The International Football Federations Thread

[Asuka's Gonna Kill You]

To add to that.

Premier League chairman Sir Dave Richards has accused Fifa and Uefa of stealing football from the English...

"England gave the world football. It gave the best legacy anyone could give. We gave them the game," said Richards.

"Then, 50 years later, some guy came along and said, you're liars, and they actually stole it. It was called Fifa."...

He added: "Fifty years later, another gang came along called Uefa and stole a bit more."

Then.

He also told his Qatari hosts they had their "heads in the sand" over the issue of alcohol at the 2022 World Cup.

"In our country and in Germany, we have a culture. We call it 'we would like to go for a pint and that pint is a pint of beer'. It is our culture as much as your culture is not drinking. There has to be a happy medium."

Qatar currently limits the sale of alcohol to a handful of five-star hotels and is considering how to address the issue at the World Cup. "If you don't do something about it, you are starting to bury your head in the sand a little bit because it needs addressing. You might be better off saying 'don't come'.

"But a World Cup without England, Germany, the Dutch, Danes and Scandinavians – it's unthinkable."

And to cap it off.

Sir Dave Richards, the Premier League chairman and a Football Association vice-chairman, rounded off a damaging day for English football's international reputation by falling into a hotel swimming pool on his way to dinner. He was helped out of the water by the Bolton Wanderers chairman, his fellow Premier League board member Phil Gartside.

[DavidMarrio]

I'd be gutted if he wasn't drunk when saying this. I just had a picture in my head of him slurring his words while going of on a xenophobic rant while holding a pint of cheap beer. "You foreigners stole our footy and now you won't let us drink beer while watching the game that we invented ya bastards!!"

[Lineker]

He's apologised now, in an effort to save face, saying that his comments were meant to be 'light-hearted'. What a cock.

[Lineker]

European football bosses have come up with a new business plan to sell their TV rights to international games, as they fight to stop fans reaching for the off button.

From 2014, Uefa will centralise the media rights for the European qualifiers of the World Cup and the European Championships.

It comes as club football, including Uefa's own highly successful Champions League tournament, has grown in ascendancy over the international game.

Broadcasters will now approach Uefa to buy packages of international games, rather than having to run around contacting individual national football federations.

"It is about promoting national team football and about giving more financial stability to national associations," Gianni Infantino, secretary general of Uefa, told those at the Soccerex football finance forum in Manchester.

"The Uefa national associations… mandated Uefa to implement the centralised sale of commercial rights for national team qualification matches.

"We will provide one point of sale for all matches. There will be lots of benefits - including more revenues for European football associations."

Uefa has previously said that it believes it can increase the net revenue from media rights sales by 67%.

So far, 52 out of the 53 European national associations have signed up to the plans, with only England's Football Association still to iron out final details.

The FA signed an initial mandate a year ago but an agreement still has to be concluded, Mr Infantino revealed, jokingly putting the delay down to Uefa's lack of precise expertise "in the English language".

The calendar for international qualifiers will also be changed, with double-header matches staggered across a period from Thursdays to Tuesdays in what Uefa is dubbing A Week Of Football.

"We are creating value for broadcasters, to cover football across a whole week of football, and at a time when there is no other football being played," said Mr Infantino.

Various broadcasting packages will be on offer, with a combination of live matches, delayed broadcast matches and highlights available.

The new structure will also take into account free-to-air issues in those countries where legal reasons mean that national team matches have to be shown for free.

The makeover will start with the qualification matches for the 2016 European Championship, and the tender process for the new way of selling the match rights is set to begin in the next week or two.

"We want to create a great brand for national team football, to take it up to a different level where it belongs," said Mr Infantino.

"National team games need a boost, which is why we are launching the project."

Both broadcasters and television rights agencies will be invited to bid for packages of games.

Other commercial rights that Uefa intends centralising include perimeter board advertising - whereby national football associations can take all, none, or some of Uefa's sponsors as pitchside advertising during their games.

