We rightfully complain about the state of football in Australia and the mismanagement.

I just want to point out how they fucked the champions league. It's absolutely shite and I don't know how anyone can follow it.

Then the world cup qualifying is to easy with to many teams then the world cup you play few matches. 

The sport is good it's the suits running it and it's not just in Australia 

Yep, it's all about money, not the players, not the fans.

As John Oliver an English Political TV host explained to his American audience, giving the WC to Qatar was the same as playing the next Super Bowl in a swimming pool, but you know what, when it comes round, we are all hooked & the Suits know this.

Glad my mate introduced me to Carlisle United some years back. Weekend trips over have been some of the best football experiences. Hannover can stay in the second division until the Bundesliga is rid of the dull clubs. Decent football but also a feeder youth league it's become.

Did anyone see the international break trend #barclaysmen? People reminiscing about the EPL rough 04-15? I miss those days and I think it's true a lot of big teams play fixed pattern robotic football. The Championship and rest of EFL is a joy. 

If you're referring to the European Champions League, it was fucked when they put teams who weren't Champions in it
and created the group stages instead of a straight knockout.

Just like VAR, designed to help the bigger clubs go further

What you're looking at now is the softening up for the Super League

Imagine a group stage of only the European league champions though, I think that would be fun.

Either similar qualifying playoff system to get to 32 - with the reigning champions if they haven't qualified already given a qualifying playoff spot (as they already have in place, but obviously only with the league champions for leagues ranked outside the top 8-9 : depending on the auto-qualifier as stated earlier).

Might do a fake draw for this season based off this for the lulz.

Auto qualified for Second Round/Group Stage would be:

• Manchester City
• Internazionale Milan
• Real Madrid
• Bayer Leverkusen
• Paris Saint Germain
• PSV Eindhoven
• Sporting Lisbon
• Club Brugge
• And because Real Madrid also won the previous Champions League, the 9th auto-qualified team: Sparta Prague

Pretty much this....  UEFA, like FIFA, just squeezing every single possible dollar out of football fans..... 

Yep,,, Ive found UCL to be boring as batshit these past 5-10 years.... Conference and Europa league are a little more tolerable for the variety of clubs participating and the seriously out of wack results sometimes... 

Only 5-10 years, been a lot longer for me.
A super league in all but name.

Yeah your probably right, group stages instead of h/a knockout took all the fun out of it...  plus I still think its garbage they did away with the away goal rule... but I guess thats just me. 

A super league in all but name I agree...... hmmm what other league around the world fits that description I wonder? :)

Away goal rule! That's the other one that I'm hating has gone :(

there is the Club World Cup don't forget - sure not the same as you quote BUT in the big picture its OTT and useless played late in the year.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIFA_Club_World_Cup#Results
The League winners already hit out in the CL, CWC was/is just another money grab.

I don't mind expansion within reason - money has changed the world over - I didn't mind the H/A CL of recent times BUT the change of away goals meaning nothing defeated the original concept.
I think everyone is against the new changes to CL AND the WC.
Coachs/players/managers/pundits etc are all saying their peace its all too much for everyone involved but Mr Greedy bags FIFA.

I actually dont believe that the Club World Cup will ever be as prestigious as FIFA dreams mate..  The two biggest broadcast markets (Nth America and Asia) are massive Eurosnobs, even more than Australians, and outside of a a couple of dozen clubs nobody around the world cares about non-European teams participating in this.... 

no way will it ever gain cred like Euro/WC and the likes.
Obviously FIFA sells it to the ME for who else is going to stump up the $$$'s, do they care - nope money in the bank.
Crowds are so so - the only time I cared to suss it out was when LFC was in '19.
https://www.transfermarkt.us/fifa-club-world-cup/besucherzahlen/pokalwettbewerb/KLUB/plus/1/galerie/0?saison_id=2020

Club World Cup expansion irritates the shit out of me.

yep, MCG is right Football is Broken here there everywhere in some shape or form.
Bit like alot things today, its so fecked up.

UEFA and FIFA have always been more invested in themselves than in the game. They don't care about player welfare or anything about the good of the game. It is purely about their back pocket. Unfortunately, fans will keep watching and supporting, so there is no need for them to stop. Leagues and clubs also don't take up any stance, and neither do the players, so why bother. 

In saying that, just because shit is fucked elsewhere, does not mean we need to accept the shit that is fucked up here. 

Or when South Melbourne Hellas was in it in 2000 :)

And could not wear their strip as it had too many sponsors on it !!!

Football fans in Europe were immediately up in arms against the proposed Super League though zimbos.... as were the clubs (cynically after they witnessed the backlash).

Its only here and in the US where a closed off super league can actually exist... and actually be supported, un-ironically, but the very same "fans" of European football culture.

And played against Manchester United, Vasco De Gama and Nexaca, proudly representing Australia in a competition Sevco FC will sadly never participate in... :( booohoooo

Yeah mono I definitely get the frustration and hypocrisy with the a league and the European leagues. I don't think shitting on either league is the way forward if we can't do p and r I'd like to see the history of the nsl and beyond acknowledged more. 
 Have the clubs work a bit better with each other. I know I'm an idiot on a couch and it might be a dream but it's what fans want 👍

Only reason we CAN'T Do P and R is because the APL exists mate, pure and simple.... The Aleague, IS by its inception, a "Super League" in so much as a club cannot gain entry to compete in it by performing on the football pitch ...... No ifs or butts about it. 

Its irrelevant what you or I think and "shitting" on each league from the internet is equally irrelevant. Clubs CANNOT work with each other on an equal footing with this fractured system and until it is united then any "relationship" between clubs will be a predatory one at best. 

Don't lump them in together, like the A-League is just an equivalent

A-League is shit and easily fixed.

European Cup changing to UCL Groups, to Champions League Elimination League heading towards a Full European League is just Football Changing over time. 
Watch it or don't, the choice is yours

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/sep/16/the-champions-league-a-new-dawn-or-just-the-richest-winning-in-more-lucrative-ways

Can only watch if your club is one of those in the SUPER LEAGUE .... is that what they want, to funnell all the paying customers into a few easily marketed products?

Look I never claimed to be smart but my understanding is p and r is hard to implement. We need all the teams to basically be professional afford the flights etc that goes with it and if a team drops the second division we need to make sure they're financially stable.

That sounds like a lot of work to do so I agree with most of what you guys are saying except that it's a easy solution to fix 

THATS BULLSHIT ... There are federations all around the world, in countries where 60% of the population lives beneath the poverty line. Where clubs play on dirt pitches and get paid in rice and beans that are able to have promotion and relegation........ 

Ok well there you go 

Latest dodgy goss



https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2024/09/17/la-superliga-sigue-avanzando-con-vistas-a-estrenarse-en-2025-de-los-clubs-fundadores-todos-excepto-el-inter-de-milan-estan-en-el-proyecto-cadena-ser/

https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2024/1/7/european-court-of-justice-super-league-football-uefa-fa-fifa-breakaway-league-future-of-club-football

Its a viscious circle
https://www.espn.com.au/football/story/_/id/40255715/juventus-spurn-super-league-barcelona-real-madrid-remain
This comment does question RM's SL push, they pride on being CL Champs forever and day yet want to be out of the comp.
"I heard [Friday that Madrid] talked about the love story between Madrid and the Champions League. On the other hand they want to destroy the Champions League. You love or you hate. You want to destroy the thing you hate?" Al-Khelaifi said.

So hence why changes to CL and WC.....
Countering the SL push.
Will the rich bastards carry on as it is OR will one day this split occur ?
This all seems similar to what has happenned with golf the PGA vs LIV.