They are a smaller league.
Anything to help their sides.
Anything to help their sides.
Dutch FA’s decision to excuse Ajax from league game last weekend...
- Thread starter Rozay
- Start date
Unfair and a disgrace is that Spain/England/Italy/Germany are having 4 fix starters for the group stage and the dutch champion must play qualification games to qualify for the group stage......that is fecking unfair and a disgrace!!!
Its gonna get messy.
Blatant helping like that will make a mockery of the competition. The rules and schedules are there from the start.
We wouldnt be smiling if it's our opponent doing it while we're having 3 games in a week crunch
Blatant helping like that will make a mockery of the competition. The rules and schedules are there from the start.
We wouldnt be smiling if it's our opponent doing it while we're having 3 games in a week crunch
Spot on. Some people really need to get a grip.Unfair and a disgrace is that Spain/England/Italy/Germany are having 4 fix starters for the group stage and the dutch champion must play qualification games to qualify for the group stage......that is fecking unfair and a disgrace!!!
Way harder in England where there are usually multiple teams making it to the knockouts. You help one team in the knockouts, then the other team is suddenly asking for rearrangements in the group stages. Brings so much subjectivity into these decisions and fans of certain club could end up feeling hard done by. It should just not be allowed. At the CL level, you are expected to have a squad of footballers and you should be expected to manage it and prioritize games.
Exactly. And the only way to change that is to go higher up in the UEFA country rankings again, for which a decision like this before an important European match can help a little.Unfair and a disgrace is that Spain/England/Italy/Germany are having 4 fix starters for the group stage and the dutch champion must play qualification games to qualify for the group stage......that is fecking unfair and a disgrace!!!
We didn't have a midweek game neither did Burnley. We could have played yesterday at noon or 3pm but TV dictated otherwise, so players could have done with extra day of rest today.
I hear you. It is a double edged sword though. TV dictates, but also gives the league their wealth.
Smaller league, don't mind.
It's very simple actually. If the Dutch want to keep up with (or somewhat follow) the big four leagues they have to do things like this. They are losing qualifying spots for Europe. This is where the exposure and money is for them. They don't get hundreds of million $$ tv rights for playing in the league. Even more the yearly turnover of Ajax is less then, say, Fulham's tv revenue.
Ha well yes, the way the qualification system and seedings are so tilted towards the big clubs in the biggest leagues is completely unfair.Unfair and a disgrace is that Spain/England/Italy/Germany are having 4 fix starters for the group stage and the dutch champion must play qualification games to qualify for the group stage......that is fecking unfair and a disgrace!!!
But leagues giving teams games off to prepare for a CL game, while a lesser crime, is also not fair (to other CL entrants or to other clubs in the Dutch league).
These things are a bit hit or miss, about 10 years ago Rangers had their weekend game postponed as they had a make or break midweek CL tie against Lyon, who they had previously beaten 3-0 in France earlier in the group.
They lost 3-0 at home and failed to qualify.
They lost 3-0 at home and failed to qualify.
Manchester City vs Watford should have been a Saturday 12.30 pm kick-off and Liverpool vs Burnley should have been a Saturday 5.30 pm kick-off.
If Ajax would have gone out then everyone would have said "Ajax are so stupid because no game on the weekend has hurt their rhythm"
They don't have the TV money that other leagues - especially the premier league - has. I wonder if the dutch FA had the same TV money to worry about that they would still do this.
Otherwise - why the feck not? What's the purpose of your country's FA if it isn't to fight for you on the international stage?
Otherwise - why the feck not? What's the purpose of your country's FA if it isn't to fight for you on the international stage?
It's a joke and devalues the competition. It's basically cheating to get an advantage. Either all teams should get the weekend off, or no teams should. It's a sport, fairness is meant to be inherent. Winning without fairness in sport is pointless, it defeats the entire point.
If a portuguese team is playing a CL game on Tuesday then they play Friday guaranteed. Of course they want to give teams the best possible conditions.
England is the only place where it seems this doesn’t happen. Liverpool playing on a Sunday before going to Munich to decide the tie on Wednesday is a complete embarrassment.
