*iran enters the roomAnd 20 ish in USA. Not sure who is winning?
*China enters the room
*iran enters the roomAnd 20 ish in USA. Not sure who is winning?
thing is you could make the assumption that they still wont vote it out, its a perfect excuse for owners not to put their hands in their pockets, if you've got it and dont have to spend it and then you can blame it on someone else thats the perfect storm for the yank owners:) I know what you are getting at, but it's a principle thing really. isn't it? Why should clubs who have operated within FFP, allow clubs who haven't to change the rules to suit them? I would tell them to fuck off, as well.
Yup, most executions are in line with Sharia law, but a majority are now the old men with beards who're against economic, social & religious reforms.
These religious fundamentalists would rather Saudi Arabia return to being a desert, where the main mode of transport was by camel or donkey, if it meant keeping strict Sharia Law in place.
MBS is around 38 years old, & his views reflect those of the younger generation who want change & modernisation.
MBS is doing a balancing act. He knows the young are the future, but the elderly clerics still control the religious morality ideals in their mosques.
The old men with beards are struggling to radicalise the younger Saudi generation who're behind MBS, which has enraged Iran, hence the hatred & grief between the two Arab superpowers.
However, mess with MBS's reforms & future plans for Saudi at your personal peril as journalist Kashoggi found out to his cost. The West were reluctant to take action for MBS grinding him up into dog meat, because sanctioning Saudi Arabia would destabilise the global oil markets, so in turn the global economy.
The result? When they involved themselves in global sports as a way of introducing change, they're accused of sportswashing.
About 3 years ago, Abu Dhabi quietly legalised alcohol in certain hotels, bars & restaurants in their new resorts.
The UAE were the first to recognise the need to modernise in order to attract inward Western investment as a way of diverging their oil based economy.
What you've seen unfolding in Qatar & Saudi is them playing catch up before their oil revenues dry up. They won't allow the old men with beards to affect the long-term futures of their countries, albeit they'll modernise in a way which suits their culture.
The changes happening in the middle east are encouraging, no doubt. They are waking up to the realisation the oil train is gonna stop in 20 to 30 years, and not utilising the effort and potential skills of 50% of their population is gonna hurt them.
With regard to footy, their league is unsustainable, not because of a lack of investment, but a lack of interest globally, even locally.
What I would say is the rulers there will throw cash at this project up until they are awarded the world Cup. Then they will temper the investment to a manageable loss level.
If the middle east can set up a league for those arab states to play in, that could go some way to becoming a success. A bit like the once floated Atlantic League for small European countries. Let's see.
Personally, I'm not bothered if Saudi get the world Cup. I hope it brings about a more tolerant relationship between their rulers, their people, the region, and the world in general.
As I get older, I hope more than I used to :/
The important part is that football, unlike golf and boxing is, at heart, a domestic competition. They are, by name, anchored to a location.I'm not sure you can make that statement without knowing what their actual intentions are. One World Cup isn't enough and the top 3 Saudi clubs all averaged over 30,000 last season.
The Saudis have disrupted golf, and have grabbed all the major boxing events. They're a major player in both those markets now.
I suspect they will want to host major football matches in big tournaments on a regular basis. That would fit with what they have done with golf and boxing.
The FIFA World Cup and FIFA Club World Cup are to be every 4 years, but Infantino wants to run them both every two years, so FIFA have a major tournament every year. That's a nice suite of tournaments if they could bag them all to be played in Saudi Arabia permanently?
I suapect the Saudi domestic league is some sort of stepping stone in that direction. The USA only got the 1994 World Cup because they promised to launch and develop the MLS.
Then there is the purchase of Newcastle. I can't help but think that is not connected and they have a world shattering plan in place.
Whether any of us like it or not, in the next 5-10 football is going to completely change, the FFP nonsense is one thing, the ESL judgement, FIFA changes, UCL changes and now we have the Saudis as well wanting in on the act?
Yes, hence why Sheikh Mansour bought City to put Abu Dhabi on the map. They have billions in investments in most major countries.The UAE are modernising to attract inward investment from the west?
Yes, hence why Sheikh Mansour bought City to put Abu Dhabi on the map. They have billions in investments in most major countries.
Yup, hence when the PL started to fuck around with City which threatened a £20bn investment into a desperate post-Brexit Britain, the Tories acted to secure part of the investment & a month later the announced IREF to regulate PL football. Coincidence?So they are investing outwards into the west and Asia.
Yup, hence when the PL started to fuck around with City which threatened a £20bn investment into a desperate post-Brexit Britain, the Tories acted to secure part of the investment & a month later the announced IREF to regulate PL football. Coincidence?
Big money talks.
View attachment 104081
The UK expects to raise tens of billions of pounds of investment from the United Arab Emirates as it resets its business relationship after last year’s political chaos in Westminster.
Grant Shapps, secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy, said on Friday that “political changes” in the UK, which resulted in the country having three prime ministers in a year, had potentially slowed the pace of inward investment from the Gulf state.
During meetings with government official and sovereign funds, Shapps said that UAE investors were focused on going beyond the £6.1bn of investment already made through the five-year £10bn UAE-UK partnership, which was sealed in 2021.
“They [UAE investors] are absolutely certain that they would go to £10bn and beyond,” he said, while the remaining £4bn of inward commitments would be “met and smashed through”.
“There are tens of billions of pounds more of investment which we know is there,” Shapps said. “Things went on hold a bit over the summer and into the autumn but they [UAE investors] were pleased to hear it’s settled down.”
https://www.ft.com/content/04dd14bf-66c3-434c-b21e-505d222a5d68
The UAE were the first to recognise the need to modernise in order to attract inward Western investment as a way of diverging their oil based economy.