Agreed and they are on the money (so to speak)
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Either way, your comment further problematises the situation. It, like the sign above, gives the money-splashing ownership an ethnic colour. That is, there's nothing "Arab" about spending a pile on something you consider basically a vanity project/hobby and then pouring more into it to win trophies/self-esteem. Russians do it. Americans do it. East Asians do it. The English do it. And they've all done it in the PL… yet it's "Arab" (or, more cryptically, "oil") money that is ruining football or whatever…
I don't particularly care. They could've made their position as clear without such a caricature.
To bring it back OT, there's plenty wrong with modern football, but fining supporters for unveiling a racist caricature isn't one of them.
I could've been clearer here. From my understanding, intent matters in terms of hate crime prosecution in the UK (surely @
Smoked Salmon
can help me out here), so if the Ajax fans can demonstrate no racist intent, the state can't move against them. Of course UEFA isn't the state, so they can use their own guidelines in fining, etc., because presumably by buying a ticket a person is explicitly agreeing to whatever rules UEFA has over matches, etc. (Though now I wonder if, since the UK can't prosecute Spurs fans over their chanting, maybe UEFA/The FA could fine, etc.)
I think the Man City takeover by Sheikh Mansour has been one of the most high profile lately followed by Qatar at PSG. I haven't really seen any stereotypical caricatures of Russians in Cossack outfits or Americans as Cowboys though but I agree that Ajax are continually associated with Judaism the same as we are so the obvious political conflict in the Middle East is in the back of people's minds.
I didn't know he had written another similar one as I've recently read 'Richer than God' which was excellent and can highly recommend it. Completely well thought out and reasoned.
I think that the major point that is being missed is that at least some of these obscene amounts of money being spent in football is the result of the continued systematic looting/squandering of specific countries resources by individuals and families who claim to either represent the people or have the right/or have purchased/stolen their birthrights.
You're over-complicating it. The game is awash with riches, Arabic and otherwise, but most obviously, Arabic. Arabic money is the most visible. It's not racist to point out the obvious.
That said, I think they should have thought it through better and I wouldn't personally have chosen those images.
Not really my field. I think it depends on the method of prosecution and which part of legislation you use, for instance Section 3A, as amended, of the Public Order Act 1985 requires intent where religious or racial hatred is concerned. Conversely, Section 5 of the same act does not require intent where behaviour is carried out in the vicinity of someone to whom it may insult. Theoretically the Ajax thing, if it were in England or Wales, could be prosecuted under the latter for its use of racial caricature, although it is a defence if it can be shown that the accused had no reason to believe he was in the vicinity of anyone who would find offence in it. In fact, I believe Section 5 is what has been used to issue warnings to Spurs fans at the Lane (although I'd have to see a pic of the warning notice again to be sure) because of the likelihood of Jews being at games.I could've been clearer here. From my understanding, intent matters in terms of hate crime prosecution in the UK (surely @
Not unfortunate, brutally honest!
Just look at Malaga. On the cusp of a Champions League semi-final - and now a relatively average La Liga side sat in mid-table and in a horrible financial mess, and banned from European competition.
The owner literally just 'disappeared'!
This is why the German model works well - fans own 51% of clubs, so no one person can ever own and therefore dictate the future of an entire club (I think there are a couple exceptions to this, Bayern for one) but it works.
Yeah it says S3 and S5. (I posted it somewhere on here before but can't do it again right now as I'm on my phone.)
I think we look at German football a bit through rose-tints. It's now a one-horse race and totally uncompetitive.
Thanks for clarifying.
4 different winners in the last 7 years.
Without a doubt last season and this season Bayern are by far and away the best team, but they have built one of the best squads in a generation, so that is no surprise. Their record last season was nothing short of remarkable, and again this year. And they do that spending within their own means, unlike Barca and Real, who spend far more than they earn and get an unhealthily large percentage of the league's TV rights money.
Away from the top, the league is extremely competitive all round. I remember seeing Borussia Monchengladbach finish 16th, win the relegation play-off and then finish 4th the following season, gaining Champions League football, with minimum outlay. They sit 3rd this season, despite having lost a few star names over the past couple of seasons. Freiburg finished 5th last year, Europa league football. Now 16th with 3 wins in 17, and largely the same squad.
Augsburg are the success story of this season, generally seen as relegation candidates, sitting pretty in 8th, 4 points off EL qualification. A great achievement on a fraction of the budget compared to the teams around them. Hertha are another recently promoted team that are doing well.
I love the topsy-turvy nature of the league, the focus on developing young stars not buying ready-made stars, and the clear will to win with attacking football, not defensive solidity making for excellent viewing.
It's not racist. The sheiks are a plague upon football, to portrait one as such is not racist.
Neither is "Greedy white man" caricatures.
Unfortunately, this is out of date already. No-one can beat Bayern to last year's, this year's or next year's titles. They have poached all the players and will dominate for a decade.
Maybe so, but they have done it in a ethical way. That is the point. They haven't been bought by a multi-trillionaire who is pumping hundreds of millions into the club, weighing it down with debts they could never afford to pay off should the owners walk away (Malaga). They have been a top European side for decades, they are a huge global brand and receive relatively low TV money compared to the other 4 major European leagues, so fair play to them. They are run by football men, ex-players are common within their staff structure, and they are run with both success and financial security in mind. To that, I applaud them (even though I hate them!)
There is nothing desirable or honourable about how Barcelona and Real Madrid go about dominating La Liga, using their global status to manipulate the distribution of TV money heavily in their favour, to the detriment of the whole league.
THAT is a model that was brought in not long ago, and has severely failed in every respect. The debt hanging over most La Liga clubs is shocking. And for all their spending, their league is not comparable as a whole to either the Premiership or Bundesliga, in terms of quality or financial structure.
Very true words.
That said, it fucks me off when one team dominates a league, and it is a shame from a football fans' perspective when that happens. German football is still interesting regardless, but Bayern Munich's results don't concern me one bit. The rest of the table is wide open and the brand of football played is a joy to watch.
A great example is Werner at Stuttgart - just 16 years old, broken into their squad this year and doing terrifically well. No talk of being the next Messi, or needing a break in case of burnout, or being loaned out to a 4th division side (the 3 things that ALWAYS seems to happen to half-decent young English players) - just another quality young player produced by an excellent German youth system, getting his chance and being played on merit, with his age not an issue.
Yeah, but if Bayern dominate so much, the league is in serious danger of losing sponsorship and TV revenue. Even Bayern are concerned about lack of competition that could actually undermine the great advances that the Bundesliga has made. A one team league is no good for anyone.
