Why AIFF’s decision to relegate I-League clubs and instal ISL as top division is wrong

https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/why-aiff-s-decision-relegate-i-league-clubs-and-instal-isl-top-division-wrong-106270

India have made great in-roads.

Looks like  it’s old soccer vs new football

Articles coming thicker than a Hyderabadi korma
at the moment

With the ISL and I-League, we struggle between the old and the new: Praful Patel

https://www.thehindu.com/sport/football/with-the-isl-and-i-league-we-struggle-between-the-old-and-the-new-praful-patel/article28751040.ece

God bless India!

"In both of those cases, you're looking at between $550 million and $650 million in investment. When you're making an investment like that, they take a while to close. That's the process that we're going through now, and it's not remotely alarming to me or anybody else."
Garber said that the expansion fee for teams 28 and 29 remains at $200 million. ”

https://www.espn.com/soccer/major-league-soccer/story/3909619/garber-defends-pace-of-mls-expansion-reveals

“Amid the ongoing tussle between I-League clubs and All India Football Federation (AIFF), former Indian football captain Bhaichung Bhutia backed promotion-relegation system, saying there should be more number of teams involved. “I am not talking exactly about merger. We need to have bigger number of teams in higher league than lower league, where we can have relegation-promotion system. Praful Patel made a statement few days ago, saying that in a couple of years he has been wanting to do that…have top league and below that have relegation and promotion right down to 1st, 2nd and 3rd divisions. I think all across the world they have that format and we also should get that done,” Bhutia said at knowledge session on ‘Integrity in Sports’ organised by AIGF (All India Gaming Federation), FICCI. I-League clubs—Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, Minerva Punjab among others—had moved the FIFA regarding the current situation in Indian football following which the governing body wrote to the AIFF to provide them with an update.  “It’s very unfortunate. I think they need to try and sort it out as soon as possible. It’s not good for football. I-leagues and the Federation, everybody needs to sit and find a solution,” the former striker said.....”

https://www.sundayguardianlive.com/sports/promotion-relegation-system-way-forward

I imagine when pro rel comes in it will look similar to this. Pro rel and finals ( playoffs )

”A deeper look at the SHL and the other top Swedish leagues

JohanGartnerAug 1, 2019

...today we’re going to dive in a bit deeper on the Swedish hockey leagues and how they are setup and how good the leagues actually are. Trust me — it gets pretty complicated.
 The three best leagues in Sweden are:

 Svenska Hockeyligan (SHL) 14 teams: 8 teams in the playoffs, 2 teams play relegation games
HockeyAllsvenskan 14 teams: 8 teams fight for promotion, 2 teams play promotion games
HockeyEttan 47 teams divided into 4 divisions, 4 teams play promotion games

How are the Swedish leagues organized? Svenska Hockeyligan is more known as SHL for the hockey people over in the US. Back in 2013 they changed the name of the league from Elitserien to Svenska Hockeyligan and in 2015 they increased the teams to a total of 14 from the previous 12. Both SHL and HockeyAllsvenskan play 52 regular season games where the winner of the regular season in the SHL gets a bonus of one million Swedish Crowns which is roughly around $100,000 in US Dollars. The Swedish leagues all use a 3-point system where you get 3 points for a win in regular time and 2 points if you win in overtime/shootouts.
 Teams 1-6 during the regular season all qualify for the playoffs while teams 7-10 will play a best of three playoff series for the last two spots. (7 vs 10 and 8 vs 9). The SHL used to let the teams pick who they wanted to play against, example: regular season winner picks first, and then the second best team and so on. In the 2013-14 season they changed it so the top team plays against the worst ranked team and so on. When the “real” SHL playoffs start they all play best of seven series just like the NHL.
 Teams 13 and 14 of the regular season will play a best of seven relegation series against the two best teams from HockeyAllsvenskan. That wasn't so complicated now, was it? Now we will get to the complicated part of the promotion/relegation system that the Swedish leagues use:
 Team 1-2 in HockeyAllsvenskan play each other in a best of five series called “Allsvensk Final” where the winner will play the worst ranked team of the SHL in a best of seven series. The losing team in the Allsvensk Final series will play the winner of “Slutspelserien”.

 Slutspelserien is basically a playoff system between teams 3-8 in HockeyAllsvenskan who all play each other twice: once at home and once away. After this, the winner of Slutspelserien will play the loser of the Allsvenskan Final in a best of three series where the winner of that series will play against the 13th ranked team from the SHL.

 So basically, the two worst teams in the SHL and the two best teams from HockeyAllsvenskan fight for two spots in the SHL. It’s not necessarily the number one and two ranked teams from HockeyAllsvenskan, since every team ranked 1-8 has a chance to still get promoted after the regular season is over.

