13/03/2023–19/03/2023
Barcelona = “Corruption” = F***ing Disgrace
- FC Barcelona, the 26 time La Liga champions and five-time European Cup winners paid a Former vice-president of Spain’s committee for referees (Jose Negreira) and a company owned by him a fee in the total of €8.4 million between 2001 and 2018. With the club claiming that fee was used to receive consultancy services from Negreiras’ company who provide videos and information in relation to referees.
- The prosecutors have accused former Barcelona presidents and Negreira for “False business records” and “Corruption”. Current Barcelona president Joan Laporta, who was elected in March 2021 has denied any wrongdoings by the club and has said to have launched an internal investigation himself.
- Barcelona coach Xavi claimed that he had no knowledge of these wrongdoings and stated that “I always wanted to win, but fairly,”. With Barcelona currently 9 points clear in La liga, it is important that these off-the-field issues do not affect the performance of the team on the field.
- It is not uncommon for conspiracy theories to arise in relation to Barcelona and referees, especially when looking back at the infamous 2009 UEFA Champions League semi-final between Chelsea and Barcelona, where Didier Drogba famously labelled the game as a “f***ing disgrace’ live on television.”
Nothing can stop Erling Haaland — He is in a league of his own
- The more we watch Erling Haaland, the more we are unable to understand how good this player really is. The Norwegian has now managed to take the ball home for the sixth time this season in all competitions, after his recent hattrick against Burnley in the FA Cup winning 6–0.
- This now means that he has scored 8 goals in his last 2 games and 42 goals in all competitions. This goal return is incredible and one would expect him to break even more records. He is the perfect blend for a striker at this level with pace, power and a killer instinct. Can Erling Haaland finally lead Manchester City to the promised land and deliver them their highly desired Champions League Trophy? We will have to wait and see.
Arsenal are improving slowly.. On and Off the pitch
- Arsenal recorded a £45 million loss for the quarter ended 31 May 2022, which was down from the previous year’s deficit of £107.2 million. The loss in the previous year was largely due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but also due to the club not qualifying for a European competition for the first time in 23 years.
- The increase in turnover was largely driven by increases in matchday revenue as a result of stadium reopening's, an incremental increase in commercial income which relates to money earned from advertising and partnerships, and significant returns on their property development projects.
- Match day income was approximately £79.3 million, which is a major increase from the 2020/21 figure of approximately £3.8 million. In that year, stadiums were closed to the public, but in the current year, the average attendance across all fixtures was 59,586. There was a not so surprising decrease in broadcasting revenue which saw income in this stream decrease by a significant 20.9%. With Arsenal failing to make a European competition, this meant they missed out on the UEFA broadcasting revenue, which had a significant impact on the club’s bottom line.
- One would expect this to change following the completion of the 2022/23 season, with Arsenal in sensational form and guaranteed European competitive football next season. This will attract new commercial deals, increase broadcasting revenue, and further increase match day revenues. Maybe just Maybe Arsenal are on their way back to the pinnacle of English Football.
Think Piece Of The Week — By Khanya Mosetlhi
How much of a successful season for a club boils down to being exceptionally lucky?
If the same team wins over and over again it can’t be luck can it? Surely not?
If Chelsea football club won the Champions League again this year, would it be luck? Fortunate to get through against Borussia Dortmund, out of form and out of sorts domestically, again they’ve changed coaches mid season. They’ve escaped playing Bayern Munchen (the team I’d argue look most primed to win the UCL this year) for now, and could plausibly end up against Manchester City in a semi final. Hardly an easy tie but one that I think Chelsea fans would rather have than the alternative. To then meet either an Italian side or a Portuguese side in the final…
Chelsea fans (at least the more optimistic ones) will tell you that in 2021 they beat Real Madrid on their way to the final and with Kante back fit after missing most of the season, I’d say they might have a stronger chance than most people would have you believe, despite their horrendous league season
If one of Inter Milan or Benfica made it to the final I have no doubt that there would be shouts about a certain level of luck that was required to get to that point, but to even be here they both made their way out of arguably the toughest group stages so it could be argued that they both deserved some kind of luck to get here.
