“You can check out anytime you want…”
Also, do not underestimate the attraction of the ultimate retirement league.
This is great
Looking at wiki’s UEFA Coefficients, which serve as the determinants of how many teams of each Euro Federation get into the three competitions.
For 2025-26, FIVE countries are getting 4 teams into the UCL, and so far, France is not one of those. Netherlands are in fifth place.
in 2024-25, the two associations with the highest coefficient from the prior season will get an additional team into the UCL Group Stage. So far, that is… Turkey and Poland.
OK, EFL Cup this midweek, while the top teams get a break (one team, AVL, are in the Europa Conference Play-off).
“But I wanna waste valuable playing time by not playing!!”
Go play NFL Football, jackass.
“They are intense minutes [in the Champions League],” said Boban, who played in Milan’s 1994 title-winning team, arguing that adding “12, 13, 14” minutes to games could amount to 500 over a season – the equivalent of about five full extra games.
Sorry, additional playing time is added only when players choose not to play, by celebrating goals, by taking 30 seconds for each Goal Kick, Corner Kick, close Direct Free Kick, or mostly, when a player is injured. The alternative is to have injured and “injured” players waste paying time. I get it that players want to be efficient in their energy use, but openly arguing for wasting playing time (that is essentially what they are doing) reveals a lot about them.
More importantly:
UEFA used its traditional season-opening meetings in Monaco to launch a recruitment campaign for referees to fill a shortfall of 40,000 across Europe.
Soccer from grass roots to professional levels has long had concerns about the levels of abuse – physical, verbal and on social media – that match officials have to endure.
UEFA chief refereeing officer Roberto Rosetti said he had felt scared for his 16-year-old nephew watching him referee a game.
Huh, thought this was only an #murican thing.
OK, Pots are right…
I see that Marseille did not make it to the Champions League. Had to win a third play-off round. Now in Europa League.
OK, draw is done. No hiccups this time.
GROUP A: Bayern Munich, Manchester United, FC Copenhagen, Galatasaray
GROUP B: Sevilla, Arsenal, PSV Eindhoven, Lens
GROUP C: Napoli, Real Madrid, SC Braga, Union Berlin
GROUP D: Benfica, Inter Milan, FC Salzburg, Real Sociedad
GROUP E: Feyenoord, Atletico Madrid, Lazio, Celtic
GROUP F: PSG, Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan, Newcastle United
GROUP G: Manchester City, RB Leipzig, Red Star Belgrade, Young Boys
GROUP H: Barcelona, FC Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk, Royal Antwerp
So, NEXT year’s Champions League is gonna drop the “Group Stage” portion, have four pots of nine teams, and I’m still trying to figure out how, logistically the matches will be drawn.
OK, I think I figured it out:
First, Pot 1’s teams will draw their two opponents from Pot 1:
- Team 1A picked from the pot. Team 1B is picked, and Team 1A play home v Team 1B. Team 1C is picked, and Team 1A play at Team 1C. Team 1A is set aside. Teams 1B and 1C are returned to the pot.
- Team 1D is picked. If Team 1D is either of Team 1B or 1C, then Team 1E is picked as their second opponent, Team 1B home vs Team 1E, or Team 1C away at Team 1E. That Team1D (1B or 1C) is set aside. If Team 1D is not Team 1B or 1C, then two teams, 1E, and 1F are picked as Team 1D’s opponents. BUT, Team 1E cannot be Team 1B, because they’d be away for both matches. They’ll either make Team 1B the home team, and Team 1D will play Team 1F away, UNLESS Team 1F is Team 1C, in which case I think they’ll draw another team instead.
And so on, I think, until each Pot 1 team plays two Pot 1 teams one home, one away. It might possible that this won’t work. Time to go buy some ping pong balls… - Same for Pots 2, 3, and 4, choosing their own Pots’ opponents.
- Now, on to choosing Pot 1’s Pot 2 opponents. Team 1A from above gets first two teams from Pot 2, plays Team 2A at home, Team 2B away. 2A and 2B thrown back into the Pot. Team 1B chooses two teams, playing home v Team 2C, unless Team 2C = Team B.
- Same for Pot 1’s Pot 3 opponents and Pot 4 opponents.
- Same for Pot 2’s Pot 3 opponents and Pot 4 opponents.
- Same for Pot 3’s Pot 4 opponents.
That seems like a lot of picking. And, I wonder if they’ll keep insisting that Federation opponents not play each other.
Or, create a program that will do it in 0.00005 seconds instead of three hours.
Group F seems to be the group of death this year.
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PSG won’t make it out. Tough luck for Newcastle to have that group for first trip back in a while.
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Well, two teams will make it through and one to Europa.
You got Borussia and AC Milan to get through?
Will be rooting for Newcastle but figure PSG will find a way to blow it. Dortmund will definitely go through.
Again, if I, an outsider (in effect an importer of their entertainment), cannot watch the matches nor buy (well, I haven’t checked) a Ronaldo jersey with chicken scratch on it, where is the revenue coming from, besides, literally, a hole in the ground?
So, the league won’t ever make money. They must want the other things that the expert (what’s his revenue source?) dismisses.
Keeper gets a goal!
Saw it in real time, and it was just as amazing as it sounds.
Alright, League Cup Mid-Week for English Clubs, in which the top 92 clubs are invited, and they are down to 32
In German news, they are prickly about the Hattentrickenzideutch:
Yeah, not a hat trick, because it’s not hockey. Make up your own phrase. “Pint Trick,” where everyone throws their beer onto the pitch. Wait, that’s hockey, too.
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Except hat trick is originally from cricket referring to taking three wickets in three consecutive deliveries.
Do they still do that and use that? If not, cricket can go fuck off!
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Yes and yes, it’s just very rare (46 in Tests, 50 in ODIs, 53 in T20Is) making it arguably even more impressive :gasp: than the other sports, though I have no issue with the term being shared.
Oh.
Well.
I guess it is I who should fuck off.
(Slouches away, fucking off the whole time…)
MCI have to take buses home after they beat, er, play NEW in the EFL Cup on Wednesday night.
Probably should simply stay in NEW or somewhere nearby, ask to train at Stadium of Light in the morning, then take a train or bus home Thursday afternoon.
hat’s what I’d do, were I in charge of logistics.
MCI finally get a break, after several seasons with 60+ matches.