 I honestly have no idea why they’ve complicated it like this, but, believe it or not, the HockeyEttan system is even more complicated. I won’t even attempt to explain it, all I will say is: four teams from HockeyEttan and the two worst teams from HockeyAllsvenskan will play each other twice, once home and once away where the two best teams get promoted.”


https://www.broadstreethockey.com/2019/8/1/20750421/how-good-is-the-shl-compared-to-the-nhl-sweden-hockey

What is interesting about this article with connection to Aus football is FFA & APFCA have already agreed what cut FFA will receive if/when APFCA sell the league to a marketing partner.


https://m.economictimes.com/news/sports/aiff-seems-to-have-defied-fifa-by-handing-over-the-sport-to-private-marketing-partners/articleshow/70531762.cms

”AIFF seems to have defied FIFA by handing over the sport to private ‘marketing partners’”

“FIFA has come out strongly in support of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) President Praful Patel and have asked the ‘rebel’ I-League clubs to cooperate for the betterment of Indian football at large.

Six I-League clubs, led by Minerva Punjab, had questioned why a joint FIFA-AFC recommendation on the roadmap for Indian football made in 2017 has not been implemented yet. The I-League clubs wanted the AIFF to integrate them into the Indian Super League (ISL) step-by-step, starting from the 2019-20 season as per the joint report.

The six clubs had approached the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, Union Sports Ministry before approaching FIFA and AFC as well.”
https://au.sports.yahoo.com/fifa-backs-praful-patel-short-193139501.html

Article continues.

This is a shit day for football. 

“What is the fight between the ISL and I-League about? Why is the Indian Super League set to be named India’s top football competition? What happens to the older league? N. Sudarshan The story so far: The long-running battle for one-upmanship between the I-League, India’s top rung of football, and the glitzy Indian Super League (ISL), launched five years ago, is nearing a messy endgame. The All-India Football Federation (AIFF), the sport’s governing body, has recommended to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) that the ISL be recognised as the country’s top tier. But I-League clubs, including giants East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, are miffed as the coveted spot in the AFC Champions League qualifiers, given to the I-League winners, will now be the ISL’s. And with the latter having no system of promotion-relegation, the clubs feel they are being denied a fair opportunity to compete for a slot among Asia’s elite. What is the genesis of the tussle? In 2010, the AIFF signed a Master Rights Agreement (MRA) with IMG-Reliance (IMG-R) that granted the latter control over footballing activities in India for 15 years. The ISL, a closed affair modelled on famed American professional leagues such as the NBA and the NFL, was borne out of a tie-up between the AIFF and the Football Sports Development Ltd. (FSDL), a subsidiary of IMG-R. Armed with funds, ISL attracted top, albeit over the hill, foreign stars, including World Cup winners, and threatened the existence of the I-League. The AIFF president, Praful Patel, an AFC vice-president and FIFA Council member, sought to assuage fears by terming the introduction of the new tournament as more of a “booster dose” to develop Indian football than a disruptive influence. Unlike the rebel Indian Cricket League which preceded the IPL, the ISL enjoyed official sanction, creating a unique situation of a country having two professional leagues. In May 2016, the AIFF and the FSDL revealed a grand plan to completely overhaul the structure, starting from the 2017-18 season. The ISL was to be made the premier division, I-League a step below as League 1, followed by League 2. There could only be promotion and relegation between League 1 and League 2. The ISL clubs could not be relegated (for the first 10 seasons) and new teams could only be added as per the league’s wishes and subject to the payment of a hefty franchise fee. But since I-League clubs were not agreeable, the AIFF and other stakeholders decided to run both leagues concurrently, with the I-League holding on to the AFC Champions League slot, until a clear road map could be established through consensus. But the move to place the ISL above I-League has not gone down well. Why has there been this turn by the AIFF? On July 9, the AIFF Executive Committee announced that the elevation of the ISL had to happen within five years of its inception as per contractual obligations in the MRA. Among other reasons the AIFF cited was the “fact that the entire Indian National squad was being signed by/playing for the ISL clubs”. It also felt that the ISL clubs should be rewarded for complying with the AFC club-licensing criteria that includes grass-roots and youth development programmes. The AIFF claimed that television viewership and in-stadia audience had grown far more substantially vis-à-vis the Hero I-League. The AIFF also appeared to have been irked by the I-League clubs’ boycott of the Super Cup in March (except Real Kashmir and Chennai City FC) demanding a meeting with Mr. Patel amid reports that the ISL was all set to be granted top status. In a last ditch effort, I-League representatives sought the Prime Minister’s intervention to probe the AIFF’s functioning. What do I-League outfits have to say? Their biggest grouse has been non-transparency on the AIFF’s part. Even as they agree somewhat grudgingly that the AIFF’s intentions to promote the ISL had all along been clear, they allege that the exact terms of the MRA and time frames were never revealed. The argument being that, had they known, a club such as Minerva Punjab, which started playing at the national level only from 2015-16, would have thought twice about investing just to feature in the lower divisions. There is also a strong feeling that I-League clubs have been left to die a slow death. In 2016, protesting the lack of vision, Dempo FC, Salgaocar FC and Sporting Clube de Goa — three Goan clubs with rich history — pulled out of the I-League. The AIFF did little to convince them otherwise. The increase in stadia and television audiences can be attributed to the fact that the ISL matches had prime-time late evening slots, while the I-League, alongside reduced airtime, saw many matches scheduled on weekday afternoons. It was only natural that top players, with better chances of being noticed, flocked to the ISL, thereby making it a better product. But things are not all rosy in the ISL. The excitement of the initial years has dissipated as clubs such as Delhi Dynamos and FC Pune City have struggled to attract fans. It is a fact that East Bengal and Mohun Bagan have fan bases far bigger than the most popular ISL clubs. Where does the issue stand and what next for I-League teams? Six I-League clubs, namely Minerva Punjab, Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, Churchill Brothers, Aizawl FC and Gokulam Kerala FC, petitioned FIFA. The world body wrote back to the AIFF asking for an update on a February 2018 report prepared in collaboration with the AFC. The report had instructed the AIFF to run a unified league with promotion and relegation from 2019-20, and also reduce franchise fees and review and reset all agreements signed with FSDL. A ‘League Transition Committee’ was to be formed within six weeks of the AIFF receiving the report; a failure to comply could result in suspension from AFC competitions. That the AIFF dodged the bullet for nearly 18 months, and even convinced FIFA that many aspects of the report needed further consideration, can be termed a mini victory. In fact, FIFA has now asked the clubs to cooperate with the AIFF as the latter was “best-placed” to find a solution to “complex issues”. If the AIFF now goes ahead and elevates the ISL, the matter may finally be decided in the country’s courts.”

