No More Champions League For Me

[Googoo]

If you want to see Kun, YaYa, Silva and the rest we need CL football. The whole of football is corporate and business focused at the top level and CL is a nit worse than the rest. The only "proper" football like it used to be is at the lower levels so if you want that then fine but once City go back down the divisions then there will never be top 4 for us again. In Other words put up with it or don't go but it's unlikely you will change it, that's if you want us to be challenging for trophies.

 

[Tuearts right boot]

The league and the 2 domestic cups for me,always has been,always will be.I do like Spanish football though

 

[ballinio]

The CL is basically a scheme for the "top clubs" ( and we all know who they are ) to indulge in self aggrandisement and self enrichment . That is why it is set up the way it is with all the usual suspects cruising through easy groups , picking up decent sized cheques and getting into the knockout stages where even larger cheques abound.
It has become a self perpetuating "old boys network" style competition run by ,and for its members to the exclusion of the regular fan.(we all saw that last night)
The whole point of FFP is to stop upstarts like us from winning it , and if they have their way , to try and stop us even qualifying for it.
The body that runs it and their big brothers at FIFA must be two of the most undemocratic set -ups ever . They are run like personal fiefdoms
by the men in suits led by the emptiest suits ever , who dictate how clubs should run their finances irrespective of their relative financial positions,particularly in terms of debt ( all done in their own self- interest ) while the barons of Trafford and Barca, and Madrid and Milan all decide how the rule book should be written , as long as they are allowed to bend a few themselves (particularly if one of your family works at one of them). Their competitions and their modus operandi are riddled with corruption ( how else can you explain the awarding of world cups to countries like Russia , not forgetting huge sponsorship from dubious gas companies, and places in the Middle East with no football culture and temperatures of 50 degrees at kick off time ) and it's going to stay the same until someone challenges it .
The current case being conducted against FFP is vital. If it succeeds , it could drive a stake through its heart and could lead to its total unravelling and the possibilities of a new rather more democratic body and if it doesn't then there could be all kinds of breakaway proposals from big clubs who are being refused equality with the "elite". I'm not holding my breath though.
Meantime we have to take part in their contrived and rigged competition and be thankful for the crumbs that fall from the table of the rulers simply because we need the revenues to meet their contrived and rigged FFP rules so that we can take part in their contrived and rigged competition!
Going round in ever decreasing circles- it's got to stop somewhere.

Fantastic post & very very true. I know we need to be in this corrupt competition to be able to sign the best players but I just don't enjoy being surrounded by people who have no interest in the game & even less in city. I wont be going to any more Champions league games that's for sure.

 

[SuperKevinHorlock]

I afraid it's domestic football only for me from now on. I've been increasingly disillusioned with the so called Champions League for some time and my decision is not just a reaction to last night. I will save my money for our Wembley trips from now on.
reasons :-
1. Bent referees
2. Blatantly rigged draws designed to ensure half a dozen big clubs progress

3. Rip off ticket prices
4. FFPR designed to protect half a dozen big clubs
5. No alcohol in grounds.
6. UEFA effectively condoning racist chanting
7. UEFA insisting no domestic games are played on CL nights
8. Season ticket holders being forced out of their seats for press seats and bigger advertising boards
9. Meaningless group games with nothing at stake
10. Obvious bias by high ranking UEFA officials (eg Platini) towards certain clubs and against English clubs in particular City
11. Heavy handed and often thug like policing abroad
12. The Etihad filled with tourists on Champions League nights

I agree with the vast majority of your post, I opted out of the CL scheme this year due to money and the reasons highlighted above-I won't be attending another CL game again(other than a final which is highly unlikely to happen)

 

[Bill]

I afraid it's domestic football only for me from now on. I've been increasingly disillusioned with the so called Champions League for some time and my decision is not just a reaction to last night. I will save my money for our Wembley trips from now on.
reasons :-
1. Bent referees
2. Blatantly rigged draws designed to ensure half a dozen big clubs progress