England is the only place where it seems this doesn’t happen. Liverpool playing on a Sunday before going to Munich to decide the tie on Wednesday is a complete embarrassment.
Spain is the other place.....their CL clubs are playing never on Friday what i don't understand.
But yep it's the case in Italy, France, Germany and in Portugal.
Spain is still better than England in that respect though, they don’t push Barcelona, Madrid or Atleti games to Friday but they definitely do the best next thing most of the time. I don’t think I remember a situation there where a team playing a key European game on Wednesday played the league game on Sunday.
I understand giving just a 3 day break if the European game is on Tuesday and you can’t really push a game to a Friday because of the fans. But if the European game is on Wednesday, there’s no reason they should have to play on Sunday rather than Saturday.
I see why the Dutch FA would want to help the Dutch team (Ajax or other in same position) and would expect them to be consistent with that sort of action going forward.
I couldn't care less about Madrid.
What I do wonder (don't follow Eredivisie) is: what about the team they were playing domestically? Also, I assume Ajax are competing for the title? It's probably not fair as far as their league is concerned.
I couldn't care less about Madrid.
What I do wonder (don't follow Eredivisie) is: what about the team they were playing domestically? Also, I assume Ajax are competing for the title? It's probably not fair as far as their league is concerned.
If you look at it logically, that makes sense. Every FA would want their domestic teams to do better in Europe. There is no negative to teams doing better, yet reading this thread, it’s not just the FA that’s against it, so many fans think it’s a bad idea too
We had to choose between the CWC and FAC back then since they wouldn’t back down.
English FA is horribly backwards, has always been. Sir Matt defied them to play in Europe.
How is it? They play on a wed.
Sat to tue wouldn't be any different.
I'd like to see a better dialogue between the leagues to make sure neither team get an advantage if possible.
Ajax single handedly made sure the Eredivisie keeps a direct spot in the Champions League, because were passed by Austria on the UEFA Country ranking. Yes, that's the state of Dutch football.
https://www.uefa.com/memberassociations/uefarankings/country/#/yr/2019
https://www.uefa.com/memberassociations/uefarankings/country/#/yr/2019
Yeah this. If you have a Tuesday CL game you have a Saturday game. Same difference.
Don't see the problem with his. La Liga, PL gives advantage to their leagues by bringing in shit loads of money to the teams just playing in that league, poor leagues like Dutch league compensate that by giving them rest before CL games.
I don't have any problem with a smaller league doing something like this. It would be a bit ridiculous for a top team from Spain, England, etc., doing the same. Anyway, it's up to each league to decide for themselves. If it creates an unfair situation within the league itself, that's obviously an issue but that's their FA's responsibility, not UEFA or anyone else.
I'm sure you'll get these "unfair" situations naturally anyway, with the differences in league scheduling. One league might have a domestic cup weekend with the team in question already being knocked out, so naturally having a weekend off. Another league might have a midweek game followed by a weekend game before a European game the midweek after, creating a tougher situation. I don't see the issue to be honest.
I'm sure you'll get these "unfair" situations naturally anyway, with the differences in league scheduling. One league might have a domestic cup weekend with the team in question already being knocked out, so naturally having a weekend off. Another league might have a midweek game followed by a weekend game before a European game the midweek after, creating a tougher situation. I don't see the issue to be honest.
For me it doesn't matter much how many days in isolation, but rather how many days you get to prepare compared to the opponent. If both teams have 3 days, then that's just as fair as if both teams have 4 days, but if one team have 3 and the other 4 it does matter.
Even if for example French league gives break to the teams in CL, I don't see the problem. Every team in PL makes at least 100 million from TV money, that's the least they get. That's already advantage given to the teams by the league. For example, can Lyon complete with that riches? Obviously they need help from their league at least in giving lighter schedule.
This is true if teams have transfer, wage caps and have exact number of first team players. We don't have that, so why shouldn't other league give them bit of advantage.
PL riches are based on TV money and their tighter schedule is because of TV decisions. So yeah, if you need money, you have to adapt to their schedule too.
Yeah for sure, I was just talking about how it doesn't matter if its 3 or 4 days, what matters is how it compares with the opponent.
I have no problem with Ajax doing this, especially against a team as wealthy as Real Madrid.
