European league's to be cut to 18 clubs!

eirebhoy

MUNICH, June 8 (Reuters) - All of Europe's top professional leagues will be reduced to a maximum of 18 clubs for the start of the 2007-08 season, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said on Thursday.

Speaking after the 56th FIFA Congress had endorsed the proposal, Blatter confirmed that he expected his executive committee to carry the plan through in one year.

"Yes, now we have the power to do this after the support today from Congress," he said. "We have been given the power now to work on it.

"We will do it. I think the clubs will be happy and it will give four more days to the international calendar in those countries where they have 20 clubs."

The decision will hit the Spanish, Italian, English and French leagues.

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=footballNews&storyID=2006-06-08T152112Z_01_L08742451_RTRIDST_0_SPORT-SOCCER-WORLD-LEAGUES.XML

It seems like this is coming into place without much notice. What's the best way to work it in the countries with 20? 4 down, 2 up I'd say.

Guy:Incognito

The international calender is what should be cut. Having 8 or 10 pointless money making excercises for Sven and the like to piss about with and treat like kids games is , well, pointless.

eirebhoy

Nah, I love international football to much to agree with that.

Pigman II

eirebhoy wrote:

What's the best way to work it in the countries with 20? 4 down, 2 up I'd say.

I think reducing from 20 to 19 in one season and then 19 to 18 the next would be a better way as it would be less of a shock to the system than cutting 2 in the same year.

BTW I love international footy too but I still agree that Stekelly that friendlies should be cut out of the calender. Too many managers and players just taking the piss these days.

eirebhoy

Pigman II wrote:

BTW I love international footy too but I still agree that Stekelly that friendlies should be cut out of the calender. Too many managers and players just taking the piss these days.

With the amount of matches being played now I think you're right. Maybe a friendly or two (or training camp) at the end of the season would be enough.

arbeitsscheuer

Tbh I've always thought a league should be 18 teams. I remember when the Premiership was 22 teams, ridiculously bloated - some of the lower divisions still are, with as many as 24 teams. Mental.

In 1994/95 4 went down, 2 came up, to cut the league down to 20.

As eirebhoy said, that's probably how it'll work this time as well.

zAbbo

A good time to cull some of the lacklustre teams from the Prem.

2up 4 down is how it will be done again I'd say.

Exciting I say.

mike65

There will some sleepless nights late next season.

Mike.

AnCapaillMor

Blatters an idiot, this will go the way of his womens soccer hot pants idea and not come about.

therecklessone

I'd be surprised if the PL went for this, and the ultimate decision in England rests with them.

But Premier League spokesman Dan Johnson ruled out a reduction: "There's no appetite for this kind of change."

Johnson added: "The only people who are going to tell us how to run the Premier League are the league's 20 member clubs' chairmen.

"They are the only ones who can change the composition of the league and they are just not going to go for this - no way."

From the Beeb.

TBH, if it means four more meaningless friendlies then forget about it. How about FIFA does it's real job, and synchronises the international calendar across the globe?

herbieflowers

what about Russia and their weather? How would synchronisation work then?

Guy:Incognito

therecklessone wrote:

I'd be surprised if the PL went for this, and the ultimate decision in England rests with them.

Yeah, but wait and see them run their tongues firmly up every member of FIFA and UEFA's asses when they are told to comply or their not getting into the CL and UEFA cups.

therecklessone

herbieflowers wrote:

what about Russia and their weather? How would synchronisation work then?

When leagues run is up to the national associations, we manage a Summer league (as do the Swede's and Norwegians among others). We still manage to play in European club competition, and in internationals.

I'm talking about synchronising international fixtures, so we don't have players earning their trade in Europe fecking off to the ACoN every two years for six weeks at a time, and Brazilian's travelling half way around the world for friendlies as part of their Nike contract.

therecklessone

Stekelly wrote:

Yeah, but wait and see them run their tongues firmly up every member of FIFA and UEFA's asses when they are told to comply or their not getting into the CL and UEFA cups.

Don't be so sure.

12 of the 18 G14 members will be affected by this, can't see them taking it lying down.

Jonny Arson

Stekelly wrote:

The international calender is what should be cut. Having 8 or 10 pointless money making excercises for Sven and the like to piss about with and treat like kids games is , well, pointless.

Oh so true.....

but sadly common sense doesn't exist in Football thanks to Mr. Blatter and his hacks.

The idea is outrageous but it's even more outrageous to implement this in 1 year. The respective FAs and clubs will start war on this I can assure due to loss of income through attendances and tv money.

Pepe LeFrits

Blatter is a clown, but we all knew that already.

FIFA effectively trying to line their own pockets at the expensive of the clubs, once again. What's happening with that Belgian injury case?

arbeitsscheuer

Zane from MTV2 wrote:

The respective FAs and clubs will start war on this I can assure due to loss of income through attendances and tv money.

Absolutely right, that's pretty much what the bottom-line of any argument between the two comes down to: Money.

Ignore the fact that it'd be better for players and fans alike if there were less games and less substandard teams, and focus on the loss of 4 matches worth of income. That's what matters to G14, who were extremely p*ssed when UEFA, without consulting them, cut out the (rubbish) 2nd Group Stage of the CL, and replaced it with the (much better) 2nd Round knockout stage.

But the teams lost the chance to play an exhaustive amount of games in the 2nd rd, thus lost money, and thus threw their toys out of the pram.

However, I accept that you can make the argument either way - Blatter's certainly no altruistic saint, he's doing this for his organisation's pockets as well.

Necronomicon

Haven't they been threatening to do this for ages?