Major football federations such as England and Germany may want to keep their own sponsor boards in position, but smaller federations such as San Marino or Luxembourg may want to feature Uefa's sponsors.

Discussions are also under way with sports manufacturers to come up with one uniform Uefa ball for use during international qualification matches, as is the case with the Champions League ball.

The biggest national federations in Europe - including England, Italy, France, and Germany - had initially been wary about signing up to the new concord, fearing it might see their media earnings diminish.

But Denni Strich, marketing director of Deutscher Fussball Bund (DFB), is enthusiastic about the arrangement.

"I hope it is a great deal for all federations," said Mr Strich. "It is definitely time we started this project.

"In Germany the national team is a strong brand, but I think we [national federations] can all develop together, with Uefa, a really strong brand for fans, federations and partners. It is a great thing."

Niall Sloane, director of sport at ITV, said the coming together as one entity would make life easier for broadcasters.

He said the different packages of games would be of interest to ITV, with those featuring lesser playing nations perhaps being shown on digital television.

But he said he was not sure whether the cost to broadcasters would be cheaper than at present.

"The detail will be interesting," he added. "There might be a package of non-UK teams playing that we can put on ITV4."

The new television rights structure is a victory for Uefa president Michel Platini, who, upon his re-election to the post in 2011, said such a proposed model would protect and develop national team football.

"The big federations have realised that all together they are stronger than just a combination of 53 federations being brought together," said Mr Infantino.

[Lineker]

Fifa chief Sepp Blatter has announced a new two-chamber ethics committee for world football's governing body.

One part of the committee will investigate corruption and the other part will judge on cases brought.

The move comes after Fifa's anti-corruption adviser - Swiss professor Mark Pieth - presented a report to the body's executive committee on Friday.

But, there was no move to re-open investigations into the bids for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup.

Fifa's single-chamber ethics committee failed to gather enough evidence to prosecute some allegations of vote-rigging during the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding contests.

A series of corruption allegations have rocked Fifa over the last 18 months, concerning both World Cup bidding and the presidential election.

The report by the Independent Governance Committee (IGC) - the body headed by Pieth which was set up last year to recommend reform proposals - was published on Friday.

As well as its recommendations it said Fifa's past investigation of corruption allegations had been "unsatisfactory", with the sanctions imposed both "insufficient and clearly unconvincing".

"The IGC has received documents and has conducted a hearing on the ways Fifa has been dealing with past misconduct," it read.

"Clearly, the existing procedures are, in the opinion of the IGC and the relevant Task Force, insufficient to meet the challenges of a major global sport governing body.

"This has led to unsatisfactory reactions to persistent allegations.

"In particular, the IGC has identified a lack of proactive and systematic investigation of allegations.

"In some instances allegations were insufficiently investigated and, where sanctions were imposed they are at times insufficient and clearly unconvincing."

Pieth's report made three main recommendations, which Fifa have already implemented in part.

These were: to set up a new powerful ethics committee with two chambers - one investigatory and one judiciary, to make decisions and rulings.

To make this ethics committee truly independent - at the moment investigations have to be approved by the Fifa general secretary.

To give the ethics committee the power to investigate past as well as future allegations of misconduct.

[METALMAN]

an ethnics committee? sounds a bit racist. :/

[Lineker]

Fifa have just released their latest official world rankings. England have dropped a place to seventh behind Spain, Germany, Uruguay, Netherlands, Portugal and Brazil. Wales are up to 41st ahead of Scotland in 48th and ahead of the likes of Ukraine and Iran. Northern Ireland are 100th in the list and have dropped 13 places, behind Antigua and Barbuda, Vietnam and Oman.

Also, Sepp Blatter has snubbed the Olympics football tournament draw at Wembley. How rude!

[stokeriño]

Bitter at being unable to gouge endless buckets of money out of the Olympics, perhaps?

