atletico or Valencia building up, making a challenge for a season or two then having to sell their best players to avoid financial difficulty should end.

[MDK]

How much money are they both looking to lose?

[Lineker]

It's been ten years since Lionel Messi scored his first senior Barcelona goal.

[Lineker]

Cordoba 0 - 8 Barcelona

Oh dear.

[Liam]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-32618821

Spanish Football Federation have apparently suspended all games following a rights dispute with the government.