bet he told Prestwich Blue about Vinny's indiscretionsBalti said:david conn on bollox, bullshit and baloney
yawn
matty barton said:I'm uncomfortable with the type of foreign owners who have invaded the English game in particular, but also European clubs like PSG and Monaco.
None of them are good for football, and none of them are ethically clean. Whether its the alleged human rights abuses in middle Eastern countries , the alleged criminal activities carried out by owners from the former USSR or the exploitative greed of American owners. It all stinks to high heaven. So does the deeply ingrained corruption of FIFA, the business practices of major sponsors (my own small protest is refusing to buy Nike gear) and abominations like a winter World Cup in Qatar. It's all ugly.
By the same token so is everything else. I work in precious metals and Im aware of the human exploitation and environmental devastation that causes. Ditto for many other industries.
I grew up in an era when football was tarnished by poor facilities, violence and racism. People talked about the need to clean it up. Ironically, despite its ugly flaws, it was much cleaner than it is.
As a fan it's hard to walk away from something that is a major part of who you are and what your background is. That's what clubs are to most fans, so the only real option is to accept things we are powerless to change, but without closing our eyes to what has happened to our game.
As an Arsenal fan I openly admit that I would prefer Usmanov in control to the Yank Kroenke. Morally, I understand the alleged crimes of the former are probably greater than those of the latter, but if you have been put into a situation where you have to get in bed with a crook, you might as well go for the one who offers the most success.
The people who are responsible for this are those who prostituted English football to the world with the creation of the Premiership, and not the fans. The Germans have the right idea keeping certain elements out of their game. It might mean a few million less tv fans in Asia and smaller club budgets, but their game is pure in comparison to ours.
matty barton said:I'm uncomfortable with the type of foreign owners who have invaded the English game in particular, but also European clubs like PSG and Monaco.
None of them are good for football, and none of them are ethically clean. Whether its the alleged human rights abuses in middle Eastern countries , the alleged criminal activities carried out by owners from the former USSR or the exploitative greed of American owners. It all stinks to high heaven. So does the deeply ingrained corruption of FIFA, the business practices of major sponsors (my own small protest is refusing to buy Nike gear) and abominations like a winter World Cup in Qatar. It's all ugly.
By the same token so is everything else. I work in precious metals and Im aware of the human exploitation and environmental devastation that causes. Ditto for many other industries.
I grew up in an era when football was tarnished by poor facilities, violence and racism. People talked about the need to clean it up. Ironically, despite its ugly flaws, it was much cleaner than it is.
As a fan it's hard to walk away from something that is a major part of who you are and what your background is. That's what clubs are to most fans, so the only real option is to accept things we are powerless to change, but without closing our eyes to what has happened to our game.
As an Arsenal fan I openly admit that I would prefer Usmanov in control to the Yank Kroenke. Morally, I understand the alleged crimes of the former are probably greater than those of the latter, but if you have been put into a situation where you have to get in bed with a crook, you might as well go for the one who offers the most success.
The people who are responsible for this are those who prostituted English football to the world with the creation of the Premiership, and not the fans. The Germans have the right idea keeping certain elements out of their game. It might mean a few million less tv fans in Asia and smaller club budgets, but their game is pure in comparison to ours.
yankcitizen76 said:Fellow members. I am having a real big problem with this issue. I love City but am not cool with the idea of the owners as human rights violators. I realize that the Sheik who owns us may not be directly involved, but he's still part of the ruling family. I've asked several family members of mine, and all they can say is, "how much is your morality worth?" Is it possible to support the team but dislike the owners. In their defense, they've put quite a bit of money behind the team and are directly related to our resurgence. But it is obvious they are using the team for good publicity. The same way they plan to use the New York City franchise.
Can someone put this issue in perspective for me?