3. Rip off ticket prices
4. FFPR designed to protect half a dozen big clubs
5. No alcohol in grounds.
6. UEFA effectively condoning racist chanting
7. UEFA insisting no domestic games are played on CL nights
8. Season ticket holders being forced out of their seats for press seats and bigger advertising boards
9. Meaningless group games with nothing at stake
10. Obvious bias by high ranking UEFA officials (eg Platini) towards certain clubs and against English clubs in particular City
11. Heavy handed and often thug like policing abroad
12. The Etihad filled with tourists on Champions League nights

I agree with the vast majority of your post, I opted out of the CL scheme this year due to money and the reasons highlighted above-I won't be attending another CL game again(other than a final which is highly unlikely to happen)

I see what you are saying and I agree with the op but it is very very hard to miss a city tbh.

 

[johnbmcr]

I afraid it's domestic football only for me from now on. I've been increasingly disillusioned with the so called Champions League for some time and my decision is not just a reaction to last night. I will save my money for our Wembley trips from now on.
reasons :-
1. Bent referees true
2. Blatantly rigged draws designed to ensure half a dozen big clubs progress true

3. Rip off ticket prices true
4. FFPR designed to protect half a dozen big clubs true
5. No alcohol in grounds. true
6. UEFA effectively condoning racist chanting true
7. UEFA insisting no domestic games are played on CL nights true
8. Season ticket holders being forced out of their seats for press seats and bigger advertising boards not in our bit and so what
9. Meaningless group games with nothing at stake maybe
10. Obvious bias by high ranking UEFA officials (eg Platini) towards certain clubs and against English clubs in particular City ?
11. Heavy handed and often thug like policing abroad possibly
12. The Etihad filled with tourists on Champions League nights not in our bit and so what


I can definitely see where you are coming from.

 

[SuperKevinHorlock]

I had an empty seat next to me last night, two young girls perhaps 5-7 playing on IPads the whole match, countless tourists taking pictures of each other and selfies!

The CL is everything I hate about the modern game-throw in the extra officials(what do they do?) no beer and blatantly corrupt refs and overpriced tickets!

No wonder United don't want to take part in it after this season.

 

[Healthcare29]

Granted we need CL for obvious reasons, but it's not until we have 5 or so PL titles that I'd consider CL a priority.

 

[zeddie]

So point 12.. How exactly do you define "tourists" then? How do you identify a tourist at a game? I'm not English but try to attend matches when ever I am in the country. I sing and support the team even when the "locals" around me are dead silent. I don't take selfies during the match and consider myself a passionate enough supporter.

You simply can't judge the loyalty and commitment of every international supporter based on assumptions you have. Most of us tourists are there to see our beloved city and are passionate supporters.

I do think however that people who genuinely have no interest in supporting city should have their own "neutral" section. This would also help with the atmosphere in the ground bringing all the singing supporters together. But that's for another post..

I afraid it's domestic football only for me from now on. I've been increasingly disillusioned with the so called Champions League for some time and my decision is not just a reaction to last night. I will save my money for our Wembley trips from now on.
reasons :-
1. Bent referees
2. Blatantly rigged draws designed to ensure half a dozen big clubs progress

3. Rip off ticket prices
4. FFPR designed to protect half a dozen big clubs
5. No alcohol in grounds.
6. UEFA effectively condoning racist chanting
7. UEFA insisting no domestic games are played on CL nights
8. Season ticket holders being forced out of their seats for press seats and bigger advertising boards
9. Meaningless group games with nothing at stake
10. Obvious bias by high ranking UEFA officials (eg Platini) towards certain clubs and against English clubs in particular City
11. Heavy handed and often thug like policing abroad
12. The Etihad filled with tourists on Champions League nights

 

[Unknown_Genius]

I can just imagine a conversation between Sheikh Mansour and Khaldoon:

SM: We now have a team strong enough to compete at Champions League level!
K: But your majesty, the Champions League is crap, the pies are too expensive, and all those tourists!
SM: Your right. Lets pull the plug on this whole charade. Sack Pellegrini, get Gary Megson on the phone, meet Barcelona's transfer fee for Aguero, put the squad up for sale, and lets target the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, I want us to be there by 2017 at the latest. 5 years down the line, I want us to be making a challenge for the Unibond First Division.