https://www.thehindu.com/sport/football/what-is-the-fight-between-the-isl-and-i-league-about/article28977673.ece

Another twist—-

“Speaking to Outlook, Bajaj said, "This is something very fishy. What AIFF have done is; they have asked someone they know to write an unofficial letter, without informing other within FIFA, because what FIFA had written to us on July 25, is completely different to what is mentioned in this letter."

“The letter is addressed to me and Minerva Punjab, but I haven't received it yet," he further added.”

https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/sports-news-fifas-recent-directive-to-i-league-clubs-is-not-genuine-says-minerva-punjab-owner-ranjit-bajaj/335821

Duolingo has added pro/rel

“How Getafe went from the depths of the Segunda to the Europa League Karan Tejwani16/08/2019 Madrid, the capital city and commercial hub of Spain, has a rich football history, especially in LaLiga. Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid, the two big-spending Champions League regulars, garner much of the world’s attention, seeing as they have the biggest superstars and perform under the brightest lights on the grandest nights. Around them are some humbler clubs. Rayo Vallecano, who frequently go up and down the divisions, struggle to maintain a constant place in the top-flight. The same goes for Leganés, popularly known as the Cucumbers, who have only just started cementing their place in LaLiga over the last few years. The youngest of the lot is Getafe, the club that wear an all-blue strip and who have been around since 1983. Remarkably, it’s only now, for many, that they’ve started capturing the world’s attention after a historic season in Spain’s top tier. Their neighbouring clubs have been around for decades, many having already celebrated their centenary years, moving to the biggest stadiums and players for massive transfer fees, but in the south-west of the capital, this is a club that is still looking make its mark, having themselves been fighting with mid-table obscurity and relegation fears in recent times. Originally formed in 1923 as Sociedad Getafe Deportivo, they would stutter in the lower divisions, mostly playing amateur football but failing to do much of note. They would change once again after the Spanish Civil War when a group of locals decided to redesign and rebuild, officially re-forming as Club Getafe Deportivo. This team enjoyed a little more success, playing as high as the second tier and even competing against the likes of Barcelona in the Copa del Rey, but in 1982, after several years of financial trouble, they liquidated. Along the way, in 1976, a club called Peña Madridista Getafe (Real Madrid Supporters’ Club of Getafe) was formed. This club played in various divisions until rebranding to Club Deportivo Peña Getafe. For two years they kept that name before merging with the more ancient Club Getafe Promesas. In 1983, after the two forces came together, Getafe Club de Fútbol was officially formed, and thus, their story began. Having started off in the local leagues, they would rise before finding their feet between Segunda División B and the Segunda itself. Promotion to the top-flight was a pipe dream at that point and in the late-90s, the fear of liquidation was rife once again. Nevertheless, they would survive, and in 1998 entered a new phase by inaugurating their new stadium, the 17,000-seater, Coliseum Alfonso Pérez – an open ground where the sun basks in all its glory. Interestingly, the ground is named after Alfonso Pérez, the former Spain and Real Madrid player who never played for or against Getafe but was born in the area. They would continue in the third and second tiers for a while, but in 2004, the momentous happened as they gained promotion to LaLiga, completing the remarkable feat of ascending the Spanish football pyramid in the space of just 20 years. Despite one relegation in 2015/16 – followed by immediate promotion the following campaign – they’ve been a permanent fixture in LaLiga. Relegation battles have been aplenty but they’ve been consistent in beating the drop. Sixth was the highest they finished – that was in the 2009/10 season, but it was the recently concluded campaign where the wider world took notice. For much of their time, it would be fair to say that Getafe have been in the shadows – even the locals ignore them. Last season, in their most successful campaign in history, they enjoyed an average home attendance of 10,836 – the fifth lowest in the division – while the season before that, they were third-lowest. Often, local papers don’t even send reporters to their games for coverage, with Getafe of little interest to the public. For years, many believed they were there to make up the numbers, but over the last 12 months, they proved they weren’t.  