Saudi Arabia wants its investors to own Manchester United and Liverpool

[Spartan]

To be fair, when extremely rich people buy football clubs for the explicit purpose of political leanings and soft power it ceases to be just a game.

It ceases because “just a game” is a throwaway tag in a pathetic attempt to absolve any responsibility. But worse it becomes something more sinister and nefarious……and deliberate. People calling it out are the righteous.

People saying keep sports and politics are sticking their heads in the sand.
Either try and make this world a better place or be an oblivious ostrich

less of a "sport" as it originally developed in Victorian England and more of a "circus" in the Roman Empire sense to act as an entertainment to amuse the mob.
Arabs have always loved their horse racing and falconry but they know soccer would give them a global stage.

whether or not it's the "end of football" is a moot point . As we see from the Glazers and FSG , it's difficult to take money even out of two of the biggest clubs in the world without being roundly condemned by your "customers" . The only way to extract cash without inciting fan hatred would be to adopt a franchise system / spending cap and they've failed for the moment.
The two most successful EPL clubs of the last twenty years are City and Chelsea who were being run "not for profit" ; football for its own sake , football as an art form .
Chelsea have been champions 5 times since Arsenal last were , City have been champions 5 times since United last were . The football world is turned upside down by unlimited spending.

 

[hank williams]

less of a "sport" as it originally developed in Victorian England and more of a "circus" in the Roman Empire sense to act as an entertainment to amuse the mob.
Arabs have always loved their horse racing and falconry but they know soccer would give them a global stage.

whether or not it's the "end of football" is a moot point . As we see from the Glazers and FSG , it's difficult to take money even out of two of the biggest clubs in the world without being roundly condemned by your "customers" . The only way to extract cash without inciting fan hatred would be to adopt a franchise system / spending cap and they've failed for the moment.
The two most successful EPL clubs of the last twenty years are City and Chelsea who were being run "not for profit" ; football for its own sake , football as an art form .
Chelsea have been champions 5 times since Arsenal last were , City have been champions 5 times since United last were . The football world is turned upside down by unlimited spending.

@STUMPY @thamesvalleyman @gluepot

 

[Dobbler]

Must be at least 50% totally opposed, another 25% struggling severely with the thought.

Not a tea towel in sight

If it means their old club has relocated lock stock to the desert they might not be too pleased though. Shame eh

I would love this.. love it I tell you!

 

[redgauntlet]

Is there anything about this country that is straight and honest and, what is more, British? It stinks from top to bottem.

 

[hellawbestpizza2]

Must be at least 50% totally opposed, another 25% struggling severely with the thought.

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[FootballFan]

I think by the sound of it the Saudis are encouraging a private consortium so technically it wouldnt be state ownership, might be wrong but thats the impression I get

In any case they are up against Apple so could be all a waste of time

 

[Binxy]

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3 year ago.

 

[halfpast3]

I think by the sound of it the Saudis are encouraging a private consortium so technically it wouldnt be state ownership, might be wrong but thats the impression I get

In any case they are up against Apple so could be all a waste of time

This is what I said the other day and you said it wouldn’t happen

 

[FootballFan]

This is what I said the other day and you said it wouldn’t happen

It wont

 

[Wrenthorpe Mackem]

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I wonder if they're just going to be allowed to casually take over English football.

Saying that hopefully they'll get bored of the mags quickly.

Grim

 

[skullmeister]

Is there anything about this country that is straight and honest and, what is more, British? It stinks from top to bottem.

There were a few bbc documentaries on the BBC a while back about doing business with Saudi's and it was pretty much standard that corruption, back handers and off the books payoffs were standard expectations on many deals.

 

[ClarenceBoddicker]

I think by the sound of it the Saudis are encouraging a private consortium so technically it wouldnt be state ownership, might be wrong but thats the impression I get

In any case they are up against Apple so could be all a waste of time

No chance Apple are interested, it goes against their entire strategy. What would they gain from it to make it worth the money?

Anything they need (behind the scenes documentaries, etc) can be gained with a cheaper partnership.

If their long-term goal is streaming rights they wouldn’t be allowed those while being in charge of one of the teams.

 

[Binxy]

No chance Apple are interested, it goes against their entire strategy. What would they gain from it to make it worth the money?

Anything they need (behind the scenes documentaries, etc) can be gained with a cheaper partnership.

If their long-term goal is streaming rights they wouldn’t be allowed those while being in charge of one of the teams.

What do the Saudis gain from it?

 

[ClarenceBoddicker]

What do the Saudis gain from it?

Sportswashing, and long term investment returns.

You’re talking about at least 15 years before you get a return on your purchase. Apple will have made 100x the £8bn in profit in the meantime.

 

[FootballFan]

No chance Apple are interested, it goes against their entire strategy. What would they gain from it to make it worth the money?

Anything they need (behind the scenes documentaries, etc) can be gained with a cheaper partnership.

If their long-term goal is streaming rights they wouldn’t be allowed those while being in charge of one of the teams.

They have already said they are

 

[ClarenceBoddicker]

They have already said they are

Link? Only thing I have seen originated in the Daily Star.

 

[Binxy]

Sportswashing, and long term investment returns.

You’re talking about at least 15 years before you get a return on your purchase. Apple will have made 100x the £8bn in profit in the meantime.

The Saudis aren't in it for long term investment returns, so that leaves sportswashing.

 

[Father Jack Hackett]

You only oppose our takeover purely because it looks like we're on an upward trajectory and you couldn't give a monkeys about human rights in Saudi Arabia or Yemen.

Easy this.


Any other clubs apart from yourselves and Millwall had to stop because of the booing? Your grandstanding about moral compass is pointless when as a group you have that hanging over your heads.

One in three stopped doing it. Were you present at our ground?

 

[ClarenceBoddicker]

One in three stopped doing it. Were you present at our ground?

No, but I seen the booing on TV and it was confirmed on this board at the time.

 

[Father Jack Hackett]

No, but I seen the booing on TV and it was confirmed on this board at the time.

Therefore you can't argue with the lad who said it was mainly some daft young uns.
I sit at the other side of the ground and couldn't really hear it. Nobody anywhere near where I sit ever booed it.
You also can't claim that was the sole reason we stopped doing it with authority as we did not state it as being and one in three English clubs did it at the same time.