Random Sport Titbits

[DavidMarrio]

Can't believe this is 5 years ago today. I remember being there and it doesn't even feel that long ago. Mad game of football and at the time I didn't think I'd witness a comeback like that in Europe in person. 

 

[OctoberRaven]

 

[gunnar hendershow]

I mean that basically just means Volkswagen is their sponsor, no? I think there's a VW plant in Chattanooga.

[OctoberRaven]

39 minutes ago, damshow said:

I mean that basically just means Volkswagen is their sponsor, no? I think there's a VW plant in Chattanooga.

I mean if VW's logo was on their jerseys instead, that's be one thing. But it's another team's crest instead, which is just weird.

[METALMAN]

Shame it's pretty much the most boring football club badge you could imagine too.

[OctoberRaven]

6 hours ago, metalman said:

Shame it's pretty much the most boring football club badge you could imagine too.

It looks like a gas station logo.

Meanwhile, local football teams have things like this

[Baddar]

[FestiveJack]

The Athletic have taken this moving and well written article about Justin Fashanu out from its paywall, and it's available for anyone to read. It's well worth it.

[Lineker]

 

[Colly]

In similar news, Danny Guthrie has gone to Iceland and is now inexplicably a tank. Excuse the Daily Star link.

 

[DavidMarrio]

He's been on the Fernando Torres diet

[Baddar]

Also, while technically next to it, the clubhouse sits at the main end of the ground, above the changing rooms. You can watch the game through the windows, with a full view of the pitch. 

[METALMAN]

21 hours ago, Colly said:

In similar news, Danny Guthrie has gone to Iceland and is now inexplicably a tank. Excuse the Daily Star link.

 

On a completely unrelated note, I wonder if a small league like that in Iceland has the resources to maintain a thorough drug-testing programme?

[Lineker]

The BBC will broadcast all 28 games from the 2021 Copa America tournament.

[gunnar hendershow]

Copa will be interesting this year. Obviously only South American teams participating this time. And in addition to that they've set it up in a way to try and force through Brazil-Argentina in either the semifinals or finals.

[Malenko]

River Plate has 20 cases of covid and they don't have any available goalkeepers for their copa libertadores match. Apparently CONMEBOL refused their appeal to use U-20 goalkeepers so they'll use Enzo Perez, an injured... Midfielder, in goal.

[gunnar hendershow]

There is now an official proposal for the World Cup to be moved to occur every 2 years. Gross.

https://www.espn.com/soccer/fifa-world-cup/story/4389476/saudi-arabia-formally-proposes-world-cups-every-two-years

Needless to say this is pure money and surely motivated in large part by the nations outside of the top echelon of the sport who (well, the people in power at least) see a significant windfall from the World Cup but not from much else. By making it every 2 years you presumably start to phase out the regional tournaments which, outside of Copa America and Euro, don't tend to have international eyes on them. Of course that's a shame since as we all know the Africa Cup of Nations is typically a totally wild tournament with a huge number of legitimate contenders every time its held, but alas nobody seems to watch it outside of Africa and pockets of the African diaspora.

The argument of "It would allow players more chances to play in the World Cup" is nice and all but feels incredibly fake. I know that there's always the unfortunate player who gets all their national team call-ups in a 3-4 year window between World Cups, and you do feel bad for them for missing out on the crown jewel of international tournaments. But those players are few and far between and for the most part it would just mean you get the top players just playing in even more international matches. Further you create a situation where potentially a top player won't feel as pressured to play in a World Cup after a long season if they just have to wait 2 years for another one. That plus a 48-team field that you know at some point will get expanded to 64 really just makes the World Cup lose its luster. Making it go from 4 years to 2? It's just a regular TV event at that point, nothing special at all about it.

But, hey, the greedy billionaires running the sport get a little bit more money for themselves out of this proposal and won't someone just think of their needs for once?

[Adam]

They've already spoiled the World Cup with the 48-team format, it won't be the same. If it's held every two years then even less so.

[Colly]

Presumably they'd move the Euros to odd numbered years as per the AFCON, and no doubt bump it up to every two years too. It's ridiculous, completely removes the specialness of every four years, means even more international games for club coaches to complain about, and on top of that will end up devaluing the Womens World Cup that benefits from being in a 'free' Summer. 

Dollar dollar though.

That said I'm not really against going to 64 teams, I'd rather that than 48 simply because it fits a tournament structure far better.

[gunnar hendershow]

I assume their "schedule" would see Women's World Cup and continental tournaments in odd-numbered years but with one following the other (i.e. Euro and as that's wrapping up start the WWC). There'd be a ton of outcry if they made the WWC play second fiddle in terms of TV broadcasts to other tournaments.

Needless to say there exists no considerations for the Olympics with all this.