Read | How the challenge of building a club’s identity in Madrid’s satellite towns could alter Spanish football forever Led by the inimitable José Bordalás, the 55-year-old former forward, they finished fifth in LaLiga, just two points behind Valencia in the final Champions League qualifying place. For so long they were close to making it to Europe’s premier club competition, but even taking part in the Europa League, where the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Roma and Borussia Mönchengladbach will be involved, is no mean feat for a club of their size. Bordalás has had a journeyman career in Spain. Over 23 years in management, he has had 15 spells at 12 different clubs, but it is undoubtedly at Getafe where he has celebrated his finest achievements. The suave manager, often seen sporting hipster glasses and a finely-tailored suit on the sidelines, joined in 2016 after Getafe were struggling upon their return to the Segunda. They won just one of their opening eight games and were much closer to an unexpected drop to the third tier than a return to the first. A change in fortunes was immediate as Bordalás and Getafe turned things, ending up in third in the league and only narrowly missing out on automatic promotion. They won the playoffs, overcoming Huesca and Tenerife as the promised land was reached again: LaLiga action would return to the Coliseum. They finished eighth in the following campaign, comfortably beating expectations that they would go back down, instead challenging for a place in the Europa League. The squad he inherited and then developed is a team of work-horses, players that constantly punch above their weight and want to challenge the upper echelons of the league. In the 2018/19 campaign, a combination of effort, players giving it their all, shrewd tactics and a bit of technology propelled them to an all-time high of fifth. At the start of the season, Getafe had the fourth-lowest budget of all 20 teams in LaLiga, with their overall squad’s value almost equivalent to the amount some of the league’s best players such as Lionel Messi or Gareth Bale earned in a month. They also had the sixth-smallest wage structure, mixing it with teams from the lower half rather than the ones they ended up finishing alongside. So how did they do it? Crucially, this is a group of players that came together with a massive point to prove. Many of them came in on the cheap and were misfits at their previous clubs. Their first-choice goalkeeper, David Soria, arrived on a cut-price deal having been discarded at Sevilla. Nemanja Maksimović, once seen as a player with a bright future, came in from Valencia having failed to break into the first-team. Ignasi Miquel, the former Arsenal defender, joined from Málaga, who were relegated in the previous campaign, whilst other shrewd loan deals included the likes of Sebastián Cristóforo and Dimitri Foulquier. It wasn’t just that link that held them together. Many of their players had suffered more losses than wins in their careers, with relegations aplenty on their CVs. Leandro Cabrera came from Crotone, who were struggling in Italy, while Damián Suárez, a player who had been at the club since 2015, had seen relegations with Elche and Getafe. In many ways, it could be said that Bordalás was preparing a team with a fighting spirit that could get them out of a tough spot – but they were joined by some players who wanted to hit new levels, especially 30-year-old Jaime Mata, who was one of the revelations of the season. In the previous year whilst playing for Real Valladolid, Mata was offered a lucrative €6m contract from Zheijang Greentown to play in the Chinese Super League. An offer like that would make anyone’s mouth water, especially if that player is in the second tier. Seeing many players – Javier Mascherano, Yannick Carrasco and Jonathan Viera among others – moving east, the offer would’ve been appealing. But Mata rejected the deal, staying in Spain and spearheading Valladolid’s charge to the promotion playoffs. They failed but Mata was on his way to LaLiga anyway, as Getafe came calling.  Read | How Manuel Pellegrini guided Riquelme, Forlán, Senna and co to stunning heights at Villarreal In Madrid, Mata would become Getafe’s main man, with Bordalás giving him all the freedom in attack. With 23 goals in 25 matches in the Segunda, Bordalás knew he had a useful talent to call upon. Over the course of the next year, Mata would spearhead Getafe to success, and while he was vital to an incredible team that was over-achieving, in Bordalás’ eyes, he wasn’t their key cog. That was the defenders and the defensive set-up. For much of the season, Bordalás’ preferred system was a classic 4-4-2, closing down space and making themselves compact, giving little room to the opposition to exploit. This was crucial and the statistics proved that. By the end of the matchday 38, they had conceded just 35 goals – only Diego Simeone’s typically solid Atlético Madrid (29) conceded fewer, while Champions League-chasing Valencia were level. Their midfield assists in this aspect of their play too, doing more work off the ball than on it, making recoveries and pressing high to avoid giving the opposition time and space to work their magic. A key example of this was seen in the early season league match against Real Betis, who they defeated 2-0 on home turf. With the opposition led by Quique Setién and consisting of talented individuals such as William Carvalho and Giovanni Lo Celso, Seville club struggled to create chances and were outplayed defensively. Against pressure, they held their own and came out with a well-deserved victory. Bordalás doesn’t mind the way in which he goes about his business. In an interview with El Mundo, he was philosophical about his methods: “What’s the point of having 30 touches in