The idea of Inter Milan winning though.. as a Milan sympathiser I couldn’t fathom how infuriating it would be to see them falter so much in the league in the past 2 years to then fade them lifting Europe’s most prestigious trophy in the same time period would feel like an unjust slice of luck for the Milan based side
Benfica however are the side I have the least ill-will towards of the sides remaining. They topped a group containing Paris Saint Germain and Juventus (albeit a Juventus far from their former glories). A feat which would have remained impressive even if they’d gone out in the Round of 16. They’ve sold Enzo Fernandez for a ridiculous 100M and they haven’t looked worse off in the months since, for me they’ve been the standout side of this European campaign. That being said, they’ve rather fortuitously been drawn against the aforementioned less than stellar Internazionale following their fortunate run in with Club Brugge and are undeniably on the weaker side of the draw. Still though, if they somehow navigated their way through their side of the tournament tree and found themselves victorious at the end of this season you wouldn’t think back to their wins against Brugge and hypothetical win over Inter, you’d think about the games still to come and how impressive the overall feat would be.
For what it’s worth I’m hoping they make it past Inter at the very least, curses not withstanding I don’t imagine that Benfica as great as they’ve been would be good enough to lift the big one if they found themselves against one of Bayern, City or Madrid…
Victor Osimhen, Khvicha Kvartshekelia, Zambo-Anguissa. I’d name every single player in the Napoli squad if it wouldn’t feel like overkill. Based on their performances this season one could make the case that Napoli have been the best side in Europe this year, the only reason for caution when it comes to statements like that is because of questions about the level of the opposition that they’ve faced this season. The idea of the team from Naples being Champions League winners would have seemed ridiculous at the start of the season but as it stands I think they look the side most likely to be Champions League finalists from their side of the bracket, they’re not even dark horses anymore, to me they feel most like the side (after Bayern) with enough about them to end up as champions on the tenth of June.
The second most successful side in Champions League history… there’s a lot to like about AC Milan being back in the quarterfinals of the champions league for the first time since 2012. It feels deserved, after years without even being in the competition, that the year they enter the competition as champions they find themselves where they as a club believe they should be is a great story, albeit one that I think ends here. The one side I believe requires the most luck and relies the most on moments if they’re to have any chance of lifting the big one. They feel to me like the weakest side still in the competition
There are two sides left in this competition that feel so good that to credit whichever one ended up as winners with being lucky would feel foolish. They are the sides that look most dominant when they win, they are the two sides that all the clubs left in the tournament would want to play the least, so maybe where the importance of luck comes into play for them mostly likely shows itself through the games they play against one another or through the luck that isn’t really thought about when it comes to the fitness of one or two players at a crucial moment. I can’t imagine this City side being as dominant as they’ve been if one of Rodri or Haaland were unavailable for the tie. Ideally though we won’t rely too heavily on luck to determine who progresses
The luckiest side in European club football history? Or just the best? An underwhelming league season, the league title almost certainly escaping their grasp followed by another Champions League win? It wouldn’t be an unfamiliar script if that’s how this season unfolded, but despite their mauling of the diminished Liverpool side they beat in last year’s final, Real Madrid don’t currently have the air of inevitability that they had this time last season, but maybe they don’t need it, maybe like they did last season they’ll win it because they are Real Madrid and nothing else, maybe a lucky break against one of Bayern or City will be what makes it feel like it’s destined to be theirs? Maybe Vinicius Junior is so good that Real Madrid’s form won’t matter when the time for a big performance presents itself again? Maybe all the luck they need is already there, when you have the manager who’s won the Champions League the most times, how would you call any of it luck?
For what it’s worth, I think there’s always a bit of luck required to do anything, to win anything, you need certain factors to align for not yourself but also for your opposition, if that happens enough times it stops being luck and starts being about your undeniable quality. Still though, I’d call Chelsea lucky bastards if they won.
What I expect: Bayern Munich 2023 Champions League winners against a valiant Napoli side
What I’m praying against: a Chelsea and Benfica final
What I know will not happen: Benfica are not lifting the UCL trophy this year
