Just published on the Arsenal History Society site: a new episdoe of 100 years in the top division
- No FFP problems, no shortage of cash. Financially, Arsenal are looking ok
- New super league announced; Uefa caught flat footed
By Tony Attwood
Of all the organisations that might stand up to Donald Trump, Fifa is the one I have the least faith in being able to do so. And although my thoughts count for nothing the issue of Trump and Fifa has arisen again as Trump has said he will demand Fifa remove the WC from any city whose politics he doesn’t like. Boston and Los Angeles are the two under fire at the moment.
Of course, he can do what he wants in his homeland, at least until he is impeached, but he can’t persuade city authorities to pull away from holding a WC match. His dislike for Boston came after some police officers were attacked and a police car was set on fire.
This announcement is in keeping with Trump’s view that he has universal power. He has already declared that the mayor of Boston is “not good” describing her as part of the “a radical left” which has taken over Boston, forgetting that democracy rules there as everywhere in the US.
In fact, the activity of large crowds taking over parts of a city late at night is something that has been a growing phenomenon in recent years in the USA. The takeovers have been allowed to happen and not been seen as challenging until Trump made his pronouncement.
Trump also praised Infantino as “phenomenal,” suggesting that if Trump wanted a change of venue, Fifa would agree at once. Adding, “He wouldn’t love to do it, but he’d do it. Very easily, he’d do it.”
Meanwhile, you may have noticed that our old pal Jack Wilshere is now manager of Luton. His only previous managerial experience has been at Plymouth, where he stood in after the manager was sacked at the end of last season.
Luton are currently 11th in League One, eight points away from automatic promotion and five points above automatic relegation.
Wilshere was in Luton’s centre of excellence before joining Arsenal at the age of nine. “It’s a huge honour and a privilege to be named Luton Town manager,” he told the club’s website. “It feels like a full-circle moment for me. I was eight when I first came to Luton as a boy, so I guess you could say it’s fate that my first full-time club managerial position is at this club. I couldn’t be more delighted to be here.” The club have only won one of their last six matches in all competitions.
And just to complete this little round-up, we can actually come back to the eternal Manchester City affair (well, ok not eternal but it has been running for two years and eight months, which is the all-time record for any case ever against a club. Normally, they are dealt with in a week.
That something might be happening comes with the Independent’s headline, “Across the Premier League, senior figures are now bracing themselves,” for a verdict. Aside from the fact that being “braced” for that long must be quite tiring, the fact is, we have long since got to the point where most dates come and go without anyone actually being braced for anything.
One of the many points that has never been answered (and indeed one is starting to think, has hardly been asked), is why no one thought it could go on like this. This is, after all, ManC who appear to believe they can do what they like.
Another is, why was there no timetable set in the rules for the length of time an appeal could be delayed?
And yet another is, if an appeal has been made, why has it taken so long to resolve? And perhaps the most important of all, did Manchester City really threaten to bring down the whole Premier League if the accusations were not withdrawn?
Over a year ago, the Guardian reported the authorities were preparing us for the result of the case with the headline “Win or lose, Manchester City case poses perilous threat to Premier League power.” Another year has gone, and they are still telling us the result is about to come out.
You can now even access a range of bets as if this is just another football match, on a points deduction for the season involved, a points deduction this season, fines and even relegation (a miserly 6-1 – can you imagine what ManC would do if they were relegated? )
And yet this is still a vital moment. If it’s a fudge as seems most likely, we’ll know the rules count for nothing and money counts for everything. That is due to the parallel associated party transaction case, which finally ended in a settlement between City and the Premier League.
We should remember that ManmC declared the rules unlawful, so for them to lose in any way and the laws continue, this would mean that they are acknowledging that they are playing an unlawful league. Thus, presumably any trophies gained would also be unlawful and not count towards their trophy tally.