your half of the pitch without moving forward? People have started to confuse lengthy possession with good football.” The method has cost Bordalás once. That was at Alavés, who sacked him after he had led them to promotion. It’s clear that Getafe aren’t the most attractive of teams, relying on a smash-and-grab style that has worked well with so many pragmatic managers. Contrary to their great defensive numbers, they scored just 48 goals across the 38-game season, the joint-lowest of clubs that qualified for Europe. That has been one of the reasons for the success of Jaime Mata: they have been over-reliant on his goals; without them, they would’ve been nowhere near the spot they finished. He scored 16 league goals last season – a third of his club’s overall tally – and even earned a call-up to the Spain side in March. Alongside Mata is Jorge Molina, the 37-year-old who many touted for a call-up to the national team. Just like Getafe, Molina has had a humble rise to superstardom. The forward is shy off the pitch and has completed several coaching badges as well as holding a sporting director’s license and his rise to the top has been impressive. His life is football. Born in the same region as his manager, he spent much of his years in the lower leagues before joining Real Betis in 2010 and leading them to promotion. He stayed in Seville for six years prior to his Getafe odyssey, and even his wildest dreams would never have conjured up a whole stadium chanting “Jorge, selección!” for a man close to the end of his career. He’s an icon there, a revered figure who guided them when they were in the Segunda. Next year, he’ll take them to Europe.  Read | How Marcelino guided a resurgent Valencia to Copa del Rey glory and the Champions League Supporting the two in attack is the hard-working midfield four of Maksimović and Mauro Arambarri, the engine of the team who are just as crucial to their defensive play as they are to their rapid counter-attacks. They’re joined by wingers Francisco Portillo and Foulquier, who Bordalás converted from full-back. The most interesting of all, though, is Mathieu Flamini, who, in his bit-part role, has done incredibly well. The 35-year-old Frenchman has been a rotational player, but when on the pitch, he is a mammoth figure, covering more ground than any other player on the team and providing vital experience from his time at the likes of Arsenal and AC Milan. Together, this well-knit group picked up some wonderful results on their way to European football: wins against fellow European-chasers Sevilla, Espanyol and Athletic, draws against Valencia and Real Madrid, and crucial results at difficult venues such as those of Real Betis, Villarreal and Alavés. Despite his pragmatic approach, Bordalás isn’t a relic of days gone, utilising some modern technology to further Getafe’s progress. Jordi Cruyff, who has made great strides in Israel with Maccabi Tel-Aviv, has his own legacy in Spanish football. While working in Israel, he teamed up with Zone7, a data analytics company run by former Israeli security service agents. He helped the company land some gigs in Spanish football and Getafe have been using their resources to design training sessions to ensure peak fitness across the season and help their players avoid injuries. They became the first club in Europe to use the software and it has been reported that many other clubs – especially in England and Italy – are taking note having seen the dividends it has reaped. “After a first test season, where we help them a lot to improve their applications in football, it has been in this one when we have started to really bear fruit to their injury prevention programs”, says Javier Vidal, the fitness coach at Getafe, who has worked alongside Bordalás to convince the hierarchy to invest further. In the end, the results were clear: statistics showed that Getafe suffered fewer muscle injuries – just eight – than most LaLiga clubs, while the likes of Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid suffered at least 30 each, according to El Mundo. The system works like many other modern-day modes of technology in sport. Athletes place a device under their playing shirts, which collects various variants of data ranging from speed to pulse rate to distances covered, all while being linked to the medical and physiological history of the individual. It has worked a treat for Getafe; in the future, it is certain that Zone7’s name will be spread by Europe’s elite. The journey and subsequent success have been a culmination of several years of hustle for players and staff alike. From Bordalás’ unfancied methods and Mata rejecting money and favouring loyalty to Molina’s constant fights in the depths of Spanish football and earning a much-loved point against local rivals Real Madrid in LaLiga, the future looks bright if they can consolidate this season. “There are no egos in this team,” says Molina, and it shows in how they’ve performed since returning to LaLiga under Bordalás. It isn’t easy to finish eighth and then fifth in the two years after promotion, but Getafe have done just that. Now they need to take the next step. More cut-price deals and loan moves have been made as they prepare for Europe as Getafe, a club of modest origins with fans that dared to dream, aim for new highs.”