[Monkey D. Lars]

Does anyone here follow the Dutch Eredivisie? It's so close at the moment with 6 rounds left still 6 teams can be the champions. We've got feyenoord (my favorite team), heerenveen and psv at 54, we got Twente at 56, AZ at 57 and Ajax at 58 points. Tonight Heereveen takes on Ajax and Twente takes on AZ it is so damn unpredictable

[EddieG]

Should probably be in the general football thread.. although I posted about it in the La Liga thread, so y'know.

[Monkey D. Lars]

mmm yes sorry my bad >_<

[Lineker]

Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland have formally declared an interest in hosting Euro 2020.

Ahead of a midnight deadline, they have told Uefa that they would be interested in bidding to host the European Championships on a three-way basis.

Until now, Turkey were the only other nation to inform Uefa that they want to host the tournament.

But it appears that European football's governing body itself encouraged the joint bid from the Celtic nations.

Turkey's bid is in some disarray already because its FA has been engulfed by allegations of corruption and match-fixing in domestic football, while it also conflicts with Istanbul's bid to land the Olympics in the same year.

While Uefa has refused to comment, the Football Association of Ireland has confirmed the expression of interest.

However, the Celtic nations have a major hurdle to overcome to win the tournament, which has been expanded from 16 teams to 24 from 2016 onwards.

The competition's demands would mean the three nations might struggle to provide the required number of stadia with sufficient capacity.

Scotland and Wales considered a joint bid for the 2016 championship - which will be played in France - before deciding not to go ahead, while a joint bid for Euro 2008 by the Scots and the Irish failed.

A Scottish Football Association spokesman would only go as far as to say that it has also been in dialogue with the Welsh FA about the 2020 event.

He stressed that it was awaiting more details before the midnight deadline for "expressions of interest".

A formal declaration of interest does not commit the Celtic countries to proceeding with a bid as a decision is not due to be taken by Uefa for 18 months.

SFA chief executive Stewart Regan is reported as having told the website www.insidethegames.biz: "I'm not able to comment publicly at this stage because it has not gone to our board, but there will be an exchange of correspondence before the deadline.

"It's obviously something that has been discussed."

Asked if Scotland and Wales would be able to meet Uefa's criteria for stadia, Regan replied: "There are other ways of skinning a cat and alternative ways of being considered for a major tournament."

Uefa president Michel Platini has indicated his support for Turkey's bid - but only if Istanbul fails to land the 2020 Olympics.

That appears to have encouraged the potential Welsh and Scottish bidders and an SFA source said: "Discussions have taken place about bidding, but we would not be able to bid alone.

"It may need to be three countries involved."

[IAceI]

I know they're expanding the tournament to 24 teams, but I think having 3 automatically qualified nations seems a bit much - as I assume that's what would happen. We'll see if anything comes of it, sounds like a bit of a carry on but would be easy to go to some matches at least if it does happen.

[Thrilla]

Only way Scotland will ever qualify for a major tournament again.

[METALMAN]

:/

this is why i hate you nbt

[Matt]

Hampden Park

Ibrox

Celtic Park

Millenium Stadium

Cardiff Stadium(?)

Liberty Stadium(?)

Aviva Stadium

Where else could hold a Euro 2020 match? I'm sure Ireland could use a couple of the Gaelic football stadia but don't they get pissy about that? I hope they get it because fuck Turkey, but I don't see how it's viable.

[The Lusophone]

Only way Scotland will ever qualify for a major tournament again.

Not that they'd do anything there, wouldn't want to jeopardise that perfect record at international tournaments.

[Thrilla]

:/

this is why i hate you nbt

You lie, I have photographic proof of you hugging me.

[Dingle]

Hampden Park

Ibrox

Celtic Park

Millenium Stadium

Cardiff Stadium(?)

Liberty Stadium(?)

Aviva Stadium

Where else could hold a Euro 2020 match? I'm sure Ireland could use a couple of the Gaelic football stadia but don't they get pissy about that? I hope they get it because fuck Turkey, but I don't see how it's viable.

What are the specifications for a stadium being usable?

[Adam]

Why the hell are GEORGIA applying? Seriously. Suppose it'd be funny to see the hosts getting absolutely tanked in every game.