Yeah I think that's a fair comment. On that basis I think Ajax had a big unfair advantage and I don't think that should be allowed.
Ajax got 4 days between games, Madrid got 2. Madrid had players like Marcelo, Bale, Asensio, Ceballos on the bench, they just didn't rotate. That's why I like when smaller leagues helps the club in CL where there is so much difference in the money team spends.
Did the other side agree to the postponement? If yes, I've no problem with it but it's been mentioned they have a big relegation game at the weekend so i can't see why they would agree and have to play Ajax 3 days beforehand.
You can't blame smaller FA's for trying to gain a small advantage given the current quota system tbf.
You can't blame smaller FA's for trying to gain a small advantage given the current quota system tbf.
It isn't though, really, is it? Their game is on Wednesday night and it isn't exactly far to travel.
Man City in comparison played an evening fixture on Saturday and play Tuesday night. It's the same thing except City are at home and Liverpool are away, which is probably why they were given the earliest possible kick off time on Sunday.
If City were away to Schalke I'd argue their fixture arrangement was more unfair than Liverpool's.
Don't agree with 'unfair' shite. The FA's of every league should be delighted if their teams progress and should help them any way possible.
I'm pretty sure the statistics of results analysed show an extra day of rest doesn't actually make a difference.
In just the past week Spurs had a day less rest than Dortmund nidweek and Arsenal had a day less rest than United yesterday, but both won.
Yeah and actually it's exactly this win vs Madrid that, if RB Salzburg also lose the return game vs Napoli ensures we will have (basically on our own) earned back that direct CL spot for the Eredivisie again.
Sort of. All Eredivisie clubs agreed before the season to allow matches to be moved around to accommodate CL teams. In the first season half this took the form of moving fames from Sundays to Fridays every now and then. This is what would have happened if Ajax hadn't then reached the Cup semifinal vs Feyenoord on the wednesday before meaning it couldn't be moved to Wednesday.
Ideally the KNVB would have moved the cup game instead and the Zwolle game to Friday, as they are the one party in this who have been slightly screwed, both because it gives them a busy 3 match week in their relegation battle and because now their away fans need to get to Amsterdam for a midweek evening match.
Why on earth psv were complaining though is a mystery I think to pretty much everyone. Not only could this (and has this) helped us towards getting back a CL spot that they most likely benefit from, it also gives us a really packed week and a half that ends in a really tough away game against AZ, one of the few on paper likely places we could lose points.
One cannot argue that it is unfair that one side had a week off and another half a week off really.
If it is unfair that two teams don’t have the exact same amount of rest in the domestic competition, then you cannot maintain that cup football should be allowed to exist. After all, the longer a team is in cup football, the more of an advantage domestic league teams would have over clubs playing cup matches successfully.
In which case, Ajax would be three (wrt PSV) to six months behind on the rest of the domestic competition, since no Dutch team other than PSV participated for more than a round or so in European football this season. And look and behold which two teams top the league tables: the only teams with less rest than the other teams...
Giving a club a break due to participating in a lot of competitions at the same time isn’t any more competition fraud than tiring out some clubs more than others due to having them play more and tougher matches all year.
If it is unfair that two teams don’t have the exact same amount of rest in the domestic competition, then you cannot maintain that cup football should be allowed to exist. After all, the longer a team is in cup football, the more of an advantage domestic league teams would have over clubs playing cup matches successfully.
In which case, Ajax would be three (wrt PSV) to six months behind on the rest of the domestic competition, since no Dutch team other than PSV participated for more than a round or so in European football this season. And look and behold which two teams top the league tables: the only teams with less rest than the other teams...
Giving a club a break due to participating in a lot of competitions at the same time isn’t any more competition fraud than tiring out some clubs more than others due to having them play more and tougher matches all year.
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And they did it again for the QF's.
8 games in two weekends are moved (mostly on the same day) to make sure Ajax can prepare as good as possible for the CL.
This time all clubs were informed up front and are willing to cooperate.
8 games in two weekends are moved (mostly on the same day) to make sure Ajax can prepare as good as possible for the CL.
This time all clubs were informed up front and are willing to cooperate.