https://thesefootballtimes.co/2019/08/16/how-getafe-went-from-the-depths-of-the-segunda-to-the-europa-league/

Great to see dour defensive teams going so well.
As a fan who gets sick of the constant Foz like "play like Barca" lines trotted out all the time, it's joy to see some different styles of football getting recognition.

”Real Mallorca made a dream return to La Liga with a 2-1 victory over Eibar at the Estadi Son Moix on Saturday, less than two months after sealing back-to-back promotions to rejoin Spain's soccer elite.”
https://news.yahoo.com/1-soccer-mallorca-dream-start-214417456.html#

It's only defensive if you can't break it down. Otherwise, it's good tactics. 

“Moreland Zebras have already made history by reaching the last eight of the FFA Cup, but the second-division club from NPL Victoria would rather win promotion to the top tier of the state league than worry about their opponents in the Cup quarter-finals.”

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/ffa-cup-run-is-great-but-we-want-promotion-say-jubilant-moreland-20190822-p52jmg.html

“Premiership Rugby clubs fail in bid to scrap automatic relegation The 13 clubs of Premiership Rugby have admitted defeat in their attempts to scrap relegation from the division to the second-tier Championship. The proposal to end promotion and relegation was intended to boost commercial revenues for England’s top rugby teams, at at time when only one Premiership side – Exeter Chiefs – reported a profit for the 2017-18 season, with the other 12 posting a collective £50m loss. Premiership clubs had hoped to expand the division to 13 clubs for the 2020-21 season, with one team being promoted from the Championship and none relegated at the end of the 2019-20 season. From the 2020-21 season, a play-off would take place between the teams that finished bottom of the Premiership and top of the Championship. Given the relative strength of the 13 Premiership member clubs, this would have even further limited the ability of Championship clubs to access the top division and increase their revenues. Earlier this year, clubs in the Championship threatened legal action if the Premiership pursued its ring-fencing strategy, prompting the top clubs to respond by offering to increase their annual funding of the second-tier by £500,000, from £1.7m to £2.2m. This proposal was rejected by the Championship clubs. According to ESPN, a Premiership spokesperson claimed that this was not a definitive end to the attempts, noting that it was “just a question of timing” and adding that “constructive discussions will continue.” The Premiership Rugby board meets again in October, when it will look to re-energise the conversation. This is not the first time Premiership Rugby has tried to safeguard its top clubs by doing away with relegation. The previous attempt, in 2015, also ended in defeat for the clubs. However, since investment firm CVC Capital Partners acquired a stake in Premiership Rugby late last year, it has doubled-down on efforts to increase the commercial revenue potential of the league and its clubs, meaning the debate is unlikely to go away quietly this time.”

https://www.sportbusiness.com/news/premiership-rugby-clubs-fail-in-bid-to-scrap-automatic-relegation/

”European Leagues detail post-2024 ideas GENEVA: Europe’s top football leagues announced a Champions League vision Friday that rejects radical changes wanted by elite clubs. The 29-nation European Leagues group said its core principles for reform include no new promotion or relegation between the Champions League and Europa League from 2024, and limiting teams to six group games. The proposal detailed at a football conference in Lisbon rejects the European Club Association’s plan for locking in 24 of 32 Champions League places. The ECA also prefers eight-team groups giving clubs 14 games each, squeezing available dates for national leagues and cups. European Leagues said Champions League entries must be based on qualification from the domestic competitions, except for the winners retaining their place. Though mostly supporting the status quo, the 36 member leagues are “open to new innovations,” European Leagues president Lars-Christer Olsson said. Still, changes should be “underpinned by the principles of current sporting merits, the primacy of domestic football, and the need to respect the domestic football calendar beloved by fans,” Olsson said. UEFA’s consultation on potential changes to take effect in 2024 has stalled while clubs and leagues are far apart in their proposals. A meeting between the leaders of UEFA, the ECA and European Leagues was to take place next week at the European football body’s headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland. It was canceled by UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, knocking back a realistic timetable to decide post-2024 changes potentially into 2021. Leagues officials are using the latest three-year review of the competitions by UEFA to push for what they say is a fairer distribution of prize money. Total revenue from broadcasting and sponsorship sales for the Champions League, Europa League and season-opening Super Cup is currently 3.25 billion euros ($3.6 billion) each season. The 32 Champions League clubs will share 1.95 billion euros this season. That is expected to rise in the next round of commercial sales for 2021-24 when UEFA launches a third club competition, currently called Europa League 2. European Leagues want UEFA to withhold 20 percent of total revenue and share it with other teams not playing in the group stage of the three competitions. The leagues want at least 49 of UEFA’s 55 member federations to be sure of representation with one team or more across the three group stages, helping retain appeal across Europe. This season, countries including Poland, Iceland and Finland no longer have any clubs involved even in the Europa League. Another principle stated Friday is raising status of the fifth-ranked national league - currently France - to have the same UEFA entry rights as the top four of Spain, England, Italy and Germany. It would add one to France’s six-team quota. European Leagues also wants UEFA to stop using a ranking table of clubs’ historical record in more than 60 years of European competition to allocate 30 percent of Champions League prize money. That formula, which the ECA pushed UEFA to agree to in 2016, steers money toward storied clubs. It will pay Real Madrid more than 35 million euros this season regardless of Champions League results. ECA officials also presented their case in Lisbon, and cited issues of “financial distortion and club polarization, declining competitiveness, unexploited potential in a changing media landscape, and limited recognition for club performances in Europe.” More than 230 clubs have been invited to a two-day ECA meeting starting Monday in Geneva.”

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Sports/Football/2019/Sep-07/491249-european-leagues-detail-post-2024-ideas.ashx

“Leeds Rhinos boss Richard Agar is nervous but backs promotion and relegation Published: 06:00 Friday 30 August 2019 Richard Agar. Richard Agar. INTERIM-BOSS RICHARD Richard Agar insists he is in favour of promotion and relegation – despite Leeds Rhinos’ year’s battle against the drop. Rhinos began round 27 – out of 29 – as one of five clubs still in danger of slipping into the Championship. Hull KR's Josh Mantellato is consoled by a fan after the club's relegation in 2016. Hull KR's Josh Mantellato is consoled by a fan after the club's relegation in 2016. The team finishing bottom of Betfred Super League is likely to be relegated with a record points total, but Agar, whose side visit London Broncos for a huge four-pointer on Sunday, is not in favour of a closed shop. “With relegation there is always a chance a good team will go down,” Agar said. “I think it is a bit of the essence of English sport, promotion and relegation. It is a long conversation and there are pros and cons. From a development point of view, it does stop that – we have done it ourselves. “We have recruited late in the season because of the threat of relegation. Maybe it would have been nice for us to find out about some younger players who might be the core of our team for years to come. “We don’t get that luxury now and that’s our fault. “However, there’s some strong, traditional rugby league clubs sitting outside Super League who have got to have some ambition and something to aspire to. We don’t want those clubs to wither on the vine.” Agar stressed: “I don’t see any problem with relegation. It is nervous and I’m not sure it does rugby league clubs any good as businesses and I’m not sure it does junior development any good but, if it gives hope to teams and it’s part of the fabric of British sport, we have to cop it. “But it would be nice to put teams in a stronger position so, if it does happen, they can still strive and survive.” A win this weekend would lift eighth-placed Rhinos four points clear of bottom club London and they already have a much better for and against. Leeds are level on points with Wakefield Trinity and also two ahead of Huddersfield Giants and Hull KR. Nothing will be mathematically decided, but Agar reckons victory at Ealing would effectively make Rhinos safe. He said: “I think, given our points difference and the fact some of the teams around us have to play each other, we would have to have a severe meltdown and some spectacular results go against us with two games to go. “We have got a bunch of people who are very committed to each other and are heading in the right direction. “There’s been some bumps in the road, but we didn’t want to rely on other results. We wanted to rely on ourselves and we have put ourselves in a position where we can control where we finish this year.” Rhinos will not make an announcement on their coaching situation for 2020 until the end of the current Super League campaign. Agar admitted he has been in his role longer than he expected when he was appointed in May, but insisted: “I just want to concentrate on this game. “For me it has been all about avoiding relegation. “We haven’t got that job done yet and we want to get it done before we get into the last couple of rounds. All that stuff [the coaching situation] will work itself out in the long run. “But it is a great club and the job is a wonderful privilege, even in these tough circumstances.”

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/leeds-rhinos-boss-richard-agar-is-nervous-but-backs-promotion-and-relegation-1-9963330

“ISL beats I-League to become India’s top league 18th October 2019 AIFF headquarters By Samindra Kunti October 18 – At last, Indian football has a roadmap. After years of dragging its feet the Indian governing body, AIFF has presented a plan to establish a single league by the 2024-25 season. Indian football has been deeply divided ever since the introduction of the brash Bollywood-styled ISL in 2014. The exact timeline to build the new landscape and resolve the bi-league system still has to be agree upon by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) but following a meeting at the ruling body’s headquarters between AIFF, the ISL franchises and I-League clubs the roadmap confirms that the ISL will supersede the I-League as India’s prime club league. Furthermore, from the 2022-23 season a relegation and promotion will be introduced between the two leagues and the franchise fee for I-League clubs will disappear. AIFF had long claimed they’d offer a solution to India’s bi-league system, where the I-League runs concurrent with the ISL, modeled after the IPL and backed by Reliance, but in reality the AIFF did very little to resolve the schism in the Indian game. In February 2018, FIFA and the AFC recommended a unified league with 14 teams by 2020-21 in a 14-page report ‘The Sustainable Development of Top-Level Indian Club Football – A Road Map’, but after sitting on the document for nearly 1.5 years, AIFF said it couldn’t implement the recommendations. Earlier this year, I-League clubs staged a revolt against the federation by not participating in the Super Cup in Bhubaneswar, and demanding a meeting with AIFF president Praful Patel. The AIFF boss ensured the clubs he’d grant them a meeting in April, but that was not enough to appease them and they pulled out of the competition. The I-League club represent the old establishment of the Indian game. In 2007, the AIFF rebranded the National Football League, revamping it as the I-League, but i 2010, the AIFF signed a 15-year deal with IMG-Reliance worth Rs 700 crore (€87.5 million), giving IMG-Reliance the right to rebrand the I-League or start a new league altogether. The new roadmap also stipulates that the winner of the ISL will get India’s ticket for the qualifying stages of the Asian Champions League. Victory in the I-League will have to make do with the AFC Cup. “Everyone has to put the good of Indian football at the forefront and take the best decisions to develop Indian club football,” AFC General Secretary Dato’ Windsor John said in a statement. “The AFC will be very much involved to ensure the growth of the game to the next level with the pathway to a single league.” Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at moc.llabtoofdlrowedisni@ofni “

http://www.insideworldfootball.com/2019/10/18/isl-beats-i-league-become-indias-top-league/

“Diego Forlan: 'ISL should have relegation system' Diego Forlan stated that both the leagues- ISL and MLS should implement a relegation-promotion system like the rest of the world. Shivam D Updated on: October 8, 2019 13:42 IST Diego Forlan”
https://m.republicworld.com/sports-news/football-news/diego-forlan-isl-should-have-relegation-system.html

“A great day of celebration in Sacramento was also revealing. Just by paying attention to what was said and what wasn’t, we learned some things about how Sacramento came to be named the newest city in Major League Soccer on Monday. For example: We learned that new Republic FC owner Ron Burkle was really, really, really none too happy about the skyrocketing franchise fee he had to pay to gain entry into MLS. In an interview with my colleague Tony Bizjak and I before Monday’s big announcement, Burkle said he thought the franchise expansion price would be about $100 million. Then he thought it was $150 million. And then it turned into $200 million. Read more here: https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article236498448.html#storylink=cpy

Can just imagine the a-league owners reading that story on Sacramento, their eyes lighting up with dollar signs, and thinking "to hell with pro-rell" !

They already think like that. That’s why they want SE Asian expansion.

it is also why Lowy put in a clause to get a % of every franchise fee to FFA.

whats your point?

That's certainly one of them... Cheers !

The sky is blue

Not for those expecting pro-rel here its not...

Libel is it true that when lowy lost his job at FFA you lost your job too and with all the salt ensuing you have declared war on the new regime?